A-1 Pictures has quietly built one of the most versatile catalogs in anime — the tears of Your Lie in April, the deadpan war of Kaguya-sama, the time-loop grief of Erased. We ranked the studio's best by their SenpaiRanks score so you can see which A-1 shows the crowd rates highest and where to stream each one.
Quick answer
According to SenpaiRanks, the best A-1 Pictures anime are 86 (Eighty-Six) at 8.68, Kaguya-sama: Ultra Romantic at 8.34, and Your Lie in April at 8.29 — the studio's three highest-rated series on our board. Every title below is ranked on SenpaiRanks's dual-axis system (Consensus + Quality) rather than a single averaged number, which is the honest way to read a studio this broad.
The house style
There isn't one — that's the point. A-1 swings from mecha-adjacent tragedy to romantic comedy to slow character drama, and it lands near the top of our board in each mode. That range is exactly why a two-axis score matters: a show can be broadly liked and also hold up on rewatch, and A-1's best clear both bars.
The ranked list
1. 86 (Eighty-Six) — 8.68
The second cour is the peak: SenpaiRanks tracks 86 Part 2 at 8.68, one of the highest war-drama scores on the whole board. Shin and Lena's story earns its devastation, and the production only sharpens in the back half.
2. Kaguya-sama: Ultra Romantic — 8.34
The romcom benchmark. The third season holds 8.34 on SenpaiRanks — the culture-festival arc is the moment the show stops hiding that it was a love story all along.
3. Your Lie in April — 8.29
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso sits at 8.29. If you want the show people warn you about before you watch it, this is the one — a music drama that spends twenty-two episodes earning its ending.
4. Erased — 8.17
Boku dake ga Inai Machi holds 8.17 — a time-loop thriller wrapped around a childhood-abduction mystery, and one of the tightest single-cour stories A-1 has made.
5. Anohana — 8.13
The grief anime. Anohana is tracked at 8.13 and remains the reference point for how to write a group of friends processing a loss.
6. Space Brothers — 8.05
Uchuu Kyoudai sits at 8.05 — a long, warm story about two brothers chasing the astronaut dream, and an under-watched gem for people who think they've seen everything.
7. Magi: The Kingdom of Magic — 7.96
The second season of A-1's Magi holds 7.96, a big-canvas fantasy adventure that deserved more of a Western fandom than it got.
8. From the New World — 7.91
Shinsekai yori is tracked at 7.91 — a slow-burn dystopia that rewards patience with one of the best sci-fi payoffs in the medium.
Sword Art Online, Fairy Tail and Solo Leveling are also A-1 productions — they don't crack the studio's top tier on our board, but each has its own SenpaiRanks page and ranking.
Where to watch
A-1's catalog is spread across platforms: Kaguya-sama, 86 and Your Lie in April live mostly on Crunchyroll, while several back-catalog titles surface on Netflix and Hulu depending on region. Open any card above for the current per-region streaming links — we list every platform, not just one.
How to read it
A studio ranking is a shortcut, not a verdict. The dual-axis score tells you where the crowd lands; your taste is the real test. Open any card, rate the show, and you move its spot on the live board. Compare A-1 against the field on the best CloverWorks, best Madhouse and best Kyoto Animation rankings, or start from the top of the full SenpaiRanks board.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is the best A-1 Pictures anime?
A: According to SenpaiRanks, 86 (Eighty-Six) is the best A-1 Pictures anime at 8.68, followed by Kaguya-sama: Ultra Romantic (8.34) and Your Lie in April (8.29).
Q: Did A-1 Pictures make Sword Art Online and Kaguya-sama?
A: Yes. A-1 Pictures produced Sword Art Online, the Kaguya-sama series, 86, Erased, Your Lie in April and Solo Leveling, among many others.
Q: Where can I watch A-1 Pictures anime?
A: Most A-1 titles stream on Crunchyroll, with several also on Netflix or Hulu by region. Open each show's SenpaiRanks page for its current links.
Q: How does SenpaiRanks rank studios?
A: We score individual titles on a dual-axis Consensus and Quality system, then surface a studio's strongest entries — a MyAnimeList alternative built around two scores instead of one.
Q: Can I change a show's rank?
A: Yes. Rating a show on its page feeds the live aggregate, so your vote shifts where it sits on the board.