Best 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 - #3292
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 - #3891
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 - #4791
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 - #5490
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 - #5990
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 - #7089
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 - #7688
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 - #8588
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 - #9787
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 - #9987
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 - #10387
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 - #11287
Ouran High School Host Club
2006– · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Comedy · Romance
You'll fall for the Ouran Host Club: Tamaki's truly romantic. Kaoru and Hikaru display brotherly love, Kyoya's brainy, Honey's innocent, and Mori's manly. Oh, and don't forget Haruhi. He knows what girls want, because he's a girl ...
Netflix - #11786
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 - #12386
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 - #13185
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 - #13385
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 - #14085
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 - #14485
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 - #15685
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 - #16584
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 - #17484

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 - #17984
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 - #18384
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 - #19883
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 - #20083
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 - #20183
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 - #21582
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 - #21782
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 - #22982
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 - #24082
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 - #24282
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 - #26781
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 - #30480
The Wrecking Crew
2008 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary · History
A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew", a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys and Bing Crosby.
NetflixPrime Video - #30780
Charlotte
2015–2016 · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Comedy · Drama
The story takes place in an alternate reality where a small percentage of children manifest superhuman abilities upon reaching puberty. A focus is placed on Yuu Otosaka, a high school boy who awakens the ability to temporarily pos...
HuluNetflix - #31080
LEGO Ninjago: Dragons Rising
2023– · Series · 3 seasonsAnimation · Action
After Crystallized, the 16 realms have abruptly fused into a cosmic unstable dystopia. A Spinjitzu Ninja Master trains a new generation of heroes to find Elemental Dragons before the forces of evil exploit that energy to destroy t...
NetflixPeacockPrime Video - #33580
The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52
2021 · Movie · 1h 36mDocumentary · Action
THE LONELIEST WHALE is a cinematic quest to find the "52 Hertz Whale," which scientists believe has spent its entire life in solitude, calling out at a frequency that is different from any other whale. As a group of scientists mou...
Netflix - #34480
Kuroko's Basketball the Movie: Last Game
2017 · Movie · Japanese · 1h 31mAnimation · Drama · Sport
The Generation of Miracles, including Kagami and Kuroko, form Team Vorpal Swords to challenge Team Jabberwock to a revenge match after the latter disparaged all Japanese basketballers as monkeys.
Netflix - #34580
American Factory
2019 · Movie · 1h 50mDocumentary
1 OscarIn post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class...
Netflix - #34979
Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father
2017–2021 · Series · 5 seasonsDocumentary · Comedy
Follows Jack Whitehall as he embarks on the trip of a lifetime with his father, Michael. The two set off on a journey across South East Asia to partake in a series of adventures, mishaps and escapades with two very different persp...
Netflix - #35179
Bombay Rose
2019 · Movie · Hindi · 1h 37mAnimation · Drama · Romance
BOMBAY ROSE is a beautiful hand-painted animation created by award winning animator Gitanjali Rao. Amidst the bustle of a magnetic and multifaceted city, the budding love between two dreamers is tested by duty and religious divides.
Netflix - #39379
The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel
2026 · Movie · 1h 33mDocumentary · History
Gritty, formative years of the Los Angeles band, and the influence of original guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died in 1988. It features interviews with bandmates Flea and Anthony Kiedis who discuss the band's early evolution.
Netflix - #40378
The Confession Tapes
2017–2019 · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
A critical look into some true crime cases where American law enforcement made up for lack of actual physical evidence by using devious psychological tactics during interrogation in order to extract confessions from naive suspects.
Netflix - #40678
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
2018 · Movie · 1h 38mDocumentary · Biography
In the final fifteen years of the life of legendary director Orson Welles, he pins his Hollywood comeback hopes on a film, The Other Side of the Wind (2018), in itself a film about an aging film director trying to finish his last ...
Netflix - #41378
American Manhunt: O.J. Simpson
2025– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime · History
Revisits the infamous 1990s murder case and trial that captivated America. With new interviews and insights, it explores the chase, courtroom drama, and cultural impact, offering a fresh look at this pivotal moment in US history.
