When it comes to any show, anime or otherwise, the thing a story absolutely has to land is its final episode. As the last episode, it’s the last chance to close out any and all dangling plot threads, and depending on the execution, a finale can either have a show be forever cemented as a legendary story or completely destroy any semblance of goodwill people still had for it.
It’s very easy for an anime to mess up its finale, and that makes it all the better whenever a series gets it right. The best way for an anime finale to succeed is by bringing all story threads to a close without any noteworthy shortcomings in plotting.
Any time an anime has done that while maintaining a certain level of charm, it’s gone down as one of the best anime a person can watch from start to finish. Finales like that are always great to see, and there are a few, in particular, that are especially worth mentioning.
10 Dororo’s Finale Cemented It As A Perfect Adaptation
Anime series by Studio MAPPA; Based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka
2019’s Dororo was a series with a lot of heart, and that could best be seen with its finale. After continually struggling with the morality of his actions, Hyakkimaru made a firm decision not to kill his brother, although Tahomaru still sacrificed himself to give Hyakkimaru his eyes and make him whole again. From there, Hyakkimaru left to wander the country and learn what it truly means to be human while Dororo helped to rebuild the land of Daigo, and it wouldn’t be until years later that the two of them would reunite.
The 2019 adaptation of Dororo is a far more developed story than its predecessors, and that all came to a head with its finale. Not only did Dororo satisfyingly end Hyakkimaru’s character arc, but the bittersweet nature of Dororo’s ending also kept true to the spirit of the original story and Osamu Tezuka’s style, and that sort of consistency helped it strike a balance between being its own story and paying respect to the original. No other adaptation of Dororo went as far with the story as the 2019 adaptation, and its finale was the perfect conclusion to that.
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9 Anohana Ended Its Story As Beautifully & Painfully As A Show Like It Could
Anime series by A-1 Pictures; Written by Mari Okada
No other anime was able to sell its emotional beats from start to finish as well as 2011’s Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. The Super Peace Busters have finally addressed their problems with each other and themselves, and they’re ready to help Menma pass on one more time. Menma, however, finds herself disappearing faster than she would like, and as everyone panics over her disappearance, she uses the last of her strength to try and give her friends a proper goodbye.
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Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day is famous for its emotional storytelling, and that all reached its peak with the series finale. Not only did the finale accomplish the anime’s goal of making the main characters friends again, but the direction in the scene of Menma’s goodbye, with its lighting, voice acting, and insertion of the ending theme, made for the perfect execution of what was always going to be a heartwrenching scene for the anime. Very few anime can sell their emotional beats as well as Anohana, and that made its finale all the better.
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8 Persona 4: The Animation’s Finale Brought Its Original Story To A Perfect Close
Anime series by AIC ASTA; Based on the video game by Atlus
Despite the divisive reputation of video game adaptations, 2011’s Persona 4: The Animation did a great job with its finale. With the serial murder case solved and Inaba and the world at large saved, it’s time for Yu to say goodbye to his friends and go back home to Tokyo. As Yu begins to feel anxious about leaving his friends, he suddenly finds himself repeating the same events over and over again, and looking into the cause brings Yu face-to-face with both the heart of his troubles and the true mastermind of the Midnight Channel.
What made Persona 4: The Animation’s finale work so well was the conclusion to its original story involving Yu. The anime gave Yu an original character arc of grappling with separation anxiety, and pairing Yu’s acceptance of having to leave his friends with the canonical scene of his Social Links encouraging him in the final battle perfectly emphasized how beloved Yu was and how he didn’t need to be afraid of losing them. All in all, the anime’s finale did an incredible job of showing off the central conceit of Persona 4 and the Persona franchise, as a whole.
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7 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Had A Perfect Understanding Of Denouement
Anime series by Studio Bones; Based on the manga by Hiromu Arakawa
For an anime finale that mostly serves to wrap up loose ends with little action, one of the best around is the finale of 2009’s Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Two years after Father’s defeat, Edward and Alphonse continue their research into alchemy in the hopes of going past the restrictions of equivalent exchange. As Edward leaves for the West, he proposes to Winry by asking her to share half her life with him, and her saying she’ll give him everything gives Edward a hint about overcoming equivalent exchange.
