Many popular Western animations are anime-inspired. Since Japan is known for making extremely successful animated series, Western cartoon companies began to make similar products in terms of their visual style and fantastical themes.
Cartoon Network, in particular, began to show anime and plenty of shows that were anime-inspired. Most anime fans can thank that channel for introducing them to the genre in the first place. Now, the people who grew up with anime are making their own shows. Some anime-inspired Western shows are recent, and others may need to be dusted off.
Updated by Lauren Turner on September 9, 2022: American cartoons are a heavily popular television genre, and many prevalent cartoons have been inspired by Japanese animation. With anime becoming more and more mainstream, new fans and longtime fans alike will want to know which American cartoons have been influenced by anime. We’ve revamped this list with even more information.
15 Voltron: Legendary Defender
8 seasons, 76 episodes
Voltron: Legendary Defender is a 21st-century incarnation of Voltron that looks like it was done by anime artists. Yet, the production of the Netflix series took place in the United States. Voltron: Legendary Defender proudly honored its heritage with a combination of two-dimensional animation and CGI.
Voltron: Legendary Defender also expanded on the characters like anime typically does. The show isn't merely about Robeasts and Voltron's blazing sword — it also features plots about heroism, feminism, and even LGTBQ+ experiences. It's an action-adventure show that's also space opera.
14 Ultimate Spider-Man
4 seasons, 104 episodes
At one time the longest-running show on Disney XD, Ultimate Spider-Man had a different feel than its predecessors. It didn't take itself as seriously as the others. The fact of the matter is, Spidey was the one who made it happen.
Spider-Man's fourth wall asides to the audience, forecasting his future through dream balloons, and his big-eyed emotional reactions all pointed back to anime. Then there was the sound of a screeching monkey every time something bad or surprising happened. It is one of the best, if not the weirdest, animated incarnations of the Wall-Crawler yet.
13 Batman: The Brave And The Bold
3 seasons, 65 episodes
The still-frame knockout punch is a standard of anime. It was seen as early as Speed Racer. Decades later, The Powerpuff Girls utilized the style in their show. Another Cartoon Network program that took advantage of it was Batman: The Brave And The Bold.
At least once in an episode, Batman was shown in a still frame knocking out an enemy. On top of that, the characters were drawn and voiced in a style reminiscent of anime. In other words, they had the broadest shoulders to go with the brashest of characteristics.
12 Frankenstein Jr. And The Impossibles
2 seasons, 18 episodes
It's not hard to see the anime influence in the Hanna-Barbera superhero that is featured in Frankenstein Jr. And The Impossibles. An internet search on Gigantor reveals the similarities between these two robotic powerhouses. Even the characters between the two shows are similar.
In Gigantor, the robot is controlled by and friends with Jimmy Sparks. In Frankenstein Jr., it's child scientist Buzz Conroy who teams with the metal hero. On top of this, both shows feature inventor fathers who help their sons maintain their respective robots.
11 ThunderCats
4 seasons, 65 episodes
If someone were to tune into the syndicated cartoon ThunderCats during its 1985 premiere, they would've thought it was an excellent anime import. However, if they stayed through the credits, they might have been shocked to see it was distributed by Rankin-Bass, the same company that produced some of the most famous holiday programs.
While ThunderCats was animated in Japan, it was produced and voiced in America. Thus, it wasn't edited for violent content or foul language. All in all, it was America's to enjoy as Lion-O and his compatriots tried to survive.
10 Avatar: The Last Airbender
3 seasons, 61 episodes
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a show that first comes to mind as a Western show with obvious anime styles. Not only were all the fantasy nations based on various Asian cultures, but the big mouths and eyes of the characters are directly from anime. Thus, the faces were able to be very exaggerated when showing different emotions.
There were also many references to Asian schools of thought such as Buddhism and Shinto. Reincarnation was also a big deal in the story, which is seen more in anime than in average Western cartoons. Obviously, The Legend of Korra is also anime-inspired.
9 Steven Universe
6 seasons, 160 episodes
Steven Universe is not shy about how it was inspired by anime. Various episodes have even referenced anime such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Captain Harlock, and Cowboy Bebop. The show creator, Rebecca Sugar, has shared various times that she watched many anime growing up, such as One Piece, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Detective Conan.