Netflix - #41778
Miraculous World: Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir
2023 · Movie · French · 50mAnimation · Action
While Marinette and Adrien deal with their new powers, Shadybug and Claw Noir, their evil versions, appear in Paris in search of the Butterfly Miraculous. Can Ladybug and Cat Noir make them use their powers for good?
Disney+Netflix - #42078
Civil: Ben Crump
2022 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary · Biography
Crump's mission to raise the value of Black life as the civil lawyer for the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Black farmers and banking while Black victims, Crump challenges America to come to terms with what it owes his ...
Netflix - #42378
June 17th, 1994
2010 · Movie · 53mDocumentary · Biography · History
Documents on how the events on the day OJ Simpson was pursued and arrested on charges of murdering his ex wife and her boyfriend overshadowed and took precedence over other sporting events from around the country by the media. No ...
Netflix - #46777

Sebastian Maniscalco: Aren't You Embarrassed?
2014 · Movie · 1h 3mDocumentary · Comedy
Sebastian Maniscalco returns home to Chicago to perform in front of a live sold-out audience in this all-new comedy event. With his inimitable delivery, he burns modern-day society through the lens of his old-world Italian-America...
NetflixPrime Video - #47177
Casting JonBenet
2017 · Movie · 1h 20mDocumentary · Crime · Drama
In the months following the unsolved murder of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, responses were elicited from her Colorado hometown community, creating a work of art from the collective memories and mythologies the crime in...
Netflix - #47377
Ancient Apocalypse
2022–2024 · Series · 2 seasonsDocumentary · History
What if everything we know about prehistory is wrong? Journalist Graham Hancock visits archaeological sites around the world investigating if a civilization far more advanced than we ever believed possible existed thousands of yea...
Netflix - #47477
Twilight of the Gods
2024– · Series · 1 seasonAnimation · Action
Animated series inspired by Norse Mythology. The Twilight of the Gods refers events that led to the destruction of Midgard and Asgard, then the death of most of the Æsir and Vanir gods in an ultimate battle against evil, the force...
Netflix - #48277
This Magic Moment
2016 · Movie · 1h 41mDocumentary · Biography · History
In the mid-1990s, Orlando was the center of excitement in the NBA. The young franchise, led by mega-stars Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, beat the mighty Bulls en route to the 1995 NBA Finals. While it was clear Orlando was a...
Disney+Netflix - #48977
Street Food: Latin America
2020– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary
The newest installment will travel to six countries in Latin America and explore the vibrant street food culture of Oaxaca, Mexico; Salvador, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lima, Peru; Bogota, Colombia; and La Paz, Bolivia.
Netflix - #49577
Carol & the End of the World
2023– · Series · 1 seasonAnimation · Comedy · Drama
Global human annihilation is impending due to a mystery planet speeding towards Earth. Among the hedonistic crowd, one quiet and perpetually uneasy woman stands out, while the majority feel free to follow their greatest desires.
Netflix - #49677
Uncle from Another World
2022–2023 · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Action · Comedy
Takafumi's uncle awakens from a 17-year coma. He had actually gone to another world, and has returned with magical powers. But now that he's back, Takafumi must help him survive in his original world.
Netflix - #50277
Selena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy
2025 · Movie · 1h 57mDocumentary · Biography · Family
Selena Quintanilla's journey from performing at local events to becoming the "Queen of Tejano Music" with her family band Selena y Los Dinos, culminating in sold-out stadium tours, is chronicled through personal archive footage.
Netflix - #50877
The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie
2022 · Movie · Japanese · 2h 16mAnimation · Comedy · Drama
Teenage Tutor Fuutaro Uesugi has to finally choose between the 5 Nakano Sisters, who all have feelings for him, at the School's Upcoming Cultural Festival; the event that will lead to his Wedding to one of them in a Flash-Forward.
