Best magic anime
Jujutsu Kaisen (2020) leads the magic list, with a community score of 8.6, ahead of Spirited Away. The 40 shows span 1989 to 2021, and 1 of them came out in the last five years. 40 of them carry the AniList tag "Magic". Most are also fantasy, magic, and adventure. 34 are series and 6 are movies; the typical series runs 24 episodes. Ranked by how plainly each story is built on magic, then community score and popularity. Each entry says what it was matched on.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Spirited Away
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
No Game, No Life
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Howl's Moving Castle
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic; synopsis mentions “spell”
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Fullmetal Alchemist
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Fate/Zero
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Fairy Tail Final Season
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! 2
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic; synopsis mentions “spell”
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Magi: The Kingdom of Magic
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works]
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
The Rising of the Shield Hero
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
The Devil is a Part-Timer!
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Soul Eater
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
The Ancient Magus' Bride
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Weathering with You
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Kiki's Delivery Service
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Log Horizon
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Overlord
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
From the New World
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Black Clover
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic; synopsis mentions “spell”, “spells”
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Beyond the Boundary
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Magi: Adventure of Sinbad (TV)
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Saga of Tanya the Evil
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Little Witch Academia
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
InuYasha: The Final Act
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
High School DxD
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Blast of Tempest
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
GATE
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Ponyo
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
The Irregular at Magic High School
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
A Certain Magical Index
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic
Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions
Why it fits: AniList tag: Magic; synopsis mentions “mage”
Questions about magic anime
What is the best magic anime?
By AniVids' ranking, Jujutsu Kaisen comes first, followed by Spirited Away and No Game, No Life.
What are the newest and oldest magic anime on this list?
The newest is Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (2021) and the oldest is Kiki's Delivery Service (1989).
How many magic anime are there?
AniVids has 260 magic titles that match (counting each season, movie and special), and 221 separate franchises where it is plainly central. This page lists the best 40.