1921

I think you answered my question.
I am looking for a replacement for Avatar, which was great for both kids and adults.

1922

Most of FMA is probably fine but there are some very dark episodes. Try watching Episode 7, “Night of the Chimera’s Cry” by yourself first. If your kids can handle that then the rest of the series should be okay.

1923

Evangelion features lots of violence (some of it graphic) and a small amount nudity. It also has a plot that is… “questionable” at best even to adults. If you don’t want to scar your child for life with the most emo main character in the history of animated entertainment, don’t show this to him.

FMA is probably fine. There is a great deal of action, but it isn’t graphically violent. There are some dark situations such as the much touted episode 7, but at 5 years old, there is a good chance they won’t even understand most of them. No nudity/bad language. Only negative is there may be some difficulty understanding the more complex aspects of the plot (although not to the degree of Eve where in the middle of the last episode the writer interrupts the scene to start brutally raping the audience just for the fun of it), but this also can be a positive in that most of the darker scenes tend to be dark in complex ways and thus not be understood.

1924

How old are your kids? I’d say for the most part Full Metal is but as others have said there are defiantly iffy episodes. Are you open to other suggestions?

1925

I am open to other suggestions.

1926

Off the top of my head, I may be wrong about some of them because it’s been awhile. Maybe a few more knowledge people could give you some better advice.

Trigun,
Last Exile
Soul Eater
Gurann Lagann, probably the worst of the bunch

I’m sure others here can suggest a few more, but definitely check on those scenes in Fullmetal first.

1927

Try Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. It shares Avatar’s tradition of showing that violence has consequences without making the fights too brutal (or too boring) in any way. It also stars one of the most positive female role models you’ll get out of anime.

Fullmetal is meant for kids around 13-14, Evangelion for the 15-18 range, as I recall. Fullmetal might be good to share with your kids when they’re older, it gets a little violent but nothing that wouldn’t fly in a PG-13 movie. Evangelion’s psychosexual elements make it more of a “rebellious” show-- something most kids would prefer to watch by themselves.

1928

Not really anime but Batman: the Animated series was a blast for my sons around that age.

1929

Thanks for all the great suggestions.

1930

Yeah, at age 5, most of my thoughts lead towards the american animated fare:

Batman
Justice League
Teen Titans
Even the newer stuff like Ben-10 isn’t terrible.

1931

When I was five my parents had cable (this is in 1985, mind you) and I apparently grew up watching a ton of dubbed classic anime that Nickelodeon ran because it was cheap. Heidi of the Alps, Candy Candy, Unico, a bunch of Franco-Japanese co-productions… it really lead to a life-long love of anime that I think has been very enriching for me.

There are a lot of good American cartoons for five-year-olds now but exposure to a wide range of animation styles is healthy and will make for good discussion and learning. At that age a child can definitely notice the difference in animation styles (to me anime was the “thin-line cartoons”) and may be interested in why some cartoons look different.

1932

Gurren Lagann’s supporting female lead is scantily clad and has giant bouncing boobs. Not sure if you want your 5 year olds to watch that. Your call though.

1933

Moribito is one of my favorite shows, period. It’s really worth checking out.

1934

I can’t really think of any anime I’ve enjoyed that wouldn’t go right over a 5-year old’s head even if it wasn’t heavy on violent or sexual content.

Er, series-wise, that is. Studio Ghibli films are clearly very child-friendly.

1935

Ehh…Chi’s New Home ? Although i’m not sure i would watch it at age 5, if offered, but on the other hand i totally love it now.
As for Avatar replacement - One Piece. Cant go wrong there.

1936

Even One Piece has scenes with some(lots?) of blood that might not go well with a 5 year old.

I agree with Studio Ghibli movies and that Batman/Justice League recommendations. EDIT: Or…the crappy ‘new’ Transformers series that came out some years ago. I think i was around that age or a bit older when i first watched Transformers.

–

Does he like sports like baseball? The first season of Major might be nice for him.

1937

One Piece might be a little involved for a five-year-old but could be worth revisiting even at 7 or 8.

You know what might be fun to a five-year-old? Sgt. Frog. The dub is pretty snappy as comedy and especially kid’s comedy go, and the whole thing is wonderfully silly and charming.

(Older viewers get to enjoy some humor that is Futurama-ish at times, so it’s all good.)

1938

It’s an awesome show but I think a lot of the politics would put a 5 year-old to sleep.

1939

A 5-year-old is probably not going to bother to follow the political plotline beyond grasping the basics. (Nor is it really necessary to do so.)

1940

You know what might be fun to a five-year-old? Sgt. Frog.

Hmm…wasnt there quite a number of sexual jokes ? Or am i thinking about the manga ? Havent watched Keroro in a while…