It’s easy to see the 1990s as one of the biggest decades foranime, if not the biggest. In addition to the creation of the anime block Toonami, the 90s were defined by anime likeCowboy Bebop,Yu Yu Hakusho, and the legendary trio ofPokemon,Sailor Moon, andDragon Ball Z, all of which have gone down as some of the most iconic and well-regarded anime of all time.
The 1990s was a legendary era for anime, but not everything from that era left its mark on the world. As with any decade, some anime were greatly overshadowed by bigger shows, but with how wildly the quality of any piece of entertainment can vary,while plenty of anime from the 1990s were wildly underrated, there were just as many that, for various reasons, aren’t worth watching so many years after the fact. A few anime in both categories are especially worth highlighting, as they’ll either be someone’s unexpected gem or something they shouldn’t have wasted their time on.
The Irresponsible Captain Tylor
Cast
The Irresponsible Captain Tylor is an anime series centering on Justy Ueki Tylor, a seemingly carefree and reckless young man who unexpectedly rises to command a spaceship in the United Planets Space Force. Despite his unorthodox leadership style, Tylor manages to navigate a series of space adventures and conflicts, often relying on his luck and unconventional tactics. The series explores themes of leadership, luck, and the unpredictability of life in space.
In the world of Tatsunoko Productions’The Irresponsible Captain Tylor, while the United Planets Space Force is at war with the Raalgon, Justy Ueki Tylor just wants to take it easy with a cushy office job. However, when Tylor accidentally foils a terrorist plot, he’s immediately put in charge of the crew of theSoyokaze, and from there, Tylor somehow keeps winning battle after battle and becomes a major player in the war with the Raalgon.
Captain Tylorhas all of the space battles and political intrigue that are common in space operas, but more importantly,The Irresponsible Captain Tyloralways works to lampoon the kinds of stories space operasusually take seriously, and with its stellar cast and great writing, it almost always works. The series works as a great comedic take on classic sci-fi, and anyone into those types of stories would be remiss to pass it up.
Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter (1999) follows young Gon Freecss in his quest to become a Hunter and find his father. Alongside friends Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio, Gon confronts various trials and adversaries in a world filled with mystical creatures and complex adventures. The series explores themes of friendship, ambition, and perseverance as the protagonists navigate the dangerous and unpredictable Hunter Examination.
Madhouse’sHunter X Hunteris one of the most iconic anime from the 2010s, but it wasn’t the first adaptation of the iconic manga. The first anime adaptation ofHunter X Hunterwas in 1999 by Nippon Animation which adapted the series up through the end of the Greed Island arc, although that arc and the second half of the Phantom Troupe arc were technically part of a series of OVAs and not the original anime.
The originalHunter X Hunteranimeis fun to watch with plenty of great animation and fight scenes, even if the 2011 anime is far superior, so it isn’t an inherently bad watch. Unfortunately,the 1999 adaptation ofHunter X Hunteris brought down severely by its lack of closure, and with its abundance of filler also bringing it down, it makes far more sense to jump straight into the 2011 anime.
8Record Of Lodoss War
Anime Series By Studio AIC; Based On The Novel By Ryo Mizuno
Studio AIC’sRecord of Lodoss Waris centered around Parn, a young knight on a quest to discover how his father became disgraced and restore his family’s honor. Along the way, Parn ends up forming a party with a wide array of adventurers, each one on a quest of their own, and it ultimately escalates into Parn and his party being the ones who have to save all of Lodoss from destruction.
The characters and worldbuilding ofRecord of Lodoss Warare all what one would expect from aDungeons & Dragons-style story, and as cliche as it might be,the straightforwardness ofRecord of Lodoss War’s writing makes it all incredibly sincere from start to finish. It’s one of the most classic traditional fantasy stories in anime, and anyone looking for a great 90s anime should certainly give it a try.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh! (1998) is a Japanese anime series that follows Yugi Mutou, a high school student who solves an ancient puzzle and awakens a mysterious alter-ego known as the “Pharaoh.” The series features intense card battles with strategic gameplay, where Yugi must outwit opponents to unlock the secrets of the puzzle and protect his friends from various threats.
While theYu-Gi-Oh!anime most people will be familiar with is the 2000 anime by Gallop,Yu-Gi-Oh!’s first anime was made in 1998 by Toei Animation. The anime loosely adapted the first seven volumes of the manga before Duel Monsters became the story’s focus, and with its placement in the timeline, combined with how it’s never been licensed in English, the series is commonly referred to as “Season 0” by fans.
While there’s a definite novelty in seeingYu-Gi-Oh!’s older and darker content in animation, in addition to the inconsistent art and animation,the numerous changesYu-Gi-Oh!Season 0 makes to the narrative and the character writing makes it largely unfaithful to the manga, even more so than the 2000 anime. The biggest selling point is supposed to be how it adapts the early manga content, but overall, a person would be better off just reading that, instead.
6Getter Robo Armageddon
Anime Series By Brain’s Base & Studio OX; Based On The Manga By Ken Ishikawa
Brain’s Base and Studio OX’sGetter Robo Armageddonis an alternate take on the iconicGetter Roboseries by Ken Ishikawa. In this take on the series, a battle between the evil Dr. Saotome and the Shin Getter Dragon caused Earth to be turned into an apocalyptic wasteland by toxic Getter Rays, and 13 years later, Getter pilots old and new have to protect what’s left of the planet from alien invaders and uncover the truth behind Dr. Saotome’s actions.
