Summary
Animewas a more limited affair in the90s, although it was improving compared to the 80s. Special segments began opening up around the mid-90s, including Toonami on Cartoon Network, UPN’s inclusion of anime instead of Disney cartoons, and Fox Kids' Saturday Morning Cartoon block, among others.
Because anime was more limited at this time, most90s kidsdevoured every scrap they could get their hands on. Not every anime appealed to all audiences, but these anime were talked about in classrooms and on the playground far and wide. They may not all hold up today, but they are still an important part of many childhoods.
While some of these anime first aired in the 80s, they didn’t premiere until the 90s in North America, which is the era that will be focused on.
Dragon Ball Zis a 90s classic that began to pick up steam when it entered the 1998 Toonami block. The intensity of the action was unlike anything of this era, or at least not what North American fans were used to for shonen anime.
Every kid from this time can remember Goku finally arriving on Namek, only for the episode count to be reset numerous times before new episodes were finally added. It was painful, but worth it, as theSaiyan and Namek storylinesbecame ingrained in the minds of fans forever, more so than any other story arc.
ThePokemongames and anime blew up in North America in 1998, two years after they did the same in Japan, which meant that plans forDigimonwere in the works shortly thereafter. The anime adaptation of thefirstDigimonseasonpremiered on Fox Kids in 1999, almost a year to the day following thePokemonanime’s premiere.
Instead of trainers going on quests to catch monsters, children from a Japanese summer camp get thrown into a digital world and paired up with their own Digimon. Together, they attempt to escape this monster-filled world one fight and comedic blowout at a time. Lines were drawn on many a 90s playground between this series andPokemon.
Most anime from the 80s to the early 2000s were viewed by buying or renting tapes or DVDs.This was how more mature stuff could get passed around, likeNeon Genesis Evangelion,which began releasing two-episode tapes between 1996 and 1998. This series was expensive, to say the least.
While it may not have caught the attention of younger anime fans, those who rented tapes or had cool friends in the anime scene knew that this was something special.The level of animation, storytelling, and the grim depiction of child-piloted-mechs fighting angels was not something everyone could appreciate right away, especially withShinji as the lead. However, given rewatches, it all sank in, and the series' influence continues to be felt today.
Whoever decided to airthePokemonanimeweeks beforePokemon RedandPokemon Bluelaunched in North America was a genius. It was a marketing blitz to get kids hooked on the anime, cards, games, and more. Sometimes these stunts fail miserably, but in the case ofPokemon, it couldn’t have gone better.
There was no single channel on which it premiered, as it was syndicated immediately. WB Kids acquired the rights to air the first season and new episodes starting in 1999. Kids of this era can remember Batman interacting with Pokemon in promo bumpers for the cartoon block, making it a weird time to be alive, but a special one to be sure.
3Ronin Warriors
Ninja Turtles But Human
Ronin Warriorswasn’t the biggest hit onToonami in 1999, but many fans watched it simply because it was on. Some may have caught it before Toonami years earlier, as it was also on the Syfy Channel and USA Network.
Ronin Warriorscanbe best described asa blend of Power RangersandTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Each warrior got a special suit of colored armor, an element to channel (like fire), and a special weapon to master. The English dub was localized to make these teens sound radicalized, just like New York’s finest turtles, which made it odd considering the show’s events took place in Japan.
Toonami was mostly a segment dedicated to male children and teens until they started airingSailor Moonin 1998 to help diversify the block. Moltar, who was the original host of Toonami before Tom, made a big deal about theseplanetary Sailor Scouts, which may be whySailor Moongathered a bigger following than what Cartoon Network originally expected.
It was a comeback for the anime, as previous English network attempts were not well-received. No matter how fans watched it,Sailor Moonas a character became an icon for anime fans of all creeds, even if it led to controversy among friends.
BeforePokemon, there was another video game adaptation that fans ate up calledStreet Fighter 2: The Animated Movie. Distributed in some theaters in 1994, the VHS release in 1995 is when the anime blew up, similar toNeon Genesis Evangelionbut on a bigger scale.
EveryStreet Fighter 2fan had to see this anime, as it was more brutal and even showed Chun-Li in the shower, which is certainly why the teen boys were interested. Even today, the animation holds up significantly better than the American-madeStreet Fightercartoon from 1995, which was produced by the USA Network, or the laughable1994 live-action movie.
