TheWinter 2025 animeseason got the year started on the right note, delivering more than 40 episodes per week. While quantity and variety are selling points for the medium in general, ultimately, only a handful of seasonal series will be remembered now that the snow has melted away. Offering a nice blend of sequels and newcomers, the Winter lineup produced greatness across a spectrum of genres.
As so many shows aired during this season, keeping track of everything was not only exhausting but also arguably unsatisfying. As such, a shortlist of thebest anime of Winter 2025can serve as a helpful guide, at least in picking out a few starting points. Let’s go through the season’s highlights.
Updated on June 18, 2025, by Mark Sammut:Summer 2025is underway, and its shows are steadily rolling out. However, if you are looking for something to pass the time, you might want to check out a few of thebest Winter 2025 animethat you had initially missed. Two more recommendations have been added, rounding out the selection to 25.
Here are a few important details and criteria:
Unnamed Memoryis such a weird show. The main story revolves around Prince Oscar and Tinasha’s relationship, with the former turning to the latter in the hope that she can break a curse that forbids him from having an heir. Long story short, the witch agrees to help the prince break the curse; if she fails to reach that point within a year, she will become his bride, as she should be strong enough to bear his child. Like I said,Unnamed Memoryis weird.
Season 1 rushes through the source material, to the point of being largely a frustrating watch. However, the sequel takes place in a different timeline that greatly changes Oscar and Tinasha’s histories, along with effectively resetting everything. As such, season 2 is less of a continuation and more of a retelling that explores how their romance might have developed under different circumstances. Honestly, the idea is interesting and, presumably, works quite well in the light novel format. However, the anime is still quite messy and tries to cram too much content into just 12 episodes.
Do you enjoy overpowered protagonists? Do you enjoy dungeons and fantasy tropes? Well,I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Timemight be the show for you. Alina just wants to lead a quiet life while working her 9-5 guild receptionist job, but she ends up always having to do overtime as the adventurers take forever to complete dungeons. So, once she is randomly bestowed with a god-like hammer, she starts to destroy bosses while trying to keep her antics secret. She develops a “friendship” with one of the strongest guild leaders, and gradually finds herself having to get more involved with quests.
Guild Receptioniststarts with a few pretty funny episodes, before settling into a bog-standard fantasy action routine. The latter is not handled terribly by any stretch of the imagination, but it is also not that unique or interesting, considering OP MCs are so, so common nowadays. Alina is likable enough, but she is also the only interesting character in the series.
A show does not have to be brilliant to be enjoyable.The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another Worlddoes not excel in any particular area. The action is mostly just OK, and the characters lean heavily into tropes while being endearing enough to be worth watching for 12 episodes. The story moves along quickly and avoids overstaying its welcome, but it does not leave a lasting impression by any means. As far as isekai anime are concerned,Red Rangeris inoffensive.
As a parody of sentai stories that throws in otherworldly shenanigans for good measure,Red Rangeris an absolute blast and a glorious love letter to that genre. Tougo, the eponymous ranger, falls headfirst into a new world, and he decides to continue being a hero. However, his power depends on his bonds, so he quickly forms a party with three characters who are all bemused by his powers.Red Rangeris at its best when focusing on humor, which it wisely prioritizes.
Every once in a while, an anime comes around that serves as an ad for a Japanese prefecture. 2024 hadHokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable, a decent-enough anime that started as a cute romance before gradually introducing unnecessary harem elements. Winter 2025 decided to highlight another part of Japan, withOkitsurataking place on Okinawa Island.
Once again, this story revolves around a teen guy who has recently moved from Tokyo and quickly finds himself under the guidance of a few local girls. In this case, Teruaki spends his time with Hina, whom he has a massive crush on, despite struggling to understand her dialect. Fortunately, Kana is around to translate Hina’s words, allowing Teruaki to follow along. However, Kana has very obvious romantic feelings for the male lead, which threatens to complicate matters.
While the love triangle might suggest an infusion of melodrama,Okitsuramostly avoids that, opting to be a carefree slice of life that primarily highlights Okinawa’s beauty and culture. All three leads are likable as well, although Kana is the star of the show as she gets the most attention out of the two girls.
Kazuhiro visits a fantasy world while sleeping, and he accidentally learns that he can bring somebody back to Earth by touching them when he falls asleep or dies. His inadvertent text subject is Maria, an elf who quickly becomes enamored by Japan’s modern pleasures and comforts. While at its best when set on Earth,Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elfspends quite a bit of time in Maria’s home world as well, so the anime qualifies as a standard isekai as well. That said, these sequences are fairly forgettable and lack the charm of the Earth-based adventures.
