The Best Anime Series of the 5 Decades From 1970 to 2021

Anime Series

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52. Kyojin no Hoshi: Dai League Ball - 1970

Kyojin no Hoshi: Dai League Ball also known as Star of the Giants is a Japanese sports manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Noboru Kawasaki. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1966 to 1971.

51. Alibaba and the Forty Thieves - 1971

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a folk tale added to the One Thousand and One Nights in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland. As one of the most familiar of the "Arabian Nights" tales, it has been widely retold and performed in many media, especially for children, for whom the more violent aspects of the story are often suppressed.

50. Mazinger Z - 1972

Mazinger Z is a Japanese super robot manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974.

49. Kōya no Shōnen Isamu - 1973

Kōya no Shōnen Isamu is a manga written by Sōji Yamakawa and drawn by Noboru Kawasaki, published in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1971 to 1974.

48. Calimero - 1974

Calimero is an Italian animated television series about a charming, but hapless anthropomorphized chicken; the only black one in a family of yellow chickens. He wears half of his eggshell still on his head. Calimero originally appeared on the Italian television show Carosello on July 14, 1963, and soon became a popular icon in Italy.

47. Arabian Nights: Sinbad's Adventures - 1975

Arabian Nights: Sinbad's Adventures is a 52-episode anime series directed by Fumio Kurokawa and produced by Nippon Animation which was first aired in 1975. The story is based on the children's story "Sinbad the Sailor".

46. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - 1976

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain, first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885.

Commonly named among the Great American Novels, the work is among the first in major American literature to be written throughout in vernacular English, characterized by local color regionalism.

45. Monarch: The Big Bear of Tallac - 1977

Monarch: The Big Bear of Tallac is a Japanese anime television series consisting of 26 episodes, based on the novel Monarch, The Big Bear of Tallac by Ernest Thompson Seton. It was directed by Yoshio Kuroda and was the first broadcast on Asahi Broadcasting Corporation in 1977.

44. Future Boy Conan - 1978

Future Boy Conan is a post-apocalyptic science fiction anime series, which premiered across Japan on the NHK General TV channel between April 4 and October 31, 1978, on the Tuesday 19:30-20:00 timeslot. The official English title used by Nippon Animation is Conan, The Boy in Future. It is an adaptation of Alexander Key's novel The Incredible Tide.

43. Mobile Suit Gundam - 1979

Mobile Suit Gundam is a televised anime series, produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network and its affiliated ANN stations on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes.

42. Tsurikichi Sanpei - 1980

Fisherman Sanpei (Tsurikichi Sanpei) is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Takao Yaguchi. The manga is serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1973 to 1983. Kodansha has published the manga's 57 bound volumes between July 5, 2003, and October 5, 2005.

41. Tiger Mask II - 1981

Tiger Mask (Taigāmasuku) is the persona of several Japanese professional wrestlers. The persona was inspired by the title character in Ikki Kajiwara's and Naoki Tsuji's manga series, Tiger Mask about a professional wrestler who was a feared heel in the United States but became a face after returning to Japan when a young boy said that he wanted to be a villain like Tiger Mask when he grew up. As of July 18, 2010, five professional wrestlers have used the Tiger Mask persona during their careers.

40. Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp - 1982

Aladdin is a folk tale most probably of Middle-Eastern origin. Despite not being part of the original Arabic text of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights), it is one of the best-known tales associated with that collection. It was actually added by the Frenchman Antoine Galland.

39. Captain Tsubasa - 1983

Captain Tsubasa is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yōichi Takahashi since 1981. The series mainly revolves around the sport of association football focusing on Tsubasa Oozora. The series is characterized by dynamic and exciting football moves, often stylish and implausible.

38. First of the North Star - 1984

Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially collected in 27 tankōbon volumes under the Jump Comics imprint by Shueisha.

37. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam - 1985

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a 1985 Japanese television anime series, the second installment in the Gundam franchise, and a sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam. The show was created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, with character designs by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, while the series' mechanical designs are split among Kunio Okawara, Mamoru Nagano, and Kazumi Fujita. The series was originally aired on Nagoya Broadcasting Network and its sister ANN stations between 1985 and 1986.

36. Dragon Ball - 1986

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters collected into 42 tankōbon volumes by its publisher Shueisha. Dragon Ball was initially inspired by the classical 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, as well as Hong Kong martial arts films.

35. Mister Ajikko - 1987

Mister Ajikko is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Daisuke Terasawa about a young boy cook. It was later adapted into anime series, produced by TV Tokyo and Sunrise. This show was broadcast from October 8, 1987, to September 28, 1989, with a total of 99 episodes and one TV Special.

34. Sakigake!! Otokojuku - 1988

Sakigake!! Otokojuku is also known as simply Otokojuku, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Miyashita. It was originally serialized at the Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1985 to 1991. It is staged in a private boys' school that teaches ōendan to troubled teenagers. The students are trained to "revive the spirit of Japan" and mainly engage in fighting courses.

