Which Anime Studios Do Redditors Think Is Best? (2024)

There are many different studios that produce the high-quality, hard-hitting anime fans love. Some have been around for decades and have gained popularity from their extensive and high-quality libraries, while others aren't as experienced but have proven themselves with how well-done the animations they have produced are.

Whether it's due to how faithful or creative their adaptations are or simply because they produced a fan-favorite series, viewers are vocal about which studios they enjoy the most. Bandai Namco Filmworks and Madhouse are the biggest names, having produced over 100 series each, while others like Orange and Wit Studio only have one or two dozen projects under their belt but won fans over with their high-quality standards.

10 Kyoto Animation

Kyoto Animation was founded back in 1985 by Hideaki and Yoko Hatta, a husband-and-wife duo who still head the company. They're known for classics like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and have continued to prove themselves in recent years with gorgeous releases for both series and movies, including Violet Evergarden and A Silent Voice.

Kyoto Animation has made a positive name for itself by giving its workers salaries instead of treating them as freelancers, as well as giving artists chances to submit their work to the annual Kyoto Animation Awards. Winners and honorable mentions have a chance to be adapted into an anime, which is how series including Free! and Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions were made.

9 Bandai Namco Filmworks

Bandai Namco Filmworks has been making anime since Fall 1972 under the studio name Soeisha, later changing to Sunrise before settling on their current name. At the time, many anime studios focused on one main creator, but Bandai Namco Filmworks was created to instead place emphasis on its producers.

In 1979, their mecha anime Mobile Suit Gundam premiered, and is still one of Bandai Namco Filmworks' most recognizable titles to this day, alongside juggernauts like Inuyasha and Love Live!. A lot of the works created by Bandai Namco Filmworks are completely original, instead of being adaptations of existing light novels or manga series.

8 Shaft Animation Studio

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Shaft Animation Studio, commonly stylized as SHAFT, was founded in 1975. Much of SHAFT's early work was for larger animation studios like Sunrise, doing bits of work on larger projects, tackling their first main animation project almost a decade later, in 1984.

Since then, SHAFT has produced several incredibly popular anime series, most notably the Monogatari series, March Comes In Like A Lion, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Due to various influences, SHAFT has developed an incredibly distinct style, with the most iconic stylistic addition in SHAFT'S work being their overexaggerated head-tilt.

7 Madhouse

Studio Madhouse was founded in 1972, and has produced many well-known works, starting with Aim For The Ace!. Their anime library is expansive, featuring almost 150 series, not including specials and movies. Madhouse often collaborates with other artists, including manga group CLAMP and even Studio Ghibli, helping with projects such as Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away.

Some of Madhouse's most popular series include Death Note, Hunter x Hunter, One Punch Man, and the original Trigun. From dark psychological thrillers and explosive shonen anime to magical girl shows and more lighthearted series, Madhouse's creative roster is highly diverse.

6 Wit Studio

Wit Studio was created by Production I.G. more recently in 2012, and in 2020 they went on to create a stop motion studio as well. Wit Studio doesn't have as many series under its belt as titans like Madhouse, but they've produced a few series that have risen to unprecedented popularity.

Wit Studio's first project was Attack On Titan, which they went on to produce for three of four seasons. Other notable anime that Wit Studio have produced over the past decade include Spy x Family, Seraph of the End, and Vinland Saga. They've also created cutscenes for various gacha games, including the popular Princess Connect Re:Dive.

5 Orange

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Orange is a studio that hasn't produced a plethora of work but has attracted a dedicated following due to how high-quality the work they have produced is. Founded in 2004, Orange is most famously known for its exaggerated 3D style, which sets Orange's works apart from other studios that use CG. Orange's animation is fluid and clean, unlike a lot of cheap CG, and its art style is easy to recognize.

In recent years, Orange has become known for producing works such as Beastars and Godzilla: Singular Point, as well as the popular reboot Trigun Stampede. Its adaptation of Land of the Lustrous was Orange's first anime that wasn't co-produced and was met with praise from both critics and fans.

4 Bones

Established by staff members of studio Sunrise in 1998, Bones is split up into five smaller studios that all handle different projects. Their most recent studio is set to launch their first anime, Metallic Rogue, sometime in 2024. Many of Bones' earlier projects are entirely original works, with others being based on manga, light novels, and even video games.

Some of Bones' most notable works include Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Ouran High School Host Club, Soul Eater, and Space Dandy. Several of these works have controversial or ambiguous anime-only endings and don't adapt all the original work, which only increases fan desire for modern, more faithful remakes that cover everything that wasn't shown before in Bones' gorgeous style.

3 MAPPA

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Studio MAPPA was founded in 2011 and is most well-known for its jaw-dropping action scenes and expressive characters. Starting in 2016 with Yuri On Ice!!, MAPPA consistently puts out high-quality work, handling the switch between styles well after being handed the reins from Wit Studio for the final season of Attack On Titan. Other notable works from MAPPA include Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Kakegurui.

Most of MAPPA's work is either completely original or adaptations of existing manga. There are two anime movies currently in production by MAPPA set to release in 2024: Yuri on Ice!! the Movie: Ice Adolescence and Zombie Land Saga The Movie.

2 Ufotable

Ufotable was founded in 2000, with many of their earlier works including creative claymation sequences. Their coloring is gorgeous, and their action scenes are fast-paced and fluid. Despite not having as many projects as other studios, the ones Ufotable does produce are always high-quality, and they've recently been trusted with the anime adaptation of the incredibly popular gacha game, Genshin Impact.

Some of Ufotable's most prominent projects include the Fate series and Demon Slayer. Alongside Genshin Impact, Ufotable has two other anime series currently in progress, those being Girls' Work and a new arc for Demon Slayer. Ufotable also has a Katsugeki movie currently in the works.

1 A-1 Pictures

A-1 Pictures was founded in 2005 by the ex-producer of Sunrise Studios. They co-produced their first series in 2006, producing their first full series a year later. Their first two series were entirely original works, mixing with adaptations later on. A-1 Pictures' first breakout title is Black Butler, though the new season releasing in 2024 is instead done by CloverWorks.

A-1 Pictures has created many popular anime since, including the long-running Fairy Tail and Sword Art Online. Other well-known works from A-1 Pictures' expansive roster include Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War and Blue Exorcist. They're also currently producing the highly-anticipated anime for Solo Leveling, set to premiere in 2024.