Chinese Anime Discovery

Best Donghua to Watch for FREE in 2026

Donghua (Chinese anime) is exploding in quality. From cultivation epics to mystery thrillers, here are our top picks — all with legal, free streaming links.

Scissor Seven
7.9
10 eps|Action, Comedy, Drama|Sharefun Studio

To the casual eye, the amnesiac bounty hunter Wu Liuqi looks quite intimidating. With his deadly telekinetic scissor techniques and his ability to seamlessly transform into anything, one would not expect his modest demeanor. In fact, Wu is quite terrible at his job. Often times the freelancer can be found botching an assassination or targeting the wrong person. While his failures could be due to his subpar skills, it usually boils down to him being a normal kid, with a heart unsuited for his line of work. Accompanied by his feathered friend Dai Bo, Wu is on a simple quest to regain his memories. Although his inconspicuous day job as a hairdresser and his after-hours occupation are simply a means for him to repay debt, his various ventures seem to intertwine with his pursuit to recover his lost past. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

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The King's Avatar
7.8
12 eps|Action|B.CMAY PICTURES

Widely regarded as a trailblazer and top-tier professional player in the online multiplayer game Glory, Ye Xiu is dubbed the "Battle God" for his skills and contributions to the game over the years. However, when forced to retire from the team and to leave his gaming career behind, he finds work at a nearby internet café. There, when Glory launches its tenth server, he throws himself into the game once more using a new character named "Lord Grim." Ye Xiu's early achievements on the new server immediately catch the attention of many players, as well as the big guilds, leaving them to wonder about the identity of this exceptional player. However, while he possesses ten years of experience and in-depth knowledge, starting afresh with neither sponsors nor a team in a game that has changed over the years presents numerous challenges. Along with talented new comrades, Ye Xiu once again dedicates himself to traversing the path to Glory's summit! [Written by MAL Rewrite]

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The Master of Diabolism
8.5
15 eps|Action, Adventure, Drama|B.CMAY PICTURES

Xian: the state of immortality that all cultivators strive to achieve. However, there is a dark energy that lies underneath—the forbidden Mo Dao, or demonic path. Through an unfortunate series of tragedies, this is the path that cultivator Wei Wuxian experiments with during his teachings. His rise in power is accompanied by chaos and destruction, but his reign of terror comes to an abrupt end when the cultivation clans overpower him and he is killed by his closest ally. Thirteen years later, Wei Wuxian is reincarnated in the body of a lunatic and reunited with Lan Wangji, a former classmate of his. This marks the beginning of a supernatural mystery that plagues the clans and threatens to disrupt their everyday life. Mo Dao Zu Shi follows these two men on their mission to unravel the mysteries of the spiritual world. Fighting demons, ghosts, and even other cultivators, the two end up forming a bond that neither of them had ever expected. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Heaven Official's Blessing
8.4
11 eps|Action, Adventure, Drama|Haoliners Animation

The heavens shake, the thunder rumbles, and Xie Lian appears with an apologetic smile—again! Eight hundred years prior, he was a beloved martial god, known as the Crown Prince of Xianle. Now, he ascends to the heavenly realm for the third time, but simply as a pitiful scrap-collecting god with no followers behind him. On his first mission, Xie Lian finds himself alone in the dark moonlit night. There, a gentle man dressed in red guides him through the forest. However, as abruptly as he appeared, the man suddenly dissipates into a swarm of silver butterflies. Xie Lian later learns that this mysterious stranger was none other than Hua Cheng, the Crimson Rain Sought Flower, a Ghost King feared by both demons and gods alike. But before Xie Lian can figure out why Hua Cheng would help a Heavenly Official like himself, he meets San Lang. A young man possessing great knowledge on not only the Ghost King, but also the now forgotten Crown Prince, San Lang decides to accompany Xie Lian on his journey of unveiling the mysteries of the past. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

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What Is Donghua?

Donghua refers to Chinese animation, encompassing a wide range of styles from 2D hand-drawn to cutting-edge 3D CGI. While anime (Japanese animation) has dominated the global animation scene for decades, donghua has rapidly risen in quality and popularity, especially since the mid-2010s.

Popular genres include cultivation (xianxia/wuxia), where characters gain supernatural powers through martial arts and spiritual training, as well as action, romance, and thriller stories that draw from rich Chinese mythology and history.

Many top donghua are available for free on platforms like Bilibili, WeTV, and YouTube channels such as Tencent Video and iQIYI. Some titles also appear on Crunchyroll and Netflix, making them accessible worldwide.

Donghua vs Anime: Key Differences

AspectDonghuaAnime
OriginChinaJapan
Style3D CGI + 2DPrimarily 2D
SourceManhua / Web novelsManga / Light novels
Episode length15-25 min22-24 min
Free accessBilibili, WeTV, YouTubeTubi, Crunchyroll (limited)

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