Frequently Asked Questions

- Why is this limited to only 1995 to 2020?

There are SEVERAL quintessential anime that released before 1995. Right off the bat here's ten: Dragon Ball, Mobile Suit Gundam, Sailor Moon, Lupin the 3rd, Fist of the North Star, Urusei Yatsura, Ashita no Joe, The Irresponsible Captain Tylor, The Rose of Versailles, and Macross. But there are two reasons why I put the start point at 1995:

1. I wanted the start point to be the year that Neon Genesis Evangelion released. If Cowboy Bebop is the Citizen Kane of anime, then Neon Genesis Evangelion is Casablanca. Evangelion changed the way anime was made and released, end of discussion.

2. Before 1998, my knowledge and experience with anime gets hazy. With the 2000s, I can make clean cut assumptions even without seeing the series. I can't, or rather I shouldn't, do that with most 20th century anime.

TL;DR - Anime made before 1995 are important, but I am not the person that should be making that list.

- Why is there a "No Movies" rule?

Simple: they don't need our help in preserving their classic status.

In North America, Studio Ghibli films are re-released in theaters every year. The filmographies of Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Hosoda and Makoto Shinkai are all well-known. Akira, Ghost in the Shell and A Silent Voice all have the popularity and prestige that they deserve. So besides those, as well as movies that are connected to TV shows like Evangelion and Haruhi Suzumiya, what movies from 1995 to 2020 are essential to the point that they should be included? Redline and Promare. Anything else would probably go in the More list.

Ten years ago, a list like this probably would have included films. But with the rise of both cinephiles and anime fans, I think movies will be fine without our help.

- Why are OVAs shorter than 6 episodes not allowed?

FLCL needed to be included. Full stop. It's an OVA but for the English-speaking world it aired as a TV series on Adult Swim. So 6 episodes is the cut-off point to keep as much hentai off the lists as possible.

- Why are there only 98 anime in the 100 More Anime?

Let me explain how the list was formed. After scrolling through every anime made from 1995-2020, I had 184 shows. I chose the 100 shows that I felt belonged in the Essential list and put the rest in the More list. I showed these lists to several people, and through those conversations they suggested 14 shows for me to add. Actually, they suggested more, but those were the 14 I agreed with.

This all happened in July 2025 and the lists have been locked tight ever since. I was considering grabbing two shows to treat as filler entries, or asking contributors for ideas with whatever two shows being mentioned the most getting in. But at the last minute I decided "You know what, why do I have to figure this out now? The site is barely ready as it is, might as well embrace it."

Believe it or not, this is not me asking for suggestions for what two shows will fill those slots. But I know it's not going to stop you from doing it anyway. Just know that I'm picky.

- Is the list final?

Yes and no. Mostly yes.

I'm pretty satisfied with the Essential list, it is a healthy mixture of shows spanning the 25 years I set, I don't see most people having a problem with it. The More list, on the other hand, I am open to updating in the future, even after I fill those two empty spots. Maybe there's a show I missed, maybe I included a show that I no longer think should have its legacy preserved. With that being said, I'm like 99% sure both lists aren't changing anytime soon.

"Where's [insert show here]?"

- Gundam

The only truly essential Gundam show is the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam. Starting at 1995, there are only two entries that I believe are list-worthy: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam 00. To keep the lists one per franchise, I chose Gundam 00 in order to stray away from the western myth that Gundam Wing is the best one. Gundam Wing is important for popularizing Gundam in the English-speaking world, but this site is about keeping classics from becoming obscure, not to teach about the history of anime. Plenty of other sites for that.

- Dragon Ball Z

1989. My personal preference is Dragon Ball Z Kai which released in 2009, but let's not kid ourselves, a recut version of a 1989 anime should not count for this site.

- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

One per franchise, please read the page on Fullmetal Alchemist for more.

- Tokyo Ghoul

There are several anime where it's debatable if their source material is more essential than its anime adaptation, but I draw the line at Tokyo Ghoul. None of the contributors like the series and even the most die hard fans have to admit the manga is better. I am not giving this show a slot just because it's popular.

For everything else, it boils down to this: the point of this website is to preserve 200 anime that I want to make sure aren't forgotten by the next generation of English-speaking anime fans. If a show isn't mentioned on this website, then either I don't care if the next generation is aware of it or I'm not worried.

- Can you host the first episodes of these shows on the site?

This website is hosted by Neocities, which does not allow for piracy. It's not 2006 anymore, we can't just host links to fansubbed MKVs. Even if piracy were allowed, that's not the point of the website. We want you to have HEARD of these shows. If the series is streaming in the United States or Canada, we will provide links directly to those show pages and will try to keep these links updated. If there's no link on the site, then as far as this website is concerned, you're on your own. I don't think I can legally say more than that.

- Can I be a contributor for the site?

Originally, I was going to say no. I had initially chosen 10 people that I've known for various degrees of time to help write for the site. However, after two months, only 4 of those people sent anything at all. The rest either gave radio silence, kept going "listen I'm busy this is a really bad time", or just dropped out. I am still on good terms with all 10 of these people but this was clearly way too low of a priority for them to warrant me waiting until they send blurbs before launching the site. If you're one of those 10 people, my DMs are still open, it's never too late.

So change of plans, if YOU want to write for 100 Essential Anime, get in contact with me and I'll send you some guidelines for what I'm looking for.