Theanimeindustry has progressed quite a lot over the years. There has been a significant jump in the number of shows, which makes it easier to find an anime that suits one’s tastes. With so much new content being produced, it is easy to forget about the series that were released in the last year, let alone over a decade ago.
Thus, it’s pretty obvious that fans have a tough time remembering anime from the 1990s. However, as a child who grew up with a couple of anime from this decade, I will always love the ’90s. This decade produced plenty of excellent shows that have stood the test of time. Some of thebest ’90s animeare also among the greatest shows of all time, and that goes beyond just this industry.
Criteria for an anime to qualify:
Updated June 10, 2025, by Mark Sammut:Summer 2025 is right around the corner, and the season is set to include a remake of a shonen series from the ’90s: Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube. Hopefully, Studio Kai’s new version lives up to its predecessor. If you happen to be craving someclassic ’90s anime, two more shows have been added as recommendations. Click below to jump to these newcomers.
Isekai is inescapable nowadays, with every season including at least a couple of shows that fit the bill. When everything is said and done,2025 will likely produce more isekai animethan the ’90s in its entirety. While the concept predatesSword Art Onlineby decades, isekai was very much a rare treat before the adaptation of Reki Kawahara’s novel exploded in popularity. Consequently, when a character found themselves on an otherworldly adventure, it was novel rather than expected. More importantly, most shows were chasing tropes from other genres (or creating their own), rather than sticking to an established formula.
Even all these years later,The Vision of Escaflowneis still a surprisingly refreshing example of an isekai anime, and this is coming from someone who has spent too much of their life watching these types of stories. Along with featuring a well-written female protagonist who is competent but not overpowered, the show incorporates high fantasy, sci-fi, mecha, and romance, creating a blend that is more than the sum of its parts. Sunrise’s animation is also top-notch, as tends to always be the case with the studio’s classic output. If it were not for the fact that the story was cut short by 1/3rd of its run,The Vision of Escaflownecould have been one of the absolutebest anime of the ’90s.
Nowadays, the World Masterpiece Theater’s dozens of shows have been largely lost to time. By the ’90s, the project had been around for roughly three decades and was struggling, although it did manage to produce a couple of good shows.Remi, Nobody’s Girlwas the last adaptation released during this period, and it was something of a surprising pick as Hector Malot’sSans Familiehad already been adapted into a highly regarded anime in the ’70s. Perhaps to differentiate the new version, WMT decided to swap the protagonist’s gender, while generally leaving the basic story in one piece.
Remi, Nobody’s Girlis a respectable adaptation of a literary classic that accomplishes a lot in just 26 episodes. The story gets quite heavy at times, while still incorporating some much-needed moments of levity and slice of life. Is it worth seeking out today? Honestly, I would not strongly recommend it, just because it is not accessible on a streaming platform. Still, if you can find it and love the novel,Remi, Nobody’s Girlis a worthwhile watch.
While its star faded considerably over the last few decades,Tenchi Muyo!was a huge deal during the ’90s. Introduced to the world as an OVA series calledTenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, the franchise also spawned two ’90s spin-off/reboot series inTenchi UniverseandTenchi in Tokyo. During the 1990s and early 2000s,Tenchi Muyo!was a constant presence, and it helped set thestandard for harem animemoving forward.
Nowadays, the series can seem pretty dated and archetypal, but it is important that a lot of its clichés and tropes were not that common in the early 90s. The humor mostly holds up fine, too, and the same can be said for the animation. Even though I did not grow up withTenchi Muyo, I still had a blast watching its ’90s entries, even more so than its more modern releases.
Digimon Adventurefollows the story of a group of friends who get transported into the Digital World and meet Digimon. They also receive Digivices, which help them evolve their Digimon. The friends learn that they have been chosen to save the Digital World from a malevolent force.
Along withDragon BallandPokemon,Digimon Adventurewas an introductory anime for a lot of ’90s and early 2000s kids. While it might not hit as hard with new viewers who carry no nostalgia, the 1999 series was and still is top-notch, delivering an addictive blend of action, adventure, drama, and character development. UnlikePokemon,Digimon Adventure’s story seemed more consequential and ambitious, even sprinkling in some fairly dark moments.
