Somehow we've reached the end of 2024, and what a year it's been! For fans of anime it's been an eclectic and vibrant 12 months with an array of brilliant debuts and highly-anticipated returns. Once again, we've put together a team of IGN’s biggest anime lovers to determine which title we think is the best of 2024. After much discussion, many rewatches, and of course voting, we're here to reveal the winners and runners-up while also exploring just what made each series so special.

Interestingly, in a year where massive action series like Kaiju No. 8, Solo Leveling and Spy X Family Season 2 debuted to huge success, the shows that made our winner's circle were all decidedly cozy and charming. The top four are fan favorites and each offered a different kind of escape from the stresses of daily life.

Whether viewers were looking for a slice of life or fantasy, 2024 offered up some legitimately fantastic debut series based on gorgeous manga like Delicious in Dungeon and The Apothecary Diaries. There was also a clear theme of campaign fantasy making a come back as one of the most beloved subgenres in anime right now, as both Delicious in Dungeon and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End offered up new twists on the classic D&D set-up and both charmed viewers – and our voting panel here at IGN. Honorable Mentions Before we get to our final four including our winner, let's talk about the incredible shows that didn't make it in but were up for contention.

The completely wild alien invasio.