What is the first anime ever created? Exploring one of the industry’s biggest disputes

The title of the "first ever anime created" is a disputed topic. Unfortunately, the answer to this question will vary depending on the specific source one uses. It is vital to mention that the term "anime" refers specifically to Japanese-made animation.

This article won't mention old animations made in the "western" world. Nonetheless, several contenders exist for "the first anime ever created."

For example, the primary candidates are:

• Katsudō Shashin
• Dekobō shingachō – Meian no shippai
• Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki
• Chamebō Kūkijūno Maki
• Namakura Gatana

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Questions revolving around the oldest anime ever created are mired with several possibilities

The first anime we will take up is Katsudō Shashin. The above clip is the entire animation. It might surprise readers that the first anime is only three seconds long, but they should know that the process of creating animations was very different over 100 years ago.

Here are some interesting tidbits of trivia regarding Katsudō Shashin:

• Its original creator is unknown.
• It's speculated to be made before 1912, but no specific date is known.
• Historian Frederick S. Litten claims this film was unlikely to have been made before 1905 or after 1912.
• That same historian claims 1907 is the most likely date.
• The filmstrip was rediscovered in 2005.

Katsudō Shashin (The original creator of this animation is unknown)

Considering this strip is only a few seconds long, some people don't like to label it as an anime. Thus, its position as the oldest Japanese animation is often debated.

Additionally, readers should also know that Les Exploits de Feu Follet was a French short animated film shown in Japan in 1912. Since it's a French animation and not Japanese, it's not considered "anime."

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Namakura Gatana

This film is often described as the oldest anime created, and it was confirmed to have been released on June 30, 1917. There isn't any sound, and the actual animation is, unsurprisingly, rather primitive, as seen in the above video.

It's about a samurai messing around with his sword as he makes funny faces. He struggles to sheathe his blade. He is also seen having a silent conversation with a man, during which the silly samurai purchases the dull sword.

That samurai walks around for a bit before getting too close to another person, who kicks the samurai away. In a way, that's the earliest recorded fight scene within this industry. That samurai is attacked again, and his unimpressive blade manages to bend in a way no good sword should.

That samurai then walks off-screen, and that's the end of Namakura Gatana. As readers should know, this industry would eventually explode in popularity, although modern animations look drastically different from their predecessors.

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Some Japanese-animated films have been lost to history. Examples and supposed dates include:

• Dekobō shingachō – Meian no shippai (January or February 1917)
• Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki (April 1917)
• Chamebō Kūkijūno Maki (1917)

These three films were declared lost when this article was written, although several dubious videos claim to be footages of these lost animes.