When it comes to anime in general, there’s all types for all fans from all walks of life. There’s anime for horror fans, sci-fi fans, rom-com fans, crime and mystery fans, fantasy fans, and a whole lot more! Every once in a while the anime community is blessed to stumble across an anime franchise; a title so big that it’s stood the test of time. Whether its a die-hard fanbase dedicated to the show in all its glory, or a show that has gained a cult-like following over several decades, these five franchises that we’ve got for you in this filler post have done one or the other – or both!

Number 5: Naruto

Since 2001 the orange jacket ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village has made a name for himself as well as gained an impressive following, that is still going strong to this day. There isn’t a single anime convention in the U.S. or anywhere else where you won’t find people cosplaying Naruto or any of the other Hidden Leaf ninja (Akatsuki included). From manga to video games this action-packed series continues to play with the ‘big boys’ of the industry, and with Boruto around it doesn’t show any signs of stopping!

Number 4: Danganronpa

Although it hasn’t been around as long as titles like DBZ or Inuyasha has, Danganronpa has held its own in terms of gaining a grand following. Spawning two anime titles, three main PlayStation video game installments (with a spin-off title and another one on the way), Makoto Naegi and his classmates are carving a hell of a path for themselves! We guess they have the franchise’s mascot and main villain, Monokuma, to thank for that!

Number 3: Gundam

You can’t talk about popular anime franchises without talking about Gundam. This science-fiction franchise not only has a dedicated (90’s and 2000’s) fanbase, but it makes up 90% of the Japanese plastic-model market as well as pull in 80 billion Yen a year! Yeah, Gunpla is a serious business yo! 😉

Number 2: Sailor Moon

One of the pioneering anime titles of the 90’s has already gotten a reboot as well as a (still) dedicated following. Sailor Moon as well as the other Sailor Scouts can still be found at any of your local anime conventions, as well as others across the U.S. and the world! These planet-named heroines will stop at nothing to save the world from darkness, so if you haven’t seen their adventures yet, you can stream their newest ones on Crunchyroll or FunimationNow. (Buy the DVD from RightStuf too!)

Number 1: Dragon Ball Z

One of the biggest franchises of all time has to be the Dragon Ball franchise! We’ve watched Goku grow up from a little kid, to being one of the most powerful saiyans raised on planet Earth. From movies to games DBZ has stood the test of time, and has gained a following that spans from almost three generations. Although it took an eighteen year hiatus the Dragon Ball franchise returned with two movies and Dragon Ball Super. There is one more movie coming after Super ends, but we’ve also heard through the grapevine, that another season might be coming – might!

There’s many other anime franchises out there that we haven’t covered, but just like the ones above they will hold a special place in our hearts. That will do it for this Top 5 filler post as of right now, but there’s more on the way! 🙂

Honorable Mentions:

• One Piece
• Pokemon
• Bleach
• Case Closed
• Inuyasha
• Evangelion
• Attack on Titan
• FMA
• SAO