10 Best Anime ONA Series of All Time, Ranked

ONAs (Original Net Animations) have long been an integral part of the anime industry. While they are similar to any other anime series, unlike conventional TV anime adaptations, the episodes of an ONA are released directly on the internet through streaming platforms. And over the past few decades, many arguable masterpieces have been released as ONAs, earning nonstop praise from the anime community.

Among them, the list below highlights the 10 best anime ONA series the industry has to offer. We’ve also ranked them based on how influential their overall storylines are. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.

10 Dandelion Perfectly Blends Comedy With Themes of Family & Loss

Written by the author of Gintama, Dandelion is another well-executed comedy anime that deals with heavy themes of family and loss. The story presents a society of angels who work in a corporate company, helping the souls of deceased humans reach the afterlife. But the way the main cast deals with each case in the anime will leave you laughing out loud. However, it ranks at the bottom of the list because, despite having such a unique plot, it lacks the thematic complexity of the entries ranked above.

9 Time of Eve Explores Sci-fi Themes With Its Atmospheric Presentation

Time of Eve takes a beautiful slice-of-life approach to its sci-fi plot. It depicts a world where human-like androids are sold as household appliances, but they must display holographic halos to distinguish them from humans. The story takes a turn, though, when the series’ protagonist notices that their family’s android slips away from the house at random times, and the investigation is later traced back to a café, which holds many secrets! The plot itself deserves a place on the list, even if not a very high one, so a 9th place is fair.

8 Record of Ragnarok Is One of Anime’s Most Ambitious Tournament Arcs

Having gods from different religions participate in a tournament arc that will decide the fate of humanity is just as controversial as it sounds! But Record of Ragnarok boldly presents this idea, while narrating arguably one of the most hype tournament arcs ever told in fiction. Every battle between a god and a chosen human warrior, powered up with the help of Valkyries, is a straight-up masterpiece. But up until Season 3, much of the bigger plot isn’t revealed yet, thus it had to be placed a little lower on the list.

7 Super Crooks Reinvents the Superhero Genre From a Criminal’s POV

Super Crooks might arguably be compared to the western series The Boys, as it revolves around a cast of small-time supervillains who join hands for one last high-stakes heist. The plot itself might make you want to give it a try, but what hooks you even more is the character writing of each member of the super-crook crew. Plus, the artistic style of the anime oozes through every scene. That said, wrapping up the series in only 13 episodes didn’t help the plot much. Still, it deserves to rank 7th on the list.

6 Devilman: Crybaby Questions Humanity’s Capacity for Love & Cruelty

Though it starts as a personal tragedy, Devilman Crybaby later turns into an apocalyptic horror. The protagonist of the anime initially goes on a journey to save humanity from a demonic invasion. But later, after merging with a demon himself, things escalate for the worse. Ultimately, the storyline shows us that human nature can be just as monstrous as any of the demons. The only reason it’s ranked outside the top 5 is that its shocking visual representation can often undermine the story’s thematic depth.

5 Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction Is a Bold Political Commentary

Just as the title of the anime sounds so obscure, the premise of Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction is as well. Though it primarily narrates a sci-fi storyline, the presentation feels anything but conventional. On top of that, it even acts as a bold political commentary, blending slice-of-life and coming-of-age storylines with its alien-invasion plot. Though the series has a separate movie adaptation, the original ONA tells the same story but delves deeper into the plot, which deserves to be in the top 5.

4 Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 Explores Some of Anime’s Wildest Ideas Ever

By the creator of the blockbuster hit Chainsaw Man, Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 is a collection of eight short stories that he wrote between the ages of 17 and 26. And honestly, these stories offer some of anime’s wildest narratives. Each has a unique flavour and contains enough plot to have its own individual series. But they are still standalone masterpieces on their own, which altogether easily earn a place in the top 5. Fans online even love to actively rate each of the 8 short stories based on their personal preferences.

3 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Packs an Emotional Punch With Its Sci-fi Setting

Hardly could anyone have imagined that the world of Night City from the Cyberpunk 2077 game could be recreated so perfectly in an anime! Yet, Edgerunners absolutely nailed it with its stunning animation and presentation. Beyond the visuals, the story it tells is both deeply emotional and psychologically compelling. After all, surviving in this unforgiving futuristic world is a challenge in itself. And with an ending as heartbreaking as this one, Edgerunners more than earns its place in the very top 3 of the list.

2 Pluto Masterfully Depicts the Challenges of Human-Robot Coexistence

The way Pluto narrates its sci-fi plot is arguably the best this genre has to offer. In collaboration with Osamu Tezuka‘s original work, the series turns the iconic Astro Boy into one of its core characters. While learning about his creation and the origins of the other great robots, we get a reality check on what the exact challenges of human-robot coexistence can be. Some of its narrative themes even address one of the most concerning aspects of robotics: can a robot commit a crime? All in all, it deserves the 2nd spot.

1 Takopi’s Original Sin Hides the Darkest Human Trauma Behind Innocence

Although Takopi’s Original Sin takes the crown for the best ONA to ever come out, it isn’t exactly recommended for everyone. The sheer presentation of its traumatic themes involving family, friends, bullying, suicide, and abuse isn’t for the faint of heart. That said, it most definitely nails the direction the storyline heads in. The innocent observation of an alien creature, Takopi, coming to Earth to spread happiness, only to learn how terrifying humans can be, is more than deserving of the #1 spot.

TITLE	RELEASE DATE	IMDb RATING (as of June 21, 2026)
Dandelion	April 16, 2026	7.1/10
Time of Eve	August 1, 2008	7.2/10
Record of Ragnarok	June 17, 2021	6.6/10
Super Crooks	November 25, 2021	7.1/10
Devilman: Crybaby	January 5, 2018	7.6/10
Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction	May 31, 2024	7.6/10
Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26	November 8, 2025	7.9/10
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners	September 13, 2022	8.3/10
Pluto	October 26, 2023	8.1/10
Takopi’s Original Sin	June 28, 2025	8.7/10

Each of the anime mentioned above isn’t just a great ONA; they are on par with some of anime’s best narratives of all time. That said, have you decided which one you’ll be watching next? Or, if you have your own personal recommendation to share with us, let us know in the comments below.