For an entire generation of American anime fans, Toonami was the mecca of anime. Before the age of streaming, if you wanted to watch anime on television, Toonami was the place to go, introducing and popularizing some of the most iconic anime of its era. Even if you’re not an anime fan, Toonami also had its own slew of original programming that catered to Western tastes that have gone on to become cult classics among millennials and Gen Z.
While most people think that several of the block’s most prolific titles, like Yu Yu Hakusho (1992) or Sailor Moon (1992), premiered on Toonami, that isn’t entirely the case. Many titles also premiered on Toonami’s sister programming block, Adult Swim, or moved to Toonami from Saturday morning cartoons. In honor of the longevity of Toonami, and to celebrate its recent redesign, I look back at the 10 best cartoons associated with the block and let you know how to watch them, whether on Crunchyroll, HBO Max, or other platforms.
Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996)
Probably the most important show to appear on Toonami has to be Dragon Ball Z. While it premiered on other channels before making its way to Toonami, it wasn’t until it reached Cartoon Network’s anime block in 1998 that its popularity finally took hold, and more people began to watch it.
The story of Son Goku has become intrinsic to the entire anime community and established trends that can be seen in shows like Fairy Tail (2009) and My Hero Academia (2016), with iconic moments, like Goku’s Kamehameha, Spirit Bomb, and Super Saiyan transformation, ingraining themselves in popular culture around the world. Dragon Ball has always had a home on Toonami, and thanks to numerous entries like the original, Z, GT, Kai, Super, and the recent Daima, the franchise now spans hundreds of episodes and dozens of movies. You simply can’t have Toonami without Dragon Ball Z, and you can’t have the modern-day anime community without it, either. It balances comedy, action, and drama in such a way that anyone can easily hop into it and get hooked by the drama Goku and his friends end up in.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Wing (1995)
There’s no denying that Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the most prolific anime franchises of all time. While it has existed since 1979, it wasn’t until Mobile Suit Gundam: Wing premiered on Toonami in 2000 that the series finally aired in the West and was a smash hit for Cartoon Network. Young otaku like myself were then exposed to the story of a quintet of protagonists and the intergalactic war they’re forced to fight in, and we wanted more of the grand interconnected conflicts that Mobile Suit Gundam would be known for.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Wing aired in two different time slots, an edited version for daytime television and an uncut version for late-night airings, giving audiences a choice of whether they wanted to see tamer violence or be exposed to the more overt and definitely not child-friendly anti-war messages that define the series. It was the first time Westerners had truly encountered an anime space opera, one that ran for 49 episodes and drew inspiration from shows like Space Pirate Captain Harlock (1978) and would later influence shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995). If you want to go down the Gundam rabbit hole, give Mobile Suit Gundam: Wing a try!
Teen Titans (2003-2006)
Toonami wasn’t just the home of anime. Cartoon Network would also debut several teen-oriented shows over the course of its history. One of the most popular titles was Teen Titans, to the point where fans are still clamoring for a revival after a critically acclaimed five-season run.
The show is a reinvention of the DC superhero team of the same name, injecting an anime aesthetic into classic superhero fare and modernizing the line-up of heroes that popularized the team in the 1980s. Each week, viewers watched Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy use their powers to defeat a whole host of villains, sometimes in one-and-done episodes, and other times, in multi-episode arcs, becoming a smash hit on the block thanks to its successful blending of Western and Eastern animation styles. It’s dark like Batman: The Animated Series (1992), yet still manages to be lighthearted like Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005). If you’re looking for an anime-inspired action series with some Western sensibilities, then start watching the series on Prime Video.
Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006)
One of Cartoon Network’s most successful shows in the early 2000s was Justice League, and while that series did not originate on Toonami, its sequel series, Justice League Unlimited, did. The original series was supposed to end after the second season, but because of its popularity and an attempt to get new viewers interested, Justice League was rebranded into Unlimited, switched over to Toonami, and continued to receive critical acclaim and adulation from fans.
There was a shift in focus from each show, though, with Unlimited spending more of its time on the expanded Justice League members, like Black Canary, Aquaman, and Mister Terrific, and the adventures they would get involved in as opposed to the core League members, like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The adventures were still serious, but the stakes felt much less dire, which at times invokes a fever dream mix between Superman: The Animated Series (1996), Static Shock (2000), and even Gargoyles (1994), and makes it more accessible to general audiences.
Megas XLR (2004-2005)
Arguably one of the most underrated shows on Toonami, Megas XLR is the perfect embodiment of what made the block so desirable. Like Teen Titans, it blended anime aesthetics with Western sensibilities and combined what people love most about Mobile Suit Gundam: Wing and American cartoons: giant robots and slapstick!
