Skip To...
The time has come, my fellow anime viewers. The Fall 2024 anime season is about to end, and we thought it’d be a great idea to wrap it up by ranking 10 shows from worst to best. While this season wasn’t as packed as the previous one or the one coming after it, it had many surprising anime that hooked us in their short runs. So, whether you skipped a few or want to see where your favorite show ended on our list, we have 10 that we think are worth watching and even avoiding.
Before we kick off, there are a few things we want to clarify. First, we’ll focus on entirely new shows and not second seasons or new 12-episode blocks. For example, 2.5 Dimensional Seduction aired during the previous season and continues airing, but we won’t add it. Furthermore, we won’t focus on franchises that have been around for a long time because high quality is already expected. Shows like Re:Zero, Dragon Ball, and Bleach didn’t make it to the list. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the new shows that made a splash or drowned this season.
10. Uzumaki
The disappointment the community felt after watching Uzumaki will be talked about for years to come. Production and animation issues aside, Uzumaki had a lackluster adaptation. As someone who read the manga, I couldn’t believe the show’s weird pacing and the lack of coherence to a story that should have instantly hooked any viewer. Here, it never happened. For better or worse, this anime only had a few episodes, and sadly, it never received the treatment this classic manga deserved.
9. Tying the Knot With an Amagami Sister
Every anime season needs a show with the male protagonist living in a house full of beauties, and Fall 2024 isn’t an exception. Tying the Knot With an Amagami Sister had an interesting premise and a terrific cast of voice actors. However, there’s nothing salvageable beyond that. The sisters, who are the show’s main selling point, never really become likable, at least if we compare it to other big shows like Quintessential Quintuplets. Plus, the story’s pacing hurts this anime a lot, and I doubt many will stick around to finish its long airing of 24 episodes.
8. Yakuza Fiancé
Yakuza Fiancé is another case of “promising a lot and delivering too little.” I can see many people liking this one. It presents you first with the cliche of an arranged marriage with a yakuza guy who’s crazy, and we all thought the girl would submit to the situation. Instead, the lady turns out to be a fierce woman who will stand her ground against anything. Furthermore, the future groom seems to like it when a lady treats him badly, so I guess that’s a kink many can relate to. No judging. However, the story never takes off, and the protagonist can become a bit insufferable after watching his toxic behavior repeatedly.
7. I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History
We’ve seen a lot of great “Villainess” shows in 2024, and the Fall season brought an interesting one, albeit not the best. I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History gives us a protagonist who actually wants to become a villainess. While she ends up doing more heroic antics by accident, it is nice to see her always plotting against the annoying saint of the realm. Sadly, it still has many cliches we see in anime that deal with magic, politics, and school life that hurt the show in this short run. Still, it is a show we recommend binge-watching, especially if you’re into this genre.
6. Let This Grieving Soul Retire
One of the most surprising and hilarious anime of Fall 2024 has to be Let This Grieving Soul Retire. In this tale of adventurers, our protagonist, Krai, is the most useless among the most powerful guilds in the realm. However, his luck has helped him to become revered by everyone around him. With zero chances to win in a fight, a lack of magic and combat skills, and nothing else to his name, he gets into the most dangerous situations and always leaves unscathed. The humor is top-notch, the fan service isn’t too bad, and the characters are memorable. Plus, the way the show weaves the opening into every episode’s narrative is something that few anime do and deserves praise, too.
5. Negative Positive Angler
Another show that some might’ve ignored this season is Negative Positive Angler. First and foremost, yes, it revolves around fishing, as the name heavily implies. But the thing that reels you in (pun intended) is the story of every character in the show. From our protagonist with a terminal disease, terrible luck, and nowhere to go to a shop owner trying to reconnect with his son through fishing. This is an anime that will make you launch, cry, and give you a relaxing and introspective time with each episode. Even if there’s no action in it or wild animated sequences, its storytelling is unmatched.
4. Demon Lord 2099
I’m always on the fence whenever a new show featuring a demon lord gets announced, but Demon Lord 2099 surpassed my expectations. After being dormant for thousands of years, the demon lord wakes up in the year 2099 to a city straight out of Cyberpunk 2077. With no followers and a weakened magical power, he becomes a streamer to gain followers who empower him, takes down someone from his army who betrayed him, and even goes to a school in Akihabara. It sounds like a wild fever dreamer, but trust me, this show will blow you away. It is an interesting take on the demon lord genre and probably the best we’ve had this year that features an edgy “evil” character.
3. Blue Box
You know we had to include the sports anime of Fall 2024, which is also a great rom-com. Blux Box follows the story of Taiki, a badminton player who has a crush on his senpai, Chinatsu, a basketball player in the same school. By the magic powers of the script, Chinatsu ends up living under Taiki’s rook, which leads to many confusing and heart-racing situations. I must say that while Taiki can be a bit of a fool at times, the way this show tackles romance interwoven with the life of a high school sports player is quite interesting. Plus, it features the best visuals in any rom-com of the season, so that’s a big bonus point for this show.
2. Mecha-Ude
TriF Studio’s first big anime has been a banger and could’ve been the best of Fall 2024 if it weren’t for the following one. Mecha-Ude is everything you can expect from a good shonen. It features superb worldbuilding, amazing characters voiced by some of the industry’s best, terrific storytelling, and top-notch action sequences. In many ways, it reminded me of the days of Medabots with kids running around with mechanical friends, which, in this case, are arms, fighting against each other and trying to stop a world-ending plot. Overall, it’s the full package and one that only keeps improving with each new episode.
1. DanDaDan
Everyone expected this one to be the best anime of Fall 2024, without a doubt. Explaining DanDaDan might be the strangest thing ever. You have an unlikely friendship with a boy and a girl who believe in UFOs and ghosts, respectively. After they bet on each other to discover said supernatural beings, the boy loses his testicles but gains ghostly powers, and the girl manifests her spiritual powers. What follows is a series of testicle-searching antics, new characters awakening powers, and, oddly enough, the best romance scenes of the season. While the humor and action take the crown, there are episodes that will make you cry until you’re feeling dry. DanDaDan is a must-watch not only this season but also the year. Oh yeah, and Creepy Nuts does the opening, so Mashle fans will want to jump into this as well.
