The 40 most popular japanese family TV shows, ranked. Click any show for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


Doraemon
2005
country: Japan
Robotic cat Doraemon is sent back in time from the 22nd century to protect 10-year-old Noby, a lazy and uncoordinated boy who is destined to have a tragic future. Doraemon can create secret gadgets from a pocket on his stomach, but they usually cause more bad than good because of Noby's propensity to misuse them.


Ninja Boy Rantaro
1993
country: Japan
Rantarō, Shinbei and Kirimaru are ninja apprentices in the Ninja Gakuen, where first grade ones are called "Nintamas". They must learn everything a ninja must know, but as for our heroes, money, food or playing are more interesting. The series show the everyday adventures of our heroes.


Doraemon
1979
country: Japan
Doraemon is an anime TV series created by Fujiko F. Fujio and based on the manga series of the same name. This anime is the much more successful successor of the 1973 anime.


Chiikawa
2022
country: Japan
The story follows the sometimes happy, sometimes sad, and a tad stressful daily life of "some sort of small, cute creature" (Nanka Chiisakute Kawaii Yatsu) known as Chiikawa. Chiikawa enjoys delicious food with bees and rabbits, toils hard every day for the rewards of work, and still maintains a smile.


Sazae-san
1969
country: Japan
The adventures of Sazae Fuguta and her family and friends in their Tokyo suburb.


Ninja Hattori-Kun Returns
2013
country: India
No overview available


Beyblade Burst
2016
country: Japan
Middle schooler Valt Aoi, with his Beyblade Valkyrie (Valtryek), faces off against friends, classmates, and rivals to become the world's number one Blader.


KochiKame
1996
country: Japan
Ryotsu Kankichi, or Ryo-san for short, is an unconventional cop working at the local police station who loves money. Together with famous celebrities like Nakagawa and Reiko, his strict boss Police Chief Ohara, and other wildly unique characters, he gets everyone caught up in all sorts of hijinks!


SUPERKID
1983
country: Japan
Mitsuo encountered Superman, an alien who is a part of a federation that tries to maintain peace in the galaxy. He then received a helmet (that also serves as a mask) that gives superhuman strength, a cape that enables the wearer to fly, and a badge that allows him to breathe underwater and communicate with his fellow comrades whom he met soon after he utilized these gifts. Superman made it clear to all Permans that their identity must be kept a secret or their brain will be destroyed should it ever be revealed and they are given a special doppelganger robot that can replace them while they are away to achieve this feat, although it is not entirely foolproof nor is it free from potential problems. These equipments then allowed them to be young Permans who try to maintain peace and help the people who are in need.


Tokyo Mew Mew New
2022
country: Japan
The scientists of the μ(Mew) Project use DNA of endangered species to create a team of heroines imbued with amazing abilities. Armed with the skills of an Iriomote cat, Ichigo must band together with other Mew Mew girls to repel an alien incursion.


Anne Shirley
2025
country: Japan
Anne Shirley, a redheaded eleven-year-old girl, moves from an orphanage to Green Gables, home of the elderly Cuthbert siblings Mathew and Marilla. Her abundant imagination, cheer, and earnest heart begin to change the people around her.


Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
2004
country: Japan
Ten years after the Ceremonial Battle, a teenage boy named Judai Yuuki (Jaden Yuki) heads off in order to join the Duel Academia (Duel Academy) located on a remote island off the coast of Japan. There he meets his fellow students and gains a few friends, along with a few enemies. Judai is put into the lowest rank of Osiris Red (Slifer Red), but he continues to test his skills against the students and faculty to prove his worth as a Duelist and earn the respect of everyone around him.


Ninja Hattori-kun
1981
country: Japan
11-year-old Kenichi Mitsuba is an average kid who goes to secondary school and struggles with his studies, he is very stubborn and is very lazy and therefore always ends up frustrating his parents and teacher. He loves to find an easy way of things. He befriends Hattori Kanzo, a ninja from the Iga Clan, and he becomes part of the Mitsuba family along with his brother, Shinzo and his ninja dog, Shishimaru. Hattori helps Kenichi with his problems, and constantly keeps an eye on him, as a good friend. The main antagonist Kemumaki, a Koga ninja and his ninja cat, Kagechiyo always troubles Kenichi, mainly because of their feud over one girl, Yumeko. Kenichi asks Hattori to take revenge as a recurring storyline in many episodes. Although Hattori is a good friend, Kenichi sometimes fights with Hattori due to misunderstandings created by Kemumaki. Sometimes Jippou, Togejirou and Tsubame help him.