What made Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s finale work so well was its use of the concept of denouement. With the action of the main story already finished, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s finale was able to focus solely on closing everything out and putting everyone somewhere new, and doing so highlighted the core of the story being the humanity of the cast, not the intense action they were always involved in. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has a reputation for being one of the best anime to watch, and the care with which it executes its finale is a perfect showing of why that is.
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Fullmetal Alchemist
- Created by
- Hiromu Arakawa
- TV Show(s)
- Fullmetal Alchemist , Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Character(s)
- Edward Elric , Alphonse Elric , Roy Mustang , Winry Rockbell , Maes Hughes , Riza Hawkeye , Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist) , Ling Yao , Lan Fan , May Chang , King Bradley , Lust (Fullmetal Alchemist) , Envy (Fullmetal Alchemist) , Greed (Fullmetal Alchemist)
- Video Game(s)
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Stray Rondo , Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir , Fullmetal Alchemist: Dual Sympathy , Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel
6 Dragon Ball Z’s Finale Perfectly Maintained The Core Of Goku’s Character
Anime series by Toei Animation; Based on the manga by Akira Toriyama
With how iconic the series is, it’s no surprise that the last episode of Dragon Ball Z is also one of its best. As Goku and Uub keep fighting, Uub slowly grows from an incompetent child to someone who can hold his own against Goku, exactly what Goku was hoping for. When it becomes clear that Uub can’t handle his full power, though, Goku decides to drop everything to train Uub, both so Uub can give him a real fight one day and so Goku will have someone to protect the Earth in his place.
The biggest thing Dragon Ball Z’s finale has going for it is its encapsulation of Goku’s character. Goku has always been someone who prioritized getting stronger over everything else, and with Goku just running off for training again while barely acknowledging his loved ones, the Dragon Ball Z finale more than succeeds at showing how pure, for better or worse, Goku is always meant to be seen as. That ended up not being the end of the series, but it still does a great job of showing how Goku will always be looking for a chance to better himself, regardless.
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Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
- Created by
- Akira Toriyama
- First Film
- Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
- Latest Film
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
- First TV Show
- Dragon Ball
- Latest TV Show
- Super Dragon Ball Heroes
- First Episode Air Date
- April 26, 1989
- Latest Episode
- 2019-10-05
- Cast
- Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil
- Current Series
- Dragon Ball Super
- Video Game(s)
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 , Dragon Ball FighterZ , Dragon Ball: The Breakers , Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission , Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z , Dragon Ball Xenoverse , Dragon Ball Z Kakarot
5 Cowboy Bebop Ended The Series On An Incredibly Bittersweet Note
Anime series by Sunrise; Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe
1998’s Cowboy Bebop always had a melancholic edge to it, and its finale brought that to its peak. Just as Spike is finally reunited with Julia, Julia is killed by the Syndicate, prompting Spike to finally settle things with Vicious. Jet and Faye tried to get Spike to stay, but at that point, Spike could no longer be convinced, and while Spike did manage to defeat Vicious, he couldn’t leave the fight unscathed and ended up dead for all his troubles.
Cowboy Bebop is often regarded as one of the best anime of all time, and that is more than evident in its stellar finale. Spike dying is one thing, but the fact that Spike’s death in Cowboy Bebop came from him foregoing all of his efforts to move on from his past highlighted the tragedy of it all even more, all with the anime’s usual beautiful animation and overall direction. It’s often hard for a story to end with a major death without bringing everything down, but Cowboy Bebop doing just that is a perfect testament to its amazing quality.
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Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Cowboy Bebop is a sci-fi/western action television series widely regarded as one of the best anime ever. The series follows a crew of four disconnected bounty hunters who all slowly come together aboard a ship known as the Bebop. The crew of the Bebop attempt to snag various bounties and embark on several misadventures to keep their pockets lined with coin and their stomachs full. The series also has a heavy musical motif, with each episode title named after various jazz “sessions.”
