With the abundance of anime that became available outside Japan in the 1990s, it's no wonder the period is considered the breakout decade for anime in the West. From superhero-like magical girls to space cowboys to hip-jazz soundtracks, the anime of the 1990s created many of the themes, styles, and trends that now dominate the industry.
Still, just because an anime was popular or innovative 20 years ago does not mean that it holds up today. Some shows debuted new ideas that have since become standard, while others simply can't compete in a more diverse, self-assured market. However, there are some series that buck the trend of fading into irrelevance, and are just as good today. The list below contains the 10 best anime of the 1990s that remain especially relevant today as a result of their continuing popularity and influence, or simply still being a great watch in 2023.
10 Yu Yu Hakusho (1992)
Yu Yu Hakusho follows the story of teenager Yuusuke Urameshi who - after he’s killed saving a kid from getting hit by a car - is given a chance to be reborn if he helps rid the world of evil spirits. Agreeing to the offer, Yuusuke and his team set out to conquer evil wherever it spawns. What makes Yu Yu Hakusho worthy of this list is the timelessness of the ideas in the story. At its most basic level, it’s a story about redemption. Yuusuke, who was a bad person prior to his death, now has a chance to right his wrongs, help others, and come back as a better person for his troubles. While the story is age-old, the vehicle for its delivery, namely his work as a spirit detective, is a creatively awesome choice that makes the story more interesting. For those who end up loving the anime, the entirety of the original Yu Yu Hakusho manga can be read for free now.
9 Slam Dunk (1993)
Slam Dunk centers around the on and off-the-court lives of the Shohuko High School basketball team as they work to overcome all challengers. While Slam Dunk is not the first sports anime ever, it is the first that many Western anime fans encountered, and remains influential. Slam Dunk takes all the essential ideas of sports anime and solidifies them into a distinct subgenre. There's the emotional background plot injected with intense sports action, rivalries within a team and between teams, camaraderie, and the iconic "from zero to hero" theme. The result makes the story, rather than the sports, the reason for watching. Every contemporary sports anime has Slam Dunk to thank for its chance at wider success. However, as much as Slam Dunk inspired what came after, it's still a unique, compelling story in its own right.
8 Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
Neon Genesis Evangelion follows teenager Shinji Ikari who is persuaded by his father to pilot an Evangelion - super-advanced bio-mechs that are the best weapon humans have in their fight against the mysterious race of aliens known as Angels. Neon Genesis Evangelion has aged well because it was truly an anime ahead of its time. It touches on a range of issues about humanity, technology, war, and family that were futuristic and controversial when it debuted, but are now major topics of social discussion and public policy in real life. Those issues include child soldiers, the stress and horrors of war, and the dehumanizing potential of technology. This anime is not only a compelling story but also a great primer on key issues of a modern information society that's only just catching up with Neon Genesis Evangelion's perspective.
7 Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995)
No other franchise has done more to increase the popularity of mech anime than Mobile Suit Gundam, and no part of the franchise has done more to define the Western mech anime experience than Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. It was the first franchise series to be widely available in the US, and came to define the Western idea of mech anime. It is for this reason that Mobile Suit Gundam Wing has aged so well - a lot of the mech anime created since comments back on this series, and seeing the original explains why. On the one hand, it continues to serve as a starting point for anyone interested in the mech anime genre. On the other hand, it serves as an awesome way to connect with Mobile Suit Gundam's ideas, values, and traditions.
6 Detective Conan (1996)
Thematically, Detective Conan, or Case Closed as it is known in the West, doesn't break any new ground. The story is a classic "whodunit" where the main character - amateur sleuth Jimmy Kudo - helps the hapless local police solve the most confusing crimes. However, what Detective Conan fails to revolutionize thematically, it makes up for in delivery. Indeed, Kudo’s interest in helping the police is not solely due to his being a good Samaritan. It's also because it will help him solve the most important question in his life: who is behind turning him into a kid. The integration of those storylines is interesting to see in and of itself, but it's the individuals who live these adventures that make this anime unmissable. Detective Conan's character development is its greatest triumph, and that hasn't changed.
5 Sailor Moon (1996)
If there’s any series on the list that was an instant classic all over the world, it’s Sailor Moon. While Sailor Moon did not create the Magical Girl anime subgenre, it evolved the original model to create the "Magical Girl superhero." That is the Magical Girl who uses her powers to vanquish the villains who prey on society. Sailor Moon was also one of the first to add the super sentai team format into the Magical Girl style. In addition, there's its central focus on female empowerment and the idea that girls are entitled to have as much fun as boys, especially after saving the world. A huge amount of anime that came after spends much of its runtime trying to be Sailor Moon - something the original achieves with no effort whatsoever. Taken together, these elements prove Sailor Moon is an anime series that should be on everyone's watch list, even if they are not normally interested in Magical Girl stories.
4 Berserk (1997)
Berserk is a masterpiece that every anime fan deserves to experience. Its characters and their development is fascinating, and the connections built, destroyed, and then resurrected among the main characters - Guts, Casca, and Griffith - are the stuff of classic literature. Visceral fight scenes and intense action have aged well, but Berserk is a study of raw human emotion, and dives deep on observations of human nature that can never go out of style.
3 Pokémon (1997)
With the multiple-platform entertainment Goliath that the Pokémon franchise has grown into, it would make sense for the original '90s anime to have lost its relevance, but the reality is quite different. The original anime presents the Pokémon concept in its purest form, telling a story of pure, coming-of-age adventure. Inspired by childhood bug collecting, Pokémon has some truly emotional moments, but it's primarily a diverse story of friends on a huge adventure - one that's as enthralling today as when the franchise was in its infancy.
2 Trigun (1998)
Trigun follows the story of Vash the Stampede - a cowboy-like outlaw wanted by the government to the tune of $60 billion. However, unlike the ornery bandits of those old Western movies, Vast is a pacifist at heart who would love to do nothing more than find his long-lost brother Knives, if only the bounty hunters chasing him would just leave him alone. Trigun has aged really well because its story and themes are timeless. Everyone loves a good Western, and Trigun is exactly that - with a few tweaks that eliminate some of the more pernicious Western tropes in lieu of cool new themes that still fit into the genre’s fundamental clash of upright good versus corrupt evil. Throw in the series' technological aspects and Trigun is a true 1990s anime classic.
1 Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Cowboy Bebop follows the adventures of bounty hunters Spike, Jet Black, Faye, Ed, and Ein as they travel across the galaxy finding fugitives and bringing them to justice. While the show's story is nothing new, what makes Cowboy Bebop a timeless classic is the delivery. The bounty-hunting concept is just the canvas upon which Cowboy Bebop’s stylish sci-fi genius is displayed. That genius includes deep dives into a smorgasbord of themes and influences from film noir’s corrupt characters and lighting, to the smoky jazz music of a Bebop era lounge, to the tragic inevitability of Shakespeare’s romances. Cowboy Bebop takes huge swings with both its style and its substance, and while it's been oft-imitated, it's never been equaled.
The 1990s were the decade where access to anime finally let Western fans in on the immense promise of the medium. However, access was not the only factor in the West's adoption of anime. As this list makes clear, many 1990s anime were truly among the greatest of all time, and this tremendous quality changed pop culture history.
