Must-Watch Anime on Netflix: Cowboy Bebop and Delicious in Dungeon Lead the Charge Netflix's anime library is booming, with classic hits like Cowboy Bebop and groundbreaking series like Delicious in Dungeon leading the way. These shows prove that animation can offer the depth and storytelling quality of any live-action blockbuster. Netflix has long been home to some of television's biggest hits, from Stranger Things to Squid Game. But while the streamer built its reputation on blockbuster movies and big-budget dramas, anime has become one of its biggest draws. Netflix Leads Global Anime Streaming MarketsIn fact, GEM Partners' 2026 Anime Global White Paper found that Netflix was the top anime platform in seven of the nine major markets surveyed, putting it ahead of dedicated anime service Crunchyroll in most of them. There's something for just about every kind of viewer in that growing library. Long-running favorites like One Piece sit alongside daring originals such as Masaaki Yuasa's Devilman Crybaby and the visually stunning Violet Evergarden.Still, plenty of viewers continue to write off anime simply because it's animated, missing out on shows with the kind of writing, tension, and emotional payoff that can go toe-to-toe with the best live-action series. It's hard to believe that Cowboy Bebop first aired in 1998. More than two decades later, Shinichiro Watanabe's space western still has more style and personality than most modern sci-fi shows.From its hand-drawn action to Yoko Kanno's unforgettable jazz soundtrack, the 26-episode series has aged remarkably well. Even Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, with all its big-budget production, could learn a thing or two from it. And considering Netflix's short-lived 2021 live-action remake, there's really no need to explain why the original remains the one worth watching. Set in 2071, the story takes place after a hyperspace gate accident leaves the Moon shattered and Earth largely uninhabitable.Humanity has since spread across the solar system, where crime has given bounty hunters, known as Cowboys, plenty of work. The anime follows the crew of the spaceship Bebop: easygoing martial artist Spike Spiegel, former cop Jet Black, con artist Faye Valentine, young hacker Radical Edward, and Ein, an unusually intelligent Welsh Corgi. Despite Netflix still hosting its canceled 2021 live-action adaptation, the original 1998 Cowboy Bebop anime left the US and Canadian libraries in October 2023.It's currently available on Netflix in 36 international regions, covering the UK, much of Europe (including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands), Asia-Pacific (Japan, India, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia), and South Africa. US viewers can still catch the original series on Crunchyroll and Hulu, or watch it on Prime Video by purchasing individual episodes or subscribing to the Crunchyroll Amazon Channel.Most episodes see the crew chasing another strange bounty, usually ending with more trouble than money. There's plenty of comedy, slick gunfights, and jazz along the way, but Cowboy Bebop has a much sadder story running underneath it all. Spike's history with the Red Dragon Syndicate, his complicated past, and his rivalry with Vicious gradually come back into focus.Delicious in Dungeon Fantasy AdventureWhat starts as a fun space adventure slowly becomes something far more personal, as each member of the Bebop crew struggles with a past they can't quite leave behind. Don't let the goofy title or cooking-heavy premise fool anyone. Delicious in Dungeon is one of the smartest fantasy anime on Netflix, delivering the kind of carefully built world that makes big-budget live-action shows like The Witcher and The Rings of Power look surprisingly shallow by comparison.Adapted from Ryoko Kui's manga, the anime starts with an unusual premise: a group of adventurers forced to eat dungeon monsters just to survive. What sounds like a running joke quickly becomes the show's biggest strength, with every meal revealing something new about the creatures, their habits, and the world they inhabit. The story follows Laios Touden and his party after a Red Dragon defeats them deep inside a dungeon and swallows his younger sister, Falin.There's no time to waste if they want to save her, but heading back in without food or money is a problem. Their solution? Eat whatever they find along the way. That's where Senshi comes in, a dwarf with an almost ridiculous knowledge of dungeon cuisine.He joins Laios, elf mage Marcille, and half-foot locksmith Chilchuck, turning every monster encounter into an opportunity to try something new. The cooking gimmick is only the beginning. Every creature has its own place in the dungeon's ecosystem, and learning how they live, hunt, and reproduce becomes just as interesting as the meals themselves. As the party ventures deeper, the goofy adventure also starts revealing a much darker story involving the Mad Mage, Thistle, and the dungeon's origins.With Delicious in Dungeon season 2 set for October 2027, there's plenty of time to catch up.