9 of the Best Amazon Prime Anime Shows to Watch Right Now

 Yugi Mutou is a young boy who has a knack for games, but is often teased by other kids his age. His grandfather, Solomon Muto, owns a game shop where Yugi spends a lot of his time. The one game that fascinates Yugi the most is the Millennium Puzzle. Solomon had retrieved the puzzle decades before, from the Tomb of Atem, an Egyptian Pharaoh. The Puzzle sat untouched in his shop for years before Yugi discovered it and became obsessed with solving it. Solomon had heard stories of bad things happening to people who mess with the Puzzle and is worried for Yugi’s safety. When Yugi finally solves the Millennium Puzzle, he frees the spirit of Atem who can now inhabit Yugi’s body. Because Atem helps Yugi solve puzzles and win Duel Monsters—a card game that magically produces live monsters in a fight—Yugi keeps the Millennium Puzzle around his neck at all times to call on his alter ego when he needs it. This comes in handy, as Yugi and his friends are always getting into trouble. When this happens, Atem takes over Yugi's body and mind and challenges the perpetrator to a game. And the stakes are high: the loser is subjected to incredibly harsh punishments. Yugi is wary of those who want to steal the Millennium Puzzle away from him. Many have heard of its powers and how they can make any single person almost invincible. In addition to the trials of everyday life, Yugi must also protect the secrets of the puzzle from getting into the wrong hands. 

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This series sparked the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game that seemingly every elementary school kid had in the early 2000s. The show’s writer, Kazuki Takahashi, intended the series to be horror manga, but the central focus shifted to gaming. However, horror elements are still incorporated into the card battle scenes at the end of most episodes. Fight scenes are prevalent in many anime shows, so Takahashi wanted the battle scenes in Yu-Gi-oh! to be mental instead of physical. Five seasons of the hit series are available to stream on Prime today.

Most people are familiar with Pokémon or have at least heard the name of this global phenomenon that first started making waves in the early 2000s. The sprawling series follows Ash Ketchum and his adorable, yellow pika sidekick called Pikachu. In Ruby and Sapphire, they travel together through Hoenn, a region filled with Pokémon—magical animals in the wild that can be caught and trained. Ash and Pikachu encounter helpful friends in their journey to find as many Pokémon as possible, but they encounter foes as well. While the main goal of many Pokémon trainers is to work their way up the ranks of Pokémon battles to eventually become a Pokémon champion, some wish to harness the magical abilities of Pokémon for evil. In Ruby and Sapphire, Team Rocket, Team Magma, and Team Aqua are the antagonistic forces who—as well as using powerful Pokémon to further their agenda—also use deceit and blackmail to manipulate the citizens of Hoenn. Ash is determined to become a Pokémon champion despite these negative forces at work. 

The Pokémon world has expanded significantly over the years with the Pokémon Go app, countless video games, the trading card game, and numerous TV show spinoffs. Ruby and Sapphire is one of these spinoffs, but all of the key characters in the Pokémon world are involved. Follow Ash Ketchum on his evolving journey to become a Pokémon master. All volumes from Seasons 6-9 are streaming on Prime. 

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Ronja’s father is the leader of a bandit clan. She doesn’t fully understand her father’s profession, but she is happy nonetheless. Ronja often wanders outside of their woodland castle home to explore the beauties and mysteries of the surrounding nature. On one of these ventures, she meets a boy her age—Birk. She learns that Birk is the son of her father’s rival—the leader of a neighboring bandit clan. Ronja soon understands that her friendship with Birk could jeopardize her relationship with her father. She is conflicted about hurting either of these people whom she loves dearly, but hopeful that there must be another way.  

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The animation in Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter is atypical for anime because the characters and scenes are computer-generated instead of hand-drawn. Gillian Anderson of The X-Files narrates the English version of the show. Though there is only one season, you’ll quickly find yourself absorbed in the fantasy setting and the character’s lives.

Produced by the renowned Studio Ghibli, this fantasy anime series is based on a book of the same name by Astrid Lindgren. 

Totally Spies originated in the US, unlike many of the other shows on this list, but its animation is heavily influenced by anime. Inspired by girl bands, Clueless, and James Bond, Totally Spies follows Sam, Alex, and Clover—three teenagers from California who lead double-lives as crime-fighting spies. When they’re not dealing with boy drama, bullies, or the pains of adolescence, the girls are responding to calls from Jerry, their captain who briefs them on the next mission. 

The spy technology that the girls have includes a makeup compact that doubles as a phone and GPS, and a belt buckle that can be used as an anchor for scaling buildings. In between the butt-kicking action and futuristic gadgets is also a side of comedy. With these girls, no mission is complete without a few hiccups and odd obstacles. 

All six seasons of the show are on Prime, and the girl-power series is a must-watch for anime fans.

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In the fictional world of Remnant, four girls—known collectively as RWBY—are recruited as huntresses to fight the evil “Creatures of Grimm.”  A war between the huntsmen/huntresses and the Creatures of Grimm has been raging for years, and a mysterious substance known as “Dust” is used to stop the creatures from destroying mankind. The girls in RWBY are vastly different— there’s a hero, a spoiled heiress, a partier, and a rebel. But together, their separate skills form an unstoppable force. 

There’s no shortage of epic fight scenes in RWBY. The side plot of the girls adjusting to working together in a group is compelling, too. The first four volumes of the five-volume series are currently on Prime. 

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As the name would indicate, GetBackers is about a repossession service in which the founders, Ginji Amano and Ban Mido, “get back” clients’ stolen items. As the pair navigates the seedy areas of Tokyo, danger follows. Often, getting the goods back proves to be more difficult than either could have ever anticipated.

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This anime series has elements of both adventure and comedy, as some of the items that Ginji and Ban are asked to find are ridiculous, like a toy cat and a bag of blood. All 49 episodes of the series are on Prime. 

Imagine what a bummer it would be to find out that your father is literally Satan! This is what happens to Rin Okumara and his brother, Yukio. After the death of their foster father, both brothers start to exhibit physical demonic signs like sprouting fangs and a tail, causing them to ask questions about who they really are. The brothers also develop the ability to burst into super-flammable blue flame, hence the series' title. 

In Blue Exorcist, exorcism is a well-respected profession that Rin wants to enter into, but the fact that he’s devil-spawn proves to be a problem. The book version of the series was incredibly popular, selling over 15 million copies. The show does differ from the plot of the magna books, but it still retains the central adventure elements that the books are known for.

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In Re:Creators, a high schooler is brought into the world of anime after his computer glitches. Sota Mizushino is a regular teenager who wants to pursue his dream of writing a book. While watching an anime, Sota is pulled into the screen and witnesses a battle in the anime world first-hand. When he returns to reality, he brings several anime, manga, and video game characters back with him to the real world. 

It's somewhat terrifying—yet undeniably intriguing—to consider what it would be like if our favorite characters suddenly came to life and were brought into our world. The characters range from magicians to detectives to superheroes, and there is no shortage of action.