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What's The Single Best FIRST Episode You Have Seen in Anime?

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Aug 18, 2019 4:27 AM
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Aug 2019
2
Terror in Resonance's first episode was so mesmerizing and awesome that can't help widen my eyes in awe on every turn of event!
Aug 18, 2019 4:36 AM
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Jul 2014
319
Darker than black's first episode or cowboy bebop's.

For darker than black you don't really know what to expect, the first episode is so much darker than the rest of the show, it's surreal.
Aug 18, 2019 4:43 AM

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Aug 2017
81
Either Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet, or Endro~!
Aug 18, 2019 4:53 AM

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Jun 2019
207
Between Highschool of the Dead and The Promised Neverland
Aug 18, 2019 6:00 AM
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Jul 2019
53
Attack On Titan
Death Note
Daily lives of highschool boys (one of the funniest anime episode of all time)
Psycho Pass
Aug 18, 2019 6:04 AM

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May 2018
3188
Zombieland Saga of course.

Aug 18, 2019 6:06 AM

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Jul 2016
359
Akame ga kill
Attack on Titan
Kimetsu no Yaiba
Aug 18, 2019 6:20 AM

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Dec 2018
776
For me its Attack on Titan and Death Parade .
Aug 18, 2019 6:24 AM

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Jul 2015
12174
ugmon said:
GaRei Zero just because of the very good shock factor


This. I already started getting used to this cast.

Aug 18, 2019 6:33 AM
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Jul 2018
564125
Serial Experiments Lain first episode is one of the best and most haunting too when they bent reality.

Elfen Lied first minutes are also very tense, with all that violence and gore.
Aug 18, 2019 9:02 AM

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Aug 2017
544
probably biased, but Steins;Gate. it set the atmosphere perfectly, and while i know people who were bored by it's slow pace and the abundance of mysteries, i loved how it set the series up
Aug 18, 2019 9:06 AM
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Aug 2019
1
Re zero cause it was long as heck and it was just enough gore and not to much so it was nice
Aug 18, 2019 9:10 AM

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Jul 2016
233
Kill la kill. shit had me hyped 30 secs in.
damn, the forums these days...
Aug 18, 2019 9:10 AM
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May 2019
3566
IDK Re Zero, K-ON, Steins;Gate, NGE maybe
Aug 18, 2019 9:26 AM

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Aug 2015
301
Reading through all these is super interesting. Different people’s take on a memorable first episode have quite a lot of variability. lol makes me think my priorities are wack but I just don’t remember all the shows I’ve seen ㅠㅠ

From recent memory, it has to be Sarazanmai. I was captivated from the first few second due to the soundtrack and the soliloquy Kazuki was spouting as he ran.
Dororo? Usually I don’t go for 2 cour shows so to keep me hook throughout was fantastic. Nothing too dramatic in visual or fight scene but the first episode was nice.
Banana Fish. We got mystery, we have homosexual tension, we got an angelic protagonist (mostly in appearances), what more can I ask for except Ash running after Eiji in the first episode?
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Aug 18, 2019 9:26 AM

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Jun 2019
1040
Dunno. I have seen many anime to really have an idea. The first episode of Kill La Kill was pretty fucking wild, though.
Aug 18, 2019 9:28 AM

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Jan 2018
247
A SINGLE best first episode I've seen is probably,(im actually really unsure) Gurren Lagann or Kill la Kill, which are both gems.
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Aug 18, 2019 9:34 AM

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May 2016
3547
First episode only? Can't really think of any. First episodes tend to be the worst or among the worst.

First 2-3 episodes? Now there's plenty more to mention! Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Chihayafuru, Hajime no Ippo, Now and Then Here and There, Monster, WataMote, Steins;Gate, Psycho-Pass, K-On! S2, One Punch Man, Made in Abyss, Death Note, Fruits Basket 2001, Fullmetal Alchemist 2003, His and Her Circumstances...phew!

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Aug 18, 2019 9:40 AM

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Aug 2017
7
Death note epicness and AOT and I agree with you on the first episode of S;G.

Aug 18, 2019 10:21 AM

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Jun 2019
12
Hmmm either terror in resonance or assassination classroom started off really good with the first episode.
Aug 18, 2019 10:24 AM

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Nov 2016
2007
A really tough one but I'll go with
Gurren lagann
Berserk 97
Evangelion
Bleach
Aug 18, 2019 10:47 AM

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Jul 2010
327
Vinland Saga - I tear up every time I watch it. And it is actually very deep.

