- 9 months ago
Animation isn't just for kids! Join us as we count down the most impressive mature animated series that have graced our screens this year. From demon hunters to retirement in Texas, these shows prove that cartoons can deliver sophisticated storytelling, complex characters, and themes that resonate with grown-up audiences in unique and powerful ways.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at adult-oriented animated programs that premiered
00:09in 2025, as well as ongoing shows that aired this year.
00:20Number 10. Castlevania Nocturne Season 2
00:24Quality shows based on video games are no longer a rarity, and this shift arguably started
00:29with Netflix's Castlevania.
00:31You are definitely different to most humans I have met in recent times.
00:37Maybe I can teach you to like people again, or at least tolerate them.
00:41The original series drew from Dracula's Curse, Curse of Darkness, and Symphony of the Night.
00:46This sequel covers Castlevania Rondo of Blood, a game many Westerners wouldn't get to play until 2010,
00:5217 years after its Japanese release.
00:55Following Richter Belmont, the first season of Nocturne could feel rushed,
00:59but showed potential in its animation and action.
01:02And you were good as gold.
01:03Definitely know when to keep your mouth shut.
01:06Well, there's only so much pious bullshit I can stand.
01:08Maybe you should practice.
01:10Season 2 is an improvement, not only taking the visuals to the next level,
01:14but also allowing more time to flesh out the characters.
01:16With the return of fan-favorite Alucard, and some welcome newcomers,
01:20it's a season that ups the stakes in more ways than one.
01:23She'll want revenge on the abbot, on Erzabed, which will get her killed.
01:29I could tell her this plan, going to Paris, is the way to get revenge, win this war, but suppose it isn't.
01:35Number 9, Devil May Cry, Season 1.
01:38Adi Shankar was a key creative force on the original Castlevania series.
01:42Shankar delivers another gory, kinetic, and occasionally tragic video game adaptation with Devil May Cry.
01:48The way this usually goes is I do that, then drop a killer one-liner, but I'm drawing a complete blank right now.
01:55This never happens to me, I swear.
01:56While you'll recognize characters like the white-haired demon-slayer Dante, this is an original story.
02:01Some new elements, like the political commentary, might catch long-time fans off guard.
02:06In terms of demon-slaying action, though, the series lives up to its source material with bloody-as-hell animation from Studio Mirror.
02:13You heard the Doctor. This is no longer a matter of religion. It's science.
02:18The word of the Lord has been proven beyond dispute.
02:21Hell is real, and the holy war is here.
02:26Season 1 also includes some excellent voice work, from the late Kevin Conroy as Vice President William Baines,
02:31and Hoon Lee as the mysterious White Rabbit.
02:34Episode 6, in particular, ranks among the most striking and devastating pieces of visual storytelling we've seen all year.
02:41Number 8, Rick and Morty. Season 8.
02:53Although it's called Rick and Morty, Season 8 of Adult Swim's flagship show branched out from the titular duo,
02:58with more emphasis on the rest of the Smith family.
03:00This is about the beers. Morty's cool. He has, like, four purple hearts.
03:04Five! Those and a nickel will get you a cup of coffee.
03:06Ho-ho! Disillusioned! Morty! Love this guy!
03:10L-listen, Beth, if you want to judge someone, call Jerry.
03:12While not up there with the show's golden years, this season gave us standout episodes, like No Mort Land,
03:18proving that having multiple Jerrys isn't such a bad thing.
03:21Two Beths are better, however.
03:22The show digs deeper into the complexities of Beth and Space Beth,
03:27in turn, forcing Rick to examine his parental choices.
03:30I cloned you to fix this. That makes you twice as annoying.
03:33Speaking of parents, remember Morty's son from Season 1? He's back,
03:37as are some other characters buried deep within your memories.
03:40Pleasing fans isn't easy, as James Gunn might tell you,
03:43but Rick and Morty continues to balance laughs with unexpected pathos.
03:47No one's more creative than James Gunn.
03:51Number 7, Big Mouth, Season 8.
03:55Big Mouth is about as adult as adult animation gets, but let's be honest.
03:59You're not wrong, but play it cool.
04:01I'm being cool, oh my god.
04:03The show's gross-out humor attracted plenty of 10-year-olds when it first hit the scene in 2017.
04:08Whether it saw you through puberty or made you look back at your own awkward adolescence,
04:11Big Mouth was simultaneously the most mature and immature show on TV for eight seasons.
