Best Anime Series 1990s – Yearly List

The anime industry is progressing rapidly in both scale and popularity. Nowadays, every year marks the release of dozens of outstanding anime, and most fans struggle to keep up even with a single season’s most interesting premieres. Back in the day, however, the selection of anime was much more limited — yet the available series were hardly any less excellent.

Many fans consider the 1990s to be the golden age of anime. Numerous classics were released during the decade, and many of these iconic titles stood the test of time as generational masterpieces, their influence persevering to this day. While the ‘90s weren’t the most prolific decade in anime history, each year still produced at least one timeless hit, with these anime being the highlights among them.

1990: Record of Lodoss War Remains the Gold Standard for High Fantasy Anime

The ‘90s are primarily associated with science fiction’s dominance in anime. However, fantasy narratives, while somewhat overshadowed by futuristic stories, were no less popular. The first year of the new decade gifted fans of classic sword and sorcery adventures a masterpiece many still consider the benchmark of anime high fantasy: Record of Lodoss War.

Originally a series of Dungeons & Dragons “replays” turned into a massive multi-media franchise, Record of Lodoss War is a model fantasy story, chronicling the epic escapades of a vibrant party of misfit heroes as they journey to save the Lodoss island from awakening evil. Being the first of multiple Record of Lodoss War anime series, the 1990 OVA stays true to the genre canons, encapsulating all the best aspects of model fantasy plots. Yet, its straightforwardness is exactly what makes Parn’s adventure timeless.

1991: Dear Brother Pushed Boundaries in a Truly Revolutionary Shojo Anime Narrative

Image via Tezuka Productions

Outside of happy-go-lucky classics like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakurathe ‘90s were an excellent decade for mature shojo anime. Yet, even among its more adult-oriented contemporaries, Dear Brother stands out as particularly boundary-pushing. The series begins with Nanako Misonoo, a kind-hearted 16-year-old girl, enrolling in the prestigious all-girls Seiran Academy.

What awaits her at school is not your typical adolescent adventures but the melodramatic chaos of back-stabbing, scandalous affairs, and toxic relations between equally troubled teenage girls. Dear Brother is known for dealing with some pretty heavy themes, from substance abuse to bullying to suicidal ideations. Yet, in its extremities, Dear Brother paints a shockingly engrossing picture of turbulent youth — a story so bold and passionate, one would be surprised to find out it’s based on a ‘70s manga.

1992: Yu Yu Hakusho Didn’t Lose Any of Its Charm as a Classic Shonen Anime

Image via Studio Pierrot

Nowadays, hardly any anime demographic can compare to the popularity of battle shonen series. And, back in the ‘90s, shonen adventures were also beloved by fans. Yu Yu Hakushothe story of a teen delinquent Yusuke, who gets a second chance at life as a Spirit Detective, belongs to the bygone era of simple yet earnest shonen anime epics.

While not as sophisticated or genre-bending as its modern contemporaries, Yu Yu Hakusho encapsulates everything that makes old-school shonen anime so great. Charming, action-packed, and somewhat cheesy in its sincerity, Yu Yu Hakusho had a lasting influence on the genre, and many of its elements are still prominent in battle shonen anime today. As such, even over three decades after its debut, fans still remember this classic fondly.

1993: Slam Dunk Set the Bar High for Sports Anime

Image via Toei Animation

Sports anime has been a well-loved genre basically since the medium’s founding. However, few sports series in anime’s long history have ever earned as much acclaim as Slam Dunk. Telling the coming-of-age tale of Hanamichi Sakuragi, a troubled delinquent who joins his high school’s basketball team on a whim only to gradually hone a genuine love for the sport, Slam Dunk masterfully blends exhilarating matches with grounded character-driven storytelling.

On top of being incredibly narratively competent, Slam Dunk was a huge success, prompting Japan’s youth at the time to pick up basketball en masse. Slam Dunk’s biggest strength lies in its realism, both in how it portrays the steady growth of Shohoku High School’s basketball team and how its characters change over time.

1994: Mobile Fighter G Gundam Is the Most Unique Mecha Anime in the Iconic Gundam Franchise

Image via Sunrise

The Mobile Suit Gundam franchise has been synonymous with mecha anime ever since debuting in the late ‘70s. Most Gundam titles are praised for their gritty, realistic portrayal of interstellar warfare, as well as the series’ dense and thorough worldbuilding.

