While its library isn’t as extensive as other websites, Hulu is still a great site for streaming anime, including shonen. Hulu has an excellent catalog of anime shows and movies both old and new, and as streaming has become a bigger market, they’ve even managed to secure the exclusive rights to some programs and specific dubs now and then, thus giving them plenty of merit as a streaming service.
Naturally, Hulu’s impressive anime library also includes hosting a bevy of shonenanime, be it iconic classics that have more than withstood the test of time or relatively newer anime that were quick to make a name for themselves with fans and critics alike.
Hulu is the host to plenty of great anime for people to watch, especially shonen anime, and that only becomes more apparent with every passing year. Not everything Hulu has is exclusive to its library, but with how extensive a library it has, it ends up being a great place to go to for watching anime, regardless.
10 Fate/Zero Finally Made Its Franchise Mainstream
Based on the visual novels created by Type-Moon
As with many of Ufotable’s anime, Fate/Zero boasted incredible animation, music, and overall direction from start to finish, all of which more than holds up over a decade later. Its story effortlessly mixed stellar action with dark drama and philosophical discussions that perfectly captured the essence of the original light novels and the Fate franchise, as a whole. With how few works had been officially licensed before it, Fate/Zero‘s success is what truly pushed the franchise into the mainstream, and it’s easy to see why.
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9 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Is Still The Definitive Starter Anime
Based on the original manga by Hiromu Arakawa
A more faithful adaptation of the manga than the 2003 anime, Studio Bones’ Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood did an excellent job of translating the political and philosophical elements of the original story into animation, and having it complemented with some of the best fight choreography to ever feature in an anime helped to sell itself even further. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is often cited as one of the best anime to introduce prospective fans to the medium, and with how effortlessly it handles its story, it’s easy to see why that is.
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8 Attack On Titan Is One Of The Defining Hits Of Modern Anime
Based on the original manga by Hajime Isayama
Regarding great anime for introducing people to the medium, a more modern one available on Hulu is WIT Studio and MAPPA’s adaptation of Attack on Titan. For 10 years and between the two different studios, Attack on Titan has become one of the biggest anime in the world for its dark and engaging story executed with incredible animation and direction, and during that time, there were few anime that worked better for introducing people to the medium. Attack on Titan will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest franchises of all time, and there’s no better way for people to engage with it than the anime.
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7 Megalobox Helped To Modernize One Of The Most Influential Anime Of All Time
Based on the manga by Asao Takamori & Tetsuya Chiba
Not every shonen anime involves bombastic and fantastical action, and a great example of that from a series on Hulu is TMS Entertainment’s Megalobox. Megalobox is a modern retelling of sorts of the classic boxing anime Ashita no Joe, and not only are the themes and characters of Ashita no Joe perfectly translated into the modern day, but it’s paired with animation and an overall visual aesthetic that makes every scene great to watch, whether it’s a boxing match or just people talking. Megalobox needed to be a big series to properly commemorate Ashita no Joe‘s 50th anniversary, and it more than succeeded on all fronts.
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6 Steins;Gate Is One Of The Best Sci-Fi Anime Ever Made
Based on the visual novel series by Mages Inc.
Another great shonen anime on Hulu that doesn’t feature the typical over-the-top action of the genre is White Fox’s Steins;Gate. With a story built around the premise of the characters accidentally building a time machine out of a microwave, Steins;Gate succeeds with its comedic writing, but thanks to informative explorations into science and poignant character drama, it ends up being surprisingly well-rounded from start to finish. Very few stories, anime or otherwise, handle time travel as effectively as Steins;Gate, and that makes it a series that’s still worth watching over a decade later.
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5 Dragon Ball Z Kai Is The Definitive Way To Experience The Classic Anime
Based on the original manga by Akira Toriyama
Toei Animation’s adaptation of Dragon Ball Z is undoubtedly one of the most iconic anime of all time, and Hulu is home to the ideal way to experience the series, Dragon Ball Z Kai. In addition to having all the same great action and animation as the original series, Dragon Ball Z Kai notably cut out most of the filler and featured a far more faithful English dub, all of which makes its existence more than justified when compared to the original anime. There’s still plenty to love about Dragon Ball Z, but for anyone who wants a more accurate representation of the manga, Kai is the definitive way to go.
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4 Dragon Quest: The Adventure Of Dai Is An Underrated Hit
Based on the manga adaptation by Riku Sanjo & Koji Inada of the original video game franchise by Yuji Horii
Another great shonen anime from Toei Animation on Hulu is Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai. While the series didn’t receive a lot of attention during its two-year run, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai was still a stellar adaptation of the classic Weekly Shonen Jump manga with incredible direction and some of the best art and animation of any anime that was airing during its run. The anime was a brilliant addition to the Dragon Quest franchise, and anyone looking for a classic fantasy anime will get plenty out of Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai from start to finish.
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3 Kill La Kill Was The Best Anime Studio Trigger Could Make Their Debut With
Original anime by Hiroyuki Imaishi & Kazuki Nakashima
Studio Trigger is one of the most noteworthy anime studios to be established in the past decade, and a great shonen anime to come from them on Hulu is Kill la Kill. With the pedigree of Studio Gainax veterans, Kill la Kill had an engaging and over-the-top story excellently complemented by animation that brilliantly played with the medium and was overall gorgeous more often than not. Kill la Kill had a lot of attention during its run for being Studio Trigger’s debut anime, but it more than lived up to its expectations, and both the anime and Studio Trigger, as a whole, are still beloved a decade later.
Related
10 Best Studio Trigger Anime
Trigger’s anime have a reputation for excellence at minimum, and over a decade of operation, has built up a selection of shows worthy of viewing.
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2 Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Is Still An Incredible Anime Almost 20 Years Later
Original anime by Hiroyuki Imaishi & Kazuki Nakashima
Created by a team from Gainax that would later assemble Studio Trigger, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann became a massive hit for its bombastic animation and storytelling paired with great direction and surprisingly poignant and thoughtful character writing. This led it to often be heralded as one of the best mecha anime of all time, if not one of the best anime, in general. The series is almost 20 years old at this point, but it still more than holds up after all that time and is more than worth anyone’s time.
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1 Cowboy Bebop Is Still One Of The Best Anime Of All Time
Original anime by Shinichiro Watanabe & Keiko Nobumoto
With a unique soundtrack of blues and jazz music, writing and animation that always sold both moments of levity and somber quiet, and an English dub that still stands the test of time, Cowboy Bebop has earned a reputation for being one of the best anime of all time, and while there’s definite hyperbole there, it’s still hard to argue with that. Very few anime series have left Cowboy Bebop‘s impact, and that easily makes it one of the best shonen anime to watch on Hulu.
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