Back in the 1990s, Japanese animation took the world by storm in a major way, with anime becoming a global delight that many can’t imagine their lives without today. The notable films of this era, with gems like Ghost in the Shell (1995), Princess Mononoke (1997), and Perfect Blue (1997), have forever etched themselves into the hearts of anime lovers the world over.
Many longtime anime fans agree that the works of the 1990s made the biggest impact on their hearts and minds, in a way that modern animation can’t. Quite a few of these gems have proven to be masterpieces that remain relevant today, with these 10 treasures from the 90s well worth binging in the modern age.
10
The Vision of Escaflowne Is Fresh Air Amid Isekai Pollution
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
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Sunrise Studios -
Sunrise Studios -
Sunrise Studios
- Genre: Isekai, Shoujo Romance, High Fantasy, Fantasy Mecha
- Year: 1996
- Episodes: 26
Blending shoujo elements with shonen tropes is a major creative risk, and yet it more than paid off in this anime gem. The Vision of Escaflowne is a story centered around Hitomi Kanzaki, an ordinary girl who ends up on an extraordinary journey through the war-torn world of Gaea with her newfound objective to help her friends stop the Zaibach Empire.
What makes this 1990s anime series a masterwork of the era is the way it weaves a complex web of emotions, motivations, and relationships among its characters. The series expands on romantic and platonic love in ways that add to the story but don’t drive it entirely. Bonds and morals get tested as each character goes through their own individual struggles throughout the series.
9
Outlaw Star Brings the Genius of Grappler Ships to Mecha
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
- Genre: Space Western, Space Adventure, Sci-Fi Action, Non-Humanoid Mecha
- Year: 1998
- Episodes: 26
Though underrated, Outlaw Star holds a place in the hearts of space adventure anime lovers. This genre-blending gem of a series follows a ragtag crew across the stars as they seek out the Galactic Leyline. Those who adore space outlaws and interstellar showdowns are bound to find a family in this 1990s hidden anime gem from the veteran anime studio Sunrise.
Where Outlaw Star stands out is the way it approaches space battles and ship styles, along with its memorable characters and banger soundtrack. Its seamless plot, where every piece builds up to the final battle, is the crowning jewel of this anime that calls for part two or at least a nostalgic OVA of some kind.
8
Trigun Remains a Timeless Masterclass in Character Writing
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
- Genre: Comedy-Drama, Space Western, Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi Action
- Year: 1998
- Episodes: 26
With its gritty atmosphere, Trigun is yet another treat from the 90s for space adventure anime lovers to delight in. Its protagonist, Vash the Stampede, embodies the core tenet of many well-liked heroes: the desire to never kill. Meanwhile, his companion wears the morally gray area like a second skin. At the same time, the homicidal twin brother of Vash tests him in more ways than one.
Sadly for Vash, while he tops the most lethal shonen anime gunslingers, his pacifism makes him hesitate to kill and comes at a cost too often. This philosophical angle, however, isn’t the only aspect that makes Trigun a masterpiece. Vash, despite his pain and grief, is wrapped in a bubbly persona, as he navigates the story with his hilariously mischaracterized reputation preceding him. This sets us up for one tasteful tonal shift in the series, making it a must for an exciting 1990s anime watchlist.
7
Revolutionary Girl Utena Is a Rare Subversive Anime Pleasure
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
- Genre: Coming-of-Age, Psychological Drama, Shoujo Romance, Magical Girl
- Year: 1997
- Episodes: 39
Featuring a blend of multiple anime genres, Revolutionary Girl Utena offers a subversive take on each of them, honoring the mature realities that lurk between the fabric of many fairy tales. As such, the series nails the josei atmosphere as it follows the tomboyish female protagonist’s breakaway from traditional romantic tropes. In place of over-the-top displays of emotions, this anime delights audiences with sword duels, which, together with its rigid school setting, keep the spotlight on a complex psychological conflict.
Like its counterparts from the 1990s anime that would be hits today, the series defies expectations set by the previous anime era by delving deep into darker topics. As Revolutionary Girl Utena focuses on systemic abuse, which is all too often present in rigid social structures and fairy tales, its protagonist pushes past toxic mindsets to reach goals of her own. Protecting her troubled lover Anthy from awful duelists who seek to take advantage of her, Utena doesn’t settle for the roles that society is quick to hand out to her, instead defining her own role in it.
6
Serial Experiments Lain Is Stunningly Prophetic
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Techno-Surrealist Cyberpunk, Existential Psychological Horror
- Year: 1998
- Episodes: 13
This anime masterpiece was way ahead of its time in predicting the worst aspects of modern-day internet culture, echo chambers, and cultivated digital personas. Serial Experiments Lain portrays the gradually unfolding psychological horror of a young introverted schoolgirl slowly losing her authentic human self while becoming enmeshed with the internet.
What makes this anime a masterwork of the 1990s era is its prophetic focus on the existential theme of the mind falling prey to degradation brought about by addiction to the digital world. In its carefully crafted atmosphere, the series takes us through Lain’s deteriorating sense of reality as her online persona gains an omnipotent scope in her life.
More so, the series ends on a bittersweet note as Lain chooses to remain part of “The Wired” and erases her physical form in the minds of everyone she loves. This makes the series stand out among those that show the dangers of virtual reality and offers timely commentary on the risk of losing oneself to online spaces.
