16 Best Anime From The 1980s

Highlights

• City Hunter is a classic ’80s anime that blends action, comedy, and mystery. With its charismatic protagonist and entertaining storyline, this series remains popular among fans. The animation may feel dated, but the humor still shines through, making it a fun and enjoyable watch.

The ’80s were a fantastic time for all kinds of media, and anime was no exception. Some fantastic animators and directors started their careers during this era, launching many series and franchises that became classics or are still producing content to this day.

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With lots of shows being reanimated these days for modern audiences, it can be fun to look back at the best ’80s anime to see what might get a whole new-look next. There are some shows that still hold up to this day with amazing animation and gripping stories.

Updated November 13, 2023, by Mark Sammut: The specifications of every ’80s anime have been added, including their source material and streaming information. If the latter is not mentioned, that unfortunately means the series is not currently available on any platform.

16 Igano Kabamaru

MyAnimeList: 7.81

Raised as a ninja by his strict grandfather, Igano Kabamaru knows nothing outside the mountain life, which leads to a bit of a culture shock when the protagonist suddenly finds himself attending a school in Tokyo. Puppy love, rival schools, and fish-out-of-water humor define Igano Kabamaru, an anime that is charmingly silly and a lot of fun.

Igano Kabamaru feels dated beyond its animation as its premise and characters are quite basic. However, the anime does its shonen tropes well.

15 Urusei Yatsura

MyAnimeList: 7.73

Urusei Yatsura is arguably the most influential anime comedy of all time, and the property is still popular to this day. In 2022, Ataru and Lum made a comeback in the form of a well-done reboot, and that series is a good entry point for people who never experienced the 1981 version. That said, even though the latter is unquestionably dated in its animation, the show’s humor holds up reasonably well, which serves as a testament to its characters’ timelessness.

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Despite carrying the “sci-fi” banner, Urusei Yatsura casts a far wider net than just one genre. The anime essentially parodies Japanese culture, both historical and of its era; consequently, the show can feel like something of a time capsule for the early 1980s. However, so many of its gags are still relevant to this day, making the ride fairly easy to enjoy when viewed through a modern lens.

14 Sherlock Hound

MyAnimeList: 7.37

This loose adaptation of Sherlock Holmes stories comes from Hayao Miyazaki — the famed director of many Studio Ghibli films — working with the animation studio that produced the original Animaniacs show. It has a lot of wacky antics combined with mystery-solving those familiar with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will enjoy.

The show is great for kids and adults alike with many anime fans still watching it today due to it being free to watch on YouTube. Compared to many other great ’80s anime, Sherlock Hound‘s animation has aged relatively well, and the same can be said for the humor. Now, this series will probably not blow away many people since it plays things fairly safe, but it is fun and wholesome.

13 Saint Seiya: Knights Of The Zodiac

MyAnimeList: 7.75

Outside of Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya is perhaps the most popular ‘80s anime as it managed to crossover from Japan into Western countries. Inspired by Greek mythology, Saint Seiya revolves around a group of teenagers who are given magical powers so they can protect Athena and take on other gods from the pantheon.

A classic battle shonen series, Saint Seiya moves along at a blistering pace compared to other anime from this era. Good animation, simple but effective storytelling, and an epic soundtrack combine to create one of the best anime of the ‘80s.

12 Gunbuster

MyAnimeList: 7.87

A 6 episode OVA series, Gunbuster is a brilliant mecha anime that has aged amazingly. Gainax’s animation is a notch above most ’80s shows, but what cements this anime as a classic is its characters. Gunbuster boasts an irresistible cast of fully developed personalities, including an endearing lead in Noriko Takaya.

When not engaging in epic mecha battles, and there are plenty of those, Gunbuster devotes its time to fleshing out its pilots and villains. The show is also consistently funny, perhaps even more so than most comedies.

11 Silver Fang

MyAnimeList: 8.02

Mostly forgotten in this day and age, Silver Fang is not particularly known outside Japan, although it proved to be popular enough in its home country to receive a 1999 seinen sequel that lasted for a decade. Although human characters play a part, Silver Fang is primarily told from the perspective of a pup named Gin, who is recruited by other dogs as they prepare to face off against a bear.

While the English version was butchered in its VHS release as it tried to cater to a younger audience, the original iteration tells a relatively mature story that can get quite graphic and violent at times.

10 Dragon Ball & Dragon Ball Z

MyAnimeList: 7.96 (Dragon Ball)

It is impossible to ignore the impact Dragon Ball has had on all anime. Both it and its sequel Dragon Ball Z premiered in the ’80s and won over fans in the East before being brought over to Western audiences. While the latter is the more popular overall show, the former represents the ’80s far more, and it is arguably underrated due to its successor’s inescapability. Dragon Ball blends comedy, adventure, and action incredibly well, delivering lovable characters that actually grow quite a bit throughout the series. Yes, some of the humor has aged like milk, but the show is still overall great.