04:17This final semester resolves a few lingering plot threads,
04:20like the identity of the Ponytail Killer.
04:22Looks like your days of cutting off ponytails,
04:25sniffing them, and putting them in a big bag are over.
04:29Yet, it doesn't wrap up everything in a tidy package.
04:32Uncertainty lingers over the series finale,
04:34although the great unknown isn't something we should run from.
04:37It's bound to bring changes, good and bad,
04:39but whatever awaits, it'll be better with a friend by your side.
04:42Oh, Connie, we did a pretty good job with our little perverts, didn't we?
04:46Yeah, we sure did, Mori.
04:49Number 6, Don2Don, Season 2.
04:52WatchMojo already did a top 10 for the best anime of 2025 so far,
04:56but we'd be remiss if we didn't give at least one a shout-out here.
04:59While definitely for older viewers,
05:08you might think twice about watching Don2Don with your parents,
05:11this adaptation of the manga bursts with pent-up sexual tension.
05:14For all the innuendos, there's a surprisingly sweet relationship
05:18between protagonist Momo and Oka-Run at its core.
05:21Season 2, which chronicles the Cursed House and Evil Eye arcs,
05:29is more of an ensemble piece with expanded roles for characters like Gigi.
05:33The show's appeal still mainly derives from its central couple,
05:36even if they remain unofficial.
05:37As raunchy, violent, and ludicrous as matters get,
05:40our hearts lift seeing these two hold hands.
05:43Number 5, Harley Quinn, Season 5.
05:54Harley and Ivy find themselves in a rut at the beginning of Season 5,
05:57but this superhero satire is as funny and fresh as ever.
06:02Man, it's so long, I forgot what it feels like to wear a dress.
06:05But isn't it great to finally wear underwear again?
06:07I mean, all of them look great.
06:09The showrunners keep taking the characters to new places,
06:11both physically and emotionally.
06:14This season changes the scenery to Metropolis,
06:17which might seem like an optimistic alternative to the brooding Gotham.
06:20What are you guys doing here?
06:21Well, we live here now.
06:23The property taxes are murder, but it's worth it for the schools.
06:28Beneath Metropolis' shimmering exterior, though, are shady figures,
06:31while an otherworldly threat looms on the horizon.
06:34Harley Quinn is the wild card that the city needs,
06:37although our titular anti-heroine faces her own share of curveballs this season.
06:40No matter what the world throws at Harley, Ivy is by her side,
06:44putting the power in Power Couple.
06:47We'd follow these characters to the end of the world and beyond.
06:50I may, in the moment, be angry with you,
06:53but there's never a moment where I stop loving you.
06:57Really? Say that again, because I want to remember it forever.
07:01Number 4. Invincible, Season 3.
07:04More than ever, Season 3 of Invincible makes its audience ask
07:07whether superheroes do more bad than good.
07:10Oh, I'm gonna get to the bottom of this right now.
07:14Mark, wait!
07:15I can't, Eve.
07:17I'm sorry.
07:19And I'm sorry about before, too.
07:22I messed it all up.
07:23Even someone pure of heart like Mark Grayson isn't immune to collateral damage,
07:28and saying sorry can't mend the lives caught in the crossfire.
07:31This season forces Mark to look in the mirror,
07:34seeing what he could have become and could still be if pushed to his breaking point.
07:38You don't understand.
07:41All this, this is my fault.
07:45So the only thing I want to do right now
07:48is hit something as hard as I can.
07:55Good.
07:56This is reflected in his evil variants,
07:58all of whom are voiced by Steven Yeun.
08:01Mark also sees himself in his little half-brother, Oliver,
08:04who has their father's lethal instincts,
08:05but nurture may win out over nature.
08:08When torn between morality and protecting loved ones, though,
08:11Mark finds that you can't always have it both ways.
08:15So if anyone else ever puts my family or anyone I love at risk,
08:20I won't hesitate to kill them.
08:24Number 3.
08:25King of the Hill Season 14
08:27It's been 15 years since we last saw the Hills.
08:30If you ask me, fives should be rare in this world.
08:33We sure are.
08:34I do not want to be conceited,
08:36but I have been told my whole life,
08:38I'm a 5.
08:39This is reflected in Season 14,
08:41which sees the characters change with the times.
