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.

972pts

3

Urusei Yatsura

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

892pts

4

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

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

714pts

5

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

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

714pts

6

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross

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

714pts

7

Bubblegum Crisis

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

714pts

8

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

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

624pts

9

Grave of the Fireflies

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

624pts

10

Gunbuster

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

624pts

11

Castle in the Sky

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

499pts

12

Saint Seiya

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

499pts

13

Kiki's Delivery Service

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

499pts

14

Ranma 1/2

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

499pts

15

Patlabor

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

499pts

16

Dragon Ball

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

312pts

17

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise

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

312pts

18

My Neighbor Totoro

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

0pts

19

City Hunter

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

0pts

20

Vampire Hunter D

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

0pts