Arashi ni Shiyagare
2010
country: Japan
Arashi ni Shiyagare (嵐にしやがれ) (Must Be ARASHI!) is an ongoing Japanese variety show on NTV starring the members of Arashi. The show began on 24 April 2010 and it airs from 10:00 to 10:54 p.m. (JST) every Saturday. It is Arashi's sixth and current variety show to be aired on NTV as well as their third show to be aired during primetime. There will be a male guest, which the members of Arashi addresses as 'Aniki' (Brother), who will teach Arashi different things. The other section, called 'Encounter the Unknown', is where Arashi will pick up new skills, such as interviewing celebrities, learning the tips to climb a mountain, from meeting experienced professionals they usually have not met before.


Oshin
1983
country: Japan
Oshin is a Japanese serialized morning television drama, which aired on broadcaster NHK from April 4, 1983 to March 31, 1984. The series follows the life of Shin Tanokura during the Meiji period up to the early 1980s. Shin was called "Oshin", which is an archaic Japanese cognomen.


Moomin
1990
country: Japan
In the remote and mysterious Moominvalley live the Moomins, gentle and peaceful creatures. Young Moomintroll and his family experience many strange adventures, both magical and mundane.


Miotsukushi
1985
country: Japan
In the early Showa era, the town of Choshi in Chiba Prefecture was divided by the conflicts between the worlds of "land" and "sea". Born to Kyubei Bando, the owner of a long-established soy sauce brewery, and his mistress Rui, Kaworu was taken in by her father and raised as a prim and proper lady. As she grew up, she fell in love with Sokichi, the eldest son of an established fisherman; alas, their two families were in conflict. This is a story of pure love between two people that grew beyond the boundaries of the old customs that they were brought up with. It is a drama that depicts their turbulent journey of love and the bonds of the people from an old and established family working tirelessly to protect their naturally brewed soy sauce business through the ups and downs.


Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
1990
country: Japan
In mankind's grasp for the future, a sinister foe known only as Gargoyle begins his plans to take over the world. Nadia, with the help of a young inventor, Jean Ratlique, and Captain Nemo of the submarine Nautilus, must fight to save the world from Gargoyle and Neo-Atlantis.


Di Gi Charat Nyo!
2003
country: Japan
Di Gi Charat (a.k.a. Dejiko) - along with Petit Charat (a.k.a. Puchiko) and Gema - travels to Earth as part of her training to become a full-fledged princess. They crash on a small town in Japan, where they meet the Omocha brothers (who spend most of their time thinking how cute Puchiko is) and Mr. & Mrs. Ankoro (an elderly couple that makes Japanese sweets).


PreCure Splash Star
2006
country: Japan
During the summer festival five years ago, two girls met at a mysterious tree and saw two glowing spheres. Now, these two girls--Saki Hyuga, ace pitcher on the school softball team; and Mai Mishou, who prefers sketching over stargazing--are chosen by the spirits of flowers (Flappy) and birds (Choppy) to restore the Seven Fountains and save their worlds from Dark Autumn. Together, they are the NEW Pretty Cure.


Astro Boy
2003
country: Japan
Astro is a robotic boy created by Dr. Tenma to replace his late son. When Tenma destroys his laboratory and shuts down Astro, the Ministry of Science revives him and tries to give him a normal life as a 6th-grade student who occasionally helps keep renegade robots from causing harm.


Jun-chan's Cheering Song
1988
country: Japan
The year is 1947, August. Ono Junko's family is being evacuated to Wakayama and the father is going to war. A few years later, the father has returned from Manchuria but he also brought a boy that had been abandoned by his mother. The boy is Yuta and the family will adopt him.


