From InuYasha to Spirited Away, fans are discussing their favorite "gateway anime," and it's a perfect list of recommendations for beginners

Anime fans got nostalgic this week after a Reddit user asked for their "gateway anime", which is not necessarily the first anime they watched but the one that turned them into anime fans. The hundreds of replies to the post have created a perfect list of recommendations for beginners, from all-time classics to recent gems.

The conversation was started by Ghostlitgarden, who pointed at InuYasha and Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece Spirited Away as their personal favorites. "My gobs? Smacked. My flabbers? Gasted," they wrote.

Many other users echoed these choices, citing Studio Ghibli movies as a clear gateway into the world of anime, along with the classics that played on TV for an entire generation of kids in the 1990s.

Latest Videos From

We're talking about Pokémon, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball and Naruto, just to list a few of the most mentioned titles. These shows helped to create a global fandom for the medium, but that was only the beginning for many anime fans.

"Yu Yu Hakusho which led me to Adult Swim and watching InuYasha, Cowboy Bebop, Case Closed, Lupin, and whatever else they had going at the time," wrote one user, as many others added other fan-favorites series like Death Note, Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist.

Some viewers weren't hooked by the classics, and became fans instead with more modern shows like Sword Art Online and Attack on Titan, and movies like Makoto Shinkai's Your Name. "Up until recently I've only ever watched Ghibli movies. Then I watched Black Clover and I haven't stopped," added one Reddit user.

"The moment I watched My Hero Academia episode 1 I was blown away. It was one of the greatest things I have ever seen. It was amazing," wrote another.

Anime keeps growing on a global scale, with upcoming releases like Jujutsu Kaisen season 3, Frieren season 2 and One-Punch Man season 3 getting fans excited for more. Meanwhile, a box office phenomenon like the Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie (coming to US cinemas on September 12) proves that anime can still reach new heights.

For more, check out our list for all new anime coming your way in 2025 and beyond.

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.