Best Japanese movies to watch
By the KyaDekhu team · Updated · Availability for India from JustWatch, ratings from IMDb
The highest-rated Japanese movies streaming in India right now, ranked by vote-weighted IMDb rating. Every pick is on a subscription or free app today.
50 titles across 1 language, average IMDb rating 7.8.
1. Spirited Away (2001)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 5m · Animation, Family · IMDb 8.6 (9.9L votes)
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + mind-bending twists
2. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 29m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 8.5 (4L votes)
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko str
Feels like: dark, gritty edges + big-screen spectacle
3. Your Name. (2016)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 46m · U/A 13+ · Animation, Romance · IMDb 8.4 (4.1L votes)
High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-screen spectacle
4. Princess Mononoke (1997)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 14m · Adventure, Fantasy · IMDb 8.3 (4.9L votes)
Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this confl
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + dark, gritty edges
5. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle (2025)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 36m · U/A 13+ · Animation, Action · IMDb 8.3 (88K votes)
The Demon Slayer Corps are drawn into the Infinity Castle, where Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the Hashira face terrifying Upper Rank demons in a desperate fight as the final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji begins.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + breakneck pacing
6. Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc (2025)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 40m · A · Animation, Action · IMDb 8.3 (71K votes)
In a brutal war between devils, hunters, and secret enemies, a mysterious girl named Reze has stepped into Denji's world, and he faces his deadliest battle yet, fueled by love in a world where survival knows no rules.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + breakneck pacing
7. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 59m · Fantasy, Animation · IMDb 8.2 (5.2L votes)
Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + big-hearted warmth
8. A Silent Voice: The Movie (2016)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 9m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 8.2 (1.5L votes)
Shouya Ishida starts bullying the new girl in class, Shouko Nishimiya, because she is deaf. But as the teasing continues, the rest of the class starts to turn on Shouya for his lack of compassion. When they leave elementary school, Shouko and Shouya do not speak to each other again... until an older, wiser Shouya, torm
Feels like: big-hearted warmth + big-screen spectacle
9. Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train (2020)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 57m · UA · Animation, Action · IMDb 8.2 (1L votes)
Tanjiro Kamado, joined with Inosuke Hashibira, a boy raised by boars who wears a boar's head, and Zenitsu Agatsuma, a scared boy who reveals his true power when he sleeps, boards the Infinity Train on a new mission with the Fire Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, to defeat a demon who has been tormenting the people and killing
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
10. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 26m · Fantasy, Animation · IMDb 8.1 (4.4L votes)
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.
Feels like: big-hearted warmth + big-screen spectacle
11. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 27m · Animation, Science Fiction · IMDb 8.1 (80K votes)
SEELE orders an all-out attack on NERV, aiming to destroy the Evas before Gendo can advance his own plans for the Human Instrumentality Project. Shinji is pushed to the limits of his sanity as he is forced to decide the fate of humanity.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-screen spectacle
12. Castle in the Sky (1986)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 5m · Adventure, Fantasy · IMDb 8.0 (2L votes)
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
13. Warriors of the Wind (1984)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 35m · Adventure, Animation · IMDb 8.0 (2L votes)
After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity a
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
14. Violet Evergarden: The Movie (2020)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 20m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 8.3 (15K votes)
As the world moves on from the war and technological advances bring changes to her life, Violet still hopes to see her lost commanding officer again.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + big-hearted warmth
15. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 17m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 8.0 (63K votes)
Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + mind-bending twists
16. Perfect Days (2023)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 4m · Drama · IMDb 7.9 (1.1L votes)
Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.
Feels like: family-friendly fun + big-hearted warmth
17. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 43m · Animation, Family · IMDb 7.8 (1.9L votes)
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Feels like: big-hearted warmth + family-friendly fun
18. The Wind Rises (2013)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 6m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.8 (1.2L votes)
A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + big-hearted warmth
19. Whisper of the Heart (1995)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 51m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.8 (85K votes)
Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."
