5 Landmark Series That Changed Anime Forever

Published Jul 25, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Zach joined the ScreenRant Anime team as a contributor in June 2024, before taking on a Senior Writer role in November. Since then, he has covered breaking news and produced features and lists about the most popular anime titles. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The landscape of popular anime is forever shifting. Today's biggest hits have their roots in the classic shows that came before, and are all pushing their genres and breaking new ground in one way or another, planting the seeds for future franchises to continue evolving upon. Few series are able to survive, let alone thrive, throughout anime's different eras, and the few that do are typically the ones setting trends and pushing the envelope. However, there's a difference between the trend setters and the game changers. The former are shows which defined their respective eras, while the latter are shows which forever changed anime, re-shaping the industry and culture while ushering in major growth. Crunchyroll · Anime Knowledge Edition The Official CrunchyrollAnime Quiz ⚔ClassicsLegendary ✨New GenRising 🎬StudiosCreators 🏆AwardsBest of ▶StreamingWatch START STREAMING! → 01 Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) became one of the most-watched anime on Crunchyroll. The story takes place in a world where humanity lives behind massive walls to protect themselves from giant humanoid creatures. What are these creatures called? AKaiju BTitans CHollows DDemons ✓ Correct! The giant humanoid creatures are called Titans. In the original Japanese, they’re referred to as “Kyojin” (giants). Eren Yeager’s quest to destroy all Titans after they breach Wall Maria became one of the most gripping storylines in anime history. ✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Titans. Kaiju are giant monsters from Japanese cinema like Godzilla, Hollows are the enemy creatures in Bleach, and Demons appear in series like Demon Slayer. In Attack on Titan, these towering humanoid creatures are specifically called Titans. NEXT → 02 Studio MAPPA has become one of the most prominent anime studios in recent years, producing several massive hit series. Which of these popular anime was NOT produced by MAPPA? AJujutsu Kaisen BAttack on Titan: The Final Season CChainsaw Man DDemon Slayer ✓ Correct! Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is produced by ufotable, not MAPPA. Ufotable’s stunning animation quality — especially the breathtaking fight sequences — became a hallmark of the Demon Slayer franchise. MAPPA produced Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan: The Final Season, and Chainsaw Man. ✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Demon Slayer. Demon Slayer is animated by studio ufotable, renowned for its gorgeous visual effects. MAPPA has produced Jujutsu Kaisen, took over Attack on Titan: The Final Season from WIT Studio, and animated Chainsaw Man. NEXT → 03 Solo Leveling became a massive hit anime in 2024 after being one of the most popular manhwa (Korean comics) in the world. The story follows a weak hunter who gains the unique ability to level up. What is the protagonist’s name? AJin-Woo Sung BSung Jin-Woo CKim Dokja DYoo Joonghyuk ✓ Correct! Sung Jin-Woo is the protagonist of Solo Leveling. Originally the weakest E-Rank hunter, he gains the power of the mysterious System, allowing him to level up infinitely. His transformation from the “World’s Weakest Hunter” to the most powerful Shadow Monarch captivated millions of readers and viewers. ✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Sung Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo Sung reverses the name order (Korean names place the surname first). Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk are protagonists from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, another popular Korean series. Sung Jin-Woo is the iconic Shadow Monarch of Solo Leveling. NEXT → 04 The Crunchyroll Anime Awards celebrate the best in anime each year. Which anime won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards? AJujutsu Kaisen Season 2 BFrieren: Beyond Journey’s End COshi no Ko DVinland Saga Season 2 ✓ Correct! Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End won Anime of the Year at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This beautifully contemplative series about an elven mage reflecting on mortality and the passage of time after her hero party’s quest ends charmed audiences and critics alike with its unique, introspective storytelling. ✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. While Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Oshi no Ko, and Vinland Saga Season 2 were all critically acclaimed, it was Frieren’s meditative exploration of time, memory, and connection that captured the top prize at the 2024 ceremony. NEXT → 05 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is consistently rated as one of the greatest anime of all time. The story follows two brothers who attempted a forbidden alchemical technique. What taboo did Edward and Alphonse Elric commit? ACreating gold BHuman transmutation (trying to revive their dead mother) CDestroying a Philosopher’s Stone DKilling a homunculus ✓ Correct! Edward and Alphonse attempted human transmutation to bring their deceased mother back to life. The attempt failed catastrophically — Edward lost his left leg and then sacrificed his right arm to bind Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor. This event drives the entire series as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone to restore their bodies. ✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is human transmutation — specifically, attempting to resurrect their dead mother. In the world of FMA, human transmutation is the ultimate taboo in alchemy. The brothers’ failed attempt cost Edward his limbs and Alphonse his entire body, setting the stage for their epic journey. NEXT → 06 Spy x Family became a worldwide phenomenon with its wholesome yet action-packed story of a found family. The father, Loid Forger, is secretly a spy. What is his spy codename? AAgent Dusk BTwilight CShadow DNightfall ✓ Correct! Loid Forger’s spy codename is Twilight, and he’s considered the top agent of Westalis’s intelligence service, WISE. His mission, Operation Strix, requires him to build a fake family — leading him to adopt the telepathic Anya and marry the assassin Yor, creating one of anime’s most beloved found families. ✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Twilight. Agent Dusk and Shadow are fictional names, while Nightfall is actually the codename of another WISE agent, Fiona Frost, who has a crush on Loid. Twilight is Westalis’s greatest spy and the heart of Spy x Family’s charming story. NEXT → 07 Crunchyroll merged with another major anime streaming service to become the dominant platform for anime. Which streaming service was absorbed into Crunchyroll? ANetflix Anime BFunimation CHIDIVE DAnimeLab ✓ Correct! Funimation was merged into Crunchyroll after Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T in 2021. The merger consolidated the anime streaming market, bringing Funimation’s massive library of dubbed anime together with Crunchyroll’s simulcast catalog, making Crunchyroll the world’s largest dedicated anime platform. ✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is Funimation. Netflix Anime is part of Netflix and operates independently, HIDIVE is Sentai Filmworks’ streaming service, and AnimeLab was a smaller Australian service. Funimation — once Crunchyroll’s biggest rival — was fully absorbed into the Crunchyroll platform. NEXT → 08 Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are legendary in the anime world. Miyazaki’s final film was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. What is the title of this film? ASpirited Away 2 BThe Wind Rises CThe Boy and the Heron DPonyo Returns ✓ Correct! The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka) was released in 2023 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2024. The deeply personal, surrealist fantasy film was widely considered Miyazaki’s farewell masterpiece, exploring themes of grief, imagination, and the passage between worlds. ✗ That answer needs more filler training! The answer is The Boy and the Heron. Spirited Away 2 and Ponyo Returns don’t exist. The Wind Rises was Miyazaki’s previous “final” film from 2013. The Boy and the Heron marked his true farewell, winning the Oscar and cementing his legacy as anime’s greatest storyteller. REVEAL MY SCORE → Binge Complete Your Anime Watch Level / 8 Are you an anime sensei — or still on episode one? ↻ REWATCH Many of those anime series continue to connect with new generations of viewers decades on from their premieres, and their influence can still be found in the many shows airing each season. The landscape of popular anime is always shifting, and these five shows had the biggest impact on the scene. 5 Astro Boy Animated by Mushi Production; Based on the Manga by Osamu Tezuka Any discussion about the most influential anime and manga is invalid without mention of Osamu Tezuka and Astro Boy. Known as the father of anime, Tezuka crafted a number of works that established the framework of modern shōnen, and a few of those works are still incredibly relevant today. Dororo, written and drawn by Tezuka in 1967, was adapted into an anime series by MAPPA in 2019, more than 50 years on from its manga debut. However, none of his work was more important than Astro Boy. The series made its manga debut in 1952 and has since sold 100 million copies, while its 1963 anime adaptation, directed by Tezuka himself, was the first serialized TV anime series of its kind. Astro Boy was also the first Japanese anime series to air in the United States, premiering on NBC in 1963. The English dubbed version contained 104 of the original 193 episodes. The series follows a super advanced robot named Atom, created by scientist Dr. Tenma in the likeness of his son who was killed in an accident. Though Astro Boy was aimed at younger audiences, it often dove into heavier topics like war, which became a point of contention when the series was brought to the United States. Nevertheless, the anime had an incredibly successful global run throughout the 1960s, and laid the groundwork for all shōnen anime to follow. 4 Mobile Suit Gundam Animated by Sunrise, Original Anime Series by Yoshiyuki Tomino Mecha anime has long been one of the medium's defining genres, with giant robot fights appealing to several different generations of audiences around the world. Mobile Suit Gundam was not the first anime series of its kind. In fact, it was pretty far from it, and devoted fans of the genre would be the first to make that known. The tried and true tropes of mecha anime were largely popularized elsewhere, with series like Mazinger Z and Space Battleship Yamato doing the heavy lifting in establishing the groundwork for mecha shows to follow. However, none can compare to the lasting popularity and impact of the Gundam franchise, which all started with 1979's Mobile Suit Gundam. And though the series came a bit later, it was still a pioneer in the mecha scene. The series established what's known as the "real robot" variant of the genre, in which the mechs are made with realistic constraints like fuel and animation, and serve as militaristic weapons that more or less adhere to real-world physics. Gundam did not exactly stick to that identity, as its mechs have taken on countless different shapes and forms throughout the many different entries in the franchise, though it did begin the "real robot" subgenre nonetheless. The series' popularity was amplified by the model kits of its mechs, which remain incredibly popular to this day. Gundam has since seen the release of nearly 20 TV anime series, as well as countless films, OVAs, and spin-offs, which has allowed the franchise to reach audiences of all ages around the world. 