10 Essential Cartoons from Classic-Era Toonami

Toonami was one of the most chill places to watch action cartoons. The Cartoon Network block embraced lo-fi beats and a sleek sci-fi setting. Hosted by the smooth-voiced Moltar and TOM, there was a chill atmosphere when compared to the more eccentric cartoon blocks on television.

While Toonami still exists today, it has continued more as a late-night block catered towards teens and adults. The classic era of Toonami, which existed from 1997 to 2008, was more of a haven for the younger crowd to discover action cartoons and anime. If you want to relive that experience, these are the Toonami toons that defined that block.

10

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

He-Man got a modern makeover with this reboot of the classic 1980s cartoon. Masters of the Universe featured returning writers Larry DiTillio and Michael Reaves, aiming to explore more of the fantasy-adventure world. The stylishly animated show had more serialized stories and revealing origins. So, if you’ve ever wondered how Skeletor got his skinless face, this show has the juicy details behind the villain’s most defining feature.

This series had a more exciting focus on action, as seen in the opening animation. Just as Prince Adam starts giving that familiar introduction speech, he’s cut off by the attacking forces of Skeletor. Far from the stiffness of the 1980s series, He-Man truly did have the power to be a strong addition to Toonami.

9

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing

As the first Gundam show to debut on Toonami, Gundam Wing was a provocative mixture of giant robot action, political lamentations, and pretty boys for the girls. Set in the future of After Colony 195, five teenage pilots are assigned Gundam mobile suits to fight for the independence of their respective space colonies. However, they’re quickly deceived in a shifting political landscape of imperialism, warfare, and artificial intelligence.

Gundam Wing felt like a more adult cartoon for Toonami, and not just because it aired an uncut version weeknights at midnight. You rarely saw a cartoon in the afternoon addressing the existential threat of drones and the emptiness of colonizing space. Coupled with the giant robot action and an orchestral score that lingers in the ears, Gundam Wing had a distinctly moody deviation from most action cartoons, paving the way for more Gundam in Toonami’s future.

8

Cyborg 009

Based on the classic manga by Shotaro Ishinomori, Cyborg 009 follows the adventures of nine individuals of different cultures being forced to become cyborgs. Created by the sinister Black Ghost, these armed cyborgs escape and rebel against the shadowy organization that made them. But there are other cyborgs they’ll have to defeat as they do battle with enhanced speed, flight, and machine-gun fingers.

As one of the freshest anime to grace Toonami so close to its Japanese broadcast, Cyborg 009 retains the classic style of Ishinomori’s manga but presents it with fluid and colorful animation. Cyborg 009 also has a more eclectic cast from various countries, presented far better than the comic’s stereotypes. While the series never finished its complete run on Toonami, it’s now available to watch in all its crisp anime glory on Prime Video.

7

Naruto

There was no missing Naruto Uzumaki, the young ninja dressed in bright orange. With big dreams of becoming a leader, he must defeat the toughest foes and ace his ninja exams. But we won’t have to fight alone when teamed up with his friends, including his rival Sasuke Uchiha and his crush Sakura Haruno.

With its high-spirited characters and abundance of fight scenes, Naruto left a lasting impact on the Toonami block. Debuting a few years after the end of Dragon Ball Z’s run, the ninja exploits amid a continuing story of rising to the top made the film a regular must-watch anime. In the following years, seeing at least a handful of anime con-goers costuming as Naruto characters was common. So, if you were ever curious about that phase in American anime culture, it’s worth checking out the TV series for a chance to see it and maybe “believe it.”

6

ThunderCats

ThunderCats was one of the first cartoons on the Toonami block and remained for longer than one might expect. Set on the alien planet of Third Earth, the remaining cat creatures of Thundera try to build a new home. But the planet they’ve landed on is a hive for great dangers, including the mystical forces of Mumm-Ra.

A campy affinity for ThunderCats made it the leader of old-school Toonami, which embraced older cartoons of the 1980s. Sure, there was stiff animation, silly character designs (the Berbils look like robot Ewoks), and the whining of Snarf sometimes became grating. But there was an old-fashioned sense of adventure, fantasy, and genre merging to make these anthropomorphic cat heroes fun to watch. You also can’t beat that theme song that encourages you to shout “HO!”

