1. Attack on Titan

Hugely popular in the United States, Attack on Titan is a story of some tough teens dealing with the stresses of life in a world where gigantic humanoid monsters keep wrecking shit. With high energy, action, adrenaline, and lots of cliffhanger episodes, it's easy to see why this show quickly became incredibly successful.

One thing that's cool about this show for me is the Titans themselves. They're so mysterious and strange that almost everything the human characters learn about them raises more questions than it answers. Who made them, and for what purpose? Why can't they reproduce sexually? Do they reproduce some other way? Are they natural or man-made in origin? Why are some people able to change into Titans? Why are there different types of Titans? Etc. Basically, I was upset with this for not answering or explaining more, but I'll give it props for centering its conflict around such an interesting mystery. It's also very thrilling to watch.

2.Fairy Tail

Like how Fullmetal Alchemist draws inspiration from real Western philosophy and politics, Fairy Tail draws inspiration from Western storytelling, folklore, astrology, and so on. And it has some unique elements, like a blue cat with wings, that are just fun and part of the unique lore of this show. The main characters are Lucy, a newb in the famous/infamous guild of wizards called Fairy Tail, and Natsu, a dragon-boy wizard who is fiercely loyal to the guild. This show combines European fantasy concepts like dragons with typical shounen stuff (like the protagonist eats a lot, likes to fight, yells, and sometimes loses his temper, what a shock!). It has some very amazing characters, and the animation is very nicely done. I love the character designs and the art's use of color. But ultimately, this show is not just a pretty face, it's about the bond of loyalty shared by all the members of the guild, so it has many moments that are heartwarming and touching.

3.Inuyasha

This one used to be a late-night cable favorite for me for many years. Inuyasha is the story of schoolgirl Kagome, who travels back in time from our present to medieval Japan, and finds the titular half-human dog demon Inuyasha pinned to a tree by an arrow. She rescues him, learns about his past, his struggles with the annoying plot token known as the shikon jewel, and her role in all of this, as she is the reincarnation of a priestess named Kikyo, the woman who originally pinned Inuyasha to the tree. Yes, this show has its flaws, mostly in that there are vast oceans of filler in between actual episodes where the plot even budges an inch. But, like Fairy Tale,Inuyasha is entertaining, heartwarming, and immensely popular in the US.

4.Ghost in the Shell

While Stand Alone Complex the anime series was a lot of fun for me when I watched it on Adult Swim back in my day, the Ghost in the Shell movies are also breathtaking, and I've watched a few episodes of the newer prequel series called Arise and liked that as well. Ghost in the Shell is a major (no pun intended) work of science fiction anime. I often use it as a recommendation for people who don't like anime but who might like related science fiction works. The first move, for example, borrows from Blade Runner, a sci-fi classic. As can be expected from a work of the cyberpunk genre, Ghost in the Shell explores potential conflicts caused by potential advances in technology. While some types of sci-fi, like Star Trek, believe that technological progress will result in social progress, cyberpunk anime, literature, movies, video games, etc. have a more pessimistic viewpoint, arguing that there is a dark side to human nature that will not go away just because of improvement to technology.

5.The Gundam Franchise

While I only personally watched and liked G Gundam, for many people, a Gundam show was their first anime or the earliest anime they got into. Gundam has had a lot of influence in Japan and in the west. Early Gundam series were inspired by kaiju, or big monster, movies, Godzilla being the most famous. While Gundam did not make the "giant robot" trope, they are perhaps the trope codifier, and definitely are responsible for popularizing the concept and influencing many other animes. Gundam's hugeness in popularity cannot be understated. I think in the US, Gundam is popular because America makes many loud, boomy action flicks, and this is a loud, boomy anime franchise. Transformers was a top-grossing movie and hit cartoon in the U.S., and it definitely drew inspiration from Gundam and other, older giant robot fighting animes, like Voltron. Basically, both American and Japanese men and boys (and some ladies and girls) like to see big robots punching stuff. And there's nothing wrong with that. Heck, I haven't even watched all of any series in the franchise but G Gundam, and yet the robot designs look so cool that I might just buy action figures of them anyway.

6.One Piece

Like Naruto, but with a stretchy pirate and more emphasis on slapstick comedy. Luffy is determined to be pirate king, and like many shounen protagonists, his inner drive pushes him to overcome many dangers and obstacles along the way. I don't watch this show, but it's ubiquitous at conventions and obviously hugely popular with shounen fans. My problems? I live like a million miles from any ocean and know enough history to know that pirates were actually dirty, violent, vulgar, crude, and disgusting. And how like Naruto is with ninjas, there is little historical accuracy to be had. These dweebs resemble real historical pirates even less than that weird pirate-like cat from The Last Unicorn. But this show is a fantasy epic adventure, and seems to have a positive and heartfelt tone throughout, as well as being good for a laugh. Pirate stories are obviously probably popular in Japan because of its history as a seafaring island nation, but they're popular in the west too because it's also part of our history and because pirates embody the American ideal of rugged individualism.