Runner-ups: Shingeki no Kyojin, Re:Zero
Aug 18, 2019 10:58 AM

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Sep 2018
1273
Inferno Cop and 3-gatsu no lion. One for the atmosphere the other one for depression....which is which thats the question.

Some other secondary ones are:
- JoJo part 5
- Steins;Gate
- Akage no Anne
- the
- ones
- i
- forgot
-Mullerio-Aug 18, 2019 11:05 AM
Aug 18, 2019 11:04 AM

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May 2019
125
Even though it turned into a shitshow after a few episodes, the rise of the shield hero. I had never felt so infuriated by anything in my whole entire life. That’s a good thing.
Aug 18, 2019 11:13 AM

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Dec 2017
154
Angel Beats by a country mile. In the space of just 25 minutes, it built a fully realized world with understandable rules, set up further mysteries about it to keep us excited for their reveal, established an extensive cast of characters who are all immediately striking and memorable, made us feel like a part of their group dynamic by letting us live with them in all states of being, made us understand and sympathize with what our protagonists are all fighting for, established their primary antagonist and the threat she poses, set up a character-driven conflict with Otonashi’s outsider’s perspective and his more morally grey take on the situation that isn’t immediately resolved, and started teasing out the thematic underpinnings of the whole damn affair. And it achieved all that while still being, above all else, an uproariously fun roller coaster ride of screwball comedy and charming, character-driven banter that made sure your interest never dropped for a second and got you excited to see what else these idiots were going to get up to. That's how goddamn efficient its storytelling is.
Aug 18, 2019 11:13 AM
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Dec 2018
10
Lol the first episode of food wars was pretty good!
Aug 18, 2019 11:33 AM

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Jan 2017
50
Cross Game
Hands down, one of the best first episode that I've seen in anime.
I've never really cried watching the first episode of any medium, that was until I saw Cross Game. A tragic yet beautiful start for a wonderful anime which ended up in my personal favorites.
There's also Kotoura-san whose first episode was really good but it became quite bad in the later episodes.
Aug 18, 2019 12:48 PM

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Jan 2017
1857
Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 I knew what to expect mostly. But it topped all my expectations.
KamijouToumaIBAug 18, 2019 4:19 PM
Aug 18, 2019 1:40 PM

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Oct 2018
326
Psycho-Pass or Guilty Crown.
Now, Guilty Crown didn't keep it up, but their 1st episodes were amazing.
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Aug 18, 2019 3:19 PM

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May 2019
17
Soul Eater's first episode was really cool, it might be the one but I'm not sure.
Fullmetal Alchemist's first episode was also a really nice one.
And I really liked Girls Last Tour for some reasons


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Aug 18, 2019 3:39 PM

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Jun 2016
1809
Weird pick, but Highschool Of The Dead, it pretty much perfectly showed what you're getting yourself into if you plan on watching the whole anime
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Noragami is the best anime ever.
Aug 18, 2019 3:58 PM

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Apr 2015
77
Well, as with most things in life, I can't pick a single one... I absolutely agree with Death Note and Shingeki no Kyojin; as for titles I thought of on my own, I'd mention Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru sou Desu yo, Nichijou, Shigofumi, Another, Shakugan no Shana, Black Bullet, Shinrei Tantei Yakumo, probably Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (though I don't remember exactly what happened in the first episode), Accel World, and... I guess that would be it
Please do note that this is based upon the impact it had on me when I started to watch those series, and not necessarily on whether they are the best or not, since I can't remember everything I watched (for example, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, as it was mentioned somewhere in the first comments), and because it's "impact" what I used as criterion, I also included a comedy show...
Well, whatever...
Aug 18, 2019 5:30 PM
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Jul 2019
7
Adelwulf said:
, probably Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (though I don't remember exactly what happened in the first episode)



I had the opposite reaction. The first two episodes of Higurashi almost made me stop watching. I'm so glad I kept going.

