The Most Underrated Action Anime From the 2010s, Ranked

After Heaven's Gate appears in South America and Hell's Gate appears in Japan, people start developing mysterious powers. Those with powers are called Contractors in exchange for their humanity. Hei, a mysterious man who takes on mercenary missions for the Syndicate, is one of those Contractors. While Section 4 Chief Misaki Kirihara tries to stop him, Hei is trying to figure out the nefarious plot that threatens his very existence - and that of all other Contractors.

If you need every anime you watch to have a satisfying ending, don't watch Gangsta. But if you're okay with a series that has an amazing story but peters out towards the end, you should try it. Nicholas Brown and Worick Arcangelo make their living as mercenaries, but they also protect people - that's why sex worker Alex Benedetto has been staying with them. But they might soon find themselves in need of protection - Nicholas is a Twilight, or a person born with powers caused by his parents use of a particular drug. Their home was once a safe place for people like him, but now they're being hunted down.

Yona lives a pampered life as a princess, until one day her cousin betrays the royal family and slays Yona's father. After escaping with her childhood friend and bodyguard Son Hak, she realizes that life outside the kingdom is nothing like the thought. Rather than the idyllic place she imagined, it's actually rife with injustice. In order to become a true leader and bring peace and safety to her kingdom, she'll need to get stronger and smarter, fast.

The world of K Project is dominated by Kings, superpowered individuals whose recruit clansmen. These clansmen serve as manpower, but it's also the King's job to protect them. That means when a clansman mysteriously loses their lives, it creates an uproar. Yashiro Isana is accused of homicide, and he's trying desperately to prove that he's innocent. Meanwhile, Red King Mikoto Suou is also looking at catastrophe if he doesn't figure out the whole mess soon. There's a lot more going on than just one crime - rather, there's a complex conspiracy.

After Leonardo Watch inadvertently trades his sister's eyesight for the "All-seeing Eyes of the Gods" he heads to Hellsalem's Lot to try and find a way to change things. Hellsalem's Lot is the new name for New York City, whcih is now a seal-off bubble full of humans and otherworldly creatures. Keeping order there is a group called Libra - and when Leonardo meets them, his life changes forever.

When Angelo Lagusa was a child, his parents and brother were slain by the Vanetti mafia family. Years later, he gets an opportunity for vengeance when he's called back to his hometown of Lawless by a letter of unknown origin. He soon encounters Nero Vanetti and tries to befriend him in order to gain access to the family and destroy everyone who was even tangentially involved in his family's demise. If you're into revenge stories, this anime is for you.

Rikuo Nura is part-human, part-yokai. Once he realizes that his classmates find yokai terrifying, he starts denying that part of himself, and trying to lead a normal human life. That won't be so easy. Not only does he transform into a more yokai-like form at night, he's also expected to become the next leader of the Nura clan. In order to protect his family from looming threats, he'll have to accept that part of himself.

Golden Kamuy is one of the only anime in existence to prominently feature Japan's native people, the Ainu. It's worth watching for that reason alone, but it's also a great story. It follows an ex-soldier named Saichi Sugimoto and a young Ainu girl named Asirpa as they search for the gold that was stolen from Asirpa's late father.

Just before the young prince Arslan is about to enter the battlefield for the first time, his kingdom, Pars, is destroyed from the inside by a traitor. Now at the mercy of the enemy empire Lusitania, he's forced to go on the run. But he isn't content to just cower in fear. No matter what it takes, he has every intention of overcoming his enemies, reviving his nation, and taking his rightful place as King.

Kei Nagai thinks he's an ordinary person studying to become a doctor, but he'll soon learn that he's actually an Ajin, a human-adjacent species that's both powerful and immortal. Unfortunately, this isn't a benefit in his fiercely anti-Ajin society, and he has no choice but to fight for his life.

An unnamed boxer who calls himself Joe earns a living by throwing fights. But Joe isn't satisfied with hiding his real talents. What he wants is to make a name for himself in a real competition, the Megalo Box championship. Without a legal identity or access to state-of-the-art boxing technology, he has a long road ahead of him, but he's determined to see it through.

Itsuki Minami is a punk kid who spends most of his energy on street fighting. One day, he discovers a pair of Air Trecks - motorized inline skates that allow him fly through the sky. Though these devices come with speed limiters, a group called Storm Riders have been known to tamper with them and engage in high-speed sky battles. That's exactly what Itsuki is going to do.

After adopting a cat who turns out to be a vampire, Mahiru Shirota finds himself unwittingly dragged into a world where humans and vampires contract to become fighting duos and take on supernatural enemies. For someone like Mahiru just wants a simple life, this won't be easy to deal with, but he doesn't have much of a choice.

Shichika Yasuri is the head of the Kyotouryuu school - a school of sword-fighting that allows him to turn his own body into a blade. He's living a quiet life with his sister when suddenly, a strange girl named Togame appears. Togame wants his help collecting the twelve "Deviant Blades" - a task that will push both of them to the limit.

Kotetsu T. Kaburagi is a NEXT - that is, a person with supernatural powers who works as a professional hero. Unfortunately for him, his performance hasn't been looking so hot. He ends up working with Barnaby Brooks Jr., a brand new hero who seems to be his polar opposite, personality-wise. Can the two put their differences aside long enough to face the looming threat of villainy?

After an incident called The Burst creates a dangerous substance called Matter that threatens to destroy Japan, everyone from the military to mercenary groups is working against the clock to get it under control. A girl named Aiko is thought to have been exposed to the Matter, but while she's being kept under medical surveillance, her classmate Yuuya Kanzaki realizes that her story might be more complicated than it appears. In fact, Aiko may be the key to getting the Matter under control - or at least understanding it.

Land of the Lustrous is underrated in the sense that not even people have seen it, not in the sense that people don't realize how good it is. Most people who do watch it consider it a masterpiece. It takes place in a world inhabited by living gems who must defend their home from Lunarians attacks. Phosphophyllite is a weak and fragile gem who wants to help out with the war effort, but is instead tasked with writing an encyclopeda. She ends up meeting Cinnabar, a gem so poisonous that she must stay away from society altogether. Can the two of them find roles that make them happy and help others as well?

Can't decide whether you want to watch an idol anime or a sci-fi action anime? Watch both with Symphogear. Tsubasa Kazanari and Kanade Amou are an idol duo who use their songs to power weapons called symphogears, which are the only thing capable of taking on an alien race called Noise. But their partnership can't last forever - during a Noise attack at one of their concerts, Kanade sacrifices herself to save a young girl named Hibiki Tachibana. Two years later, another Noise attack awakens Kanade's symphogear, which was was embedded in Hibiki. Now, she must join forces with Tsubasa in order to protect the world - but that means overcoming Tsubasa's grief and Hibiki's guilt and inexperience.

Masayoshi Hazama is more than just a superhero fan - he wants to be one in real life. That's why when he isn't working as a model, he's patrolling the streets as a vigilante hero. Policeman Hidenori Gotou wants him to leave the hero stuff to the police, but he ends up charmed by Hazama. Things take a dramatic turn when the cases they have to deal with start to involve real villainy instead of petty crimes.

The plot of Rolling☆Girls can be a little shaky, but the art and animation is off the hook. In a dystopian future, Japan is now ten separate nations, each led by a gang. That gang is led by a "Best" - a person with wild superpowers. Nozomi Moritomo is a "Rest" - a gang member who's in it to help her friend Masami Utoku with her Best role. When Masami is injured, it's up to Nozomi to take on her job. It's a tough gig, but with help from Ai Hibiki, Yukina Kosaka, and Chiaya Misono, she travels across the land on a motorcyle and gets it done.