The Summer season has long since ended, but its memory remains. While anime fans are excited for what the Winter 2022 line-up has to offer, there are still tons of 2021 shows that they can revisit. Plenty of great anime aired this summer. The season was home to some of the most anticipated titles of the year, and in most cases, those shows managed to meet expectations.
Looking back, fans have a better feel of what each anime that aired this summer have to offer. Plenty of anime stood out, with these being the strongest titles of the Summer 2021 season.
Updated December 23, 2021 by Mark Sammut: 2021 is almost at an end, and it was an incredible year for anime. Each season came packed with dozens of worthwhile shows, and Summer 2021 was no exception. The season's best anime were already covered by this article, however, Summer was especially giving when it came to quality series. Therefore, in celebration of the year's greatest anime, this list has been expanded to include a few more of the best Summer 2021 anime. Make sure to check these shows out if you missed them the first time around.
13 Baki Hanma: Son Of Ogre
- Studio: TMS Entertainment
- Streaming: Netflix
Netflix's latest Baki season was probably the weakest in the show's run so far. The anime dragged in places as it slowly made its way to the climactic fight between Baki and Oliva Biscuit, taking detours that involved insects and secondary characters who didn't add much to the overall narrative.
As uneven as Son of Ogre is, the season does pick up considerably whenever the focus is squarely on the action. Baki and Oliva's battle is fierce, ridiculous, and engrossing, while Jun Guevaru gets an entertaining fight with a trio of prison guards.
12 Life Lessons With Uramichi-Oniisan
- Studio: Studio Blanc
- Streaming: Funimation
One of the better comedy anime of 2021, Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan follows the adult cast of "Together with Mama," a children's show. On-screen, the characters just about manage to portray optimistic people who have their stuff together. Off-screen, they are anything but well-adjusted or positive.
Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan has a strong central joke that it milks for all its worth, and it remains funny throughout the entire anime. The show's slice of life elements provides a glimpse at the frustrations of working in a TV studio, while the characters are all quite funny.
11 Remake Our Life!
- Studio: Feel
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
Slice of life romances are a dime a dozen. Every season is filled with these light-hearted titles, with a small amount that manages to stand out every year. Following in the footsteps of anime like Kaguya-sama and My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Remake Our Life! has endeared fans through most of the summer.
The series follows Kyouka Hashiba, who at 28-years-old has fallen down on his luck professionally. After lamenting his misfortune, Kyouka wakes up ten years in the past with a chance to do things over. As Kyouka meets new people, his life begins to change in ways he’d have never imagined.
10 Higurashi: When They Cry – SOTSU
- Studio: Passione
- Streaming: Funimation
One of the biggest surprises of the Fall 2020 season was the revelation that Passione’s supposed Higurashi reboot was actually a continuation of the main series, penned by creator Ryukishi07. Higurashi Gou gave fans plenty to talk about while leaving them with quite a few questions.
Sotsu has spent the majority of its run filling in the blanks. Fans have felt somewhat frustrated with the show’s slow pace, but the few bits of actual progression have been worth the wait. With only a handful of episodes left, the series is ramping up towards an exciting finale. Knowing Ryukishi07, fans are in for quite a few surprises down the road.
9 Sonny Boy
- Studio: Studio Blanc
- Streaming: Hulu, Funimation
Created by Shingo Natsume of Space Dandy and One-Punch Man fame, Sonny Boy is unlike any other anime that came out in 2021. A group of students find themselves stuck in an alternate world on their own. They get a few powers, experience a number of strange phenomena, and decide to work together to return home.
Sonny Boy is abstract, complicated, and overwhelming. The mystery anime doesn't provide any easy answers or hand-hold the audience, opting to present flashes of contextual information while exploring the students' psyches. The result is a character study that is equally as likely to be someone's favorite or least favorite anime of 2021.