3 Sword Art Online Animated by A-1 Pictures, Based on the Novel Series by Reki Kawahara Sword Art Online, alongside being influential, is also one of the most divisive anime series of the 21st century, and there will surely be a few fans left agitated when its name is being thrown around with some of the all-time greats. Nevertheless, the impact the 2012 series had on the anime industry and fandom really cannot be overstated, and can still be felt in each passing anime season almost 15 years on from its premiere. Those who were not around to experience the peak of Sword Art Online's popularity likely won't understand just how massive the series was, and in the years that followed, isekai had its boom. Funnily enough, there are quite a few fans of the series adamant that Sword Art Online does not belong to the isekai genre, but its "other world" premise opened the door for the countless isekai titles that followed. Regardless of certain fans' feelings about isekai, the genre's dominance cannot be denied. Each passing anime season, viewers can expect at least five to ten isekai shows to hit the air, and Sword Art Online is largely to thank for that. While its video game world premise differs slightly from today's standard isekai fantasy, the series played a major role in the rise of alternate world stories in anime. 2 Neon Genesis Evangelion Animated by Gainax, Original Anime Series by Hideaki Anno Currently in the midst of a 30th anniversary celebration that has seen the theatrical re-release of its movies, the screening of a new short film, and the announcement of an all-new anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion is just as prominent a force in the anime industry as it's ever been. The 1995 apocalyptic sci-fi series by Hideaki Anno became a cultural phenomenon when it originally aired in Japan, and later captured the hearts of viewers around the world when it was delivered to various regions over the years. Rather than being boundary-pushing, which Evangelion still was in a number of ways, the series' greatest contribution was to the saving of anime as a whole. The 1990s are referred to as Japan's "Lost Decade", a period in which the asset price bubble of the '80s burst, giving way to a period of economic stagnation and low morale on the part of Japanese citizens. Anime, primarily seen as entertainment aimed at children aired during morning time slots, was shaping up to fall victim to the economic instability. Then, Neon Genesis Evangelion happened. Overnight, the series became a sensation, having been moved to the late-night TV time slot where anime continues to air today. The change allowed for the production of more mature content aimed at a larger audience, helping to ironically popularize the otaku culture Hideaki Anno was criticizing in his work. Evangelion remains a powerhouse in the anime industry it helped save. 1 Dragon Ball Z Animated by Toei Animation, Based on the Manga by Akira Toriyama Few anime franchises have ever enjoyed lasting mainstream success and such a dedicated following as Dragon Ball has throughout its 40-plus year history. Since his somewhat humble 1984 debut in Weekly Shōnen Jump, Goku has served as a primary mascot for anime and manga, even serving as an ambassador at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and has inspired generations of fans around the world. The series' initial run in Japan saw it become one of the most popular anime and manga titles in decades, influencing other artists like Naruto's Masashi Kishimoto and One Piece's Eiichiro Oda. When it arrived in North America during the late '90s and early 2000s, Dragon Ball Z helped to put anime on the map, landing on TVs and introducing a generation of kids to cartoons that were a little cooler and a lot bloodier than the shows they were used to. Less than a decade later, Dragon Ball Z Kai won over yet another generation of fans, before the series' mid-2010s renaissance with Dragon Ball Super once again captured the hearts of new viewers around the world. Later this year, Dragon Ball Super will return to screens nearly a decade after the conclusion of its climactic Tournament of Power, and is likely to once again win over a new generation of viewers. Dragon Ball's influence on the anime and manga industries can be found in just about any popular battle shōnen series, whether it be in straightforward references, subtle but stylish transformations, or in the countless goofy, kind-hearted, but overly powerful protagonists that define the genre. Countless shows have changed the course of anime history, but none have made the sort of impact Dragon Ball did. Release Date 1989 - 1996 Network Fuji TV Directors Daisuke Nishio, Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Osamu Kasai Cast Masako Nozawa Son Goku / Son Gohan / Son Goten (voice) Ryo Horikawa Vegeta (voice) Dragon Ball Z is the sequel series to Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball and continues the adventures of Goku. Along with his companions, Goku defends the Earth against various villains ranging from intergalactic space fighters and conquerors to powerful androids and nearly indestructible creatures Creator Akira Toriyama Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll Studio Toei Animation