Top 21 Action OVA Anime of the 1990s

Budgets were small and the shelves were VHS, yet the gunfights, mecha duels and sword clashes still hold up. Cult obscurities rub shoulders with rental-store staples.

1. 1
   Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team

   A grounded 1996 jungle-war Gundam OVA, praised for its soldier's-eye view.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Burn-Up!

   1991 OVA about a female special-police team with big guns and fast cars.
   897pts
3. 3
   Blue Submarine No. 6

   1998 OVA of a submarine fleet fighting a sea-borne apocalypse, known for early CG integration.
   786pts
4. 4
   Battle Angel

   A 1993 two-episode OVA adaptation of the cyberpunk manga Gunnm.
   717pts
5. 5
   Crying Freeman

   1988-94 OVA series about an assassin with a conscience, full of gun and martial-arts set pieces.
   636pts
6. 6
   Ushio & Tora

   1992-93 OVA about a boy and a captured demon fighting monsters, later revived as a TV series.
   636pts
7. 7
   Macross Plus

   1994 OVA of rival test pilots, an AI idol and spectacular aerial dogfights.
   636pts
8. 8
   Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory

   1991 Gundam OVA of stolen nukes, rogue officers and some of the franchise's best mecha animation.
   538pts
9. 9
   Devilman: The Demon Bird

   1990 follow-up to Go Nagai's Devilman, a dark action OVA of demon battles.
   538pts
10. 10
    JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

    The 1993-94 OVA adaptation of Stardust Crusaders, the first anime take on Jotaro's journey.
    538pts
11. 11
    Getter Robo Armageddon

    A gritty 1998 OVA reboot of the classic super robot team, full of heavy violence.
    418pts
12. 12
    Bastard!!

    1992-93 dark-fantasy OVA following an overpowered wizard and his sorcery battles.
    418pts
13. 13
    Golden Boy

    Short 1995 OVA about a scrappy genius drifter, mixing slapstick with sharp action.
    418pts
14. 14
    Armitage III

    1995 sci-fi noir OVA about a cop and a robot detective on Mars.
    418pts
15. 15
    Giant Robo: The Animation

    A lavish 1992-98 OVA of giant robots and secret societies, styled after Tetsujin-28 and Showa-era spectacle.
    0pts
16. 16
    Cyber City Oedo 808

    1990 cyberpunk OVA trio about convicts forced to hunt criminals in a neon future.
    0pts
17. 17
    Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki

    1992 OVA that launched a franchise of space pirates, alien princesses and swordplay.
    0pts
18. 18
    Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal

    1999 OVA prequel of the legendary swordsman Battosai during the Bakumatsu war.
    0pts
19. 19
    Genocyber

    A notoriously extreme 1994 OVA about a monstrous cyber-weapon unleashed on the world.
    0pts
20. 20
    Kite

    1998 OVA about a teenage assassin, famous for its brutal action and controversy.
    0pts
21. 21
    Gunsmith Cats

    1995 OVA about bounty hunters in Chicago with heavy firepower and sharp car chases.
    0pts

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