Anime has been around for a long time, and sometimes it’s better to look back and see how we got to where we are today. Needless to say, today’s anime was inspired and influenced by the previous shows. While each series has its own influences, there are some shows that have changed not only the landscape of anime, but also the community around them and the shape of popular culture.
Note that not every influential anime is considered a classic or even a good show. But influence is influence anyway, so we have to give credit where credit is due. Let’s put on our anime historian hats a little and go back in time.
Princess Knight
As one of the works of Osamu Tezuka, this anime and manga is considered one of the first shojos. Without Princess Knight, who seems to have established this genre, we would never have received classics like Fruits Basket, Ouran High School Host Club or Yona of the Dawn.
This series may be basically forgotten by today’s fan base, considering that it came out in 1953, but it will forever serve as the basis for a whole genre of stories that would change anime forever. Important part of environmental history.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Mecha is already an anime staple, and 1995’s Neon Genesis Evangelion has managed to revolutionize the entire genre. This anime introduced a completely new style of storytelling to the medium, with a much more character-oriented plot than previous offerings. This significantly increased the use of dramatic actions, with the lives of characters who really mattered to viewers at stake.
If you have ever seen a huge monster fight in anime (which will happen often), then in nine out of ten cases there will be an evangelion reference somewhere in this scene. This title has inspired not only several other anime, but also its central characters and archetypes.
Fist Of The North Star
Are you a fan of action anime? Well, you probably have Fist of the North Star to thank for creating your favorite entries in the incomparable genre. As the predecessor of all action anime, this series may seem like a kind of meme today, but it is the basis of the supernatural action genre.
Shows like Dragon Ball, Naruto, Jojo’s bizarre Adventure and more were inspired by Fist of the North Star. So if you don’t know the iconic “Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru” line, maybe it’s time to do your homework.
Sword Art Online
The show may have received mixed reviews over the years, but no one can deny the influence that Sword Art Online has had (and continues to have) on the anime community. This show is largely responsible for the beginning of the Isekai boom, which we still see today.
Sword Art Online is still so successful that more than half of the shows produced per season are apparently Isekai anime. The reason why series such as Re-Zero or Mushoku Tensei have received an anime adaptation is due to the success of this show and the growing demand for Isekai as him.
Astro Boy
Osamu Tezuka is known as the father of anime and manga, as many of his works would inspire the entire industry. His most famous work is certainly the manga Astro Boy. While there are technically some earlier examples of Japanese animation, Astro Boy is considered the first manga-to-anime adaptation. This would create the system that the Japanese animation industry still uses today.
Are you happy that your favorite manga got an anime? Well, you certainly owe that to Astro Boy. The series led to the creation of a worldwide anime fandom in a very real way. It is inspiring to think how many lives have been changed by this.
Best 15 Shonen Anime Series of All Time
Gundam
There is only one franchise that has influenced anime as a whole, and that is Gundam. Some reject gundam as a melodramatic action, but, in addition, the series has tremendous depth. Not only did the franchise create the mecha genre, but the story would also inspire several tropes that are used in anime today.
The rival trope you see in Moderna Shonen Battle has its roots in Gundam. The power struggle stories you see in the anime, as well as the fascinating attack on Titan. Even the romantic elements that you will find in the Darkest Romance anime can be traced back to Gundam. The anime may not have started with Gundam, but it has certainly grown around him.
Castle In The Sky
When you think of the best anime movies, many Studio Ghibli titles may come to mind. That’s because it was this studio that paved the way for such popular features, and anime in general became popular all over the world to some extent. The first film of the studio became «Heavenly Castle».
Due to the success of this film, Miyazaki and the studio created such classics as Howl’s Moving Castle and the famous Spirited Away. These movies have become popular classics, and as a result, we can now see more anime movies like Silent Voice and the latest Suzume in cinemas around the world.
Pokemon
Many anime have reached the mainstream market, but none has come close to the worldwide sensation Pokemon. The Pokemon anime is so influential that it is not only one of the highest-grossing franchises of all time, but it has also created the anime genre for games, one memorable episode after another.
Fans have Pokemon for shows like Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Beyblade. These programs, in turn, refer to names like Evangelion, so the circle is closing. Pokemon has revolutionized not only anime, but also gaming. It really seems that this juggernaut of a franchise is unstoppable.
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