Winter 2025 had one massive sports anime that hogged most of the limelight, even if it was still arguably not among the season’s biggest success stories. While that anime comes later,Sorairo Utilityalso proved to be a decent addition to the genre that most fans will want to seek out, especially if they also enjoy “cute girls doing cute things” type stories. These sorts of anime are pure comfort food, and they are perfect to throw on after an exhausting day at work or school. They have almost no tension or drama, opting instead to focus on mundane activities.
Sorairo Utilityfollows Minami, a directionless girl who finally feels a spark when she sees another girl playing at a golf range. Although a complete beginner, Minami quickly decides to embrace the sport, and she shows a talent for it. While not completely devoid of a competitive edge, the story is primarily about a group of girls who bond over golf, rather than their attempts to become the best in Japan.
There is nothing wrong with sticking to an established formula, as long as it is executed well. For better or worse,Honey Lemon Sodais a prototypicalshojo romance, including a shy female lead who falls head-over-heels for a cool male protagonist who helps her come out of her shell. This dynamic worked forKimi ni Todoke, and it mostly works forHoney Lemon Soda. While not constantly reaching the same heights as that romance classic, the Winter 2025 anime is nevertheless consistently entertaining and, more importantly, gets better as it moves along.
While the main romance between Uka and Kai underpins nearly everything,Honey Lemon Sodawisely also highlights the former’s budding friendships with her other classmates, granting her agency in the development of those connections. Although likable enough, Kai is very much the standard romance male protagonist who is both really sweet but oddly abrasive, and his relationship with Uka only flourishes during the final few episodes. The animation also has some great moments, particularly in episode 11.
OK, here is aWinter 2025 animethat is the definition of polarizing. For some,I’m Getting Married to a Girl I Hate in My Classwas one of the season’s funniest shows; for others, it was the most frustrating. Akane and Saito hate each other, so they are not thrilled when their grandparents force them to marry and live together. Keeping their situation a secret at school, they attempt to just stay out of each other’s way, which proves pretty difficult. As they spend more time together, they grow gradually closer; in the meantime, Akane’s best friend has a crush on Saito.
I’m Getting Married to a Girl I Hate in My Class' characters are a lot. Akane’s tsundere dial is almost constantly turned up to 11, causing many scenes to erupt into yelps of embarrassed anger. Annoying as this can be, Hinaki Yano’s voice acting is so fantastic that Akane can be downright hilarious, depending on whether her personality meets a viewer’s preferences.
The other girls, Himari and Shisei, can also be frustrating, especially since they take up a lot of time and barely have lives beyond their relationships with Akane and Saito.
One of Winter 2025’s HIDIVE exclusives,Flower and Asurawent somewhat unnoticed. Part of that is due to its streaming platform, but the story’s focus on high-school broadcasting might be a bit too niche to entice all that many people to seek it out. While certainly a unique topic,Flower and Asurais primarily just a slice-of-life drama that follows a small group of students who are exploring their passion for broadcasting and voice work, with the first-year student Hana acting as something of a surrogate for the audience.
Similar to how the “sport” is not that important insports anime,Flower and Asurauses broadcasting as a vehicle to tell an enjoyable and even relatable coming-of-age story. Studio Bind’s animation is top-notch, as is the voice acting (unsurprisingly). While not an all-time great, this series should be, at the very least, remembered.
Lovingly known as “animeHouse,“Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detectivewears its influences on its sleeve, with the opening scene referencing a few tropes associated with that Western medical procedural. While sharing similarities withHouse,Ameku M.D.does enough to establish a unique identity, largely by also incorporating police detective conventions into most episodes.
Takao Ameku is a super-doctor who is in charge of a hospital department dedicated to exploring unconventional cases. Alongside a few aides who are mostly there to provide emotional support, Takao uses her incredible intellect to decipher peculiar medical and, sometimes, criminal cases.Ameku M.D.is mostly amusing fluff, with most stories sticking to the same structure. The mysteries have been a mixed bag, ranging from ridiculously clever to surprisingly obvious. Even when a case does not quite land, Takao is at least entertaining enough to carry the episode.
While most mysteries have not had much emotional weight,Ameku M.D.managed to produce one of the saddest episodes of Winter 2025. Along with being a gut-punch, this two-part storyline succeeded in adding nuance to Takao’s backstory and personality, something the genius doctor previously lacked.