5

Yu Yu Hakusho

Yu Yu Hakusho had to be the ultimate wish-fulfillment for some kids who wanted to ditch school and fight demons. Teenager Yusuke Yurameshi goes from being a typical bully at school to a spirit detective for his noble sacrifice while saving a child’s life. With the aid of his friends, he seeks to bring the toughest supernatural targets to justice, even if it means competing in a deadly tournament with the terrifying human-turned-demon Toguro.

Originally airing first on Adult Swim, Yu Yu Hakusho soon migrated to Toonami, and it was a perfect fit. The characters were quirky, the supernatural politics of demon hunting were intriguing, and the fights were always stylish displays of fiery swords, energy blasts, and brute force punches. Think of it as the ruder and cruder uncle of Dragon Ball Z, having just as much fantastical action but with a mouth on it willing to talk more smack, becoming so revered that it garnered a live-action adaptation.

4

Justice League Unlimited

After the stellar Justice League series aired in Cartoon Network prime time slots, the sequel series, Justice League Unlimited, found a home in the Toonami lineup. The series continued with the superhero roster expanding to include characters like Supergirl and The Question. The team will face a tougher threat as Lex Luthor seeks the presidency, CADMUS develops countermeasures, and supervillains establish the Legion of Doom.

As the culmination of plotlines built through the Batman, Superman, and Batman Beyond cartoons, Unlimited was the ultimate payoff for this connected superhero universe. The characters became more complex, the writing more mature, and there was even room for silly detours like Wonder Woman turning into a pig or The Flash swapping minds with Lex Luthor. Combined with the eye-popping animation quality, this is easily the best superhero cartoon to grace television, let alone Cartoon Network.

3

Mobile Suit Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam changed the game with giant robot anime, shifting the format from campy superhero affairs to gritty warfare in the “real robot” subgenre. Set in the future of Universal Century 0079, Earth is at war with the independence of the space colonies, launching the One Year War between the Earth Federation and Principality of Zeon. The only hope for the Federation might be the Gundam, but it will have to be piloted by Amuro Ray, a teenager not ready to experience the horrors of war.

While Gundam Wing launched the Gundam appeal on Toonami, Mobile Suit Gundam showcased the real teeth of this franchise. For an anime made in 1979, the vicious storytelling and blunt displays of war’s inhumanity carried well. With memorable scenes of action and an orchestral score impossible to forget, it’s easy to see how this anime launched an entire brand of mecha anime, where it all started with a young Amuro climbing into the cockpit of a Gundam.

2

Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon did far more than appease the girl audience of Toonami for being a rarity of a woman-led superhero show. There was a relatable nature to the central hero of Usagi, an eccentric and accident-prone teenager trying to balance school, friendships, romance, and being a superhero. When magical monsters from another world strike, she transforms into the magically powered hero of Sailor Moon, aided by her fellow Sailor Scouts.

While the monster-of-the-week formula had its Power Rangers charm, the show’s real draw was the relatable comedy and drama of the teenage girls, made more real with a regular rotation of very 1990s outfits. The anime had a rough time making it onto American television, where localization forced the show to edit out the gay relationships and push in a moral with the “Sailor Says” PSA segments. Thankfully, you can now watch the entire series uncut on Pluto TV.

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1

Dragon Ball Z

The power levels of Dragon Ball Z are off the charts, becoming the most popular show on Toonami by a wide margin. Continuing from the events of Dragon Ball, this sequel anime finds the heroic Goku realizing he’s part of an alien race known as Saiyans. As aliens, androids, and wizards attack Earth, Goku trains harder to fight against these threats, reaching new levels of golden-haired glory and energy-blasting power.

Despite the Toonami audience not having seen Dragon Ball until much later, Dragon Ball Z’s fantastical world, colorful characters, and intense action made the show an easy draw. Goku’s brutal battles against antagonists like the murderous warlord Freiza and human-absorbing Cell were so thrilling that you had to tune in every weekday afternoon to discover what happened next. This anime launched a worldwide phenomenon that continued through various remakes, remasters, movies, video games, and an eventual sequel series. If you want to find an anime that defined classic-era Toonami, look no further than the show that rocked the dragon.

Toonami came to define an entire generation of anime appeal and offer a better home for action cartoons. Its legacy speaks for itself, as Gundam, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball Z are as iconic in North America as they are in Japan. Thanks to streaming, it’s now possible to relive those afternoons of rushing home to find out if Goku finally defeated Freiza and made it off the exploding planet.