Best war, documentary, & animation shows on Netflix, ranked.
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- #2100

Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005–2008 · Series · 3 seasonsAnimation · Action
1 EmmyBest Animation SeriesIn a war-torn world of elemental powers, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
NetflixParamount+Prime Video - #1396
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
2023– · Series · Japanese · 2 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
Elf mage Frieren and her fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. But Frieren will long outlive the rest of her former party. How will she come to understand what life means to the people arou...
HuluNetflix - #1895
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
2020 · Movie · 1h 23mDocumentary · Biography
3 EmmysIn this documentary David Attenborough, the celebrated naturalist, reflects upon both the defining moments of his lifetime and the devastating changes he has seen. The film provides a snapshot of global nature loss in a single lif...
Netflix - #2194

Monster
2004–2005 · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Crime · Drama
Tenma, a brilliant neurosurgeon with a promising future, risks his career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. The boy, now a charismatic young man, reappears 9 years later in the midst of a string of unusual serial...
Netflix - #2693
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
2019–2024 · Series · Japanese · 4 seasonsAnimation · Action
A family is attacked by demons and only two members survive - Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko, who is turning into a demon slowly. Tanjiro sets out to become a demon slayer to avenge his family and cure his sister.
HuluNetflix - #3492
The Apothecary Diaries
2023– · Series · Japanese · 2 seasonsAnimation · Drama · History
A young maiden is kidnapped and sold into servitude at the emperor's palace, where she secretly employs her pharmacist skills with the help of the head eunuch to unravel medical mysteries in the inner court.
HuluNetflix - #4191
Jim Gaffigan: Obsessed
2014 · Movie · 1hDocumentary · Comedy
Jim Gaffigan bursts back on the scene with this eagerly anticipated fourth comedy special. Dubbed the "King of Clean Comedy" by The Wall Street Journal, Jim's obsession with all things food comes to fruition on "Obsessed" as he ta...
Netflix - #5091
Great Teacher Onizuka
1999–2000 · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Comedy · Drama
About Eikichi Onizuka, a 22-year-old ex-gangster member and a virgin. He has one ambition that no one ever expected from him. His sole life purpose is to become the greatest high school teacher ever.
NetflixPeacockPrime Video - #5990
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
2022– · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Action
A Street Kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an Edgerunner, a Mercenary outlaw also known as a Cyberpunk.
Netflix - #6290
Chef's Table
2015–2024 · Series · 7 seasonsDocumentary · Biography
Chef's Table goes inside the lives and kitchens of six of the world's most renowned international chefs. Each episode focuses on a single chef and their unique look at their lives, talents and passion from their piece of culinary ...
Netflix - #6590
City of Joy
2016 · Movie · 1h 14mDocumentary · Crime · Drama
This film follows the first class of students at a remarkable leadership center in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a region often referred to as "the worst place in the world to be a woman." These women have been through...
Netflix - #7889
The Amazing Digital Circus
2023– · Series · 1 seasonAnimation · Action · Comedy
A woman finds herself trapped in a virtual circus where she and five other humans are subject to the whims of wacky AI. In this digital purgatory they must face frightening NPCs and cope with their own personal traumas.
Netflix - #8888
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom
2015 · Movie · 1h 42mDocumentary · History
A documentary on the unrest in Ukraine during 2013 and 2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.
Netflix - #9088
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
2010–2013 · Series · 2 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
This incarnation finds Scooby and the gang living in Crystal Cove, a small town with a long history of ghost sightings, monster tales and other mysteries ripe for the sleuths to solve once and for all.
Netflix - #9988
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
2011– · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Action
A creature named Kyubey offers Madoka and Sayaka a wish if they agree to become 'magical girls' and fight abstract beings called 'witches'. However, a magical girl named Homura is, for uncertain reasons, determined to stop this ag...