5
Neon Genesis Evangelion Keeps Gaining Relevance
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
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Studio Gainax and Tatsunoko Production -
Studio Gainax and Tatsunoko Production -
Studio Gainax and Tatsunoko Production
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Mecha, Psychological Drama, Post-Apocalyptic
- Year: 1995
- Episodes: 26
In a classic take on the mecha anime genre, battling alien invaders that want to kill off humans and take the planet for themselves would give the use of robots to fight them a heroic feel. This anime gem from the 1990s, though, deconstructs the genre by throwing overplayed heroics out the window and instead showing us the gruesome side of deploying robots and young people into danger. As the story unfolds, viewers get to see how pilots Rei, Asuka, and Shinji add the unspeakable horrors of operating robots called EVAs to the complexities of being a teenager.
Renowned as one of the top anime set in a dystopian world, Neon Genesis Evangelion stands tall among the masterpieces of the 1990s. The series strips away the romanticism of war and injects the viewer with a massive dose of realism and existential forethought while making a tectonic impact on the mecha genre. Despite production constraints, this masterwork pulls off a crafty ending that brings a deep sense of thematic closure, wrapping up the story on a note that encourages individuality in a world geared toward collective consciousness.
4
Yu Yu Hakusho Leads the Battle Shonen Way
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
- Genre: Supernatural, Action-Adventure, Urban Fantasy, Comedy-Drama
- Year: 1992
- Episodes: 112
After allowing death itself to shed his delinquent persona and evolving into a man of purpose, Yusuke Urameshi’s resurrection journey was something that many fans stayed up to watch in the 90s. Yu Yu Hakusho treats viewers to a cast of relatable characters who journey through the overarching themes of moral ambiguity and personal accountability, showing fans that they can become better versions of themselves despite terrible circumstances.
What makes Yu Yu Hakusho an archetypal action anime masterpiece of the 1990s era is the exceptionally calibrated interplay of high stakes, character growth, and team chemistry that the series delivers. This spiritually gritty gem features almost zero filler content and indulges audiences with its naturally immersive cinematic pacing. In fact, the Dark Tournament arc in Yu Yu Hakusho is considered one of the best-written tournament arcs in action anime to this day.
3
Great Teacher Onizuka Gives Food for Thought and Giggles
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
- Genre: Slice-of-Life, Coming-of-Age, Psychological Drama, Comedy
- Year: 1999
- Episodes: 43
Among the many audacious experiments of the 1990s anime era, making a lewd biker gang leader a teacher made for an eye-opening idea. Given Eikichi Onizuka’s anti-establishment mindset paired with his willingness to see his students succeed despite all the inadequacies of the academic system, this series is one oddly heartwarming anime delight. Onizuka’s unorthodox ways drive his students to understand that they are so much more than academic performance metrics—they are free spirits with dreams worth exploring.
Great Teacher Onizuka’s radical, boundary-pushing story is what makes this anime a masterwork of its era. The series doesn’t pull any punches as it dives into the suppressed themes of bullying, parental abuse, and teen suicide. Nevertheless, its underlying thematic substance doesn’t stop this slice-of-life gem from injecting timely doses of hilarity in ways that make us want to root for Onizuka’s pioneering approach to teaching and his students. Many anime lovers would name this overlooked masterpiece as the most hilarious comedy anime of the 1990s hands down.
2
Berserk Quenches the Thirst in Our Morbid Hearts
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
- Genre: Dark Fantasy, Military Fiction, Gore, Psychological Drama
- Year: 1997
- Episodes: 25
Picking from the 1990s display of anime delights some more, Berserk stands out as a flavorful macabre delicacy for those among us who revel in grim topics and visceral storytelling. The story centers on Guts, whose name about sums up the nature of the character, and follows the cynical existence of this weathered sellsword in a dystopian world. Before we get the chance to take a dive into the day-to-day grit and gore of Guts, the series rewinds to the character’s background, giving Berserk the feel of one extended flashback.
What sets Berserk apart as a masterwork is the way the series rattles the tropes of fantasy and the boundaries of morality alike, immersing us in the darkest depths of human nature. Some would even place Berserk among the dark fantasy anime better than Jujutsu Kaisen for this reason. The toughness that Guts wears like armor doesn’t make his wounds dissolve, as his trauma piles up beneath his shell. This touch of vulnerability weaves a brilliant deconstruction of the tough guy trope into the series, making it a hidden gem for fans of subversive anime.
1
Cowboy Bebop Hits Home Even More These Days
IMDb Rating: 8.9/10
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Neo-Noir, Space Western, Comedy-Drama
- Year: 1998
- Episodes: 26
With its soundtrack directing the narrative and its aesthetics drawing on a stellar fusion of a broad spectrum of genres, Cowboy Bebop is a legendary 1990s anime gem. In a rare symbiosis that brings fans and critics onto the same wavelength, the series runs long enough to tell its story in an authentic way and leaves us with a bittersweet send-off that nears perfection. Wrapped in the wonder of traditional cel animation of the highest caliber, the story follows a band of space bounty hunters hellbent on outrunning themselves.
What makes Cowboy Bebop rank at the top of this list is the fact that its triumphs are only made more memorable by its suave animation style. The masterwork packs a wealth of kinetic energy and delivers it with reverence for the fighting style of none other than Bruce Lee himself. With this realistic touch that grounds the expression of its otherwise wild spirit, Cowboy Bebop is a mainstay of 1990s anime that keeps getting more popular.
- Release Date
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1998 – 1999
- Network
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TV Tokyo, WOWOW Prime
- Showrunner
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Shinichirô Watanabe
- Directors
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Yoshiyuki Takei, Ikuro Sato, Hirokazu Yamada
- Writers
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Keiko Nobumoto, Michiko Yokote, Dai Sato, Sadayuki Murai, Akihiko Inari
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Koichi Yamadera
Spike Spiegel / Ein (voice)
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Unsho Ishizuka
Jet Black (voice)
