The 17 Greatest Anime OVAs of the 1990s

By YPB Team

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!

Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still — ranked #11
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
Patlabor: The New Files — ranked #22
Patlabor: The New Files
A 1990-92 OVA continuing the Special Vehicles Section's blend of mecha police procedural and workplace comedy.
793pts
Record of Lodoss War — ranked #33
Record of Lodoss War
A 1990 high-fantasy OVA chronicling Parn's quest across the war-torn island of Lodoss.
694pts
Ninja Scroll — ranked #44
Ninja Scroll
Yoshiaki Kawajiri's ultra-violent feudal-Japan action classic, originally a 1993 theatrical OVA-style feature.
634pts
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure — ranked #55
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
The original 1993 OVA adapting the Stardust Crusaders arc that launched the franchise's anime legacy.
555pts
Golden Boy — ranked #66
Golden Boy
A raucous 1995 ecchi-comedy OVA following self-taught wanderer Kintaro Oe across Japan.
555pts
Birdy the Mighty — ranked #77
Birdy the Mighty
A 1996 sci-fi action OVA about an alien cop sharing a body with a human teenager.
555pts
The Hakkenden — ranked #88
The Hakkenden
A 1990-91 supernatural period OVA retelling the epic legend of eight samurai dog-warriors.
555pts
Macross Plus — ranked #99
Macross Plus
Shinichiro Watanabe's 1994 OVA pairing dogfighting prototype fighters with a haunting Yoko Kanno score.
444pts
Gunbuster — ranked #1010
Gunbuster
Hideaki Anno's 1990-era seminal mecha OVA mixing hot-blooded space combat with relativistic tragedy.
444pts
Battle Angel Alita — ranked #1111
Battle Angel Alita
A 1993 cyberpunk OVA adapting the manga about cyborg warrior Alita rediscovering her lost combat past.
444pts
Iria: Zeiram the Animation — ranked #1212
Iria: Zeiram the Animation
A 1994 sci-fi OVA following bounty hunter Iria as she battles the indestructible creature Zeiram.
444pts
Armitage III — ranked #1313
Armitage III
A 1995 cyberpunk OVA about a Martian detective and an android caught in a conspiracy.
444pts
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki — ranked #1414
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki
The 1992 sci-fi harem OVA that launched a sprawling franchise around hapless Tenchi and his alien companions.
277pts
Megazone 23 — ranked #1515
Megazone 23
An influential cyberpunk OVA about a youth who uncovers that his city is a simulation.
277pts
3x3 Eyes — ranked #1616
3x3 Eyes
A 1991 supernatural-horror OVA following an immortal boy bound to a demon-eyed girl.
277pts
Bubblegum Crisis — ranked #1717
Bubblegum Crisis
A cyberpunk OVA following the armored Knight Sabers battling rogue robots in Mega-Tokyo.
0pts

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