# 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!

*By YPB Team · Published June 9, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-17-greatest-anime-ovas-of-the-1990s*

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## Current results (3 votes)

1. **Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still** — 66.67% (2 votes · score 1000/1000)
   Yasuhiro Imagawa's lavish 1992-98 OVA blending retro-future mecha spectacle with operatic martial-arts drama.
2. **Patlabor: The New Files** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 714/1000)
   A 1990-92 OVA continuing the Special Vehicles Section's blend of mecha police procedural and workplace comedy.
3. **Record of Lodoss War** — 0% (0 votes · score 577/1000)
   A 1990 high-fantasy OVA chronicling Parn's quest across the war-torn island of Lodoss.
4. **Ninja Scroll** — 0% (0 votes · score 494/1000)
   Yoshiaki Kawajiri's ultra-violent feudal-Japan action classic, originally a 1993 theatrical OVA-style feature.
5. **The Hakkenden** — 0% (0 votes · score 384/1000)
   A 1990-91 supernatural period OVA retelling the epic legend of eight samurai dog-warriors.
6. **Golden Boy** — 0% (0 votes · score 384/1000)
   A raucous 1995 ecchi-comedy OVA following self-taught wanderer Kintaro Oe across Japan.
7. **JoJo's Bizarre Adventure** — 0% (0 votes · score 384/1000)
   The original 1993 OVA adapting the Stardust Crusaders arc that launched the franchise's anime legacy.
8. **Birdy the Mighty** — 0% (0 votes · score 384/1000)
   A 1996 sci-fi action OVA about an alien cop sharing a body with a human teenager.
9. **Gunbuster** — 0% (0 votes · score 231/1000)
   Hideaki Anno's 1990-era seminal mecha OVA mixing hot-blooded space combat with relativistic tragedy.
10. **Battle Angel Alita** — 0% (0 votes · score 231/1000)
   A 1993 cyberpunk OVA adapting the manga about cyborg warrior Alita rediscovering her lost combat past.
11. **Armitage III** — 0% (0 votes · score 231/1000)
   A 1995 cyberpunk OVA about a Martian detective and an android caught in a conspiracy.
12. **Macross Plus** — 0% (0 votes · score 231/1000)
   Shinichiro Watanabe's 1994 OVA pairing dogfighting prototype fighters with a haunting Yoko Kanno score.
13. **Iria: Zeiram the Animation** — 0% (0 votes · score 231/1000)
   A 1994 sci-fi OVA following bounty hunter Iria as she battles the indestructible creature Zeiram.
14. **Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki** — 0% (0 votes · score 1/1000)
   The 1992 sci-fi harem OVA that launched a sprawling franchise around hapless Tenchi and his alien companions.
15. **3x3 Eyes** — 0% (0 votes · score 1/1000)
   A 1991 supernatural-horror OVA following an immortal boy bound to a demon-eyed girl.
16. **Megazone 23** — 0% (0 votes · score 1/1000)
   An influential cyberpunk OVA about a youth who uncovers that his city is a simulation.
17. **Bubblegum Crisis** — 0% (0 votes · score 1/1000)
   A cyberpunk OVA following the armored Knight Sabers battling rogue robots in Mega-Tokyo.

Tags: 90s, animation, sci-fi, classics