List of Anime in The United States - 1990s

1990s

The 1990s, was the period in which anime became successful in the U.S. market and the terms "anime" and "manga" became commonly well known (ultimately replacing the former majorly known term "Japanimation"). Companies such as FUNimation Productions, Bandai Entertainment, 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media, Media Blasters, Saban, Viz Media, Pioneer Entertainment and ADV Films began licensing anime in the United States.

Viz which was already successful with its manga translation of Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma ½, bought the rights to the anime and released it via direct-to-video starting in 1994. Ranma ½ enjoyed success in the VHS market and was the first anime title in the 1990s to have this level of success and one of the first titles to be recognized as an "anime". Viz also began publishing a magazine called Animerica in the 1990s which featured manga as well as articles on Japanese culture, fashion, manga, anime and video games, this helped spread the otaku subculture to Americans.Fansubs were also popular during this period.

DiC (then-owned by Disney) and FUNimation (with the help of Saban and Ocean Studios) licensed Sailor Moon (1995) and Dragon Ball Z (1996) respectively and both were televised in the U.S. through early morning syndication. Since the two anime were very successful internationally, they were purchased to capitalize on the success of superhero shows like Power Rangers (The very popular Americanized version of the tokusatsu series Super Sentai) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. However, both flopped in the ratings and were pulled before completion due to bad scheduling (both airing during school hours) and lack of proper advertising. In 1998, Cartoon Network which had an action-themed evening block named Toonami began airing Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z both became overwhelmingly successful with younger audiences (being that they were aired in the evening hours which children were home) and as a result both got revived: receiving new dubs with significantly less editing being that these episodes were on cable television and with the recent inception of television rating system (both were rated TV-Y7-FV), the standards were relaxed. Voltron, Robotech and Ronin Warriors also enjoyed renewed success on Toonami. Toonami would still continue to air anime and is credited with the beginning the era of the anime boom in the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1997, the very popular yet controversial series Neon Genesis Evangelion was released on VHS uncut by ADV Films and in 2002, both the films End of Evangelion and Evangelion: Death and Rebirth were both released in the U.S. by Manga Entertainment. Evangelion grew to have a large fan base in the United States and is famed for its combining of the mecha genre with various aspects of philosophy, psychology, religious imagery, mental illnesses and shock horror elements.

In 1998, Pokémon was introduced to U.S. and it became a ratings hit, a pop culture phenomenon and monumental commercial success through its merchandising (trading cards, VHS, toys, video games etc.). Digimon was introduced in 1999; although it was a success, it did not reach the same level of popularity as Pokémon.

Sci Fi Channel also aired many experimental, avant-garde, action, horror and science fiction anime films and series during the 1990s during the late night and early morning hours and still continued to do so up until 2011. Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll and Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer are among the films that have aired. Series such as Gurren Lagann, Gundam 00, Rave Master, Tokko, Chrono Crusade and Fist of the North Star have also aired.

In 1998, Disney's Miramax released the anime film Kiki's Delivery Service in the U.S. theatrically, though it was not a great success at the box office (it did much more better on DVD releases) it began the relationship between Disney and Studio Ghibli to distribute the latter's films in the U.S.

• Pokémon
• Digimon
• Fist of the North Star
• Sailor Moon (last season Sailor Stars never aired nor was dubbed)
• Dragon Ball Z
• The Littl' Bits
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
• Cardcaptors
• Outlaw Star
• Ranma ½
• Maison Ikkoku
• Tenchi Muyo
• Bob in a Bottle
• Cowboy Bebop
• Teknoman
• Patlabor
• Shin-chan
• Lupin III
• G-Force: Guardians of Space (second adaptation of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman)
• Eagle Riders (combined adaptation of Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter)
• Martian Successor Nadesico
• Serial Experiments Lain
• Mermaid Saga
• Mobile Suit Gundam
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
• The Slayers
• Slayers NEXT
• Samurai Pizza Cats (adaptation of Cat Ninja Legend Teyandee)
• Devil Hunter Yohko
• Revolutionary Girl Utena
• Ronin Warriors
• Samurai X
• Street Fighter II V
• Monkey Magic
• Urusei Yatsura
• Tama and Friends
• The Vision of Escaflowne
• Saber Marionette