The 90s were the reckoning years of animated cartoons. Some anime shows have stood the test of time or changed their respective genres completely. People born in this decade will surely remember shows such as YuYu Hakusho or other beloved anime during their formative years.
Several anime from this era have transformed or inspired multiple genres, influencing several creators to write and produce similar material. 90s kids will surely recognize these shows with fondness.
Anime has been the foundation of Japan for decades and took off in the latter half of the decade. With studios recruiting writers and manga authors, the industry has established itself as the epitome of anime in the late 90s.
Every 90s kid will remember these anime shows
1) Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon is a Magical Girl anime series centered around Usagi Tsukino, a bright girl who discovers the power of her alter ego with the help of Luna, a talking cat. Together, they form a team and recruit other magical girls to defeat the Dark Kingdom.
The anime was produced by Toei Animation and ran from March 7, 1992, to February 8, 1997. It's based on Naoko Takeuchi's manga which bears the same name.
2) Pokémon
Pokémon is a world inhabited by beast-like monsters called Pokémon.
Humans sought to obtain this power and call it their own, so they captured Pokémon and trained them to unleash their full potential. One such person is Ash Ketchum. He strives to become a Pokémon master, a title held only by the most powerful of trainers.
The show has been handled by multiple studios such as Team Ota, Team Iguchi, and Team Kato. It's currently still airing.
3) Berserk
Berserk is a manga and anime series written by the late Kentarou Miura. It recounts the tale of Guts and Griffith, two warriors who seek misshapen ideals.
The world itself is inhabited by gods, elves, and humans alike. However, it's also filled with harrowing monsters which threaten to overtake the world.
The Berserk anime was produced by Nippon Television and ran from October 1997 to April 1998.
4) Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop is a twenty-six-episode anime that follows a crew of space pirates on a ship called Bebop. While some seek glory and others' gratification, the crew are regarded the same in the eyes of the law.
To put it more simply, they're bounty hunters. Throughout the series, they apprehend criminal scum and turn it in for a hefty price.
Sunrise created it and ran from September 18, 1997, to June 18, 1998.
5) Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion is centered around a futuristic Tokyo fifteen years after the apocalypse. Shinji Akari operates a Mecha and travels the world battling Angels.
Angels are the epitome of chaos and disorder. They caused the apocalypse and sought to drown the world in despair. However, Shinji won't take this lying down and recruit other Mecha users on his side while questioning the origin of man.
Produced by Gainax Studio, Neon Genesis aired from October 1995 to March 1996.
6) YuYu Hakusho
YuYu Hakusho is an animation that follows Yusuke, a teenage boy who is thrust into the world of death. Before his death, he had saved a young boy from a similar fate but ended up in the realm of the dead. However, it's not truly the end for him.
He was instructed to investigate unruly spirits in the human world like a detective and sent on his way.
The show was produced by Pierrot and aired from October 10, 1992, to December 17, 1994.
7) One Piece
One Piece is a world dominated by pirates and the World Government. Pirates rule the seas and pillage various islands, searching for One Piece. This is the golden age of pirates.
Meanwhile, Luffy D Monkey strives to be the King of Pirates, despite gaining strange powers from a Devil Fruit. On his journey, he created the Straw Hat Crew and recruited multiple allies to acquire the legendary One Piece treasure.
Created by Eiichiro Oda, it was animated into a series of the same name and produced by Toei Animation and is still ongoing.
8) Great Teacher Onizuka
Great Teacher Onizuka follows Onizuka, a former punk who becomes a teacher to get close to female students. However, he gets more than he bargained for when he's assigned the problem class.
Throughout the series, he learns that being a teacher isn't all it's cracked up to be and helps guide his students through life's troubles.
Produced by Pierrot, it aired from June 30, 1999, to September 24, 2000. Tooru Fujisawa created the manga before the studio picked it up.
9) Cardcaptor Sakura
The series follows a little girl named Sakura, an elementary school student who accidentally releases magical cards all over town.
Now she has the task of retrieving these cards before they ravage the town into pieces. She is made into a magical girl but is forced to juggle between her duties and heart.
It was created by the manga group Clamp and produced by Madhouse. It ran from April 7, 1998, to March 21, 2000.
10) Dragon Ball Z
Goku finds out that he was supposed to destroy the planet he now inhabits. However, he forgot about such a task and led an everyday life.
But he soon learns that there is an intergalactic battle raging in space, and only those who possess the Dragon Balls will prevail.
It was created by Akira Toriyama and was produced by Toei Animation. It aired from April 26, 1989, to January 31, 1996.