While Hulu houses its original hits like “Handmaid’s Tale,” it’s also where viewers can access some of the most popular anime series, including “Chainsaw Man,” “Spy x Family” and more.
As Disney seemingly inches closer to buying out Comcast’s minority stake, the company has put its majority ownership to good use in many ways, including its commitment to hosting Japanese animation for anime lovers. Hulu’s relationship with Funimation helps it boast its 300-title slate of anime content including “Attack on Titan,” “Naruto” and some of the “Dragon Ball franchise.
And although Disney chief Bob Iger could also put the streamer— which has a value between $19.8 billion and $27.5 billion — up for sale, anime watchers are enjoying their favorites in the meantime.
Here are the 13 best anime series Hulu has to offer right now.
“Dragon Ball” Franchise
Who didn’t love coming home after school, turning on Toonami and watching Goku, Krillin, Bulma and Vegeta fight to the end to save the world for the hundredth time? Well, as we’ve entered the streaming space, most of the “Dragon Ball” franchise is available online, and Hulu provides subscribers with “Dragon Ball,” “Dragon Ball GT” and its latest saga “Dragon Ball Super.” The entire franchise is centered on Goku, a powerful young Saiyan warrior, who’s real name is Kakarot. Before his home planet Vegeta is destroyed by enemy Frieza, Goku is sent to Earth where he is adopted by a human family. As he gets older, he trains to be a fighter and eventually takes on the responsibly of being Earth’s protector. Over time he builds a talented group of friends that help on his quest. The series was created by Akira Toriyama, and was adapted from his 1984 manga. The TV series made its debut on Feb. 26, 1986.
“Chainsaw Man”
This dark shonen series centers on an impoverished teenage boy named Denji who is down on his luck and homeless after picking his parents’ mountain-load of debt after they died. When he gets himself into a near-death encounter, he makes a deal with a chainsaw devil named Pochita to fuse their bodies together leaving him with the ability to transform his limbs into chainsaws. He eventually joins forces with a team of devil hunters on their quest to take down the infamous gun devil. The series was adapted from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga series of the same name. The show made its premiere on Oct. 12, 2022.
“Cowboy Bebop”
An ultimate classic among anime lovers, “Cowboy Bebop” is a neo-noir science fiction anime series created by Hajime Yatate, Bandai Visual and Bandai Namco Filmworks. The program follows the adventures of a group of bounty hunters, with Spike Spiegel as its leader. “Cowboy Bebop” premiered on Sept. 2, 2001.
“My Hero Academia”
Written and illustrated by its creator Kōhei Horikoshi, “My Hero Academia” was adapted from its manga series into an anime, which premiered on May 5, 2018. In the show, a young boy named Izuku Midoriya aspires to be a “Quirk” — a human with super powers. Initially possessing none of his own, he is gifted by the greatest hero power, All Might, after being the only person to stand up for and protect a friend during a tragic accident. His adventures continue when he joins a school that cultivates the next generation of heroes.
“InuYasha”
In the feudal era of Japan, half-demon and half-human InuYasha awakens from a 50-year-long slumber after a shrine priestess named Kikyo — who also happens to be the love of his life — shot him with an arrow that placed him under a spell after being unknowingly being tricked into believing InuYasha attacked her. Five decades later, modern-day school girl Kagome frees InuYasha from his prison and the two embark on a journey with friends to find the culprit behind the scheme. The series was adapted from the manga series that shares the same name. It was written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi, and the anime made its debut October 16, 2000.
“Naruto”
Naruto is recognized as one of the best-selling manga series in history, selling 250 million copies around the world. It makes total sense that it was adapted into a series, which debuted on October 3, 2002. “Naruto” is written and illustrated by its creator Masashi Kishimoto and follows the journey of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who wants the admiration and praise from his peers and seeks to earn the title of Hokage, the leader of his village.
“Sailor Moon”
Growing up, watchers probably never realized one of their first introductions to Japanese animation was the universally-popular series “Sailor Moon.” The show tells the story of a teenage girl who uses her magic powers to fight off evil and protect Earth and the galaxy alongside her fellow Sailor Scouts. Like its series, the manga — from which the show was adapted — is equally is touted as one of the most popular manga series. “Sailor Moon” was written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, and the show made its debut Nov. 30, 1994.
“Demon Slayer”
Set in the early 20th century Taishō era of Japan, comes the tale of 13-year-old Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who enlists in the teachings of first-class demon slayers with a mission to avenge his family who were slaughtered while he was running errands. The only person he has left is his sister, who has been turned into a demon. The two embark on a journey to find the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, alongside fellow demon slayers Zenitsu and Insosuke.
“One Punch Man”
Saitama is the most powerful superhero in the world, wielding the ability to murder anyone with just one strike of his fist. However, growing bored of his enormous strength, and with no worthy contenders to challenge him, he retires from his responsibilities as a hero and falls into a depression that are entangled with feelings of dissatisfaction. The show is adapted from its manga series, which was written by ONE and Yusuke Murata. The series premiered on October 5, 2015.
“Bleach”
After his family is attacked by an evil ghost called a Hollow, a young Ichigo uses his ability to see ghosts and becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the world while helping the misguided spirits find their own peace. “Bleach,” which was adapted from its manga series was created by Tite Kubo, made its debut on Sept. 9, 2006.
“Spy x Family”
Created by Tatsuya Endo, “Spy x Family” was adapted from its manga series, and its anime premiered on April 9, 2022. The show is about an amazing spy named Agent Twilight who assembles a fake family in order to perform an elaborate mission. But he soon finds out that the group he’s enlisted includes a telepathic child and a legendary assassin who also needed a family as a cover-up.
“Death Parade”
The concepts of heaven and hell has been visualized in many different ways in TV, but imagine the fate of your destination depending on a series of games. That’s the concept of “Death Parade,” an anime mini series created by Yuzuru Tachiawa. In the psychological thriller, humans either go to heaven or hell but some are sent to the Quindecim once they die. When they arrive, they must go participate in painful games, in which the true core of their hearts will be tested. The series came out on March 2, 2013.
“Attack on Titan”
“Attack on Titan” is adapted from the award-winning manga with the same name, and was written and illustrated by its creator Hajime Isayama. The series tells the heartbreaking story of Eren, a child who has lived his entire life behind massive walls due to his community’s fear of what lies on the outside. After a swarm of man-eating giants break down the walls, Eren witnesses his mother by the monsters, which are called titans. When he grows up, he promises to avenge his mother’s death, swearing to take down all titans. However, he soon finds out the history of his former entrapment, and truth behind the titans that he hates so much. “Attack on Titan” came out on September 28, 2013.
