Want to watch the world's most famous anime but don't know where to start? This guide gathers the optimal watch order for the 7 most popular anime: One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball, Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen and Death Note. With episode tables, identified canon movies and legal streaming platform recommendations for 2026.
Quick summary: the 7 popular anime and their order
| Anime | Total episodes | Canon (no filler) | Entry difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death Note | 37 | 37 (no filler) | Easy |
| Demon Slayer | 44 ep S1 + Mugen Train + more | Everything is canon | Easy |
| Attack on Titan | 87 ep (4 seasons) | All canon, no filler | Medium |
| Jujutsu Kaisen | 71 ep + 1 movie | 71 ep + JJK 0 (prequel) | Medium |
| Dragon Ball Z | 291 ep (or Z Kai: 167) | Z Kai recommended | Medium-high |
| Naruto + Shippuden | 720 ep | ~424 ep canon | High |
| One Piece | 1100+ ep | 700+ ep canon | Very high |
Death Note — The best entry point into anime
Death Note (2006-2007) is the perfect series to start watching anime. Just 37 episodes, zero filler and a psychological thriller narrative that hooks you from minute one. Light Yagami finds a notebook that kills anyone whose name he writes in it: what starts as a power game becomes an epic confrontation between two extraordinary intellects.
The adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba's manga is 100% faithful and paced perfectly. From episode 25 the story takes a major turn that divides opinion: some fans consider the first half superior, but the ending is fully satisfying.
Demon Slayer — The visual sensation of modern anime
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019-present) starred in one of the most impressive moments in anime history: its movie "Mugen Train" became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history in 2020, surpassing Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away.
- Season 1 — 26 episodes. Introduces Tanjiro, his mission and the Demon Slayer Corps.
- Movie: Mugen Train — The Infinity Train arc. Mandatory between S1 and S2 (the start of S2 recaps the movie, it doesn't replace it).
- Season 2 — 18 episodes (Entertainment District arc).
- Season 3 — 11 episodes (Swordsmith Village arc). Major pacing shift.
- Season 4 — 8 episodes (Hashira Training + start of Infinity Castle).
Attack on Titan — The modern anime masterpiece
Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin, 2013-2023) is considered by a large part of the community to be the best anime of the last 20 years. What begins as a survival story against man-eating giants evolves into a political and philosophical narrative of rarely matched depth.
- Season 1 — 25 episodes. The titan crisis and the discovery of the first secrets.
- Season 2 — 12 episodes. Shorter but dense with revelations.
- Season 3 Part 1 — 13 episodes. Political intrigue inside the walls.
- Season 3 Part 2 — 10 episodes. The Retake of Shiganshina arc: arguably the best stretch of the series.
- Season 4 Part 1 — 16 episodes. Time skip and radical shift in perspective.
- Season 4 Part 2 — 12 episodes. The escalation toward the ending.
- Season 4 Part 3 — 2 specials of ~60 minutes. The saga's conclusion.
Attack on Titan has no filler: everything Mappa and Wit Studio aired is a direct adaptation of Hajime Isayama's manga.
Jujutsu Kaisen — The new generation's phenomenon
Jujutsu Kaisen (2020-present) represents the new generation of shonen: brutal action, excellent character design and a relentless supernatural curse story. MAPPA's adaptation has been acclaimed for its animation quality.
- Movie: Jujutsu Kaisen 0 — Prequel starring Yuta Okkotsu. You can watch it before S1 or between S1 and S2.
- Season 1 — 24 episodes. Introduces Yuji Itadori and the world of curses.
- Season 2 — 23 episodes. The Shibuya Incident: devastating and glorious.
- Season 3 (airing 2024-2025) — The Culling Game and battles from the late manga.
Dragon Ball — The classic of classics
Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball franchise is the pioneer of modern shonen. Despite decades of history, the order is clear and the fast route avoids hundreds of filler episodes from the original Dragon Ball Z.
- Dragon Ball (1986) — 153 ep. Kid Goku, the tournaments and the first dragon balls. Optional but recommended.
- Dragon Ball Z Kai (2009) — 167 ep. Remastered, filler-free version of Z: Saiyans, Frieza, Cell and Buu. Preferable over the original Z.
- Dragon Ball Super (2015) — 131 ep. Beerus, Goku Black and the Tournament of Power.
- Movie: Super — Broly (2018) — Canon. After the 131 episodes of Super.
- Movie: Super Hero (2022) — Canon. After Broly.
