The 17 Greatest Anime OVAs of the 1990s

Mecha epics, cyberpunk noir, sword-swinging horror and gleefully crude comedy all jostle for the crown in this snapshot of a golden age for direct-to-video animation. Cast your vote!

1

Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still

Yasuhiro Imagawa's lavish 1992-98 OVA blending retro-future mecha spectacle with operatic martial-arts drama.

1000pts

2

Patlabor: The New Files

A 1990-92 OVA continuing the Special Vehicles Section's blend of mecha police procedural and workplace comedy.

793pts

3

Record of Lodoss War

A 1990 high-fantasy OVA chronicling Parn's quest across the war-torn island of Lodoss.

694pts

4

Ninja Scroll

Yoshiaki Kawajiri's ultra-violent feudal-Japan action classic, originally a 1993 theatrical OVA-style feature.

634pts

5

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

The original 1993 OVA adapting the Stardust Crusaders arc that launched the franchise's anime legacy.

555pts

6

Golden Boy

A raucous 1995 ecchi-comedy OVA following self-taught wanderer Kintaro Oe across Japan.

555pts

7

Birdy the Mighty

A 1996 sci-fi action OVA about an alien cop sharing a body with a human teenager.

555pts

8

The Hakkenden

A 1990-91 supernatural period OVA retelling the epic legend of eight samurai dog-warriors.

555pts

9

Macross Plus

Shinichiro Watanabe's 1994 OVA pairing dogfighting prototype fighters with a haunting Yoko Kanno score.

444pts

10

Gunbuster

Hideaki Anno's 1990-era seminal mecha OVA mixing hot-blooded space combat with relativistic tragedy.

444pts

11

Battle Angel Alita

A 1993 cyberpunk OVA adapting the manga about cyborg warrior Alita rediscovering her lost combat past.

444pts

12

Iria: Zeiram the Animation

A 1994 sci-fi OVA following bounty hunter Iria as she battles the indestructible creature Zeiram.

444pts

13

Armitage III

A 1995 cyberpunk OVA about a Martian detective and an android caught in a conspiracy.

444pts

14

Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki

The 1992 sci-fi harem OVA that launched a sprawling franchise around hapless Tenchi and his alien companions.

277pts

15

Megazone 23

An influential cyberpunk OVA about a youth who uncovers that his city is a simulation.

277pts

16

3x3 Eyes

A 1991 supernatural-horror OVA following an immortal boy bound to a demon-eyed girl.

277pts

17

Bubblegum Crisis

A cyberpunk OVA following the armored Knight Sabers battling rogue robots in Mega-Tokyo.

0pts