Getter Robo Armageddonis wildly different from the classic series, but with its stellar animation and its engagingly complex narrative,Getter Robo Armageddonis a fantastic alternate take on the originalGetter Roboanime and a phenomenal mecha anime, overall.Getter Robomight not be that well-known, but it’s still an incredible mecha anime, andArmageddonis a great place for new fans to start.
5Flame Of Recca
Anime Series By Studio Pierrot; Based On The Manga By Nobuyuki Anzai
Studio Pierrot’sFlame of Reccastars Recca Hanabishi, a boy with mysterious fire powers who dreams of becoming a ninja. Recca begins his self-imposed journey to becoming a ninja by pledging his loyalty to Yanagi Sakoshita, a girl with equally mysterious healing powers, and their budding relationship slowly exposes them and their friends to a mysterious and dangerous plot dating back hundreds of years.
While theFlame of Reccamanga is a serviceable read, between the inconsistent animation and the often baffling changes made to the original story,Flame of Reccalargely fails as an anime thanks to how poorly it adapts the original manga, including not finishing the story.Flame of Recca’s characters and overall writing have a lot of overlap withYu Yu Hakusho, and with how competent an adaptationYu Yu Hakushois, people would be far better off just watching that overFlame of Recca.
OVA Series By APPP; Basedd On The Manga By Hirohiko Araki
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Hirohiko Araki. It follows the adventures of the Joestar family, spanning generations, each with unique abilities and battling supernatural enemies. Known for its eccentric characters, distinctive art style, and creative battles, it includes manga, anime, games, and merchandise.
Almost 20 years before David Production began adaptingJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, the manga was first adapted into an OVA series by A.P.P.P. The OVAs were an abridged adaptation ofStardust Crusaders, and while the original OVAs only covered the second half of the series, a follow-up was released in 2000 that was a similarly loose adaptation of the first half of the series.
As iconic as David Production’s anime may be, between the great animation and art direction and the genuinely interesting way it changes the source material at times,theJoJo’s Bizarre AdventureOVAs are a great adaptation of the manga that even surpasses the 2012 anime in some aspects. The 2012 anime is the only way to experience the entire story, but any fan ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventureis still bound to get a lot out of it.
3Apocalypse Zero
OVA Series By Ashi Productions; Based On The Manga By Takayuki Yamaguchi
Ashi Productions’Apocalypse Zerotakes place in a post-apocalyptic Japan overrun with mutants led by Harara Hagakure, a boy possessed by demonic armor and filled with a burning desire to destroy humanity. The only one who can stop Harara is his younger brother Kakugo, who wields the same type of armor, and Kakugo’s attempts to do so end up being a truly bloody affair from start to finish.
Apocalypse Zerois an unabashedly gory OVA series, and while that isn’t inherently bad,the extreme nature ofApocalypse Zero’s gore and violence, combined with how lackluster the story is, make it hard to watch to the point of being uncomfortable. The fact that it was canceled after two episodes makes it even harder to recommend, and even if someone just wants to watch something with a lot of gore, something likeHellsingorBerserkis far more worth their time.
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
In a future century where space colonies dominate, national superiority is determined through Gundam fights—a tournament of giant robot battles. Domon Kasshu, representing Neo-Japan, seeks not just victory but also his missing brother, whose actions have led to parental tragedy and the emergence of the perilous Devil Gundam.
Sunrise’sMobile Fighter G Gundamis one of the older entries in the iconicMobile Suit Gundamfranchise. In the Future Century, colonies representing the nations of the world determine the ruler of their collective government through a fighting tournament called the Gundam Fight, and for the 13th Gundam Fight, Domon Kasshu enters as the representative of Neo-Japan not just to win the tournament, but to get revenge against his traitorous brother Kyoji and uncover the truth behind the mysterious and dangerous Dark Gundam.
Mobile Fighter G Gundamis the firstGundamanime to not take place in the Universal Century timeline.
While often ignored for more traditionalGundamanime,Mobile Fighter G Gundamis one of the bestGundamanime thanks to its great fights and the incredible sincerity in how it embraces the absurdity of its writing and overall premise. There’s noGundamanime quite likeG Gundamin the best of ways, and it’s easily the best overlooked 90s anime people probably missed out on.
1Tales Of Byston Well: Garzey’s Wing
OVA Series By J.C.Staff; Directed By Yoshiyuki Tomino
J.C.Staff’sTales of Byston Well: Garzey’s Wingstars Christopher Senshu, a high school graduate whose body and spirit are suddenly split between Earth and the fantasy world of Byston Well. Christopher has been chosen as Garzey’s Wing, the legendary warrior who will save Byston Well from darkness, and Christopher is forced to struggle with the danger he’s been thrust into while also looking for a way to reunite his body and spirit.
Despite famously being made byMobile Suit Gundamcreator Yoshiyuki Tomino,Tales of Byston Well: Garzey’s Wingis an infamously terrible anime thanks to its lackluster visuals, nonsensical plot, and abysmal English dubthat’s often seen as the worst English dub of all time.Garzey’s Wingmore than earns its reputation as one of the worst anime of all time, and it’s easily theworst 90s anime a person is better off skipping.