- Cast
- Koichi Yamadera , Steve Blum , Megumi Hayashibara , Wendee Lee , Unshô Ishizuka , Beau Billingslea , Aoi Tada , Melissa Fahn
- Release Date
- April 3, 1998
- Seasons
- 2
- Network
- Adult Swim
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- Franchise(s)
- Cowboy Bebop
- Writers
- Keiko Nobumoto , Shinichirô Watanabe
- Directors
- Shinichirô Watanabe
- Showrunner
- Shinichirô Watanabe
4 Monster’s Finale Highlighted It Being A Story Of Humanity At Its Core
Anime series by Madhouse; Based on the manga by Naoki Urasawa
The finale of 2004’s Monster did a perfect job of bringing its mysteries and drama to a satisfying end. Despite everything Johan had put Tenma and others through, Tenma couldn’t abandon his morality as a doctor and saved Johan’s life, once again. Years later, Tenma, now cleared of all charges, confronts a comatose Johan with knowledge of his true name, and after leaving the hospital, Johan’s bed is shown to be mysteriously empty.
Monster, at its core, is a story of humanity, and its finale is the best showing of that. It’s one thing for Tenma to still decide to put the preservation of life above all else after everything Johan did, but with the main focus of Monster’s finale being how everyone who survived the story was able to move on with their lives, the series could perfectly sell how everything it did was to emphasize the importance of treasuring humanity. Naoki Urasawa is one of the best manga authors around, and Monster’s ending is probably the best showing of his talents.
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3 Mob Psycho 100 Completed Mob’s Character Arc In The Best Way Possible
Anime series by Studio Bones; Based on the manga by ONE
Among modern anime, the series that has probably had the best finale is 2016’s Mob Psycho 100. Reigen finally brought Mob out of his ???% state by admitting to being a fraud and telling him to accept every part of himself. Mob was then rejected by Tsubomi, but he was able to deal with it just fine, and a year later, Mob has not only accepted his psychic powers as a part of him, but he’s grown to be an emotional person with lots of friends supporting him, thus bringing the main crux of his character arc to a close.
Mob Psycho 100 had always been about Mob’s growth as a person, and the finale did a great job of seeing that through to its end. Mob Psycho 100 ending with Mob completing his journey to becoming a more complete person was the only way the story could end, and not only was it conveyed with gorgeous direction, but Reigen being the one to facilitate that final push for Mob was the perfect cap-off for their relationship in the series. Very few utilize character writing like Mob Psycho 100, and nowhere is that better seen than with its stellar finale.
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2 Gurren Lagann Brought The Over-The-Top Nature Of The Series To Its Peak
Anime series by Studio Trigger; Directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi
On the opposite end of the spectrum, an anime finale that succeeded because of its over-the-top nature was the finale of 2007’s Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Simon and Team Dai-Gurren took their Spiral Power to its limit to challenge the Anti-Spiral with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, the ultimate Gunmen that’s bigger than the entire universe several times over. After a long and arduous battle, Team Dai-Gurren won the spiral races of the universe back their freedom, and while it was a win, overall, it didn’t erase the sacrifices they suffered to get there, most notably Nia.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’s finale did a great job of bringing its story to a satisfying conclusion, albeit a bittersweet one, but where the finale truly shone was with its action. The series is famous for its bombastic and over-the-top fight scenes, and sure enough, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’s finale brought the action to its peak with some of the most gorgeous animation and fight choreography in the series. A finale is always at its best when it keeps playing to the strengths of its story, and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is one of the best showings of that.
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1 G Gundam’s Finale Solidified It As One Of Anime’s Best & Cheesiest Shows
Anime produced by Sunrise; Directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa
1994’s Mobile Fighter G Gundam ended on an incredibly over-the-top note. Domon finally closed in on the core of the Dark Gundam, and by professing his love for Rain, she was able to break free of its control over her. Domon and Rain then used the power of their love to destroy the Dark Gundam for good with the Sekiha Love Love Tenkyoken, and the series ended with the promise that the two of them, along with the Earth, would certainly have a great future.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam is an unabashedly cheesy series, and its finale brought all of that to its peak. Not only did the finale have the characters engage in some of the goofiest dialogue in the series, but Mobile Fighter G Gundam’s finale playing everything straight allowed for a level of sincerity many of its contemporaries lack, all of which made the action and culmination of Domon’s character arc hit all the harder. It was the perfect way for the series to end, and it makes for one of the best last episodes of an anime of all time.
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