Netflix - #51177
My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy
2022 · Movie · 44mDocumentary
David Letterman visits war torn Kyiv, Ukraine to meet with, and interview, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the impact of the war with Russia on its people, economy, and relations with the Western world. Letterman provides some...
Netflix - #51577

One Piece "3D2Y": Overcome Ace's Death! Luffy's Vow to his Friends
2014 · Movie · Japanese · 1h 48mAnimation · Action
The special takes place during the two year before the Straw Hats reunite on Sabaody. Luffy is currently in Rusukaina training to get stronger to take on the New World. However the training is interrupted when Hancock's sisters, M...
Netflix - #52176
Island of the Sea Wolves
2022– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Action
Where the Pacific meets the wilderness of Canada lies a mysterious island. But peer a little deeper and we find something even more remarkable: a community full of charismatic animal residents, waiting to show you around.
Netflix - #53176
Den-noh Coil
2007– · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Action · Comedy
Eleven years after the introduction of internet-connected, augmented reality eyeglasses and visors, Yuuko Okonogi moves with her family to Daikoku City, the technological center of the emerging half-virtual world.
Netflix - #54476
Pony Excess
2010 · Movie · 1h 42mDocumentary · Biography · History
SMU puts together the best football team in America during the early 1980s with the help of bribes and payoffs, until the NCAA gives the team the "Death Penalty"--a sanction from which the team has yet to competitively recover.
Netflix - #54776
TIGER & BUNNY
2011–2022 · Series · Japanese · 2 seasonsAnimation · Action
In a world where superheroes have corporate sponsors and are the stars of their own reality TV show, a new superhero team is born as the veteran hero Wild Tiger is assigned to be partners with rookie Barnaby Brooks Jr.
Netflix - #55076
This Is the Zodiac Speaking
2024– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
A shocking new series that points to Arthur Leigh Allen as the Zodiac killer. At the heart of the revelations is an unlikely family whose increasingly chilling relationship with Allen promises to connect him to the infamous Zodiac...
Netflix - #55576
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
2017 · Movie · 1h 45mDocumentary · Biography
Victoria Cruz investigates the mysterious 1992 death of black gay rights activist and Stonewall veteran, Marsha P. Johnson. Using archival interviews with Johnson, and new interviews with Johnson's family, friends and fellow activ...
Netflix - #56876
Circus of Books
2019 · Movie · 1h 32mDocumentary · Biography · History
In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking distributors for Hustler Magazine. What wa...
Netflix - #56976
Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich
2020– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
Survivors reveal the manipulation, abuse and emotional scars suffered at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Their stories expose a sex trafficking ring of powerful enablers leading up to his 2019 arrest.
Netflix - #58975
The Short Game
2013 · Movie · 1h 39mDocumentary · Sport
The best 7-year-old golfers from around the world descend on the world-famous Pinehurst Golf course in North Carolina to determine the next world champion and who might become golf's next phenomenon. Most of these young prodigies ...
Netflix - #59075
Worst Ex Ever
2024– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
Shocking tales of betrayal, violence, and deceit through testimonials, bodycam footage, and reenactments. Exposes the disturbing realities of monstrous past relationships, tapping into the universal fear of not truly knowing one's...
Netflix - #59575
American Murder: Gabby Petito
2025– · Series · 1 seasonDocumentary · Crime
A young couple's cross-country van journey, documented on social media, ends in tragedy when domestic violence shatters their seemingly perfect life. Their story sparks a nationwide investigation and raises questions about family ...
Netflix - #59675
Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas
2021 · Movie · 30mAnimation · Comedy
Shaun's seasonal excitement turns to dismay when a farmhouse raid to get bigger stockings for the Flock inadvertently leads to Timmy going missing. Can Shaun get Timmy back before he becomes someone else's present?
Netflix - #59775
Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower
2017 · Movie · 1h 19mDocumentary
When the Chinese Communist Party backtracks on its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong, teenager Joshua Wong decides to save his city. Rallying thousands of kids to skip school and occupy the streets, Joshua becomes an unlikely leade...
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