Feels like: big-hearted warmth + family-friendly fun
20. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (2021)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 45m · UA · Animation, Action · IMDb 7.8 (68K votes)
Yuta Okkotsu is a nervous high school student who is suffering from a serious problem—his childhood friend Rika has turned into a curse and won't leave him alone. Since Rika is no ordinary curse, his plight is noticed by Satoru Gojo, a teacher at Jujutsu High, a school where fledgling exorcists learn how to combat curs
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
21. Monster (2023)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 5m · Mystery, Thriller · IMDb 7.8 (44K votes)
After an outburst at school involving her son, a concerned single mother demands answers, triggering a sequence of deepening suspicion and turmoil.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + dark, gritty edges
22. Gintama: The Very Final (2021)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 44m · Animation, Action · IMDb 8.7 (4.3K votes)
The countdown to destruction has begun! Gintoki and the others set out to fulfill the wishes of their teacher Shoyo and thwart Utsuro's plans. Shinpachi, Kagura, the Shinsengumi, members of the Kabuki District, and even former enemies will join their fight. As Utsuro's power grows, Takasugi fights for his very life. Wi
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + breakneck pacing
23. Porco Rosso (1992)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 33m · Animation, Adventure · IMDb 7.7 (1.2L votes)
In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's America
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + sharp humour
24. Look Back (2024)
Movie · Japanese · 58m · U · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.8 (25K votes)
Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful artwork sparks a competitive fervor in Fujino. What starts as jealousy transforms when Fujino realizes their shared passio
Feels like: big-hearted warmth + family-friendly fun
25. Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 5m · U/A 13+ · Science Fiction, Horror · IMDb 7.6 (2.3L votes)
In postwar Japan, Godzilla brings new devastation to an already scorched landscape. With no military intervention or government help in sight, the survivors must join together in the face of despair and fight back against an unrelenting horror.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + dark, gritty edges
26. Ponyo (2008)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 40m · Animation, Fantasy · IMDb 7.6 (1.9L votes)
When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return P
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + big-hearted warmth
27. Arrietty (2010)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 35m · Fantasy, Animation · IMDb 7.6 (1.2L votes)
14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + big-hearted warmth
28. Suzume (2022)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 2m · U/A 7+ · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.6 (67K votes)
Suzume, 17, lost her mother as a little girl. On her way to school, she meets a mysterious young man. But her curiosity unleashes a calamity that endangers the entire population of Japan, and so Suzume embarks on a journey to set things right.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + mind-bending twists
29. In This Corner of the World (2016)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 10m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.8 (14K votes)
Japan, 1943, during World War II. Young Suzu leaves her village near Hiroshima to marry and live with her in-laws in Kure, a military harbor. Her creativity to overcome deprivation quickly makes her indispensable at home. Inhabited by an ancestral wisdom, Suzu impregnates the simple gestures of everyday life with poetr
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + big-hearted warmth
30. When Marnie Was There (2014)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 43m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.6 (57K votes)
Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + family-friendly fun
31. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 44m · Animation, Action · IMDb 7.8 (13K votes)
Class 1-A visits Nabu Island where they finally get to do some real hero work. The place is so peaceful that it's more like a vacation... until they're attacked by a villain with an unfathomable Quirk! His power is eerily familiar, and it looks like Shigaraki had a hand in the plan. But with All Might retired and citiz
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
32. Godzilla (1954)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 36m · Thriller, Horror · IMDb 7.6 (47K votes)
Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not o
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
33. Only Yesterday (1991)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 59m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.6 (43K votes)
In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-hearted warmth
34. Battle Royale (2000)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 53m · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 7.5 (2.1L votes)
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Feels like: breakneck pacing + dark, gritty edges
35. Drive My Car (2021)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 59m · Drama · IMDb 7.5 (78K votes)
Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable, after two years, to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an introverted young woman, appointed to drive his car. In between rides, secrets from the past and heartfelt conf
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-hearted warmth
36. Weathering with You (2019)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 52m · UA · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.5 (73K votes)
