Hip-hop legend and anime fanatic RZA has a short list of anime that everyone should watch — and it goes far deeper than the usual favorites.
RZA is renowned in the world of anime for sharing his love of the genre for decades, even producing the soundtrack for the Afro Samurai series and film in the late 2000s. Because of his in-depth knowledge of the genre, RZA shared with Complex which anime series are must-watches — and don’t worry, it’s not standard fare like Hunter x Hunter or Naruto.
“You gotta see Ninja Scroll or Akira or you’re not doing homage to the genre,” he said. “I like when people watch 8 Man. Robocop is a copy of 8 Man.”
“We could get into our Baki’s and our One Punch’s,” RZA continued. After a bit of thinking, he clarified what he considered to be his top watches. “Ninja Scroll, Akira, and Afro Samurai,” he said.
RZA then suggested Baki, but jokingly took it back because he “don’t want everyone watching it.”
RZA’s list of anime comes days after Megan Thee Stallion, another noted anime superfan, revealed her top picks for her favorite anime on Netflix. She too opted for atypical picks, naming her choices to be Castlevania, Record of Ragnarok, Sakamoto Days, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and both My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen in her number one spot.
To see more about RZA and his love for anime, tune into the 2026 Anime Awards on Crunchyroll where he’s set to appear along with actor Winston Duke. The awards show will take place on May 23 at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa in Tokyo.
