Before there was streaming, there was cable television. With many fans' first exposure to anime being via Toonami's late night television programing block, Toonami is the primary reason why many people in their late 20s and early 30s are anime fans today.
For the most part, Toonami picked some amazing series that fans would call genre-defining. They weren't all winners, though, as evidenced by the fact that some of them have been forgotten by even Toonami super-fans. And there were others that really should have made their way onto the air, but didn't for one reason or another.
10 Shouldn't Have Aired: Superior Defender Gundam Force Lacked The Plot And Cool Designs The Franchise Was Known For
The Gundam franchise was fairly popular in America after Gundam Wing aired. The series had just the right amount of cool robot fights balanced with character development and political intrigue to appeal to the 12 to 16-year-old crowd. Other Gundam series like G Gundam continued this trend.
However, Superior Defender appealed to a far younger audience than those who had already grown up watching Gundam and therefore missed the mark. Set in Neotopia, it featured a collection of heroes known as the Super Dimensional Guard fighting against the power of the Dark Axis. Toonami's run only lasted for 26 episodes instead of the full 52, failing to leave an impression on even the most die-hard Gundam fans.
9 Should Have Aired: Ranma ½ Was A Masterclass In Comedy And One Of The Most Popular Series Of The 90s
Before Rumiko Takahashi’s Inuyasha, there was another legendary anime series she had created called Ranma ½. Ranma ½ was about a martial artist named Ranma Saotome who was cursed to transform into a girl whenever he was splashed with cold water.
The series mixed martial arts action with comedy and romance, running for nearly 200 episodes. This series was actually quite popular in America on VHS and DVD, but never aired on Toonami. This is presumably because of the strict censorship restrictions they would have run into.
8 Shouldn't Have Aired: Blue Submarine No. 6 Would Have Been Much Better On Adult Swim
How many people even remember that Blue Submarine No. 6 aired on Toonami? The series was a four episode OVA from Gonzo that was based on a manga series. It mixed regular animation with CG animation, something that’s considerably more mainstream now.
It took place at a time when Earth had been flooded by a mad scientist who was trying to wipe out the rest of humanity. The story was rather mature for its time, and went over the heads of Toonami's main demographic. It would have been more at home on Adult Swim.
7 Should Have Aired: Martian Successor Nadesico Would Have Been A Great Mecha Parody Series
Martian Successor Nadesico actually did air on Toonami... but for only three episodes. Toonami aired the first few episodes of four different mecha anime over the course of a week as part of their Giant Robot Week. Being a major giant robot anime of the 1990s, Nadesico was one of them.
Nadesico takes place in the far future where humanity is at war with a group of aliens known as the Jovian Lizards. The plot takes a backstage as most of it is a parody of the super robot anime genre. Something like this would have fit Toonami quite well despite not making the cut.
6 Shouldn't Have Aired: Hamtaro Was Too Different From The Action And Comedy Series Fans Had Gotten Used To
Hamtaro was perhaps one of the weirder series to air on Toonami. It started airing in June 2002 and stopped airing in October 2002. That's barely 5 months. This suggests that this show was incredibly unpopular.
Unsurprisingly, Toonami fans were used to Gundam Wing, Robotech, Dragon Ball Z, and Sailor Moon, and none of them wanted to see a show about the adventures of talking hamsters. Hamtaro was massively popular in Japan, but it failed to make a mark on Toonami.
5 Should Have Aired: Zeta Gundam Would Have Helped The Universal Century Become More Popular In America
Toonami was so taken with Gundam that they didn’t stop with the airing Gundam Wing. They moved on to air a bunch of early era Universal Century series like Gundam 0080 and Gundam 08th MS Team. By 2003, they managed to acquire Gundam 0083 as well and began airing it on Adult Swim.
Meanwhile, the original Gundam series aired on Toonami... until 9/11 happened and the series was pulled due to themes of war and violence. Unfortunately, the series was never able to finish its run. This meant that the far superior Zeta Gundam never got to make its way onto US airwaves.
4 Shouldn't Have Aired: .hack//Sign Was A Little Too Slow-Paced
.hack//Sign would have been perfect for Adult Swim. Delving into issues of anxiety and using video games as a form of escapism, it’s a series that would have no trouble standing out from among even a sea of isekai.
The main character is Tsukasa, who finds himself lost in an MMO known as The World. Instead of focusing on cool action or having Tsukasa get hit on a bunch, it’s all about solving the mysteries of The World and getting to the bottom of how Tsukasa got lost in there in the first place.
3 Should Have Aired: Magic Knight Rayearth Merged Magical Girls With Giant Robots
Magic Knight Rayearth was CLAMP’s first major anime success. They had tons of them over the years, but Rayearth is fondly remembered for its unique premise and visual style. The series followed a trio of eighth-grade girls who are teleported to another world where they have to help rescue a princess.
While Toonami was largely aimed at young boys, this could have been a hit with both boys and girls as the series had both giant robots and magical girls fighting against evil. The series was fairly popular in the US, but airing on Toonami would have catapulted its popularity to the whole new level.
2 Shouldn't Have Aired: Tenchi in Tokyo Was One Tenchi Too Many.
Tenchi in Tokyo, known as Shin Tenchi Muyo! in Japan, is easily the worst of all the Tenchi Muyo series. Tenchi Muyo! OVA and Tenchi Universe both have a certain appeal to them for being some of the earliest harem series. While their stories are similar, they are just different enough from one another to enjoy them both.
But Tenchi in Tokyo doesn’t even make sense as the girls hang out with Tenchi not because he’s an alien prince from the Masaki group, but for no discernable reason whatsoever. Anything would have filled the harem slot, Love Hina, Urusei Yatsura... you name it.
1 Should Have Aired: Patlabor Was A Great Mecha Comedy Series
A lot of picks people had for Toonami back in the day simply wouldn’t have fit due to what was deemed acceptable on children’s television in the 90s. A series like Dragon Ball Z was already considered overly violent, even with all the blood edited out. Patlabor, however, would have been just fine as it was more of a comedy.
The series was about cops who dealt with giant robot crime... with giant robots of their own. Not only was the series was a great comedy, it would have fit in perfectly with all the other giant robot anime airing at the time.