33. Dragon Ball Z - 1989

Dragon Ball Z is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. It is the sequel to Dragon Ball and adapts the latter 325 chapters of the original 519-chapter Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama which ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995.

32. Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - 1990

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is a Japanese animated television series inspired by the works of Jules Verne, particularly Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and the exploits of Captain Nemo. The series was created by NHK, Toho, and Korad, from a concept of Hayao Miyazaki, and directed by Hideaki Anno of Gainax.

31. Getter Robo Go - 1991

Getter Robo Go or Getter Robot Go, also known as Venger Robo or Venger Robot Go outside Japan, is a Japanese mecha anime and manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa. The anime was originally broadcast from February 11, 1991, to January 27, 1992, on TV Setouchi and TV Tokyo with a total of 50 episodes.

30. Yu Yu Hakusho - 1992

Yu Yu Hakusho is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and killed by a car while attempting to save a child's life. After a number of tests presented to him by Koenma, the son of the ruler of the afterlife Underworld, Yusuke is revived and appointed the title of "Underworld Detective", with which he must investigate various cases involving demons and apparitions in the human world.

29. Slam Dunk - 1993

Slam Dunk is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue. It tells the story of a basketball team from Shōhoku High School in the Shōnan area of Japan. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1990 to June 1996, with the chapters collected into 31 tankōbon volumes.

28. Captain Tsubasa J - 1994

Captain Tsubasa J: Get In The Tomorrow is a Japan-exclusive action/cinematic soccer video game released in 1996 by Bandai for the PlayStation. The game is one of few to have two modes: a friendly match mode and a story mode in which you follow the plot of the actual anime.

27. Gundam Wing - 1995

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, also known in Japan as New Mobile Report Gundam Wing, is a 1995 Japanese mecha anime series directed by Masashi Ikeda and written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa. It is the sixth installment in the Gundam franchise, taking place in the "After Colony" timeline. As with the original series, the plot of Gundam Wing centers on a war in the future between Earth and its orbital colonies in the Earth-Moon system.

26. Detective Conan - 1996

Case Closed, also known as Detective Conan is a Japanese detective manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday since January 1994 and has been collected into 98 tankōbon volumes as of April 2020. Due to legal problems with the name Detective Conan, the English language releases from Funimation and Viz were renamed to Case Closed.

25. Pokémon - 1997

Pokémon abbreviated from the Japanese title of Pocket Monsters and currently advertised in English as Pokémon the Series is an anime television series, part of The Pokémon Company's Pokémon media franchise, which premiered in Japan on April 1, 1997, on TV Tokyo.

24. Yu-Gi-Oh! - 1998

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a Japanese manga series about gaming is written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine between September 1996 and March 2004. The plot follows the story of a boy named Yugi Mutou, who solves the ancient Millennium Puzzle. Yugi awakens a gambling alter-ego or spirit within his body that solves his conflicts using various games.

23. Hunter X Hunter - 1999

Hunter × Hunter is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since March 1998, although the manga has frequently gone on extended hiatuses since 2006. As of October 2018, 380 chapters have been collected into 36 volumes by Shueisha.

22. Hajime no Ippo - 2000

Hajime no Ippo is a Japanese boxing-themed manga series written and illustrated by George Morikawa. It has been serialized by Kodansha in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since October 1989 and collected into 130 tankōbon volumes as of March 2021. It follows the story of high school student Makunouchi Ippo, as he begins his career in boxing and over time obtains many titles and defeats various opponents.

21. Hellsing - 2001

Hellsing is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It was serialized in Young King OURs from May 1997 to September 2008. The series chronicles the efforts of the mysterious and secret Hellsing Organization as it combats vampires, ghouls, and other supernatural foes who threaten England. The individual chapters were subsequently collected and published in 10 tankōbon volumes by Shōnen Gahōsha.

20. Naruto - 2002

Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. The story is told in two parts – the first set in Naruto's pre-teen years, and the second in his teens. The series is based on two one-shot manga by Kishimoto: Karakuri (1995), which earned Kishimoto an honorable mention in Shueisha's monthly Hop Step Award the following year, and Naruto (1997).

19. Fullmetal Alchemist - 2003

Fullmetal Alchemist is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan shōnen manga magazine between July 2001 and June 2010; the publisher later collected the individual chapters into twenty-seven tankōbon volumes. The steampunk world of Fullmetal Alchemist is primarily styled after the European Industrial Revolution.

18. Bleach - 2004

Bleach is a Japanese anime television series based on Tite Kubo's manga of the same name. It was produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Noriyuki Abe. The series aired on TV Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2012, spanning 366 episodes. The story follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper—a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki.

17. One Piece - 2005

One Piece is a Japanese anime television series based on Eiichiro Oda's manga series of the same name. The story follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy whose body gained the properties of rubber after unintentionally eating a Devil Fruit. With his crew of pirates, named the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy explores the Grand Line in search of the world's ultimate treasure known as "One Piece" in order to become the next Pirate King.

