Astro Boy (1963)
The originator of the art form, Astro Boy premiered on New Year’s Day 1963 with tales of a robotic boy who frequently found himself battling aliens, other robots, and humans who just did not appreciate humanoids. With eyes inspired by Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop, Astro Boy also started the now ubiquitous anime trend of robots that look just like humans.
8Man (1963)
In November of 1963, Japan’s first cyborg superhero 8Man arrived on television. A murdered police detective brought back to life with the help of cyborg technology, 8Man’s story bares an uncanny resemblance to that of the title character in Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop, and may have served as the inspiration.
Gigantor (1963)
Gigantor focused on a hulking, flying robot operated via remote control by 12-year-old Jimmy Sparks. The series originated the anime theme of giant, human-operated robots used for combat, and saw much of the violence of the original Japanese version edited out for the English-language edition.
Marine Boy (1965)
One of the earliest anime to be featured in colour, Marine Boy was set in a future where humans have established large underwater cities. The series centred on a skillful boy who used advanced technology like “oxy-gum” to patrol the ocean and keep it safe with the help of a topless young mermaid and a friendly dolphin.
Kimba the White Lion (1965)
The first anime centred largely around cute animals, Kimba followed a cub whose royal father was murdered, and his effort to protect his ancestral home from villains like Claw, a scarred lion that sought to become Jungle Emperor. Disney vehemently claims that any similarity between Kimba and The Lion King is purely coincidental.
Speed Racer (1967)
The enduring and still-popular Speed Racer was inspired by the flashiness of Elvis Presley’s race-car driving character in Viva Las Vegas and James Bond’s gadget-laden Aston Martin in Goldfinger. The trademark rapid dialogue of the series came from producers of the English-language version trying to fit plot points that took many English words to explain with the preexisting animated lip movements, haha!
Mazinger Z (1972)
Also known as Tranzor Z, Mazinger Z established all the elements of the “Giant Robot” genre as we now know it: large, weapon-filled robots with built-in cockpits for their user, separate vehicles coming together to form one entity, and all the stock character types now considered staples of the genre. There’d be no Transformers or Voltron without Mazinger Z.