Japan Reveals Its Top 10 Anime of Summer 2025 in Official Ranking
A little over two weeks ago, the Summer 2025 anime season kicked off with dozens of highly-anticipated premieres. Among this prolific lineup, 10 particular works have claimed the title of Japan’s top 10 anime of Summer 2025 (so far).
Niconico — one of Japan’s most popular domestic streaming services — offers 61 total titles from the current anime season. Per PR Times, Niconico recently revealed which works have amassed the most “views, comments and [title] accesses” since July 14, 2025. Despite competing against several established IPs, Studio ENISHIYA’s brand-new series, Takopi’s Original Sin, has claimed the site’s #1 spot. The anime is an adaptation of the titular manga series by Taizan 5, also known for their other Shonen Jump IP, The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins. Niconico’s complete top 10 list can be viewed below.
Japan’s Most Popular Anime of the Summer 2025 Season Revealed by Niconico
- Takopi’s Original Sin
- Dandadan
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
- Bad Girl
- Secrets of the Silent Witch
- Hell Teacher Nube (2025)
- Ruri Rocks
- Detectives These Days Are Crazy!
- Puniru Is a Kawaii Slime Season 2
- 9- Ruler’s Crown
Takopi‘s triumph over Dandadan is relatively surprising, given that the latter series topped Animate Times’ list of “Anime Recommendations for Summer 2025” earlier this year. Incidentally, Takopi’s Original Sin invokes Dandadan‘s fascination with aliens to tell a comparatively more wholesome tale. The series revolves around a lonely young girl named Shizuka who is bullied at her school. One day, she meets the titular Takopi — an octopus-like extraterrestrial who hails from “Happy Planet.” Armed with numerous devices called “Happy Gadgets,” Takopi vows to cure Shizuka’s sadness. After a tragic incident occurs, Takopi decides to travel back through time to prevent it from occurring. Comments left by viewers on Niconico indicate appreciation for the benevolent Takopi. However, others noted the series for its heartfelt yet depressing storyline. “It was too heavy to watch alone,” one person wrote.
Second-place Dandadan is a dynamic blend of action, comedy and supernatural horror that is rapidly becoming one of Shonen Jump‘s most popular IPs. The narrative follows Momo Ayase and Ken “Okarun” Takakura — two teenagers who are forced to confront seemingly endless waves of aliens and yokai spirits. Season 2’s first three episodes revolve around a beast known as the “Mongolian Death Worm” that takes over the family home of Momo’s friend, Jiji. Several Japanese viewers praised these episodes for their “witty” character interactions and the exciting, fast-paced battle sequences. “It’s going full speed right from the start,” one Niconico user wrote.
The remainder of Niconico’s Top 10 lineup features various fantasy, adventure and comedy works. Notably, third-place anime My Dress-Up Darling also earned the #3 spot on Animate Times’ Top Recommended Anime list for Summer 2025. Adapted from Shinichi Fukuda’s titular manga series, the anime is a slice-of-life-style romance revolving around the colorful world of Japanese cosplay culture. Within the series, male protagonist and class loner Wakana Gojo applies his fascination with costume-making and Japanese dolls to create eye-catching outfits for his popular classmate, Marin Kitagawa. As time passes, the two begin to connect over more than their shared hobby. For many viewers, Season 2’s exploration of Gojo’s traumatic past has been a major highlight, prompting emotional responses such as “This really hits home” and “Gojo-kun, do your best!” from Niconico users.
My Dress-Up Darling and Takopi’s Original Sin are streaming on Crunchyroll. Dandadan is currently available with both English-dubbed and subtitled versions on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