HuluNetflix - #11087
Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story
2022 · Movie · 1h 12mDocumentary
Follows celebrated competitive skating icon Leo Baker as they try to make space for themselves in the gendered world of pro sports and build a more inclusive skate culture, which leads them to doing the punkest thing imaginable.
Netflix - #11387
Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War
2024– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
The series chronicles the creation of the atomic bomb and the spread of nuclear arms over the following decades. It continues past the dissolution of the Soviet Union to Vladimir Putin's ascent and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Netflix - #11887
Violet Evergarden: The Movie
2020 · Movie · Japanese · 2h 20mAnimation · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
After the aftermath of a war, a young girl who was used as a 'tool' for war learned to live. With the scars of burns, she goes back to her past to feel the true feelings of the Major's, "I love you."
Netflix - #13286
Once Brothers
2010 · Movie · 1h 19mDocumentary · Biography · History
Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac were two friends who grew up together sharing the common bond of basketball. Together, they lifted the Yugoslavian National team to unimaginable heights. After conquering Europe, they both went to A...
Netflix - #13886
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
2024 · Movie · Norwegian · 1h 43mDocumentary · Animation · Biography
Mats Steen, a Norwegian gamer, died of a degenerative muscular disease at the age of 25. His parents mourned what they thought had been a lonely and isolated life, when they started receiving messages from online friends around th...
Netflix - #14685
The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez
2020– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
Filmmaker Brian Knappenberger investigates the tragic death of an 8-year-old California boy who endured horrific abuse by his mother and her boyfriend, along with the fractured and complex systems that failed to protect him.
Netflix - #14785

Kamisama Kiss
2012–2016 · Series · Japanese · 2 seasonsAnimation · Comedy · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Nanami is left homeless after her father runs away due to debts. When she saves a man named Mikage from dogs, he gives her his house which turns out to be a shrine and she becomes the new deity.
HuluNetflix - #14985
The Stringer: The Man Who Took the Photo
2025 · Movie · 1h 43mDocumentary · Biography · History
A two-year investigation uncovers a scandal behind the making of one of the most-recognized photographs of the 20th century. Five decades of secrets are unraveled in the search for justice for a man known only as "the stringer."
Netflix - #15785
Assassination Classroom
2015–2016 · Series · Japanese · 2 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
A powerful creature claims that within a year, Earth will be destroyed by him, but he offers mankind a chance by becoming a homeroom teacher where he teaches his students about how to kill him. An assassination classroom begins.
Netflix - #16285
Sunderland 'Til I Die
2018–2024 · Series · 3 seasonsDocumentary · Sport
Highlights the unfailing passion Sunderland residents have for their beloved football club, taking viewers through the highs and lows of SAFC's 2017-18 season in the Championship following its relegation the previous year.
Netflix - #17585
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
2013 · Movie · Japanese · 1h 25mAnimation · Action
After sleeping for 39 years, the God of destruction Beerus is surprised to learn that Frieza was defeated by the saiyajin Goku. Upon finding him, Goku is excited to face him, but realizes that his powers are negligible compared to...
HuluNetflix - #18484
Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling
2019 · Movie · 45mAnimation · Action
After being in space for 20 years, Rocko and his friends attempt to adjust to an even more modern life in the 21st century. However, when he learns that his favorite 90s cartoon isn't on the air anymore, Rocko tries locating its c...
Netflix - #19684

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
2010–2019 · Series · 9 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
After learning that her friends, as well as herself, are the magical Elements of Harmony, studious unicorn Twilight Sparkle is sent by her mentor, Princess Celestia, to Ponyville to study the magic of friendship with help from her...
NetflixPrime Video - #20284
Elena
2013 · Movie · Portuguese · 1h 20mDocumentary · Biography · Drama
Elena, a young Brazilian woman, travels to New York with the same dream as her mother, to become a movie actress. She leaves behind her childhood spent in hiding during the years of the military dictatorship. She also leaves Petra...
