10 Anime Series You Should Watch Before You Die

#1. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Religion, death, racism, genocide, war, politics and alchemy? Yes, these are the key aspects of Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, one of the top 10 best anime series.

Centred around the Elric Brothers, Edward and Alphonse, and their quest to regain their bodies after using the power of alchemy to try and bring back their dead mother, this show starts one way and is in a completely different place by the end of it.

Although it's certainly a beautiful thing to watch, the real strength is in its fantastic storyline that takes you on a breathtaking 64 episode journey, dealing with way more social issues then you could ever dream of.

You may get a little bit confused when you're searching for it there are two options titled Full Metal Alchemist and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood,.

But you're best going for the latter. Both are magnificent in their own ways, but Brotherhood hits the heart just a little bit more.

#2. Bleach

This isn't an anime about a bunch of sword-wielding kitchen workers who have a serious love for a certain cleaning solution, but one of the best action heavy anime you'll find.

Although it only has 200 plus episodes it certainly provides enough edge-of-your-seat moments to keep you interested.

It's a pretty decent storyline (with a few tasty plot twists thrown in) but the real great part about this anime is the way the art gradually changes with each chapter.

Major battle scenes in the beginning look completely different to the ones in the middle of the show's story and those look different to the fights at the end.

#3. Cowboy Bebop

If you want to watch anime but you're slightly worried about retaining your cool and not going completely nerdy then Cowboy Bebop should be the best for you.

While another similar anime Outlaw Star feels more like sort of film Guy Ritchie might make if he fancied stretching his skills and doing space opera western, then Cowboy Bebop would be Quentin Taratino's stab at the spaceship bounty hunter culture.

With its amazing jazz soundtrack and old school, noir-esque vibe Cowboy Bebop is an anime experience you won't forget any time soon.

#4. Naruto

Aside from Dragon Ball Z, One Piece and Attack On Titan, no anime series has translated over to western audiences quite as well as Naruto.

It's one of these top 10 best anime that, when it's airing, with clog up for Facebook/Twitter feed with fans reacting to the latest development.

And while it might not make sense at first glance what do people mean when they make reference to a Hokage or how awesome Sakura Uchiha is? it's well worth finding out.

Without spoiling too much because it really is worth a watch without knowing too much you follow the exploits of a young ninja called Naruto Uzumaki on the numerous missions he and his comrades go on.

With 220-plus episodes of Naruto and 339 and counting episodes of its sequel show, it's hard to even scratch the surface of this action-packed ninja thriller.

#5. Gundam Wing

If the idea of robots who are prone to creating death and destruction secretly tickles your fancy, then Gundam Wing is probably your best bet for anime.

Much like Full Metal Alchemist, on the surface Gundam Wing is an action tour-de-force, filled with robots being sliced into tiny metallic and wiry pieces and buildings being blown up in various cool ways.

However, beneath all its prepubescent teen, violent glory lies a deep political journey involving five child soldiers called Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, Quatre Winner, Chang Wu Fei and Duo Maxwell sent from their respective space colonies to take on and destroy the corrupt political party OZ.

Certainly one of the best choice if you like your anti-establishment with a side of robots shooting big guns with even bigger bullets.

#6. Death Note

Death Note might be the strangest genre on this best anime list. Unlike the others it doesn't really have an underlying message that it's trying to put across.

All it has is a question; what would you do if you had the power to kill anyone on the planet by just writing their name on a notepad?

Although it starts off very fantasy heavy, it quickly becomes a cat and mouse thriller as you watch two wonderfully intelligent minds in protagonist L and antagonist Light Yagami fight back and forth as if it was a chess game.

If you want a roller-coaster ride that often offers up a few more questions alongside its answers then this is the choice for you in this top 10 best anime list.

#7. Attack On Titan

If you plan on watching Attack On Titan then bring a box of Kleenex because something might conveniently fall into your eye a few times during the first few episodes of the anime.

Also, if you have heart problems you probably want to stay away from this anime it will put you on an emotional rollercoaster that'll leave you gasping for air throughout.

You know how Game Of Thrones doesn't give a damn about killing off characters or when they decide to do it, regardless of how important they are to the storyline?

Well, Attack On Titan is exactly like that, only more extreme.

The story follows Eren Yaeger, Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Ariert who have grown up in a city behind a wall which protects them from some very peckish and very naked giants who like nothing more than eating some fleshy humans.

What starts off as a tasty, action romp becomes something really weird and depressing yet perversely entertaining at the same time.

#8. One Piece

One of the longest ongoing anime series, One Piece is a definite must for any top 10 best anime list.

One Piece follows the quest of seventeen year old Monkey D. Luffy, a boy with supernatural powers gained from eating a magical fruit, who along with his rather ragtag crew, travels the Grand Line in search of One Piece, the ultimate treasure.

The plot is beautifully set in an amazing fantasy world, with individual characters and great story arcs. One can't know how good the anime is before he really watches it.

#9. Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a complicated anime series.

There's the original, 26-episode run, then there's two companion films, and now there's a four-part series reboot that's due to wrap up this year.

The original series, which is what we're specifically recommending here, is cut from the fairly simple "giant robot" template: a humble boy stumbles into a role in which the fate of the world rests on his shouldersthrough the cockpit of a giant, mysteriously powerful mecha.

With the series' being so enigmaticwhat, with all the ambiguous psuedo-science and religious iconographyit's easy to see why a single run through of the series is going to leave viewers with more questions than answers.

Unlike any other series, it's given me plenty to speculate, dissect, and enjoy regardless of its occasionally perplexing nature.

#10. Dragon Ball

First aired in 1984, Dragon Ball enjoyed high popularity during its time, and would later receive two sequels.

Simply put, Dragon Ball and its follow-up series follow the quest of Goku to find the seven magic dragon balls, and later to save the world from various foes using super natural powers.

During the progress of the series, characters achieve a way to continue to aid their friends after death, even returning to Earth for brief periods of time.

All in all, Dragon Ball is an action packed anime that has somewhat lengthy cycles of fighting.

It is especially recommendable for younger viewers and those who like old style anime, as the best anime to watch before you die.