Abarenbo Shogun
1978
country: Japan
Set in the 18th century, the show follows the Shogun Yoshimune, who likes to disguise himself as a low-ranking samurai and go into his capital of Edo to see the life of the common man, as well as to seek out and punish evildoers who would hurt his citizens. He is aided by Magistrate Oo'oka and a vivacious fireman, Tatsugoro, as well as a rotating cast of other recurring characters. Along with Zenigata Heiji and Mito Kōmon, it ranks among the longest-running series in the jidaigeki genre. Like so many other jidaigeki, it falls in the category of kanzen-chōaku, loosely, "rewarding good and punishing evil."


Witchy Precure!
2016
country: Japan
Mirai Asahina, a thirteen-year-old girl who is excited by various things, goes with her stuffed bear, Mofurun, to investigate a mysterious object that fell from the sky. There, she meets a young magician named Liko who is searching for something known as the Linkle Stone Emerald. When dark servants of Dokuroxy come seeking the Linkle Stone Emerald, Mirai and Liko join hands with Mofurun and transform into the legendary magicians known as the Pretty Cures to fight against them. Thus, Mirai joins Liko in attending Magic School, where they must learn how to use magic while also fighting off Dokuroxy's minions.


Soaring Sky! Precure
2023
country: Japan
A major incident has occurred in the peaceful Sky Land!? The young Princess Ellee has been kidnapped by the monsters of Underg Empire! A brave young girl, Sora, follows the princess through a mysterious hole. "TV"? "Cars"? Are those some kind of magic tools!?!? But there's no time to be surprised! She has to get the princess back to the castle...! Flying between two worlds! The adventure with the Pretty Cure begins now!


The Ghost Writer's Wife
2025
country: Japan
In Meiji-era Matsue, a fallen samurai’s daughter and a lonely foreign teacher connect through ghost stories and an unlikely friendship.


Cackling Kitarou
2007
country: Japan
The classic tale of Gegege no Kitaro told yet again. The story is the usual in the Gegege no Kitaro series. Kitaro is a boy living in the Gegege Forest/Cemetery (lands where many Yokai roam) with his mostly dead father (who survives only in his eye), Sunakake Babaa, NekoMusume, and Konaki Jiji. One difference between this Kitaro and all of the others that came before him, is that this one has brown hair instead of the standard grayish silver.


Gundam Build Fighters
2013
country: Japan
Sei Iori is a Gunpla builder whose family runs a hobby shop in a small town. He aspires to be a Gunpla Battle champion like his father, but despite his exceptional building skills, he lacks the combat abilities to compete with other contestants. Then one day, he meets a mysterious boy named Reiji, who helps him improve his confidence in participating in Gunpla Battles. Together, Sei and Reiji battle their way to the 7th Gunpla Battle World Tournament.


Anne of Green Gables
1979
country: Japan
Anne Shirley is a freckle-faced, red-haired girl, who grows up in an orphanage having lost her parents at a very early age. Anne is always cheerful and fun-loving despite being brought up without love or affection. When she turns 11, she is adopted by the old farmer Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla. Anne starts her new life at Green Gables, but actually the Cuthberts wanted a boy who could help with their work on the farm...


Go! Princess PreCure
2015
country: Japan
Go! Princess PreCure is set in a boarding junior high school, named Noble Academy. The protagonist Haruka Haruno is a 13-year-old first-year student. Her big dream is to be a princess someday because she admired a princess in the picture book she has kept since her childhood. One day, she transforms into Cure Flora with the "Dress Up Key" which Prince Kanata of Hope Kingdom gave her as a good luck charm when she was little. Then she also finds other Pretty Cure girls in her school, 14-year-old Minami Kaidou as Cure Mermaid and 13-year-old Kirara Amanogawa as Cure Twinkle. As the Princess Pretty Cure team, with two fairies Pafu and Aroma, they fight against the dark witch Dyspear, who hates all the dreams in the world and wants to turn them to despair.


Future Boy Conan
1978
country: Japan
After the great disaster of 2008, a war that destroyed the planet, the world is now largely ocean with the continents having sunk. Conan lives on a remote island with his grandpa and nature, never having seen another human being. But one day a mysterious girl, Lana, washes up on his beach. The two become quick friends, but she’s soon kidnapped and taken to Industria, a technological remainder from the world before. Conan leaves his island in pursuit, braving new lands and many hardships with new friends and enemies just beyond the horizon.