The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if taking its cue from his life. After many days of solitude, he finally finds work as a free
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + big-hearted warmth
37. One Piece Film: Z (2012)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 48m · Animation, Fantasy · IMDb 7.7 (12K votes)
Zephyr, now known as Z, rides the seas with only one goal: Destroy all pirates and their dreams at becoming King of Pirates. When Luffy and his crew encounter him at sea, not only are they utterly defeated by the man with an arm made of Seastone, Nami, Robin, and Chopper are turned 10 years younger due to Z's minion Ai
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + breakneck pacing
38. Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno (2014)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 18m · Action, Adventure · IMDb 7.5 (20K votes)
Kenshin has settled into his new life with Kaoru and his other friends when he is approached with a request from the Meiji government. Makoto Shishio, a former assassin like Kenshin, was betrayed, set on fire and left for dead. He survived, and is now in Kyoto, plotting with his gathered warriors to overthrow the new g
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
39. 5 Centimeters per Second (2007)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 3m · Animation, Romance · IMDb 7.4 (72K votes)
Three moments in Takaki's life: his relationship with Akari and their forced separation; his friendship with Kanae, who is secretly in love with him; the demands and disappointments of adulthood, an unhappy life in a cold city.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + family-friendly fun
40. The Garden of Words (2013)
Movie · Japanese · 46m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.4 (62K votes)
Takao, who is training to become a shoemaker, skipped school and is sketching shoes in a Japanese-style garden. He meets a mysterious woman, Yukino, who is older than him. Then, without arranging the times, the two start to see each other again and again, but only on rainy days. They deepen their relationship and open
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + big-hearted warmth
41. From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 31m · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.4 (61K votes)
Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off the shackles of a troubled past. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to bloss
Feels like: family-friendly fun + big-screen spectacle
42. Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends (2014)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 15m · Action, Adventure · IMDb 7.5 (17K votes)
Shishio sets sail in his ironclad ship to bring down the government. In order to stop him, Kenshin trains with his old master to learn his final technique.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
43. 100 METERS (2025)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 47m · U/A 7+ · Animation, Drama · IMDb 7.6 (9.2K votes)
A gifted runner trains a determined but unskilled classmate, unaware he's creating a rival who will challenge him on the track for years to come.
Feels like: family-friendly fun + big-screen spectacle
44. Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street (2002)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 47m · Animation, Mystery · IMDb 7.8 (5.2K votes)
Noah's Ark, the latest innovation in VR technology, is set for a showcase to Japan's privileged children. However, their carefree fun is cut short when a company employee is found murdered, with his dying message pointing to a clue hidden within the Ark. Along with the Detective Boys and Ran Mouri, Conan Edogawa enter
Feels like: mind-bending twists + big-screen spectacle
45. The Boy and the Heron (2023)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 4m · UA · Animation, Fantasy · IMDb 7.3 (1.5L votes)
While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appea
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + mind-bending twists
46. One Piece: Stampede (2019)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 41m · Animation, Action · IMDb 7.5 (10K votes)
The world's boldest buccaneers set sail for the great Pirate Festival, where the Straw Hats join a mad-dash race to find Gol D. Roger's treasure. There's just one little problem: An old member of Roger's crew has a sinister score to settle.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + breakneck pacing
47. Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (2019)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 30m · Drama, Fantasy · IMDb 7.5 (9.1K votes)
Violet Evergarden, a former soldier returned from war, comes to teach at a women's academy and changes a young girl's life.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + big-hearted warmth
48. Kuroko's Basketball the Movie: Last Game (2017)
Movie · Japanese · 1h 30m · Animation, Comedy · IMDb 7.7 (4.8K votes)
Kuroko reunites with the "Generation of Miracles" when former rivals are humiliated in an exhibition game against a notorious street basketball team.
Feels like: breakneck pacing + big-screen spectacle
49. Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 18m · Action, Adventure · IMDb 7.4 (13K votes)
Before he was a protector, Kenshin was a fearsome assassin known as Battosai. But when he meets gentle Tomoe Yukishiro, a beautiful young woman who carries a huge burden in her heart, his life will change forever.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
50. Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012)
Movie · Japanese · 2h 14m · Action, Adventure · IMDb 7.3 (32K votes)
In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.
Feels like: big-screen spectacle + edge-of-seat suspense
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- Which is the best Japanese movies?
- Spirited Away currently ranks #1 among Japanese movies we track.
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