8 The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!
- Studio: Silver Link
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
Anime fans have probably seen manga stills of Jahy online, as the series’ source material already had a healthy following before the anime aired. The series follows the titular Jahy, a powerful demon who is transported to the human world after being stripped of her power and shrunk.
The series puts Jahy in a variety of hilarious situations, and the anime has done a great job of capturing the manga’s humor so far. The anime aired pretty late into the summer season, and so will continue on into the fall.
7 My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X
- Studio: Silver Link
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
My Next Life as a Villainess was one of last year’s most popular titles. The light-hearted Isekai mixed in a variety of genres and made for an enjoyable watch. The announcement of a second season had many fans overjoyed.
With Katrina having avoided all possible death flags, she assumes herself to be safe from any of Fortune Lover’s pitfalls. Unfortunately for her, there’s more to the game than she remembered, forcing her to continue on without knowing what comes next.
6 My Hero Academia Season 5
- Studio: Bones
- Streaming: Funimation, Crunchyroll
My Hero Academia continues to be one of the biggest anime in the world right now. Kohei Horikoshi’s super-powered underdog story has drawn in viewers from across the globe, as both the manga and anime are still going strong.
Season five is still behind the manga but has covered some of the most memorable modern moments in the series’ history. Fans can be sure that more adaptations are going to follow, as the manga continues to up the ante with each new chapter.
5 Shaman King (2021)
- Studio: Bridge
- Streaming: Netflix
The original Shaman King anime finished airing in 2002, gaining a dedicated following over its run. The manga followed suit in 2004, ending its six-year serialization at 32 volumes. Nearly two decades later, the series returned with a brand new anime adaptation.
Many of the 2001 series’ cast returned, making 2021’s Shaman King a genuine effort at recreating the original. The results have been great so far. The show is set to continue through 2021, and will likely remain a topic of conversation throughout its run. With any luck, this new series will manage to cover the manga in its entirety.
4 Tokyo Revengers
- Studio: Liden Films
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
One of the most talked-about anime of the year, Tokyo Revengers is actually a carryover from the Spring 2021 season. After learning that his ex-girlfriend was murdered, Takemichi Hanagaki is somehow transported to the past.
Takemichi’s newfound ability allows him to make changes in the past that directly affect the future. He sets out to save his ex-girlfriend’s life, making drastic changes to the present in doing so. Viewers eager to see how things progress after the upcoming season finale can turn to the manga.
3 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2
- Studio: Eight Bit
- Streaming: Crunchyroll / Funimation
One of the most anticipated anime of the season, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime gained a huge following during its first season. When the second first aired during the Winter 2021 season, it reestablished itself as a must-watch series.
Season 2’s second cour picked up in July, continuing on with Rimuru and his allies deciding on their next move. The season has been packed with action and intrigue, and it should pave the way for a third if all goes well.
2 Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S
- Studio: Kyoto Animation
- Streaming: Funimation, Crunchyroll
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid was a surprise hit back in 2017, with fans of the series eager for a second season soon after the end of the first. The slice adventures of Kobayashim Tooru and Kanna continue in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S. But this time a new face joins in on the fun. Season 2 introduces fans to Ilulu, a powerful dragon who’s curious about Kobayashi’s ability to befriend dragons.
Ilulu sticks around, adding one more eccentric personality for Kobayashi to deal with. Kyoto Animation has poured a lot of love into the sequel series, making it one of the most enjoyable this season has to offer.
1 To Your Eternity
- Studio: Brain’s Base
- Streaming: Crunchyroll
Based on the incredibly popular manga by Yoshitoki Oima, To Your Eternity follows the journey of a seemingly immortal creature with the ability to change form. After coming across an abandoned young boy, the creature takes on his form following the boy’s death.
It travels around learning how to communicate with others and seeking out various experiences. The anime first aired during the Spring 2021 season. The amazing cast of characters, realistic world, and somber tone all helped To Your Eternity stand out above most of the anime 2021 has had to offer so far.