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. When he solves the ancient Millenium Puzzle, his body suddenly becomes host for a gambler’s spirit. Whenever someone tries to cause Yugi or his friends trouble, this gambling entity takes over and challenges the perpetrator to a game. And the stakes are high: the loser is subjected to incredibly harsh punishments. 

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The 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.

Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric are orphaned when their mother, Trisha, dies from the plague. After studying alchemy, they hatch a plan to resurrect Trisha through transmutation, a plan that goes horribly wrong. Edward and Alphonse set out on a journey to get the philosopher's stone in order to rid their bodies of the injuries they received after trying to bring their mother back from the dead. But they're not the only ones pursuing the stone...

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood differs from the original Fullmetal Alchemist show because it sticks more closely to the comics. 

The Pokemon world has expanded significantly over the years with the Pokemon 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 Pokemon world are involved. The series follows Ash Ketchum on his evolving journey to become a Pokemon master. All volumes from Seasons 6-9 are streaming on Prime.

This fantasy anime series is based on a book of the same name by Astrid Lindgren. Ronja’s father works as a professional robber. When Ronja befriends Birk—who comes from a tribe at odds with Ronja’s family—Ronja must choose whether she betrays her father, or the best friend she's ever had. 

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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.

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 is worth checking out for the fun concept alone. 

Sam, Alex, and Clover are three teenagers from California who lead double-lives as crime-fighting spies. The spy technology that the girls have includes a makeup compact that doubles as a phone and GPS system, and a belt buckle that can be used as an anchor for scaling buildings. All six seasons of the show are on Prime, and the girl-power series is a must-watch for anime fans.

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. 

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.

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.