Cells at Work! is heading into the mouth. Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Sirius announced on Friday, September 25, that Hataraku Saibō Dental (Cells at Work! Dental), a new spinoff manga by Koma Warita and Kawede Sakaki, launches in the next issue on October 26. It's the latest entry in a franchise with more than a dozen spinoffs. That makes it a good moment to rank the whole medical anime shelf: doctors, healers, apothecaries and the cells themselves, by SenpaiRanks' adjusted Consensus score.
Quick answer
Monster is the highest-ranked medical anime on SenpaiRanks at 8.86 adjusted, followed by Mushishi at 8.62. Next, close together, come Akagami no Shirayuki-hime (7.69), the 1993 Black Jack OVA (7.68) and The Apothecary Diaries (7.67). Cells at Work! (7.43) is the best entry point for new viewers and the series behind this week's spinoff news. If you only watch one: Monster, by Madhouse, 74 episodes.
The ranked list
1. Monster — 8.86 adjusted
Madhouse, 2004, 74 episodes. A brain surgeon saves a boy's life over the mayor's, and years later that boy turns out to be a serial killer. Dr. Kenzo Tenma's hunt across Germany is the best thriller anime ever made, and it never lets you forget he's a doctor first: every choice comes back to whose life is worth saving. Our mystery and detective ranking has it near the top too.
2. Mushishi — 8.62 adjusted
Artland, 2005, 26 episodes. Ginko is a traveling healer for illnesses caused by mushi, primitive life forms most people can't see. Each episode is a house call: a diagnosis, a treatment, and often a cure that costs something. Quiet, beautiful, and the closest anime gets to a country doctor's casebook.
3. Akagami no Shirayuki-hime — 7.69 adjusted
Bones, 2015, 12 episodes. Snow White with the Red Hair is usually filed as romance, but its heroine is a working herbalist. Shirayuki runs from a prince's marriage demand and earns a post as a court pharmacist, and her job drives most of the plot. Season 2 scores even higher at 7.86.
4. Black Jack (1993 OVA) — 7.68 adjusted
Tezuka Productions, 1993, 12 episodes. Osamu Tezuka created the unlicensed genius surgeon who charges outrageous fees and operates on anyone. This Osamu Dezaki-directed OVA is the definitive adaptation: moody, adult, and full of the ethical gray zones every medical drama since has borrowed. It also anchors our 80s and 90s classics board.
5. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto (The Apothecary Diaries) — 7.67 adjusted
OLM with TOHO animation studio, 2023, 24 episodes. Maomao, a sharp-tongued apothecary sold into the imperial palace, solves poisonings and outbreaks by knowing her toxicology. It's the biggest medical-themed hit of the decade, and Season 2 sits at 7.69. The Apothecary Diaries mystery game news covers where the franchise goes next.
6. Hataraku Saibou (Cells at Work!) — 7.43 adjusted
David Production, 2018, 13 episodes. The show behind this week's news. Red Blood Cell AE3803 gets lost delivering oxygen, White Blood Cell U-1146 fights bacteria, and the whole body runs like a city. It plays as comedy but works as a crash course in immunology, and doctors really do recommend it. Hataraku Saibou!! (Season 2) sits at 7.30.
7. Hataraku Saibou Black (Cells at Work! Code Black) — 7.38 adjusted
Liden Films, 2021, 13 episodes. Same premise, much worse body: smoking, drinking, stress and no sleep. The cells are overworked employees in a failing company, and it's the bleakest public-health message anime has ever delivered.
8. Isekai Yakkyoku (Parallel World Pharmacy) — 7.30 adjusted
Diomedea, 2022, 12 episodes. A modern pharmacologist is reborn in a medieval world still treating illness with bloodletting, and he opens a pharmacy. It's the rare isekai where the cheat skill is real medicine: diagnosing infections and making antibiotics. It also earns a spot on our light novel anime ranking.
9. Healer Girl — 7.14 adjusted
Studio 3Hz, 2022, 12 episodes. In this world, medicine includes singing: licensed vocal healers treat patients with song. Three apprentices train under a clinic's head healer, so the show is part musical and part workplace drama. Good pick if you liked our music anime board.
10. Young Black Jack — 7.01 adjusted
Tezuka Productions, 2015, 12 episodes. A prequel about Black Jack as a 1960s medical student, set against the student protests and Vietnam War of the era. It's less polished than the OVA, but it's the most direct way into the character.
What counts as a medical anime
We kept this list to shows where medicine drives the plot: a doctor's decisions in Monster, a healer's cases in Mushishi, a pharmacist's job in Akagami and Apothecary Diaries, and the body itself in Cells at Work. Hospital-set romances and isekai "healer" classes that are just combat roles didn't make it. The board splits into two clear groups. The thrillers (Monster, Black Jack) score highest because the medical ethics carry real stakes. The edutainment shows (Cells at Work, Code Black) land lower but are the easiest to recommend.
Where to watch medical anime
- The Apothecary Diaries, Cells at Work!, Code Black, Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, Mushishi and Young Black Jack: Crunchyroll carries them in most regions. Apothecary Diaries is also on Netflix in several markets.
- Monster: Netflix in most regions.
- Black Jack (1993), Parallel World Pharmacy and Healer Girl: licenses rotate, so check your regional catalogs.
For more lists, see the best Madhouse anime ranking, the best David Production anime ranking, the best slice-of-life ranking, and our best English dub anime if you watch dubbed.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is the best medical anime?
A: Monster, at 8.86 adjusted on SenpaiRanks, followed by Mushishi at 8.62.
Q: Is Cells at Work! a medical anime?
A: Yes. It personifies the cells of the human body, and its depictions of immune responses are accurate enough that it's often recommended as an introduction to biology.
Q: What medical anime should I watch after The Apothecary Diaries?
A: Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, for another court herbalist heroine, or Parallel World Pharmacy for pharmacology in a fantasy setting.
Q: Where do I start with Black Jack?
A: The 1993 Black Jack OVA directed by Osamu Dezaki, 12 episodes. Young Black Jack is a prequel you can watch afterward.
Q: When does the Cells at Work! Dental manga start?
A: October 26, 2026, in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Sirius.