Anime is in a better state today than it’s ever been before, and that can’t really be argued. From its immense global popularity, to the number of shows aired each season, to the quality of those shows and the movies currently breaking box office records—there’s never been a better time to be an anime fan.
However, that doesn’t mean the anime coming out today is better than what came out years ago. Though the general quality of anime is higher now than it’s ever been, it can be argued that the peaks reached in past decades have not since been matched. Not every classic has aged gracefully, but these seven shows have stood the test of time.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Animated by Gainax, Original Anime Series
Very few anime series have reached legendary status. Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of them. What began as a typical monster-of-the-week mecha series with outstanding week-to-week pacing reached the halfway point and transformed into something entirely different, before coming to one of the most divisive and widely discussed finales in TV history.
Evangelion‘s influence cannot be understated, and as social isolation becomes an increasingly common issue in the digital age, its themes hit harder now than they ever have before. The series is still somewhat divisive among anime fans, but it continues to attract new die-hard fans three decades on from its premiere.
The ’90s was the decade of the anime-original production, with a number of the decade’s biggest shows, including Neon Genesis Evangelion, standing on their own, and it’s a shame they’re not nearly as common as they once were.
Cowboy Bebop
Animated by Sunrise, Original Anime Series
As another one of the defining shows of the 1990s, there isn’t much to be said about Cowboy Bebop that hasn’t already been said. Surprisingly, the series is more popular in the West than it is in Japan, though artists around the world have taken inspiration from anime’s most popular space western.
When anime fans think of the ’90s visual aesthetic, they’re likely picturing Cowboy Bebop. The series touches on topics like loneliness and dwelling on the past, giving way to a surprisingly melancholic space adventure with one of anime’s most interesting and compelling cast of characters. Few anime series have stood the test of time like Cowboy Bebop has.
Serial Experiments Lain
Animated by Triangle Staff, Original Anime Series
Watching Serial Experiments Lain today is a strange experience. In so many ways, the series is hilariously dated, featuring charming visions of the future from a time when the internet was still in its infancy. On the same note, Serial Experiments Lain comes off as nothing short of prophetic, offering up eerie visions of a future that has largely come to pass.
Serial Experiments Lain tells a strange, vague story about a girl who becomes the god of the Wired, capturing what happens when a person becomes so wrapped up in online spaces they nearly lose sight of themselves entirely. The series is as relevant today as it was when it aired in 1998, and though it may be a confusing watch, it’s a worthwhile one.
Yuyu Hakusho
Animated by Studio Pierrot, Based on the Manga by Yoshihiro Togashi
Though Yoshihiro Togashi may be known by younger anime fans for his battle shōnen adventure masterpiece, Hunter x Hunter, anime fans of years ago are likely to know him better for the supernatural martial arts series, Yuyu Hakusho. When Dragon Ball and Slam Dunk dominated the Weekly Shōnen Jump lineup, Yuyu Hakusho appeared and quickly challenged for the throne.
Many of the shōnen tropes still widely used today originated in Yuyu Hakusho, and director Noriyuki Abe took the opportunity to be as creative as possible in its 1992 anime adaptation. The majority of Shōnen Jump adaptations from the time haven’t aged all that gracefully, but Yuyu Hakusho has stood the test of time.
Trigun
Animated by Madhouse, Based on the Manga by Yosuhiro Nightow
Like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun is one of the shows that contributed most to fans’ idealized vision of ’90s anime. Visually, few anime series of the time can stand up to Trigun and its overly stylish aesthetic. The series follows Vash the Stampede, who, other tha being the definition of ‘cool’, is a unique protagonist for the time.
Vash boasts incredibly powerful supernatural abilities, but prefers to be peaceful. Trigun was resurrected in 2023 in Trigun Stampede, and in keeping with tradition, the sequel series was one of the most impressive shows of 2023. The franchise will come to a close in 2026 with Trigun Stargaze, meaning there’s no better time than right now for fans to jump into the series.
FLCL
Animated by Gainax and Production I.G, Original Anime Series
This year, studio Gainax officially dissolved after filing for bankruptcy in 2024. The legendary studio gave fans a number of classics, including Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, and FLCL. The latter of the three, released as a six-episode OVA between 2000 and 2001, might be the studio’s most under-appreciated masterpiece.
FLCL is a surreal coming of age sci-fi story that captures all the confusion, unease, and quiet beauty of adolescence, often sneakily touching on the profound search for identity under layers of comedy. The series has since returned in a handful of sequels and spin-offs, though many fans believe the original to be the best of the bunch.
The Rose of Versailles
Animated by TMS Entertainment, Based on the Manga by Riyoko Ikeda
When it comes to romance anime, The Rose of Versailles has become the standard. The series is one of the most influential ever both in and out of the genre, and its traces can be found in a wide variety of titles, from Revolutionary Girl Utena to the legendary dark fantasy epic, Berserk.
The anime adaptation by industry titan TMS Entertainment began airing in 1979, and though aspects of the series are certainly products of their time, The Rose of Versailles still stands as one of the very best romance stories told in the medium. The show is a must-watch for all fans of the romance genre, and if its age is a problem, The Rose of Versailles was revisited in a 2025, modern film by studio MAPPA.
- Release Date
-
1970 – 1980-00-00
- Directors
-
Tadao Nagahama, Osamu Dezaki, Mizuho Nishikubo, Shunji Ôga
- Writers
-
Riyoko Ikeda, Yoshimi Shinozaki, Keiko Sugie, Masahiro Yamada