08:43Bobby is no longer trapped in puberty purgatory with Bart Simpson.
08:46That boy is a man now,
08:48opening the door to new storylines.
08:50As Bobby starts his career as a chef,
08:52Hank and Peggy settle into retirement,
08:54while catching up with some old friends.
08:56I don't get out much anymore.
08:58Much?
08:58You haven't left that room since 2020.
09:01Oh no.
09:01What are you doing in there?
09:03Oh, a lot of streaming.
09:05I finished Netflix, Hank.
09:07Yeah.
09:07Did you know that when you get to the end of Netflix,
09:10you get something called a wellness check?
09:12Indeed.
09:13That's the best way to describe this new season.
09:15Although the characters are older,
09:17and their world is different,
09:18the audience slips back in,
09:20as if they never left Arlen.
09:21The season marks a tear-jerking goodbye
09:23to voice actors like Johnny Hardwick
09:24and Jonathan Joss,
09:26but it's also a reunion with characters we know and love.
09:30I taught you well, son,
09:31but the teacher will soon outfox the, uh, student.
09:36May the best man win.
09:38Psyche.
09:39Rookie mistake.
09:41Joseph, never shake hands with a foe.
09:44Could be your last handshake.
09:46Number two.
09:47South Park.
09:48Season 27.
09:49It's harder than ever for comedians to talk about Trump.
09:53Hey, relax, guys.
09:54Not just because he's more inclined to sue,
09:56but what else can possibly be said about POTUS
09:59after nearly a decade of jokes
10:00that practically write themselves?
10:02South Park answers with its 27th season,
10:05which doesn't really poke the bear.
10:07This season pulls the bear's pants down
10:09and kicks it below the belt,
10:11only to find there's not much to kick.
10:12Come on, guys.
10:13We're South Park.
10:14We can do it.
10:15Yeah.
10:16We just gotta work together.
10:18Trump isn't the only target of ridicule,
10:20with J.D. Vance and Kristi Noem
10:22also getting the South Park treatment.
10:24The White House might disagree,
10:26but South Park isn't just having
10:27one of its funniest seasons in years.
10:29It's perhaps never been more relevant in an age
10:31where freedom of speech is constantly challenged.
10:34Think I can't handle myself
10:35because I'm a lady with good looks?
10:37You guys need to lie.
10:38I'm gonna...
10:38Before we continue,
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10:56Number 1.
10:57Common Side Effects
10:58Season 1.
11:00Speaking of timely shows,
11:01Common Side Effects revolves around
11:03a mysterious blue mushroom
11:04that can seemingly cure any ailment.
11:06A mushroom.
11:08Not just any mushroom.
11:10The caviar,
11:11the ghost orchid of mushrooms.
11:13That is except for the corporate greed
11:15rooted in big pharma.
11:16As heavy-handed as the subject matter might be,
11:19Common Side Effects is humorous
11:20and insightful,
11:21with an overarching story
11:23that'll leave you hooked
11:24from the first episode.
11:25I know it's weird,
11:26but listen,
11:27can we meet up?
11:29It's kind of urgent.
11:31And just two things to mention.
11:32Some people are following me
11:34and I brought my tortoise.
11:37At the center
11:38is a meaningful bond
11:39between the nonconformist Marshall
11:41and Francis,
11:42who has become a cog in the machine.
11:44Their relationship blossoms
11:45in an unlikely place,
11:47with a tortoise providing fertilizer.
11:49Receiving an Emmy nomination
11:50for Outstanding Animated Program,
11:52Common Side Effects
11:53is among the year's smartest
11:54and most inventive shows,
11:56no matter the genre
11:57or medium.
11:58No negative side effects
11:59to be found here.
12:00Maybe if we do everything right,
12:03we can heal the world.
12:05What animated shows
12:06have you watched this year?
12:07Let us know in the comments.
12:09That's my stick!
12:10Knock it out, Clyde!
12:11You stole my idea!
12:12Fucking J-N-X!
12:13People spouting,
12:14howdy neighbors!
12:15Heading on up south,
12:16I'm gonna see if I can't unwind.
12:18I don't think this way
12:19I don't think this way
12:20I don't think this way
12:20I don't think this way
12:22Come on down south
12:23I'll step out there
12:23and meet some friends, man.
12:24Out there and meet some friends, man.
12:25Out there and meet some friends, man.
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