8 Classic Anime Shows That Are Still Better Than Most New Series

Image via Crunchyroll Published Sep 6, 2026, 8:21 AM EDT Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. Sign in to your Collider account Anime is more popular than it has ever been, and viewers will also say it is better than it ever was before. Series like Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Jujutsu Kaisen have made anime a worldwide sensation, pushing the bounds of creativity. The animation is impeccable, and the direction is incredible, but is this the best of the best, or can some classics still hang with the newer series despite modern tastes and technological improvement? Even though modern anime is popular, it misses a lot of what was good about the originals, which is why this list will feature eight classic anime series that are still better than most new series. Based on aspects such as staying power, writing, animation, influence, rewatchability, fan opinion, critical acclaim, and overall quality, these anime shows weren't just good for their time; they are ageless masterpieces that put modern anime in their place. For an anime to be considered a classic on this list, it had to have come out anytime before the 2010s. 8 'Maison Ikkoku' (1986–1988) Image via Studio Deen One of the best anime genres is romance, and while it has evolved quite a bit, there is nothing better than a classic love story, and that is exactly what Maison Ikkoku delivers. The titular boarding house is home to many eccentric characters, and at his limit with their shenanigans, Yuusaku is about to move out. However, after meeting the new manager, he falls madly in love, now deciding to stay there a bit longer. A lot of romance anime either takes things too slow with no meaningful change or tries to rush things, and while Maison Ikkoku is a slow burn, it also acts as a wholesome and realistic slice-of-life anime. It isn't just a fluffy love story; it captures the bittersweet realities of life and relationships with a mature focus. Maison Ikkoku isn't a high school romance; it is a sophisticated and compelling romance that is better than most newer love stories. 7 'Bleach' (2004–Present) Image via Pierrot The Big Three are some of the most popular anime series of all time, and while the other two are just as popular, this list has opted to feature Bleach because of its modern-day resurgence. Ichigo is a normal high schooler, except for the fact that he can talk to ghosts. When he meets a Soul Reaper and borrows her powers, he is thrust into the world of the supernatural where he must protect his friends and town from new dangers. Even decades after its peak popularity, when Bleach returned, it became one of the best modern anime shows, proving the classic is better than most new series. With one of the best anime power systems, this series instantly hooked viewers, showcasing the rule of cool and unmatched style it possesses. Bleach is also an influential anime in the modern landscape, proving its importance while remaining better than everything it inspired. 6 'Great Teacher Onizuka' (1999–2000) Image via Pierrot Comedy changes every decade, maybe even every year, meaning it is hard for some shows to age well after some things become offensive or just not funny. However, Great Teacher Onizuka transcends time, not losing a step. The titular teacher is starting his first gig, but he is thrown to the wolves, with a classroom full of manipulative brats. Luckily, his days as a yakuza might be exactly what is needed to straighten these kids out. Some aspects of Great Teacher Onizuka definitely didn't age well, but the fact remains that no other anime series balances its tone of comedic genius, silliness, and maturity as well as this show. This anime touches on serious topics such as bullying and suicide with nuance, genuinely providing profound discussion then quickly shifting to ridiculous humor, in a good way. Great Teacher Onizuka is one of a kind, and an anime that no modern-day comedy can match. 5 'Cowboy Bebop' (1998–1999) Image via Sunrise There are some classic anime that are simply better than modern shows, and then there are some which have been impossible to try and replicate: Cowboy Bebop falls into the latter. Spike Spiegel and his team of bounty hunters spend their days cleaning up the galaxy of crime filth, but when his dark past resurfaces, he must tackle it head-on or risk putting himself and his friends in danger. Cowboy Bebop is a distinct anime that blends neo-noir with sci-fi, Hong Kong action, and jazz music, creating one of the most unique anime of all time. It is a timeless recipe that no modern series has found the secret formula for, making it a truly special show. Some modern anime have perfect episodes, but every single episode of Cowboy Bebop is an art form in its purest form, concluding with one of the best finales ever put to screen. Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you'd actually make it out of alive. 💊The Matrix 🔥Mad Max 🌧️Blade Runner 🏜️Dune 🚀Star Wars TEST YOUR SURVIVAL → 01 You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one. APull on every thread until I understand the system — then figure out how to break it. BStop asking questions and start stockpiling — food, fuel, weapons. Questions don't keep you alive. CKeep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who's pulling the strings. DStudy the patterns. Every system has a rhythm — learn it, and you learn how to survive it. EFind the people fighting back and join them. You can't fix a broken galaxy alone. NEXT QUESTION → 02 In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires. AKnowledge. If you understand the system, you don't need resources — you can generate them. BFuel. Everything else — movement, power, escape — runs on it. CTrust. In a world of fakes and informants, a truly reliable ally is rarer than any commodity. DWater. And after water, information — the two things empires are truly built on. EShips and credits. The galaxy is big — you survive it by being able to move through it freely. NEXT QUESTION → 03 What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of. AThat reality itself is a lie — that everything I experience has been constructed to keep me compliant. BA raid. No warning, no mercy — just the roar of engines and then nothing left. CBeing identified. Once someone with power decides you're a problem, you're already out of time. DBeing outmanoeuvred — losing a political game I didn't even know I was playing. EThe Empire tightening its grip until there's nowhere left to run. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you deal with authority you don't trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything. ASubvert it from the inside — learn its rules well enough to weaponise them against it. BIgnore it and stay out of its reach. The further from any power structure, the better. CAppear to comply while doing exactly what I need to do. Visibility is the enemy. DManoeuvre within it carefully. You can't beat a system you refuse to understand. EResist openly when I have to. Some things are worth the risk of being seen. NEXT QUESTION → 05 Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn't just tactical — it's physical, psychological, and very much about where you are. AUnderground bunkers and server rooms — cramped, artificial, but with access to everything that matters. BOpen wasteland — brutal sun, no shelter, constant movement. At least the threat is honest. CA dense, rain-soaked city where you can disappear into the crowd and nobody asks questions. DMerciless desert — extreme heat, no water, and something enormous living beneath the sand. EThe fringe — backwater planets and busy spaceports where the Empire's attention rarely reaches. NEXT QUESTION → 06 Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are. AA tight crew of believers who've seen behind the curtain and have nothing left to lose. BOne or two people I'd trust with my life. Any more than that and someone talks. CNobody, ideally. Alliances are liabilities. I work alone unless I have no choice. DA community bound by shared hardship and mutual survival — people who need each other to last. EA ragtag team with wildly different skills and total commitment when it counts. NEXT QUESTION → 07 Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they're actually made of. AI won't harm the innocent — even the ones who'd report me without hesitation. BI do what I have to to protect the people I've chosen. Everything else is negotiable. CThe line shifts depending on who's asking and what's at stake. DI draw a long-term line — nothing that compromises my people's future, even if it'd help now. ESome lines, once crossed, can't be uncrossed. I know which ones they are. NEXT QUESTION → 08 What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another. AWaking others up — dismantling the illusion so no one else has to live inside it. BFinding somewhere — or someone — worth protecting. A reason to keep moving. CAnswers. Understanding what I am, what any of this means, before time runs out. DLegacy — shaping the future in a way that outlasts me by generations. EFreedom — for myself, for others, for every world still living under someone else's boot. REVEAL MY WORLD → Your Fate Has Been Calculated You'd Survive In…Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for. The MatrixYou took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things. You're drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it. You'd find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines' worst nightmare. You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it. The Matrix built an airtight prison. You'd be the one probing the walls for the door. Mad MaxThe wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you. You don't need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon. You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you're good at all three. You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider. In the wasteland, that distinction is everything. Blade RunnerYou'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely. You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer. In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional. You're not a hero. But you're not lost, either. In Blade Runner's world, that distinction is everything. DuneArrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards. Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they're survival tools. You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory. Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You'd learn its logic and earn its respect. In time, you wouldn't just survive Arrakis — you'd begin to reshape it. Star WarsThe galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way. You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion. You'd gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire's grip can be broken. You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn't something you're capable of. In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 4 'Monster' (2004–2005) Image via Madhouse Naoki Urasawa is a prolific manga author, and while he has a handful of anime adaptations, one classic masterpiece is a landmark of the medium. Monster follows Dr. Tenma, who saves the life of a child, only for that same kid to become a serial killer in the future. Taking matters into his own hands, Tenma plans to kill Johan, but will he be able to do it after learning about his dark and tragic past? Monster is a perfect anime thriller, embodying everything great about the genre and then some, making it a blueprint that modern anime try to follow. However, no matter what new thriller or mystery anime comes out, it is never better than Monster, and that is because of its patient storytelling. Nothing can live up to the tension and shocking plot of this anime, especially modern anime that focus on flashy animation and overly dramatic storytelling. 3 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' (1995–1996) Image via TV Tokyo The modern anime landscape often ignores avant-garde series, and for that reason, the most popular of the genre, Neon Genesis Evangelion, is better than any new show. With the world facing its third apocalypse event, the only hope for humanity is Shinji and some other teenagers in mechs. However, he first needs to win a battle against himself and his inner demons before fighting the angel-like aliens that wish to destroy Earth. A lot of modern anime don't dare to spice things up and be innovative, and that is why anime original masterpieces like Neon Genesis Evangelion still thrive. Its imaginative and unique narrative redefined multiple genres and forms of storytelling, cementing a historic legacy that new series can't even comprehend. Neon Genesis Evangelion had such flawless animation for its time, with a perfect hand-drawn style that newer animation simply can't compete with. 2 'Ashita no Joe' (1970–1981) Image via Mushi Production A classic can be subjective, because many of the anime on this list are from the 2000s, which some might still consider new, but the oldest series featured, from the 1970s, is undoubtedly a classic. Ashita no Joe is about the titular character, who starts as nothing but a street punk. However, when a former boxer notices his potential, he trains him for the ring; first, Joe needs to serve his time in prison before he conquers any ring. The animation is definitely old and won't resonate with some viewers, but the story is one of the best and still unique for the sports genre. Ashita no Joe is somehow a distinct story despite being over fifty years old. Mature, grounded, intriguing, and tragic don't begin to describe this golden-era boxing story that features some of the best character development in the medium. Ashita no Joe still packs a punch for an old fighter, but its knockout story and chilling vibe are enough to beat any new sports anime. Image via Bones Inc. Some probably don't classify it as a classic anime, but considering Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood came out in the 2000s, albeit in 2009, it is eligible for this list. Ed and Al lose parts or all of their bodies in a taboo alchemical experiment, prompting them to go on an adventure to find the philosopher's stone. However, all they uncover is a government conspiracy that threatens to consume the world if they don't intervene. Many viewers claim Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the best anime series of all time, and with a title like that, it is almost impossible for new shows to compete. Barely any modern anime has a self-contained story that perfectly wraps up. Even older shows don't have this, proving how rare Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is. It has everything anyone could ever want in an anime, and that fact alone is why no new series could ever live up to what this anime built.