They've all been said before, but

Elfen Lied
Ga-Rei: Zero
Made In Abyss
Aug 18, 2019 6:57 PM

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Dec 2016
322
For me it was Tiger & Bunny, simply because I knew in a matter of 5minues that I've probably found the anime. But I personally consider the best first episode as the one that sold you on the anime
Aug 18, 2019 8:15 PM
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Dec 2015
6
I'm surprised by the lack of people saying SAO. The first episode for me is the peak of the series and sets up an interesting concept that really hooked me (and I'm sure many others). One of the reasons SAO is so disappointing as a whole is because that first episode is perfect in terms of getting expectations up, which is exactly what it needed to do. So just based on effectiveness, it is always the first first episode that comes to mind whenever the topic is brought up.
Aug 18, 2019 8:55 PM
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Aug 2019
1
I think for me it's definitely the first episode of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. After that first experience with DIO invading the fam, it literally feels like you've already watched an entire series.
Aug 18, 2019 9:32 PM

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Apr 2018
274
Made in Abyss, so much happens in the first episode gave me a clear sign it was going to be great.
Aug 18, 2019 11:29 PM
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Apr 2018
33
[quote=IDKanymore103 message=58205859]This may be due to recency bias, but I really enjoyed the first episode of The Promised Neverland.

Lol not recency bias, I've seen it like 6 times, showed it to a bunch of people and still find it amazing.
Aug 18, 2019 11:53 PM

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Dec 2011
8944
Shinsekai Yori deserves a mention. Very effective at setting the tone for the rest of the series.

Non Non Biyori's first episode is also brilliant albeit in an extremely different way as it is impeccably tranquil and relaxing.
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Aug 18, 2019 11:55 PM

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Dec 2016
6096
The first episode of Hunter x Hunter (1999).
Aug 19, 2019 12:05 AM

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Jun 2016
13347
Tokyo ghoul had a great first episode, especially compared to the rest of the series. It was like false advertising.
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Aug 19, 2019 12:29 AM

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Jan 2008
539
Soukou no Strain - I don't think I remember anything else starting that shocking. Too bad the rest of the show was so generic, it couldn't live up to it.

Terra e... is another good choice.
Aug 19, 2019 12:38 AM

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Jun 2016
1937
White Album 2 and Ouran High School Host Club
Aug 19, 2019 1:21 AM

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Apr 2012
3252
As a first time viewer, the first episode of Haruhi both delighted me and seized my attention like a very attention-seizing thing. And the first episode of Lain did strange things to me. The first episode of Karekano is just perfect.
Aug 19, 2019 1:22 AM

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Dec 2018
121
Kill la Kill first episode was heavenly good
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Aug 19, 2019 1:34 AM

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Apr 2012
3252
Slightly surprised at all the Gakkougurashi mentions, for me, after the first episode I was just "OK, this looks interesting, let's see some more", and it was the next few which completely bowled me over.
Aug 19, 2019 1:55 AM

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Oct 2014
7
Kyousou Giga, I love the first episode of this show. I like the rest of the show but not nearly as much as the first episode
Aug 19, 2019 3:12 AM

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Jun 2016
71
I would say Made in Abyss's first episode was just fucking beautiful
.
I don't praise much modern anime because of the atrocious atmosphere and the lack of actual good world build that you rarely see nowadays, and generally the story-boarding is just embarrassing...

But Made in Abyss's first episode blew me away, I really think it is criminally underappreciated, it gets right to the point, it gives an adventurous feeling to it and accomplishes so much world building in the span of just one episode, which is just really nice to see :3
Also that musical score by Kevin Penkin is perfection and the icing on the cake.
Aug 19, 2019 6:44 AM

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May 2019
53
3-gatsu no Lion first episode remains as the most impactful and beautiful to me.

Even if I only took the first scene into account, it would still be my favourite episode, period. I remember watching it as feeling and if I'd just been struck, watching Kiriyama in all his fragility struggling against a world he can't comprehend, much less fit in.

This said, my 2nd favourite first episode is from NGNL, as it might have been the episode that hooked me into the genre, making it the most important on a personal level.




Woow, a set.
Aug 19, 2019 8:36 AM
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Jun 2017
36
For me Goblin Slayer when it comes out i looked at the cover and think pfftt another issekai genre but hey when i saw the first episode i don't know it give me such intense feeling that sometimes missing in previous season and oh boii the rape scene made the anime community tremble for a while lol
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