Based on a manga by Riyoko Ikeda,Dear Brotheris nearly as fantastic as the author’s most well-known story,The Rose of Versailles. Set in an all-girl school, the 1991 anime presents a pretty realistic and, at times, heavy look at teenage life, tackling themes like suicide, peer pressure, and manipulation. A lot of the narrative’s tension is caused by the school’s sorority, which exerts an oppressive hold on the student body.
Dear Brotherdoes not pull its punches nor try to sanitize its characters, allowing them to commit genuinely awful acts born out of arrogance, jealousy, and pettiness. At the same time, the anime incorporates slice-of-life moments that help make the girls feel real rather than just moving pieces in a melodrama.Dear Brothereven has somegirls loveelements, although arguably not as much as one might expect from this type of premise.
Rumiko Takahashi’sRanma ½is an all-time great shonen manga that has aged pretty gracefully. The source material has received two major anime, including a fantastic modern adaptation that aired itsfirst season in Fall 2024. Apart from the manga, the new series is the best entry point for newcomers, delivering top-notch animation alongside timeless humor.
That said, the originalRanma ½anime is still a classic that is well worth a watch if somebody enjoyed the remake and wants more. The first two seasons primarily adapt the manga, and they have by far the anime’s strongest episodes (and they mostly aired during the ’80s). After that point, the series enters filler territory, delivering five seasons of mostly decent humor but very little in the way of character or relationship development. Putting aside a couple of terrible episodes,Ranma ½is watchable throughout its entire run.
Due to the 2024 remake’s existence, I find the original show a bit harder to recommend; however,Ranma ½is still generally enjoyable. Even the filler content can be quite funny, especially when Happosai is not involved.
OK,Crayon Shin-chanis still airing new episodes, so it should technically not qualify. However, unlikeOne PieceorCase Closed, this comedy anime was a fixture of nearly the entire ’90s, and its legacy is intrinsically tied to that decade. More importantly,Crayon Shin-chanis hilarious, offering irreverent humor that is effectively timeless since it rarely crosses the line.
While sitting through hundreds of episodes might get a bit tiresome, this'90s animeis just the perfect remedy for a hard day. Just throw on an episode and have a good laugh, and the lack of serial storytelling means the selection can be done at random. Even all these years later,Crayon Shin-chanis still extremely popular, to the point that the mischievous protagonist is a pop culture icon.
At the end of the day, all an anime needs to be is fun, andThe Irresponsible Captain Tylorpasses that threshold without any issue. Space operas were way more common in the ’80s and early ’90s, so a comedy that spoofs the genre’s tropes was going to come to fruition sooner or later. The thing that separatesThe Irresponsible Captain Tylorfrom other parodies is that, for the most part, it can be enjoyed as a (relatively) straightforward addition to the genre, albeit one led by a protagonist who is luck personified.
Tylor kind of falls upward and finds himself as the Soyokaze’s captain, a ship that has seen better days and is filled with quirky personnel. While very serious things are always happening around them, Tylor and his crew tend to be dragged into absurd and surreal situations, all the while the former bumbles his way to success.
Somewhat overshadowed byCowboy BebopandTrigun,Outlaw Staris a great companion piece to those classics, and an argument could be made that it is the most “fun” of the three series. That said, it is the most dated of the three shows, which can be charming. Blending fantasy, western, and sci-fi tropes, the anime is an over-the-top space opera that lives and dies on the allure of its main characters, led by the charismatic Gene Starwind.
Although not devoid of grand ideas and ambitious overarching storytelling,Outlaw Staris primarily a pulp-style action fest with larger-than-life characters, raunchy humor, and a lot of silliness. The result might not be life-changing, but it sure is entertaining.
Based on the manga written by Naoko Takeuchi,SailorMoonis arguably themost popular shoujo seriesin the world. The series started to air in 1992 and finished airing in 1997. The popularity of the anime resulted in several movie adaptations and sequels, and they are pretty great.SailorMoonfollows the adventures of a middle-school girl named Usagi Tsukino. Usagi befriends a feline, Luna, who surprisingly can talk. Luna gives Usagi a brooch that allows her to transform into Sailor Moon.
Similar toDragon Ball Z’s importance for battle shonen,Sailor Moonplayed a huge part in introducing the world to magical girls, and it is still that genre’s most well-known property. Even though some aspects have aged poorly, the anime’s charm has been preserved, largely thanks to the Sailor Scouts.
