The 80s were a monumental year for manga. One of the most important works of all time was established in 1984, Dragon Ball, a martial arts adventure. Akira Toriyama may have, in fact, created the most important manga/anime of all time. Less important, but still cool, there was Rumiko Takahashi’s Ranma 1/2. It too was a comedic martial arts epic, but with a little romance.
Best Anime Not Based On Manga
The majority of anime are based on a manga series, but these series are the exception; they either began as anime or are adapted from other media.
Also, Buronson’s Fist of the North Star was a more brutal martial arts story in the post-apocalypse. These are just three examples of what the 80s had to offer manga fans, but what about the 90s? Were there any important releases that then became giant franchises? Let’s go through the entire decade.
Yu Yu Hakusho
A Gifted Spirit Detective Finds Himself Wrapped in Conflict
Yu Yu Hakusho
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- 1992 - 1994-00-00
Yu Yu Hakusho was created by Yoshihiro Togashi in 1990, and it had a relatively short run, ending in 1994, with the anime starting in 1992. The game starred a teenager, Yusuke, who dies and develops spiritual powers before he comes back to life after making a deal with heavenly bodies. With borrowed time, Yusuke hunts down demons in the real world, one finger blast at a time. The formulaic nature doesn’t last long though, as things take a turn into more action territory.
Sailor Moon
An Ordinary Girl Fighting Evil By Moonlight
Sailor Moon
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- 1992 - 1997
WHERE TO WATCH
- Network
- tv asahi
Sailor Moon is an all-time classic that doesn’t need much of an intro. It was created by Naoko Takeuchi in 1991, lasted until 1997, and the anime began in 1992. Powered by moons and planets, this magical girl story found seemingly ordinary teen girls blasting away demonic space entities, while balancing their school relationships in the process. While it was definitely aimed at girls, a lot of boys, at least in North America, grew attached to it since the anime aired on Toonami.
Golden Boy
An Old-School Comedy That Might Not Be For Everyone
Golden Boy
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- 1995 - 1996-00-00
- Directors
- Akihiko Nishiyama
- Writers
- Tatsuya Egawa
Golden Boy was created by Tatsuya Egawa in 1992, and lasted until 1997. It never got a full anime series, but there was a great adaptation of several stories in an OVA collection in 1995. The protagonist, Kintaro, is kind of a failure at life who has no ambitions and does odd jobs to make cash. It’s a slice of life story with a lot of humor as Kintaro is a thirsty protagonist who constantly gets caught up in problems with women.
Blade Of The Immortal
A Stylish Samurai Story
Blade of the Immortal
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- 2008 - 2008-00-00
Blade of the Immortal is one of the darkest samurai manga around. It was created by Hiroaki Samura in 1993 and had a good, long run up until 2012. Shortly before this, the first anime adaptation was made in 2008, and then another one was made in 2019.
While both are solid samurai anime, neither of them captured the violence as good as the manga. Manji is a samurai who almost dies, but then gets resurrected through powerful, cursed worms. In his journey of survival, he’ll meet other samurai with similar powers in fantastical, bloody battles.
Detective Conan
An Unlikely Sleuth Takes On Unsolvable Mysteries
Case Closed
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- January 8, 1996
Case Closed might be the name most Western fans know this series by, but Detective Conan is the Japanese name. Created by Gosho Aoyama in 1994, the story follows Shinichi, a teen detective, who gets turned into a child by a criminal organization. Determined to find out who did this to him, Shinichi, now as the child Conan, helps solve mysteries with his adoptive family. Both the manga and the 1996 anime are still ongoing, making them staples in Japanese culture.
Trigun
Planetary Cowboys And Stylish Visuals
Trigun
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- 1998 - 1998
- Directors
- Satoshi Nishimura
- Writers
- Yôsuke Kuroda
Trigun was created by Yasuhiro Nightow in 1995 and only lasted until 1996. That said, Nightow started a sequel manga, Trigun Maximum, in 1997, and that had a good run until 2007. The first anime began in 1998, got one season, and then just in 2023, there was a second adaptation, Trigun Stampede. The story was set on a new planet that humanity was still trying to cultivate after their seed ship crashed. It’s like a modern space western with protagonist Vash the Stampede, getting into all kinds of trouble as an unwarranted wanted man.
Inuyasha
Finding Love In The Past
Inuyasha
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- 2000 - 2004-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
Inuyasha is a fanciful love, action story that stars a young teen girl, Kagome, falling into a well in the present day. She winds up in the past, wherein Japan is teeming with demons, and thanks to a magic spell, she binds one demon, Inuyasha, to be her guardian. It was created by Rumiko Takahashi in 1996, the manga lasted until 2008, and then the anime began in 2000. Adult Swim fans know the series all too well, as it was infamous for starting and restarting arcs numerous times before they got new episodes.
One Piece
The Most Iconic Manga of This Era
One Piece
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- October 20, 1999
One Piece began in 1997 via its author, Eiichiro Oda, with the anime soon to follow in 1999. While it follows a traditional Shonen format of a group of heroes fighting with wild powers, what helps One Piece stand out is that it’s also about pirates.
6 Best Adventure Manga You Probably Never Heard Of
This is a list of atypical adventure manga that readers might never have heard of, but that are great reads.
This gives the Straw Hat Pirates an opportunity to sail to diverse lands across the world instead of being stuck in one or two locations. It’s still ongoing, but it may be nearing the finish line, according to Oda.
Hunter X Hunter
Great Friends, Intense Battles, And Andventure
Hunter x Hunter
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- 2011 - 2014
WHERE TO WATCH
Hunter X Hunter is another series created by Yu Yu Hakusho’s Yoshihiro Togashi. The story behind the series is quite harrowing, as it began in 1998 and it’s still technically ongoing. However, it has gone through more hiatuses than one can count due to health issues with Togashi.
This has made adapting it into an anime tricky. The first one began in 1999, ended, and then the second began in 2011 and is also done. Whether Togashi will ever finish his work of licensed Hunters, who are kind of like Bounty Hunters, but they do other things too, remains to be seen.
Naruto
One of The Greatest Manga of All-Time
Naruto
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- 2002 - 2007-00-00
- Showrunner
- Masashi Kishimoto
Last, but not least, the wildly popular ninja epic, Naruto. It began in 1999 under Masashi Kishimoto’s guidance, which ended in 2014. Soon after, he began a sequel manga, Boruto, about Naruto’s son, set decades later. The anime began in 2002 and also adapted the Boruto story, which is still ongoing in the manga. Instead of stealth, these ninja fight more in the open, so it’s a typical Shonen style of storytelling with lots of fighting and humor thrown in to ease the tension.
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If not for their overconfidence, these characters could have used their manipulation abilities to rule the world.