Daa! Daa! Daa! UFO Baby
2000
country: Japan
Daa! Daa! Daa! UFO Baby is a Japanese children's animated television series produced by J.C.Staff, Directed by Hiroaki Sakurai, and was aired on NHK-BS2 from March 28, 2000 to February 26, 2002.


Yes! PreCure 5
2007
country: Japan
Nozomi Yumehara, a regular student, finds a magical book called the Dream Collet in the library and meets Coco and Nuts, two creatures from the Palmier Kingdom. They plead with Nozomi to restore their world, which has been destroyed by an organization called the Nightmares, by completing the Dream Collet and finding the 55 Pinkies to make any wish come true. Meanwhile, the Nightmares are moving into the real world. Once Nozomi agrees to help, Coco and Nuts transform her into the legendary warrior Cure Dream and turn four fellow students into her Pretty Cure team.


Aikatsu Stars!
2016
country: Japan
Yume Nijino aims to become a top idol, and she enrolls in the Yotsuboshi Gakuen (Four Stars Academy). This academy has a special group called the S4, who are the top four active idols in the school. Yume and the other first-year students aim to become a part of the S4.


Glitter Force Doki Doki
2013
country: Japan
Thanks to Sharuru, a fairy from the Trump Kingdom, and the power of mysterious accessories called Cure Lovies, Mana transforms into Cure Heart! Mana, her close friend Rikka, her high-class childhood friend Alice, and the enigmatic, cool super idol singer Makoto all become legendary saviors. Together, they purify the Jikochu, who have forgotten about love!


Manga Fairy Tales of the World
1976
country: Japan
Each episode of this series tells the story of a famous fairy tale from all around the world. Some of them are adapted from famous books such as "The Iliad".


Dogengers
2020
country: Japan
When the heroes of Fukuoka return after shooting "HEROHOUSE" in Nokonoshima, the find out that Fukuoka has been occupied by an evil secret society that has acquired a mysterious power. Ohgaman, the only one that didn't participate in the "HEROHOUSE" shooting, was injured by a young man named Tanaka Jiro and gives Jiro the mission of restoring peace in Fukuoka.


Star☆Twinkle PreCure
2019
country: Japan
When Hikaru Hoshina transforms into Cure Star, she embarks on an outer space adventure to find the rest of the Star Twinkle Cures and save the universe!


HeartCatch PreCure!
2010
country: Japan
Tsubomi Hanasaki is a girl in the second grade of middle school who likes flowers and plants. One day she experiences a weird dream. In that dream, a large blooming tree appears. Suddenly, it loses all of its flowers and two fairies appear. A few days later after Tsubomi has transferred to Myoudou Academy, suddenly the fairies from the dream appear before her and plead to Tsubomi to become the legendary warrior Pretty Cure, and protect the Heart Tree. However, Tsubomi declines as she doesn't think that she would be able to do that. However, a mysterious enemy suddenly strikes and steals the Heart Flower of her classmate, Erika Kurumi. Now she doesn't have a choice. To retrieve Erika's Heart Flower, she has to transform into a Pretty Cure and fight. Working up the courage, Tsubomi turns into Cure Blossom and a new chapter of Pretty Cure begins!


Pretty Cure
2004
country: Japan
Nagisa Misumi and Honoka Yukishiro couldn't be more different. Nagisa is sporty and Honoka bookish, and while they attend the same school, they have very little in common - until one day, a shower of shooting stars brings two very unlikely visitors into their lives: Mepple and Mipple, refugees from the Garden of Light, which has been conquered by Darkness. Endowed with new and startling powers, Nagisa and Honoka become Cure Black and Cure White, the legendary warriors of light - together, they are Pretty Cure.
Japanese television is dominated by anime and the dorama — short, tightly-run seasons that rarely outstay their premise. Anime in particular has become one of the most globally exported forms of television there is.
Family television is built for co-viewing, balancing what works for a child with what keeps an adult in the room. The durable shows manage genuine warmth without condescending to either.