Top 20 Anime of the 1980s

From genre-defining cyberpunk and mecha epics to tender Ghibli fables and cult OVAs, this lineup spans the decade that put anime on the world map. Where do you stand?

1

Fist of the North Star

The hyper-violent 1984 martial-arts series set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland that defined shonen action.

1000pts

2

Akira

Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 cyberpunk masterpiece set in a dystopian Neo-Tokyo, widely cited as one of the greatest anime films ever made.

960pts

3

Urusei Yatsura

Rumiko Takahashi's influential 1981 sci-fi rom-com about an alien princess and a hapless teenager.

844pts

4

Bubblegum Crisis

The 1987 cyberpunk OVA series following an all-female mercenary team battling rogue androids.

584pts

5

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

A sweeping 1988 space-opera epic often hailed as the finest science-fiction anime ever produced.

584pts

6

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross

The genre-defining 1982 series blending transforming mecha, idol music, and a wartime love triangle.

584pts

7

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

The acclaimed 1985 sequel that refined the original's mecha drama to near perfection.

584pts

8

Gunbuster

Hideaki Anno's emotionally charged 1988 mecha OVA about a girl piloting giant robots against alien threats.

454pts

9

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Miyazaki's 1984 post-apocalyptic eco-fable that effectively gave rise to Studio Ghibli.

454pts

10

Grave of the Fireflies

Isao Takahata's harrowing 1988 wartime drama about two siblings struggling to survive in WWII Japan.

454pts

11

Saint Seiya

Masami Kurumada's 1986 battle series about armored warriors defending the goddess Athena.

273pts

12

Kiki's Delivery Service

Miyazaki's warm 1989 coming-of-age tale of a young witch starting a delivery business.

273pts

13

Patlabor

The grounded 1989 mecha series imagining police pilots operating giant robots in near-future Tokyo.

273pts

14

Castle in the Sky

Miyazaki's 1986 steampunk adventure following two children searching for a fabled floating city.

273pts

15

Ranma 1/2

Takahashi's 1989 martial-arts comedy about a boy cursed to turn into a girl when splashed with cold water.

273pts

16

Dragon Ball

Akira Toriyama's 1986 adventure series following a young Goku, launching one of anime's most enduring franchises.

1pts

17

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise

Gainax's ambitious 1987 film about an alternate-world astronaut training for the first manned spaceflight.

1pts

18

My Neighbor Totoro

Hayao Miyazaki's gentle 1988 Studio Ghibli film about two sisters and a forest spirit in rural Japan.

1pts

19

Vampire Hunter D

The gothic 1985 OVA about a half-vampire bounty hunter roaming a far-future world.

1pts

20

City Hunter

The stylish 1987 action-comedy following a wisecracking sweeper-for-hire in Tokyo.

1pts