The series follows two slackers from New Jersey, Coop and Jamie, as they find a giant robot from the future called Megas and outfit its cockpit with Coop’s car, allowing Coop to drive Megas and fight against alien invaders and giant monsters. The humor was definitely low-brow, but as a Jersey man myself, I couldn’t help but love how dumb and out-there it was, coming across at times like a more kid-friendly version of The Venture Bros. (2003). While the series was never as acclaimed as its contemporaries, it has a strong cult following. Fans have been craving its return since its cancellation in 2005. So, go support the show on Apple TV+ and maybe we’ll get a revival!
Naruto (2007-2017)
Another shonen anime that was introduced to the West, like Dragon Ball Z, thanks to Toonami was Naruto, a series about a plucky ninja named Naruto Uzumaki who wants nothing more than to become the leader, or Hokage, of his village, but has to overcome rival ninjas and evil organizations to do so.
Unlike Dragon Ball Z, which had earlier dubs and releases before appearing on Toonami, Naruto debuted on the block in 2005, meaning it had a sizable hand in exposing the series to the West. It’s a series filled with plenty of creative powers, delicious bad guys, and some of the best rivalries ever seen in an anime. It, alongside One Piece (1999) and Bleach (2004), defined their era and plenty of anime series since have drawn inspiration from Naruto, like Black Clover (2017), My Hero Academia, and even newer shows like Gachiakuta(2025), because of how perfect it is at appealing to teenage boys thanks to its action, large cast, and emotionally relatable protagonist.
Space Dandy (2014)
In 2008, amid declining ratings, Toonami went off the air, but it returned with a vengeance in 2012 with a renewed interest in airing original anime to compete with the now-growing and highly influential Crunchyroll. One of the first, and biggest titles, to be released was Space Dandy, which Shinichirō Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop (1998), directed.
While Bebop was more poignant and character-driven, Space Dandy prioritizes comedy first and foremost as it follows Dandy throughout the universe, mostly trying to earn enough money to go to his favorite sex-themed restaurant and oftentimes failing in the process. The series doesn’t take itself seriously in the slightest, and that easygoing sense of fun permeates throughout each episode. It can still have those dramatic sensibilities from Bebop, but it also takes a lot of inspiration from shows like Space Adventure Cobra (1982) and The Irresponsible Captain Tyler (1993). If you want a silly and laid-back space comedy that’s only around 24 episodes long, then Space Dandy is a perfect fit for you.
FLCL (2018, 2023)
While FLCL (2000) originally debuted on Adult Swim instead of Toonami, after the block’s revival in 2012, FLCL made its way over and served as the home not only for the original six-episode series, but also for the four sequel series that premiered on Toonami from 2018 to 2023.
The five seasons that make up FLCL are all coming-of-age stories, usually assisted or kick-started by the eccentric ball of energy Haruko, that lambast Western tropes and typically feature a lot of weird and surreal imagery, like giant irons, robots growing out of people’s heads, and Vespas that would feel right at home in shows like The Tatami Galaxy (2010) or Punch Line (2015). Each season varies wildly in terms of tone, with the first season being a mile-a-minute comedy and a season like FLCL: Progressive being quieter and contemplative. If you want to see something completely bizarre, emotionally poignant, and take big swings at big topics, any of the five seasons of FLCL will work.
Samurai Jack (2001-2017)
Much like FLCL, Samurai Jack didn’t actually premiere on Toonami, but on Adult Swim. Its popularity would cause it to leave that block and appear all over Cartoon Network in the mid-2000s, including Toonami, earning critical acclaim for its sleek action reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa and striking animation that would inspire shows like Blue Eye Samurai (2023). Nearly a decade later, it was announced that Samurai Jack would return for a fifth season, and it would be exclusive to Toonami.
The season picks up half a century after Season 4, with Jack, unable to age, slowly going mad with no means of defeating the demon Aku. The fifth season is noticeably darker than any of the earlier seasons, but it also contains some of the show’s most triumphant and beautiful moments, mostly centering on the romance that develops between Jack and Ashi, an assassin who worships Aku. You wouldn’t expect such a dark action show to have a beautiful romance inside it, but it’s one of the best things about the fifth season, as well as how cathartic the ending is for longtime fans of the series and action fans in general. If you love Samurai Jack or animated action shows, you need to see the fifth season ASAP.
Ninja Kamui (2024)
The impact of Toonami has diminished in recent years, but it still can produce several shows that manage to be a hit not only on TV but also when they appear on HBO Max shortly after their debut. Case in point, Ninja Kamui.
Created by Sunghoo Park and channeling a lot of the same style of violence from his earlier shows Garo: Vanishing Line (2017) and Jujutsu Kaisen (2020), the series follows a ninja named Higan, who attempts to escape his clan and start a new life for himself with his wife Mari. His clan eventually tracks him down and kills his wife and child, sending Higan, now known as Joe, on a path of bloody vengeance. This leads to some excellent action set pieces and wonderful fight choreography, making the series a visceral thrill ride that is stuffed to the brim with excellent sakuga. It may be a bit light on characterization, but because the action is so good, you can easily overlook it. Given the show was confirmed to receive a second and third season, there is plenty of opportunity for growth and emotional evolution.