1994’s Mobile Fighter G Gundamhowever, is totally different from your typical Gundam anime. Instead of chronicling yet another grueling space opera conflict, it goes back to the genre’s Super Robot roots, presenting viewers with an energetic, over-the-top action-adventure with a flair of old-school sci-fi and martial arts fantasy. To many ‘90s kids, Mobile Fighter G Gundam was their introduction to the Gundam franchise, if not to the very concept of mecha anime. As such, this playful martial arts extravaganza still holds a lot of nostalgia for older fans.

1995: Neon Genesis Evangelion Changed Anime Forever

Image via Gainax

If one were to name the most influential and widely celebrated anime series of the ‘90s, the answer would undeniably be Neon Genesis Evangelion. An experimental, dark take on the Real Robot mecha premise, Neon Genesis Evangelion begins as a rather conventional monster-of-the-week story about teen pilot, Shinji, opposing mysterious alien invaders in the post-apocalyptic city of Tokyo-3.

However, the series never intended to be formulaic, and the further the plot progresses, the more it evolves into avant-garde psychological drama concerned with the darkest parts of its characters’ psyches. The impact Evangelion had on both fans and the anime industry can’t be overstated, and the series is still regarded as one of the greatest anime titles of all time. And, regardless of how many iterations of Shinji’s story Hideaki Anno creates, the original 1995 anime will remain a classic.

1996: The Vision of Escaflowne Was Unfairly Overlooked

Image via Sunrise

Another mecha masterpiece of the ‘90s, The Vision of Escaflownehowever, doesn’t resemble either Gundam or Evangelion. Instead, it combines mecha action with imaginative isekai fantasy, following the ordinary high school girl named Hitomi on her adventures in the war-torn mystical world of Gaea. The Vision of Escaflowne took Studio Sunrise many years to produce; however, the series wasn’t met as warmly by Japanese audiences as its creators had hoped.

Thankfully, the international market recognized The Vision of Escaflowne’s excellence, and the anime swiftly grew into a global hit. Nowadays, The Vision of Escaflowne is celebrated as a classic that, even decades after its premiere, still feels refreshing, particularly in comparison to modern isekai anime.

1997: Revolutionary Girl Utena Deconstructs the Classic Principles of Magical Girl Anime

Image via J.C.Staff

Spending the early ‘90s as director on Sailor Moonanother classic that nearly missed making this list, Kunihiko Ikuhara had an explosive debut as an independent creator in 1997 with Revolutionary Girl Utena. At first glance, this series is not so different from typical magical girl anime, narrating the story of the titular strong-willed girl, Utena Tenjou, who accidentally enters a dueling competition for the hand of the elusive Rose Bride.

However, as Utena’s story progresses, it reveals its dark, contemplative core, dismantling the classic themes of coming-of-age fairytales in a surrealist manner. Revolutionary Girl Utena is notoriously unconventional, its story largely relying on symbolism and abstraction over conventional plot devices. Nonetheless, its uniqueness is precisely the reason for Revolutionary Girl Utena’s timeless appeal.

1998: Cowboy Bebop Holds Up Better Than Any ‘90s Anime

Image via Studio Sunrise

1998 might’ve been the best year for anime in the entire decade. From Trigun to Serial Experiments Lain to Initial Dnumerous noteworthy titles premiered in 1998. Nonetheless, Cowboy Bebop still comes out on top in this stacked lineup.

A stylish space Western that combines genre-bending episodic storytelling with thematically profound exploration of timeless existential questions, Cowboy Bebop is a singular masterpiece that still resonates with viewers as deeply as it did almost three decades ago. Visually, the series also holds up stellarly, its aesthetics being as iconic as the story of Bebop’s crew. Experiencing Cowboy Bebop is something most anime fans recognize as a must, and the series’ acclaim only appears to grow over time.

1999: One Piece Gets More Popular With Each Passing Year

Image via Toei Animation

The tail end of the ‘90s also happens to be the time for anime to enter an entirely new era, as the turn of the decade brought about the premiere of the medium’s most popular and influential epic: One Piece. Luffy set sail in search of the legendary One Piece treasure in 1999, and his voyage continues to this day. Yet, instead of getting less popular over time, One Piece only continued to break new records as the Straw Hats’ adventure went on.

Nowadays, One Piece is in no way regarded as just a ‘90s anime, or even a ‘00s icon. Instead, its influence transcends generations, persevering through three turns of the decade and showing no signs of stopping as the story continues with the Final Saga.