Best 10 Anime Shows Which Created History Posted Mar 24, 2021

The world of anime exploded a long time back, and a characteristic art style soon emerged in the 1960s with Osamu Tezuka accredited as the "God of Manga". The earliest commercial Japanese animations can be dated back to 1917.

Today, however, anime is on a completely new level. From young to older adults, including Hollywood star directors and filmmakers, anime is a lifeline that connects billions of people around the globe. From merchandises to full-grown global franchises, anime for many is what keeps us moving.

According to a recent study by Grand View Research, the global anime market was valued at $20.47 billion and projected to register a CAGR of 8.8% from 2014 to 2025. On the other hand, the industry is plagued with an immense shortage of artists along with low pay and long workings, with in-between animators earning less than $2 per drawing.

There are over 430 production companies, including Bones Inc., Kyoto Animation Co., Madhouse Inc., Studio Ghibli Inc., and Toe Animation Co., to name a few.

In light of this information, let's take a quick look at some of the best anime shows that created history.

Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan premiered on April 7, 2013, and became a global phenomenon in no time. After becoming the number one selling TV anime of 2013 and currently the eight bestselling anime of the 2010s, the show grabs a lot of attention in the US as well. All four seasons received wide critical acclaim, including praise for the storyline, the animation itself, and action sequences.

Even the soundtrack and dark tones in the plot had people revering the show even more, not to mention that in 2021 the anime's final season made the anime most viewed program in the US. The series has won over 50 prestigious awards, and not only is it everything you perceive it to be but also much more.

Bleach

The series touched many people's lives, and that included YouTuber Tekking101. I still remember watching a new episode being aired and hurriedly visiting his channel to get the complete breakdown.

Bleach is undoubtedly Tite Kubo's masterpiece airing from October 2004 to March 2012 and spanning 366 episodes and four feature films. To this day, fans worldwide are waiting to see if the final story arc "Thousand –Year Blood War" would receive an anime adaptation.

Bleach had everything, a terrific roster of characters, amazing fight sequences, stupendous soundtracks, plot twists, and nutty comic relief.

Though the series failed to win any noticeable awards, there is no doubt that back in the 2010's it was amongst one of the most-watched anime around the world. Warner Bros released a live action film of the same name in July 2018.

Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop holds a special place, becoming the first anime title to broadcast on Adult Swim in the US back in 2001. Hence for many American audiences, it was their first taste at what anime was all about, and seriously what a tremendous show to start your journey into addiction.

The series features 26 episodes showcasing the future set in the year 2071, where an unlikely crew of bounty hunters become a crew and travel the space in their ship called Bebop.

The series got an 'A+' rating from Anime News Network and pretty soon found a cult fan following. The series won several awards for its unique style, incredible voice cast, and brilliant character designs.

Dragon Ball Franchise

Since its release back in 1986, the Dragon Ball anime series is considered one of the most successful, with many renowned manga artists revering it as a source of inspiration.

The series influences a global impact on popular culture and is referenced by various artists, athletes, celebrities, filmmakers, musicians, and writers worldwide.

Not only has it spun various animated films, theme park attractions, and video games, but there was also a live-action film. Dragon Ball also exerts a huge impact on animation, comics, films, music, sports, and in Japan, May 9 is officially declared as 'Goku Day',

Ghost in the Shell

A cyberpunk media franchise, Ghost in the Shell started off as a manga series back in 1989, and by 1995 the first film was released. Ever since then, it has been highly praised for its visual and prominent filmmakers, including the Wachowskis Brothers, who credited both manga and anime as a source of inspiration for their own marvelous creations.

In fact, even James Cameron cited Ghost in the Shell, its settings and characters as a major source of inspiration for his movie Avatar. As such, the series shares an ongoing legacy to this day where even the video game industry studied anime as a source of inspiration for their characters and setting.

Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba

If we are talking about anime, how can we not talk about Demon Slayer? As one of the most recent anime to be released back in April 2019, it quickly gathered a lot of acclaim from critics and fans alike.

In fact, the Demon Slayer: Mugen Train currently holds the title for the highest-grossing anime film and Japanese film of all time. As of December 2020, the Demon Slayer franchise has been estimated to generate total sales exceeding $2.6 billion in Japan.

Naruto

All praise goes to Masashi Kishimoto for creating an amazing manga series that soon saw its transformation in the world of manga.

The Naruto anime TV series began airing back in 2002 and finishing 15 years later while also becoming the fourth best-selling manga series in history. The anime itself was listed as the 38th best-animated show in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series.

One Piece

Eiichiro Oda's One Piece has been heavily recognized as one of the best anime series of all time. There is just no competitor, and the series has received praise for its art style, storytelling, characterization, and humor. Not only is it the bestselling manga series of all time, but it is also one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. At Student Essay, young learners are encouraged, however, to keep their anime fixations at bay during learning and study hours.

Pokemon

The world knows more about Pokémon than I can tell you. The original run began in 1997 and is still going to strong. With over 1,000 episodes, numerous game adaptations, movies, merchandise, a live-action movie, in fact, entire Boeings being painted with Pokémon characters, what else do you need?

Many computing devices nowadays offer you spellcheck for Pokémon if you missed the right spelling. It is hands down the biggest media franchises when it comes to animated series, and literarily generations have played the card game to the point that some rare ones had been passed down as heirlooms.

Spirited Away

It would be really unfair if I don't mention the other great anime titles by Studio Ghibli, but Spirited Away holds a special spot nonetheless. At the 75th Academy Awards, it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, making it the first and only hand-drawn non-English language animated film to win the award.

However, if you really want a tasteful of Studio Ghibli's true art of storytelling and magnificence, then do take time to watch their other great titles. These include the likes of:

1. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
2. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
3. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
4. Princess Mononoke (1997)
5. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
6. Ponyo (2008)
7. Arrietty (2010)

Conclusion

As an ending note, let me say that the anime universe is unimaginably big, and honestly, space and time doesn't permit me to tell you more about it. So all of you HXH, Jojo, Hero Academia, Full Metal Alchemist, Kenshin, Fist of the North Star, and other anime series lovers, I beg you not to judge me.

Doing justice to all these great titles and many gems across the multiverse is impossible, and I know each one of them holds a special place in your heart.

There is just so much more out there, and in recent times some Korean and Chinese Manhwas are also making incredible waves which you should check out. That is it for now, and while I normally don't encourage binge-watching, I know a true Otaku simply cannot quench their thirst for more.

Author Bio

Elaine Vanessa (LinkedIn|Twitter) currently works as the Animation Developer at Assignment Assistance and Master Thesis. This is where higher education students can buy essays online to acquire specialized assistance for their subjects and topics. During her free time, she loves to have an anime marathon and talk all about anime online.