10 Best Anime to Introduce Kids to the Medium

As much as older people might cling to it, the majority of anime, and animation, as a whole, is made with kids in mind. Sometimes there will be mature or graphic scenes, but most are made to be relatively harmless for younger viewers, and that, in turn, makes it easier for people to get invested in anime from a young age.

Anime, at its core, is a medium meant to be very accessible to children, and there are some anime in particular that are the best for introducing them to it. Some are great for not being too violent, others are great for having stories that are easy for a younger audience to understand, and even more are great for having all of those elements coupled with amazing animation and direction. Whatever the case, they all have plenty to offer content-wise, and there are very few that would be better for introducing kids to anime.

10 Hamtaro

Based on the Manga & Storybook Created By Ritsuko Kawai

The first anime that’s great for introducing kids to the medium is Hamtaro. Hamtaro doesn’t have much in the way of story, with each episode just being about the goofy adventures of Hamtaro and his hamster friends, but each episode is always fun and charming to watch, and with the episodic nature of the series, kids can put on any episode they want without having to worry too much about being lost on what little story there is. What’s especially good is that there are almost 300 episodes of the show, so kids will always have plenty of Hamtaro to watch, making it a very easy entryway into anime.

9 Nichijou

Based on the Manga Created By Keiichi Arawi

Another anime that’s great for introducing kids to the medium is Nichijou. Like Hamtaro, Nichijou is very goofy and episodic, so kids can put on any episode without getting lost, automatically giving the series a lot of accessibility, and the absurdist nature of the anime means that it has plenty to offer for people of all ages. Another big selling point of Nichijou, of course, is its direction, as Nichijou always features stellar art and animation that makes every episode something of a visual spectacle. Something like that adds a lot to the experience, and even kids will surely be able to get a lot out of it.

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8 Bocchi The Rock!

Based on the Manga Created By Aki Hamaji

Regarding anime with great animation, another perfect entryway for kids is Bocchi the Rock!. Every episode of Bocchi the Rock! features animation that’s not only gorgeous but does a lot to take advantage of the limitless capabilities of animation, so there’s always something to draw attention to the series. Not only that but with how it depicts the struggles of social anxiety through Bocchi, it can also be informative for kids with similar issues and even help them deal with them. Bocchi the Rock! might be newer, but it’s still one of the best anime for kids to watch.

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7 Spy X Family

Based on the Manga Created By Tatsuya Endo

Another newer anime that’s perfect for kids is Spy x Family. While the story does feature a spy and an assassin as two of the principal leads, violence is kept to a minimum in favor of screwball antics among the cast, most notably from the third lead character, Anya. As a result, there’s a consistent lightheartedness to the anime despite the darker undertones of its story, and that perfectly lends itself to the show’s themes of found family. Add in some stellar animation for both the action and the more down-to-earth scenes, and Spy x Family is a perfect anime for kids to watch.

6 Little Witch Academia

Created by Yoh Yoshinari and Studio Trigger

While the staff of Studio Trigger isn’t exactly known for making anime appropriate for children, that’s decidedly not the case for Little Witch Academia. Little Witch Academia is a very lighthearted anime that, for most of its run, never takes itself too seriously and just wants to explore the misadventures Akko gets into as she tries to learn magic. That, of course, is complimented by some of the best animation and music in any Studio Trigger anime, all of which is fashioned in a way that perfectly compliments the fantastical and whimsical nature of the plot, and it all comes together to make an anime that any kid would love.

5 Azumanga Daioh

Based on the Manga Created By Kiyohiko Azuma

It’s been established that slice-of-life anime are perfect vehicles for introducing kids to anime, and one of the best anime for that is Azumanga Daioh. Unlike other slice-of-life anime, there isn’t any sort of hook to its premise, with the show focused solely on the daily lives of the characters, but the comedic writing makes every episode great to watch, and the jokes are structured in a way that allows even kids to get a lot out of them. Azumanga Daioh can be considered the series that defined the “cute girls doing cute things” subgenre of anime, and that makes it one of the best to play for kids.

4 Spirited Away

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Studio Ghibli has often been cited as the perfect studio for getting people into anime, and one of the best movies for that is Spirited Away. Spirited Away does a great job of balancing dark storytelling with lighthearted goofiness, and that results in a movie that’s perfectly accessible for children without talking down to them too much. The animation is also some of Studio Ghibli’s best, and through watching it, kids and adults alike can get an idea of just how far animation can go. Spirited Away is one of the most iconic films in all of animation, and few would be better to show to kids.

3 Pokémon

Based on the Game Franchise Created By Satoshi Tajiri

Of all the anime to introduce to kids, one of the most classic examples, of course, is Pokémon. The simplicity of Pokémon’s plot and the great writing surrounding its cast makes it one of the easiest anime for kids to get invested in, and now is an especially good time to introduce Pokémon to kids thanks to its soft reboot, Pokémon Horizons, as new fans can watch without having to worry about what little continuity there was with Ash and Pikachu. Pokémon has long since proven its accessibility for kids, and almost 30 years later, that hasn’t changed in the slightest.

2 Digimon Adventure

Based on the Franchise Created By Bandai

By the same token as Pokémon, Digimon is also great for introducing anime to kids. Both shows have a lot of overlap with their pet monster elements and their relative simplicity, but with Digimon having a comparatively more serious story, it’s good for anyone who might be looking for something more mature, but still plenty appropriate for kids. There’s also how each follows a new cast in a new setting, adding a lot of variety to the series and always allowing for a new viewing experience. Pokémon and Digimon were undoubtedly two of the best anime for kids when they first premiered, and that still holds decades later.

1 Dragon Ball Z

Based on the Manga Created By Akira Toriyama

The last great anime for introducing kids to the medium, and probably one of the most iconic, is Dragon Ball Z. The amazing action and comedy of Dragon Ball Z helped to make it one of the biggest anime of all time, and even with so much time having gone by since it first aired, it still holds up to an amazing degree. Dragon Ball Z isn’t a very complex series, but it does what it does with incredible efficiency, and with the overarching Dragon Ball franchise showing no signs of stopping anytime soon, there are few anime that could be better to show to children.

While the tastes of audiences will always be subjective regardless of age, the best anime for introducing kids to the medium hold up for any age group. No two anime listed here are exactly alike, but they all have plenty going for them in the way of comedy, story, and animation, and in the case of many, their ability to resonate with children has long been proven over decades of popularity. A person’s taste might be subjective at any age, but either way, it’s hard not to see any anime on this list as being perfect for introducing kids to the medium.