- Dragon Ball Daima (2024) — 20 ep. Toriyama's final work.
See the full Dragon Ball watch order guide →
Naruto — The most influential ninja saga
Naruto is probably the anime that created the most fans worldwide during the 2000s and 2010s. With 720 episodes between classic Naruto and Shippuden, filler is the biggest challenge: some filler arcs run 40-50 episodes without advancing the plot at all.
- Classic Naruto — 220 ep (96 filler). Recommended canon: 124 episodes.
- Naruto Shippuden — 500 ep (~200 filler). Canon: ~300 episodes.
- Movie: The Last — Naruto the Movie (2014) — Canon. After Shippuden episode 493.
- Boruto — 293 ep. Improves from the Karma arc onward. Very filler-heavy at the start.
See the full Naruto guide with filler list →
One Piece — The longest anime in the world
One Piece is the best-selling manga in history (over 530 million copies) and its anime has been airing continuously since 1999 with over 1100 episodes. The story of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew is the definitive manga-anime epic, with unmatched worldbuilding and narrative construction. The challenge: the amount of filler and the slow pace of the classic adaptation.
- Start at episode 1 and follow chronological order.
- You can use filler guides to skip non-canon episodes (there are apps and Reddit lists specifically for this).
- Alternative: the remastered 4K version (One Piece Log Collection) or Netflix's live-action as an introduction.
See the full One Piece guide with filler episodes →
Where to watch the popular anime legally in 2026
| Anime | Crunchyroll | Netflix | Amazon Prime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death Note | ✅ Full | ✅ Available | — |
| Demon Slayer | ✅ Full | ✅ Some seasons | ✅ Available |
| Attack on Titan | ✅ Full | ✅ Available | — |
| Jujutsu Kaisen | ✅ Full | ✅ S1-S2 | — |
| Dragon Ball Z Kai | ✅ Full | — | — |
| Dragon Ball Super | ✅ Full | — | — |
| Naruto + Shippuden | ✅ Full | ✅ Partial | — |
| One Piece | ✅ Full | Live-action | — |
*Availability may vary. Check each platform before subscribing.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most popular anime in the world?
The most popular anime right now are: One Piece (the best-selling manga in history), Naruto/Naruto Shippuden (the most iconic ninja saga), Dragon Ball Z (the absolute classic), Demon Slayer (the highest-grossing anime film of 2020), Attack on Titan (widely considered the best anime of the last decade), Jujutsu Kaisen (the 2023-2024 phenomenon) and Death Note (the reference psychological thriller).
What order should I watch popular anime in?
There is no mandatory order between different series — they are independent stories. Within each franchise there is a specific order: for Naruto, watch the classic series first, then Shippuden; for Dragon Ball, DB original, then Z, Super and Daima; for Demon Slayer, by season with the Mugen Train movie between season 1 and 2. For beginners, Demon Slayer or Death Note are the best entry points given their manageable length.
What's the shortest anime to start with?
Death Note has only 37 episodes and is ideal for beginners: a self-contained story, excellent pacing and zero filler. Another good entry point is Demon Slayer with 44 episodes in season 1 plus the Mugen Train movie. Attack on Titan is also accessible in its first season (25 episodes). Avoid starting with One Piece or Naruto if you have no anime experience.
Where can I legally watch popular anime in 2026?
Crunchyroll has the most complete catalog: Naruto, One Piece, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan and more, with dubbing and subtitles in multiple languages. Netflix has Attack on Titan, some seasons of Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen. Amazon Prime Video has Demon Slayer and other titles. The complete Dragon Ball catalog is on Crunchyroll. Piracy takes revenue away from the Japanese studios that produce the anime.
How long does it take to watch all the popular anime?
Watching only the canon of the biggest anime without filler takes roughly: Demon Slayer (44 eps = 16h), Death Note (37 eps = 14h), Attack on Titan (87 eps = 32h), Jujutsu Kaisen (71 eps = 26h), Dragon Ball Z Kai (167 eps = 62h), Naruto + Shippuden canon (424 eps = 158h) and One Piece canon (700+ eps = 270h+). A weekend binge-watcher could finish Demon Slayer in 2 days.
Should I watch dubbed or subbed?
Both options are valid. The English dub of Naruto, Dragon Ball Z and One Piece is well established and has decades of history. For more recent anime like Jujutsu Kaisen or Demon Slayer, the original Japanese voices with subtitles are mostly preferred by the community, since Japanese voice acting is an integral part of the experience. Crunchyroll offers both options for most titles.