16. Death Note - 2006

Death Note is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The story follows Light Yagami, a teen genius who stumbles across a mysterious otherworldly notebook: the "Death Note", which belonged to the Shinigami Ryuk, and grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages.

15. Naruto: Shippuden - 2007

Naruto: Shippuden is an anime series adapted from Part II of Masashi Kishimoto's manga series, with exactly 500 episodes. It is set two and a half years after Part I in the Naruto universe, following the ninja teenager Naruto Uzumaki and his allies. The series is directed by Hayato Date and produced by Pierrot and TV Tokyo. It began broadcasting on February 15, 2007, on TV Tokyo and concluded on March 23, 2017.

14. Code Geass: R2 - 2008

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 is a 25-episode anime series produced by Sunrise, Mainichi Broadcasting System, and Project Geass. The series was directed by Gorō Taniguchi who has also worked with Ichirō Ōkouchi on the script. The characters were conceived by Clamp and designed by Takahiro Kimura. R2 takes place a year after the events of the first series.

13. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - 2009

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a Japanese anime television series adapted from the Fullmetal Alchemist manga by Hiromu Arakawa. Produced by Bones, the series is directed by Yasuhiro Irie, written by Hiroshi Ōnogi, and composed by Akira Senju. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the second anime television series based on Fullmetal Alchemist, the first being 2003's Fullmetal Alchemist.

12. Black Butler - 2010

Black Butler is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. It has been serialized in Square Enix' shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy since September 2006. The series follows Ciel Phantomhive, a thirteen-year-old boy head of the Phantomhive household, an aristocratic family known as the Queen's Watchdog. He is tasked with solving crimes in London's underworld.

11. Hunter X Hunter - 2011

10. Sword Art Online - 2012

Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by Abec. The series takes place in the near future and focuses on protagonist Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki as they play through various virtual reality MMORPG worlds. Kawahara originally wrote the series as a web novel on his website from 2002 to 2008.

9. Attack on Titan - 2013

Attack on Titan is a Japanese dark fantasy anime television series adapted from the manga of the same name by Hajime Isayama that premiered on April 7, 2013. It currently airs on NHK General TV in Japan, Aniplus Asia in various Asia-Pacific countries, and Crunchyroll, Funimation, Amazon Prime, and Hulu in Canada and the United States.

8. Fairy Tail - 2014

Fairy Tail is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from August 2006 to July 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published into 63 tankōbon volumes. The story follows the adventures of Natsu Dragneel, a member of the popular wizard guild Fairy Tail, as he searches the fictional world of Earth-land for the dragon Igneel.

7. Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma - 2015

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma is a Japanese manga series written by Yūto Tsukuda and illustrated by Shun Saeki. Yuki Morisaki also works as a Contributor, providing the recipes for the series. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from November 2012 to June 2019. Its chapters were compiled in 36 tankōbon volumes published by Shueisha.

6. My Hero Academia - 2016

My Hero Academia is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since July 2014, with its chapters additionally collected into 29 tankōbon volumes as of January 2021. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, a boy born without superpowers in a world where they have become commonplace, but who still dreams of becoming a superhero himself.

5. Black Clover - 2017

Black Clover is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yūki Tabata. The story centers around Asta, a young boy seemingly born without any magic power, something that is unknown in the world he lives in. With his fellow mages from the Black Bulls, Asta plans to become the next Wizard King. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since February 2015 and has been collected into 27 tankōbon volumes as of January 2021.

4. Steins; Gate 0 -2018

Steins; Gate 0 is an anime television series created by White Fox that continues the story of 5pb.'s 2015 video game of the same name, and is part of the Science Adventure franchise. The series is a sequel to the 2011 anime series Steins; Gate, and is the final iteration of the Steins; Gate 0 story. It aired between April 12 and September 27, 2018.

3. Dr. Stone - 2019

Dr. Stone is a Japanese manga series written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by the South Korean artist Boichi. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since March 2017, with the individual chapters collected and published by Shueisha into nineteen tankōbon volumes as of January 2021. The story follows teenage scientific genius Senku Ishigami, who plans to rebuild civilization after humanity was mysteriously petrified for 3,700 years.

2. Attack on Titan: The Final Season - 2020

The fourth and final season of the Attack on Titan anime television series subtitled Attack on Titan: The Final Season is produced by MAPPA, chiefly directed by Jun Shishido, and directed by Yūichirō Hayashi, replacing Tetsurō Araki and Masashi Koizuka respectively. Scriptwriter Hiroshi Seko took over the series composition from Yasuko Kobayashi, and Tomohiro Kishi replaced Kyōji Asano as a character designer due to the series switching production studios.

1. Re: Zero Season 2 - 2021

Re: Zero − Starting Life in Another World is an anime adaptation of a light novel series written by Tappei Nagatsuki and illustrated by Shinichirou Otsuka. On March 23, 2019, it was announced that a second season was in production. The cast and staff reprised their roles for the second season. It was scheduled to premiere in April 2020 but was delayed to July 2020 due to production complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusion

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