Sugar was especially inspired by how Utena played with gender expectations, which fans also see much of in Steven Universe. Utena has been referenced in the show by various fights, angles, and how Steven draws Rose's sword out of Lions' head.
8 RWBY
9 seasons, 106 episodes
Considering whether RWBY is an anime or just inspired by anime depends on whether viewers define it as a product that has to come out of Japan or not. RWBY has everything an anime has, except it is an American show.
Another complicated matter as to whether RWBY is indeed that specific genre or just based on an anime is that it is also based on a web series that was drawn by a manga artist. This is why many refer to this show as an "American anime."
7 Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi
3 seasons, 39 episodes
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi is one of the shows viewers need to blow the dust off of, as it aired from 2004 to 2006. The cartoon was based on a real Japanese pop duo, Puffy AmiYumi, who have exaggerated differences in style and personalities.
The visual style was obviously anime-influenced as shown by the large eyes, big mouths, colorful hair, and exaggerated expressions. Due to being based on a Japanese pop duo and its style, it is easy to mistake Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi for an anime from Japan.
6 Samurai Jack
5 seasons, 62 episodes
Many different genres can be seen in Samurai Jack, such as the storytelling that is utilized in silent films, film noir, and comic books. However, Samurai Jack also took inspiration from anime. The show explores many strange and futuristic worlds, like from the anime movie Akira.
In numerous interviews, Genndy Tartakovsky has explained his fascination with the samurai and how that led him to create Samurai Jack. He was inspired by the fight scenes in Kung Fu films and classic anime. While it is definitely more inspired by samurai culture, there is no denying some anime-inspired fights and settings in this cartoon.
5 The Powerpuff Girls
6 seasons, 78 episodes
Fans can tell that The Powerpuff Girls was inspired by anime just by looking into the huge bug eyes of the three little girls, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. The Powerpuff Girls was one of many cartoons of its time that took hints from Japanese animation styles and themes.
In a way, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup seemed almost "chibi," which is a Japanese term for a style where something has a huge head and big eyes. This animation choice certainly dialed up the cute factor of these superheroes.
4 She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power
5 seasons, 52 episodes
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power is an incredibly successful reboot that may have owed some of its success to its anime inspiration. The visuals are very much like what's featured in the genre — namely, the big eyes, big mouth, and She-Ra's long flowing locks of hair.
Interviews have revealed that a lot of the animation team for She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power was inspired by Japanese creators, which went into the show. The transformation sequence from Adora to She-ra is definitely magical-girl influenced.
3 Winx Club
8 seasons, 208 episodes
The visual style of Winx Club was a mix of European and Japanese elements. The characters' designs were based on popular celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears at the start of the 21st century. In terms of themes, Winx Club is very much like an anime magical girl show.
Like a lot of anime, Winx Club also has a very vast universe for a kids' program as the characters travel to different dimensions. The show still attracts the cosplay community and appears at fan conventions. In 2021, Netflix released a live-action series called Fate: The Winx Saga, which is based on the original Nickelodeon cartoon.
2 Castlevania
4 seasons, 32 episodes
Castlevania is a Netflix show that can easily be mistaken for an anime due to its incredibly dark themes and style. The show is aimed at adults and is a dark fantasy action series. Castlevania is based on a video game of the same name with anime-like character designs.
It's no secret that the animation staff for Castlevania loves anime and put their passion into the show. Castlevania is produced by Frederator Studios, and the animation team consists of people with experience working in Japan's animation industry.
1 Teen Titans
5 seasons, 65 episodes
The original Teen Titans cartoon was incredibly good; it was based on the eponymous DC comic books. Fans can thank anime for inspiring the creators of this cartoon series, Glen Murakami, David Slack and Sam Register. Like in anime, characters' facial expressions are exaggerated with large mouths and eyes.
Furthermore, in the Teen Titans cartoon, the characters' hair was more colorful and styled differently than in the comics. Raven's black hair turned purple, Jinx and Kole got pink hair, and Robin, Beast Boy, and Kid Flash had spiky hair-dos.