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Akira Toriyama was absolutely on fire during the ’80s, with Dr. Slump & Arale-Chan also being adapted to great success. The main character Arale even featured in an episode of Dragon Ball making it an adorably hilarious fictional crossover.

9 Fist Of The North Star

MyAnimeList: 7.96 (Season 1)

“You are already dead…” Fist of the North Star may be more recognized today as the subject of tons of hilarious memes, but it was a serious hit back in the ’80s. This martial arts-based post-apocalyptic epic is quite bloody and violent at times but still tells an engaging story of overcoming incredible odds to defend what he cares about most.

Fist of the North Star’s influence on anime can still be felt today, from his signature Hokuto Hyakuretsu-ken attack being emulated in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to inspiring multiple parodies in Gintama.

8 City Hunter

MyAnimeList: 7.91 (Season 1)

City Hunter was massively popular throughout the ’80s with three separate seasons coming out as well as several movies based on the series. The show follows a mercenary group called City Hunter as they face the perils that come with their dangerous line of work. While it has a lot of focus on action and drama, there are plenty of lighthearted moments for viewers to enjoy as well.

7 Touch

MyAnimeList: 8

Touch is a fantastic slice-of-life story that shows how simple themes like growing up and finding one’s place in the world can be incredibly compelling. There is a romantic triangle of drama between Tatsuya, Kazuya, and Minami that anyone who remembers the struggles of being young and in love identifies with immediately.

With an epic twist in the middle of the show, things change drastically. We don’t want to give out any spoilers, but we promise Touch is an anime still worth watching despite being over 30 years old.

6 Macross

MyAnimeList: 7.90

What happens when the human race learns it is no longer truly alone? In the world of Macross, an alien ship that crashes on Earth is repurposed by the United Nations to try and become a defense force for the planet. During the ship’s first voyage, tragedy strikes and the crew sparks a galactic war before being transported to the far reaches of space.

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While the series came out in the ’80s, it still is receiving new sequels to this day including Macross Frontier in 2008 and Macross Delta in 2016. Those wanting to check out the new shows should check out the original to see where the story started.

5 Ranma ½

MyAnimeList: 7.76

Ranma ½ follows the story of Ranma, a boy who gets a curse that makes him turn into a girl whenever he is splashed with cold water. With warm water turning him back into a boy, hilarious antics ensue as Ranma has to deal with a variety of wacky situations.

The show is still highly regarded by queer anime fans to this day for its themes of gender fluidity and breaking the norms of gender roles.

4 Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

MyAnimeList: 7.90

Considering how the original Mobile Suit Gundam was almost canceled at only 39 episodes, it can be hard to believe it managed to get a sequel. It took into the mid-80s for it to happen, but by that time, fans were eager to see more.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam has many of the classic tropes expected in Gundam shows today, building up into what the series would fully become in the future. While the characters can be a bit polarizing, Zeta‘s core narrative is fantastic, morally ambiguous, and addictive. Char is not only among the franchise’s best characters but also one of the most memorable antagonists of the 1980s.

3 Tomorrow’s Joe 2

MyAnimeList: 8.72

The impact of Asao Takamori’s Ashita no Joe manga should not be overstated. Joe Yabuki’s journey from the slums to the top of the boxing world comes packed with drama, tragedy, life lessons, unbeatable highs, and devastating lows. The manga was adapted into a 1970 anime, producing 79 episodes. Nearly a decade later, Joe made a comeback for a second season, one that is considerably better than its predecessor.

Ashita no Joe 2 is a timeless anime in every sense of the word. Like most sports shows, someone doesn’t have to be a boxing fan to enjoy Ashita no Joe 2 as its themes are universal.

2 Maison Ikkoku

MyAnimeList: 8.19

Maison Ikkoku is one of the greatest slice-of-life stories of all time and its influence on that genre of anime can still be seen today. It follows the love story between Yuusaku and the new manager of his boarding house Kyoko.

The eccentric tenants that live with Yuusaku create some hilarious moments that really add to the lighthearted nature of the show. The story covers roughly five years of time and is given room to breathe thanks to the series lasting nearly 100 episodes, allowing the characters and their relationships to develop organically.

1 Legend Of The Galactic Heroes

MyAnimeList: 9.02

Legend of the Galactic Heroes aired most of its content during the ’90s, but the show’s legacy commenced in 1988. Generally regarded as anime’s great space opera, Legend of the Galactic Heroes lives up to that reputation. Rather than focusing on action, the series is entirely driven by its character interaction and political and social themes.

As such, the story moves at a rather slow pace when compared to other sci-fi anime from the 1980s (let alone subsequent decades), which can make the early episodes difficult to get through. However, Legend of the Galactic Heroes‘ scope, ambition, and writing are second to none.

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