Netflix - #20784
The Summer Hikaru Died
2025– · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Drama · Horror
Hikaru vanishes, replaced by an entity with his appearance, voice, and memories. The mysterious being maintains Hikaru's persona, making distinguishing it from the real Hikaru challenging as they continue their daily routines.
Netflix - #22483
The Last Days
1998 · Movie · 1h 27mDocumentary · War
1 OscarIn late 1944, even as they faced imminent defeat, the Nazis expended enormous resources to kill or deport over 425,000 Jews during the "cleansing" of Hungary. This Oscar-winning documentary, executive produced by Steven Spielberg,...
Netflix - #22683
Captain Tsubasa
2018–2019 · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Drama · Family
An 11-year-old Tsubasa Oozora started playing football at a very young age. To pursue his dream to the best of his elementary school abilities, he moved to Nankatsu, which is well-known for its excellent elementary school soccer t...
Netflix - #22783
Vivy -Fluorite Eye's Song-
2021– · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Action
The female looking and first autonomous AI named Diva is created for one mission to make everyone happy by singing. Shortly Diva is confronted by an unknown "program" from the future with objective to make Diva join him and destro...
Netflix - #23183
From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke
2009–2024 · Series · Japanese · 3 seasonsAnimation · Comedy · Drama
Sawako wishes to make friends but her weird vibe and lack of communication skills are getting in her way. Fortunately, it's no longer the case since she met Kazehaya, an extroverted guy who she couldn't help but to fall in love with.
Netflix - #24382
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski
2018 · Movie · 1h 55mDocumentary · Biography
This documentary chronicles the life of Polish-American artist Stanislav Szukalski (1893-1987) from his early years in Chicago, to his time in Poland and Los Angeles, and his artistic and political contributions to the world.
Netflix - #24582
The Deepest Breath
2023 · Movie · 1h 48mDocumentary · Action · Sport
A champion and expert safety diver seemed destined for one another. Despite different paths taken, they meet at the pinnacle of the free-diving world, experiencing the thrilling rewards and inescapable risks of chasing dreams thro...
Netflix - #25882
My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising
2019 · Movie · Japanese · 1h 44mAnimation · Action
A group of youths aspiring to become professional superheroes, fight in a world full of people with abilities, also known as quirks. Deku and his fellow classmates from Hero Academy face Nine, the strongest villain yet.
Netflix - #26582
Alma Matters: Inside the IIT Dream
2021– · Series · HindiDocumentary
In a "nation of middle-class" the IIT dream involves clearing the world's toughest public exam for guaranteed lifelong success. Life is not an exam though. It's a hustle, one that nobody trains them for. The result? Eternal tumult.
Netflix - #27082
Headspace Guide to Meditation
2021– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Animation
Over the course of eight animated episodes, Andy Puddicombe—former Buddhist monk and co-founder of the globally beloved Headspace meditation app—takes viewers through the benefits and science behind meditation.
Netflix - #27282
Overlord
2015–2022 · Series · Japanese · 4 seasonsAnimation · Action
When a popular MMORPG is scheduled to be shut down permanently, veteran player Momonga refuses to log out. As NPCs begin to develop personalities and minds of their own he decides to put his skills to use as the game's new overlord.
Netflix - #29981
Boruto: Naruto the Movie
2015 · Movie · Japanese · 1h 35mAnimation · Action
It's been some years since the end of the Shinobi War. Naruto Uzumaki is the 7th Hokage of Konohagakure, in this new era. His son, Boruto Uzumaki, will soon enter the Chûnin exams, alongside Sarada Uchiha and the mysterious Mitsuki.
Netflix - #30081
Number 24
2024 · Movie · Norwegian · 1h 51mWar · Biography · Drama
Young apprentice Gunnar Sønsteby from Rjukan decides to resist Nazi-Germany on the day of the invasion to later become the leader of the "Oslo-gang" carrying out countless daring acts of sabotage making him Norway's greatest war h...
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