Best Spring 2024 Anime

Highlights

• Spring 2024 anime lineup offers both sequels and new hits. Fans can expect diverse genres and demographics catered to in this season.
• Highlights include “Train to the End of the World,” “Mushoku Tensei,” “Wind Breaker,” “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime,” “Spice and Wolf,” “Sound! Euphonium,” “Laid-Back Camp,” and “KonoSuba.”
• Top recommendations like Wind Breaker and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime provide thrilling stories with great animation and character development.

The Spring 2024 anime season is here, and plenty of shows are competing to leave their mark on the industry. As always, the lineup includes sequels and new properties, with the former hogging most of the attention. Still, there are more than a few newcomers that have the potential to become hits, potentially spawning their own sequels later down the line.

Spring 2024 covers most of the popular genres and demographics, even if the selection is not split evenly. Regardless of personal preferences, most fans should be able to find a story that suits their needs. However, if someone is not sure what to start with, they can check out the following recommendations that represent the best Spring 2024 anime.

This article will be updated every week to ensure that the rankings reflect the season’s output. The cutoff date for the current Spring 2024 anime is
April 12, 2024
.

Here are a few more criteria:

• Only anime that started in Spring 2024 will be considered. Therefore, no
  Winter 2024 continuations
  (
  Delicious in Dungeon
  ) or long-running shows like
  One Piece
  .
• No ONAs, OVAs, movies, or Netflix specials.
• While listed as a reference, MyAnimeList scores are just one piece of the equation and not the ranking’s defining criteria.

8 Train to the End of the World

MyAnimeList: 7.33

One of the more unusual debuts of Spring 2024, Train to the End of the World envisions a version of Japan that has been turned upside down by the introduction of 7G. The system’s launch turned everyone over 18 into animals, and while they have retained their consciousness for now, their humanity seems to be gradually fading away. A group of girls who only know their small town’s strange circumstances decide to go on a trip when they see one of their friends in another city’s newspaper. Therefore, they jump onto a train and head out into the post-apocalyptic unknown.

Train to the End of the World has gotten off to a charming and creative start, one that raises questions that will hopefully lead to fun answers. Boasting a lighthearted tone while still taking its premise seriously, EMT Squared’s anime has set the stage for a fresh adventure that could deliver thrills, laughs, and suspense. Hopefully, the show delivers on its promise, and the second episode was packed with humor and even some tension.

7 Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2

MyAnimeList: 8.38

Despite producing plenty of polarizing anime, isekai’s most controversial representative is unquestionably Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. For some, this series not only showcases isekai at its peak but is also among the best fantasy series produced by the industry. For others, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is undermined by an unlikable protagonist who starts awful and has only shown minor growth since then. At this point, most people should know if they want to be part of Rudeus’ journey or not, and trying to change anyone’s opinion is an exercise in futility.

Focusing solely on the current cour, Mushoku Tensei seems to be setting the stage for an exciting arc that will hopefully explore more of this world’s politics and mythology, which have always been this anime’s strongest points. Rudeus and Sylphy are looking to settle down, with marriage and a house on the horizon. However, the former also looks ready to finally start searching properly for his mother, something that was pushed aside in the previous arc.

6 Wind Breaker

MyAnimeList: 7.95

Sometimes, simplicity is the best policy. Wind Breaker follows Haruka Sakura, an angry teenager who has always been an outcast through no fault of his own. Finding solace in violence, Haruka joins Makochi’s notorious Furin High School in the hopes of facing off against strong fighters. However, he quickly learns that the town and school have changed considerably in recent years thanks to Furin’s Bofurin gang working to keep the streets safe. While battles are still common, Haruka might have to accept that he cannot be an island.

Wind Breaker has a shonen-standard protagonist and a delinquent-fueled setting that is hardly breaking new ground for action anime. However, tropes are inescapable for a reason: when done right, they work. Haruka is easy enough to like, and he is surrounded by characters who help balance out his angry outbursts. Also, CloverWork’s animation is great, both in the quiet moments and the well-choreographed fight sequences.

5 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3

MyAnimeList: 8.42

Isekai tends to attract hate for its overreliance on basic power fantasies. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime fits that descriptor like a glove, but it also serves as a prime example of this type of story’s appeal when executed to near perfection. Rimuru’s journey to bring peace to monster-kind is predominantly defined by a carefree tone that only sporadically dips into tense situations. Even though season 2 had some shocking moments, things largely worked out for the Jura Tempest Federation.

Season 3 is set to maintain this course of balancing light political intrigue with well-animated action, slice of life shenanigans, and the ever-expanding hero worship revolving around Rimuru. Like in the previous cours, the protagonist acts as a glue that brings together a wide assortment of more interesting and charismatic characters, be it Diablo or the Demon Lords.

4 Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf

MyAnimeList: 8.25

Revisiting a classic is risky. Not only is Isuna Hasekura’s Spice and Wolf light novel an all-time fantasy great, but the 2008 anime is also excellent. Consequently, Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf has to live up to the source material’s brilliance and, arguably, surpass a beloved adaptation. Passione must bring its A-game.

While still early days, the studio might just be able to pull off this difficult feat. Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf seems to have nailed Holo and Kraft Lawrence’s personalities, with both characters instantly coming across as fleshed-out individuals with long histories that drive their presents and futures. More importantly, they are awesome together.

3 Sound! Euphonium 3

MyAnimeList: 8.56

Out of Spring 2024’s many, many sequels, Sound! Euphonium has the potential to be among the best and also the most ignored. Kyoto’s music-based series has a cult following but is hardly mainstream, and at this point, it is unlikely to attract all that many new viewers. While that’s somewhat disappointing, existing fans can look forward to high-quality weekly episodes that chronicle Kitauji High School’s band club’s latest attempt to win a national competition. As Kumiko is in her final year at high school, this will be her last opportunity to achieve her dream.

Sound! Euphonium 3 has done a great job of introducing a plethora of new club members, including the incredibly talented Mayu Kuroe, who also happens to play the same instrument as Kumiko. With stellar animation, strong writing, lovable characters, and a constant sense of drama, Sound! Euphonium 3 is destined to be among the best anime of Spring 2024.

2 Laid-Back Camp Season 3

MyAnimeList: 8.47

Slice of life stories have become oddly rare in this day and age. Sure, most seasons include one or two SOL series, but that is usually it. Fortunately, Spring 2024 contains one of the genre’s standout names, with Laid-Back Camp airing its third season. Relaxing and freeing, this show eases the mind and feeds the soul, all the while showing viewers a few of Japan’s most gorgeous vistas.

As always, the Outdoors Activities Club’s members are looking ahead to their next camping trip, although they are still coming up with ideas. In the meantime, Rin heads on solo expeditions while reminiscing about her grandpa, the person who sparked her love for camping. Sweet, funny, and peaceful, Laid-Back Camp just has a way of improving even the most stressful of days.

1 KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3

MyAnimeList: 8.56

Kazuma, Megumin, Aqua, and Darkness are back and as funny as ever. The definitive isekai parody, KonoSuba manages to hilariously mock the genre while simultaneously offering similar enough thrills to entertain fans. Filled with irreverent humor and driven by “awful” but irresistible characters, the series is constantly willing to push boundaries, all the while still knowing when it would be best to just rely on the effortless banter between the four leads.

For better or worse, season 3 has, so far, been just more KonoSuba. The humor has not evolved much, the characters are still largely the same, and the storylines are generally inconsequential. Ultimately, if something is not broken, there is no reason to fix it, and KonoSuba is far from broken.