2022 in anime was one of the most exciting years as it presented us with some of the best new-gen shows. While Spy × Family gave us enough doses of laughter, anime like My Dress-up Darling and Lycoris Recoil demonstrated a new angle of romance in the industry. And, don’t forget this year also saw the return of Bleach and the premiere of Chainsaw Man anime. But, do you know which was the most searched anime of 2022?

Despite the release of different genres of series, fans picked Chainsaw Man to be their first choice and this year was all about the brilliance of Tatsuki Fujimoto and Studio MAPPA’s biggest grab. In the absence of Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan, Spy × Family made a phenomenal debut making its name in the industry.

Below, you’ll find the most searched anime of 2022 according to Google that made an impact on the viewers and went viral on search engines. So, without any further ado let’s dive into the results.

10. Tomodachi Game

When Netflix’s Korean drama “Squid Game” was launched everyone was in awe of the thrilling story of the series and it made quite a name around the globe. Tomodachi Game is inspired by the same concept as this psychological thriller and is based on a young guy named Yūichi Katagiri who was once taught the importance of friends.

Thanks to his group of four friends, he happily enjoys his high school life. However, those happy school days are put to a halt when their class’s school trip funds are stolen, and the five are dragged into a mysterious survival game as a result of someone’s debt. There, the five’s friendship will be put to the ultimate test against the promise of wealth.

9. Call of the Night

Call of the Night was one of the most searched anime of 2022 due to its supernatural and rom-com theme. The story follows a junior high school student, Ko Yamori who finds his daily life boring. Unable to sleep or find true satisfaction in his daily life, he stops going to school and begins wandering the streets at night.

One sleepless night, he encounters a vampire named Nazuna Nanakusa who shows Ko the joys of being a night-walker. Soon realizing how fun it is to be a vampire, Ko wishes to become one too – but first, he must fall in love with the vampire, Nazuna. The series explores the hidden joys of the night and most of all, seductive vampires who believe in the power of true love.

8. Bocchi the Rock!

Yearning to make friends and perform live with a band, lonely and socially anxious Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou devotes her time to playing the guitar. On a fateful day, Bocchi meets the outgoing drummer Nijika Ijichi, who is looking for a new guitarist for her band. She invites her to join Kessoku Band and soon after Bocchi meets her final bandmate – the cool bassist Ryou Yamada.

Although their first performance together is subpar, the girls feel empowered by their shared love for music, and they are soon rejoined by Kita (former guitarist). Finding happiness in performing, Bocchi and her bandmates put their hearts into improving as musicians while making the most of their fleeting high school days.

7. Ya Boy Kongming!

Zhuge Kongming earned a reputation as one of the greatest tacticians of the Three Kingdoms period of third-century China. Having led his army through countless grueling victories, Kongming drew his last breath in the Battle of Wuzhang Plains. On his deathbed, he wishes that if he were to reincarnate, he would be reborn in a more peaceful era. And, surprisingly, his wish comes true!

Kongming is reborn in modern-day Tokyo with a younger body and his memories intact. Thrust into an unfamiliar world, he finds his way into a nightclub and meets Eiko Tsukimi, an aspiring singer whose performance immediately captivates him. Seeing Eiko’s immense musical potential, Kongming vows to make the world recognize her and thus begins his new life as a music industry manager.

6. My Dress-Up Darling

My Dress Up Darling was one of the biggest hits of Winter 2022. The viewers admired the series for its incredible mix of comedy, romance, cosplay culture, and the fan-service. The chemistry between the first-year high school students, Wakana Gojo and Marin Kitagawa made the audience fall in love with this show making it one of the most searched anime of 2022.

During the first semester, Gojo bumps into the most beautiful girl in his class, Marin Kitagawa. After finding Gojo’s profound interest in making Hina Dolls, Kitagawa asks for his help to make her a cosplay dress. Despite having no experience in making a costume for humans, Gojo agrees to make one for her. This is when the bond between them starts to build taking this romantic story to the next level.

5. Urusei Yatsura

Rumiko Takahashi’s Urusei Yatsura is a beloved 1980s anime staple that ran for nearly 200 episodes. But, this fall the series returned after 41 years with its updated visuals and a classic reboot of the franchise by David Production. The series revolves around the character Ataru Moroboshi, a hopeless philanderer whose life changes irrevocably when the beautiful alien girl Lum enters his life.

Things get worse when Lum falls in love with him, turning his life into a series of endless hijinks and shenanigans as he continues to attract strange encounters with otherworldly beings like the beautiful snow spirit Oyuki and the sexy crow goblin Princess Kurama!

4. Lycoris Recoil

Lycoris Recoil started off as a decent Summer 2022 original anime but soon, the series came into the spotlight for its mixture of awesome action sequences and slice-of-life moments that showcase the budding friendship between its two heroines as they struggle to find themselves in light of their complicated double lives.

Chisato and Takina are two talented “Lycoris” secret agents who are as different from one another as friends can possibly be. As part of their job, they work in the background eliminating criminals and terrorists in Tokyo while disguised as high school students to maintain peace in Japan.

3. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury is the latest mainline entry in Sunrise’s long-running Gundam franchise. This was the first new Gundam television anime series in seven years eventually making it the most searched anime of 2022 on Google. It also continues to shake things up by being the first mainline Gundam anime to feature a female lead.

The Witch From Mercury takes place in an era when a multitude of corporations entered space and built a huge economic system. Suletta Mercury, a lone girl from the remote planet Mercury transfers to the Asticassia School of Technology, run by the Beneritt Group which dominates the mobile suit industry. With a scarlet light burning in her pure heart, this girl walks step by step through a new world.

2. Spy × Family

Spy × Family is arguably the most entertaining show of this year giving fans the taste of both action and comedy. Produced by Studio WIT and CloverWorks, the anime follows Twilight, a spy who is tasked with a top-secret mission to prevent East-West peace. To accomplish it, he is assigned to create a family within a week and infiltrate the social gathering of the prestigious school where his target, Donovan Desmond’s son attends.

Dressed as a psychiatrist “Loid Forger”, Twilight sets out to find the best-suited family for his mission. However, the daughter Anya he meets turns out to be an esper, who could read people’s minds, and his wife Yor turns out to be an assassin! Now, world peace is entrusted in the hands of this dramatic family. Without revealing their true identity, they have to live together while keeping the mission on track.

1. Chainsaw Man

Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man tops the chart of most searched anime of 2022 and it’s not a surprise! Known for its dark humor and high-octane violence, Chainsaw Man headed into this year with a successful manga run and an anime adaptation by a renowned studio like MAPPA. And, as soon as anime dropped, it lived up to the hype and energy that kept fans hooked.

Chainsaw Man follows teenager Denji and his devil pet Pochita who manage to live somehow by killing devils and running small errands. On the contrary day, his luck runs out when Denji gets executed by a devil on site. But, in an unexpected turn of events, Pochita merges with Denji’s body transforming him into a Chainsaw Devil. From here on, Denji decides to face even the toughest of enemies and stop at nothing to achieve his typical teenage dreams.

Which one of the following anime impressed you most in the year 2022? Feel free to comment down your thoughts and make sure to recommend some other anime like the ones listed above, also don’t forget to share this article with your fellow otaku friends.

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