10 Best Anime of the 1980s, Ranked

Golgo is the very adult Japanese James Bond if Bond forsook his espionage background and used his 007 skills to be a hitman. Golgo 13 serves as the first animated film based on the manga and the third movie following two previous live-action films (the sequel stars Sonny Chiba as Golgo 13). Although it was critically mixed upon arrival, it was praised as the first feature-length animated film to incorporate CGI animation for its helicopter action sequence. The film has since garnered a cult following retroactively, with director Quentin Tarantino paying homage to the film during his animated sequence of Kill Bill: Vol.1.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a 1985 Japanese television anime series, the second installment in the Gundam franchise, and a sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Fans universally praise the sequel for taking everything that made MSG great–its story progression, brutal themes, characters, and mecha designs–and refined them to near perfection. Although it does have its flaws, Zeta is still a cornerstone in the landscape of 80s mecha anime.

Ranma ½ is one of the first anime to break through in North America and capture an audience, making it some’s very first anime experience. But it never reached the heights of Dragon Ball, making it a “lesser-known, lesser-loved” comedy classic among contemporary circles. It also served as the cornerstone for several tropes and genres we see in the medium today, including the tsundere archetype, harems, and reverse harems. The tale follows Ranma Saotome, a martial artist since childhood. An accident on a training trip curses him: cold water turns him into a girl, hot water reverses it. Ranma strives to break the curse while dealing with friends, foes, and persistent fiancées causing disruptions.

Fist of the North Star is more than a meme; it’s one of the most influential anime of all time. The late great Kentaro Miura, who created Berserk, said the work was his biggest influence and is not to see how. It set the standard for big, beefy, macho archetypes and graphic violence. It was one of Shonen Jump’s most popular manga during the 80s, so much so the series went on to influence games like Mortal Kombat alongside its fatality system, as well as Double Dragon. Set on a post-nuclear Earth, the series follows a warrior named Kenshiro, the successor of a deadly martial art that gives him the ability to kill his opponents by hitting them in secret vital spots.

Mecha anime was extremely popular in the 80s, but what made Macross (or Robotech in North America) stand out was introducing mechs transforming from vehicles, a concept popularized by Transformers. And despite being heavily inspired by Mobile Suit Gundam, it stands alongside it as one of the pillars of 80s sci-fi mecha anime, complete with an epic score, transforming battle bots, and interpersonal relationships in perilous situations. This space opera showcases an Earth 10 years after an alien spaceship invades, and a war breaks out when more arrive to recover their ship. After the ship is repurposed as the Macross, it and the city it resides in get teleported to the far reaches of space.

Saint Seiya emerged as a prominent phenomenon during the 1980s, leaving an indelible mark. Its influence extended to subsequent series, serving as a wellspring of inspiration for works like Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Bleach, and various other anime. The series follows a collective of youthful warriors, recognized as ‘Saints,’ who possess individual ‘cloths’ based on the mystical ancient armors of the constellations. Their mission is to protect Earth from malevolent forces aiming to bring about its destruction, all while safeguarding the reincarnation of the goddess Athena. Its story structure, complex narrative, and grand soundtrack have all been critically praised.

What is there to be said about Dragon Ball that hasn’t already been said? It is the progenitor, the cornerstone, the humble beginnings of what would go on to be the most popular anime franchise in the West. It showcases the lighthearted quests of Goku, Bulma, and friends as they seek out the Dragon Balls, which can grant any wish. We also get to see ita slow transition from adventure to the shonen action everyone knows it for as the franchise progressed. Some diehards even claim the franchise has never surpassed the original.

Often praised as the Game of Thrones of anime space operas, Legend of Galactic Heroes sees the 150-year-long stalemate between the two interstellar superpowers, the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance, come to an end when a new generation of leaders arises: the idealistic military genius Reinhard von Lohengramm, and the FPA’s reserved historian, Yang Wenli. Thanks to its serious approach, complete disregard for typical anime tropes, and tragically beautiful ending, this long-running anime has withstood the rest of time and is more revered by contemporary audiences than during its initial release. Alongside Gundam and Macross, this is one of the most influential space operas of the decade, and although plenty have attempted to imitate it, its storytelling and character depth have yet to be matched.

Although there are plenty of Studio Ghibli films that could fit this entry, such as My Neighbor Totoro, 1988’s Grave of the Fireflies‘ extreme profoundness, rooted in the very real bombing of Kobe in World War II, and the life of creator Akiyuki Nosaka as a result of that war, makes it earn its spot in our list. It tells the story of two sibling war orphans and their struggle to survive the last few months of WWII. With a chilling and heartbreaking ending, Grave of the Fireflies has been ranked as one of the greatest war films of all time and a widely celebrated piece of Japanese animation. Fun fact: Filmmaker Akira Kurosawa considered it his favorite Ghibli production and wrote a letter of praise to Hayao Miyazaki, mistakenly believing he directed it.

Far and away, one of the greatest films of all time, 1988’s Akira has gone on to inspire entire generations and, throughout the years, remains the standard for quality animation and an example of a work that transcends all borders. The sci-fi sensation was a pivotal film in the cyberpunk subgenre, and its influence can be felt to this day in countless television, films, games, comics, and other anime/manga. In 1988, the Japanese government dropped an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children went awry. 31 years later, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. Although the characters and settings are the same, the plot differs greatly from the manga, as the manga didn’t finish its run until two years after the film’s release.