8 Gateway Anime That Aired on Toonami

Growing up in the 1990s was quite an experience. Those formative years were crucial to me becoming hopelessly invested in the things I love today, and I suspect that's the same for many people my age. One thing that was incredibly important to the decade was anime.

The 1990s was a great time for anime, and many of the shows that are fixtures on all-timer lists come from this decade. If you already knew about anime like Dragon Ball Z and Trigun through the tape trading and underground scene, you were good to go. If you were just an average kid, however, you were most likely a regular viewer of a little show called Toonami.

Toonami was a gold mine for anime back in the day. It's often cited as a gateway drug to the world of anime, as its programming block showcased a lot of shows that would lead viewers to discovering even more to devour. I know that I would likely not be as interested in it today if it wasn't for my nights watching Toonami, and these are the shows that helped cultivate an entire generation of anime fans.

8 Dragon Ball Z

Last Time, On Dragon Ball Z

In terms of important 1990s anime, Dragon Ball Z is very clearly and decidedly in the upper echelon of those rankings. Anime in North America was given a huge surge thanks to the localization of DBZ, and a large part of that was its appearances on Toonami in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Impressively, Toonami managed to air the entirety of DBZ's original 291-episode run. Spread across two years, starting in the fall of 1998, Toonami would complete the mammoth task of bringing DBZ to America, creating one of the most influential pop culture sensations in the entire world.

Even after its initial run, DBZ would be a staple on Cartoon Network for years. It didn't matter that everyone had already seen it, it was still getting massive numbers. DBZ would finally leave Cartoon Network in 2008, but the impact it had as a gateway anime was immeasurable.

7 Rurouni Kenshin

AKA Samurai X

Though Toonami curiously only aired 62 of the show's 95 episodes, Rurouni Kenshin, sometimes known as Samurai X, was vital to the proliferation of anime in North America. It created an entire generation of anime fans that would grow up to become majorly invested in what's called a sword anime.

It was a fixture during one of Toonami's most confident eras, as this was a time when the block was airing a huge variety of different anime and original programming. It didn't capture as large of an audience at the time as its contemporaries, but it was an important piece to anime's explosion in the US.

The show itself is also fantastic, and it's one of the most underrated anime shows of the 1990s. It was animated by Studio Gallop for its first 66 episodes, while Studio Deen took over for the remaining 29 episodes.

6 Outlaw Star

Baby's First Anime

Whenever someone asks me what the first anime I ever watched was, it's always a pretty quick answer. I don't quite remember how I found out about it, but Outlaw Star was something I'd heard through the school grapevine, and it sounded like something I'd enjoy.

Enjoy it I did, as Outlaw Star would become one of my favorite anime of all time. I wasn't alone, as Outlaw Star was among the first in the vanguard of anime that dominated Toonami in the early 2000s. It opened up the 2001 season of Toonami, debuting in January.

Even all these years later, Outlaw Star remains one of those shows that a lot of people look back on as their initial introduction to the world of anime. It has such a fun, charming attitude and could easily stand alongside modern anime and not look out of place.

5 Yu Yu Hakusho

Fond Memories For Every Y2K-era Kid

2000s kids had quite a few trademark obsessions, but reruns of Yu Yu Hakusho on Toonami probably rank up there pretty highly. It debuted on Toonami in March 2003, and I think this was the era of Toonami that I remember most fondly.

There were so many good shows on Toonami at this time, and the anime selection at this time was absolutely top-tier. YuYu was destination viewing back then, and it opened up anime to an entirely new generation of young people.

It was also quite a behemoth of a show, totaling over 100 episodes and an excellent 1993 movie. Not surprisingly, Toonami was unable to air the entire series, only airing 88 out of 112. The remaining episodes would later air on Cartoon Network, but the Toonami run of Yu Yu Hakusho was a pretty special time.

4 The Big O

Dorothy, Dorothy

Over twenty years after I first watched The Big O on Toonami back in 2001, I still find myself thinking about it. The slick combination of mystery, intrigue, a punchy jazz soundtrack and giant robots was a certified hit back in the early 2000s.

It was one of those shows that you just had to watch, and Toonami did their part by advertising its debut effectively. There was an effortless sense of cool and charm that The Big O had, and it's a show that retains that over two decades later. There's just no show like it.

The Big O was unfortunately the subject of some bizarre scheduling decisions, however. The first season aired on Toonami in 2001, but the second would only air on Cartoon Network's late night Adult Swim block. It didn't hurt its legacy, but there were certainly some unusual marketing decisions being made on its behalf.

3 Voltron

The Beginning of Toonami

Toonami made its debut on March 17, 1997, and the first anime it ever presented was Voltron: Defender of the Universe. It was a landmark moment for anime in North America, and Voltron would become the poster child for that.

Utilizing the Lion Force seasons, which was part of the 1985 broadcast in Japan, Voltron is still the very first anime that a lot of people had ever seen. There was a certain cool factor to Toonami and Voltron's broadcasts, where it felt like you were in some secret club.

Years later, Voltron is still fairly popular, but not quite what it once was. It's gone through multiple spin-offs and revisions, but its most fascinating legacy is one that opened the door for a lot of people to start loving anime.

2 Cowboy Bebop

See You, Space Cowboy

The only word I can use to describe my relationship with Cowboy Bebop is obsession. It's the only one that genuinely fits, because that's absolutely what I was when it came to this show in the early 2000s.

Through internet circles and friends, this stylish cyberpunk romp would be something that would influence me for years to come. I also watched the entire show with my dad back during one of its many runs, a memory I've held close to my heart ever since.

It first debuted in the US on the Adult Swim block in 2001, which is where I first watched it, but it would later join Toonami during the revived 2012 schedule. Its timeless nature and breathtaking animation are simply delightful, and it would be the introduction to anime that so many 90s kids were waiting for.

1 Dragon Ball GT

A Split Decision

Though I have huge respect for it, I'm something of a Dragon Ball neophyte. I have somewhat limited knowledge of it, but the somewhat controversial run of Dragon Ball GT was always incredibly fascinating to me.

Dragon Ball GT was produced without the participation of DBZ creator Akira Toriyama, and it remains one of the most divisive projects in the franchise's history. While the original DBZ was responsible in large part for bringing anime to North America for 1990s kids, Dragon Ball GT had its hooks firmly into Y2K-era kids.

Having watched a decent amount of each, I still generally prefer GT, but its influence on anime can't be overstated. So much of the fandom is divided over GT, which has quite honestly helped to elevate its legacy in many ways. The generational gap is incredibly compelling, and Dragon Ball GT was a portal for many people to discover an even larger world.