# The 13 Most Influential Anime of All Time

> Some of these rewired the whole industry; others mostly sold toys. Four decades of argument, one list.

*By YPB Team · Published August 21, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-13-most-influential-anime-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Neon Genesis Evangelion** — score 1000/1000
   The 1995 mecha deconstruction that pushed anime toward psychological storytelling.
2. **Dragon Ball** — score 815/1000
   Akira Toriyama's 1986 martial-arts adventure that set the template every shonen battle series has followed since.
3. **One Piece** — score 719/1000
   Eiichiro Oda's pirate epic, running since 1999 and the best-selling comic series by a single author.
4. **Attack on Titan** — score 513/1000
   The 2013 dark fantasy that made anime a mainstream streaming event in the West.
5. **Pokemon** — score 513/1000
   The 1997 series that turned an anime tie-in into the highest-grossing media franchise on earth.
6. **Spirited Away** — score 434/1000
   Studio Ghibli's 2001 Oscar winner, still the reference point for anime as art cinema.
7. **Astro Boy** — score 434/1000
   Osamu Tezuka's 1963 series, the first weekly Japanese animated show and the start of the industry.
8. **Akira** — score 434/1000
   Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 cyberpunk film that introduced much of the West to anime.
9. **Naruto** — score 434/1000
   The 2002 ninja series that carried shonen through the 2000s and built a global fandom.
10. **Mobile Suit Gundam** — score 233/1000
   The 1979 series that invented the real-robot genre and a merchandising empire.
11. **Cowboy Bebop** — score 233/1000
   The 1998 space western that proved anime could be adult, jazzy and self-contained.
12. **Fist of the North Star** — score 233/1000
   The 1984 post-apocalyptic brawler that set the tone for a decade of violent action anime.
13. **Sailor Moon** — score 103/1000
   The 1992 series that defined the magical-girl team format and exported it worldwide.

Tags: animation, japan, classics, manga, all-time