Anime from the 90s and even earlier definitely deserve a remake. Most of the shows from that era are lost to time. While some may say that they are better left untouched, because the art style from that era is timeless. The stories in some of these shows definitely need to be retold to some of the new generation audiences.
There have already been some successful remakes to varying degrees. These include shows such as Urusei Yatsura and Ranma ½ getting faithful remakes. In comparison, classic anime such as Trigun is getting a soft reboot with changes for reintroduction to younger audiences.
There are also incredible success stories, such as with the HunterxHunter anime from 2011. A remake of the anime from 90s. It shot up in popularity, making it one of the most appreciated IPs around.
In the following list, we talk about some of the best anime that are from the 90s and definitely deserve a remake.
Top 90s Anime That Deserve a Remake
Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk is the most influential sports anime; this isn’t a biased statement. The anime was single-handedly responsible for making basketball culture popular among the Japanese. It is a show from the 90s, originating from the manga written by Takehiko Inoue.
This is the perfect time for a Slam Dunk remake because of how successful The First Slam Dunk movie was in theaters. It blended 2D art with 3D characters really well, considering past attempts resulted in some uncanny valley weirdness.
Reintroducing the genius of Hanamichi Sakuragi at a time when the sports anime genre is filled with shounen supernatural battles would be great.
Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac
Saint Seiya is one anime that does not get too much attention in the US. But it is loved by a lot of people in other parts of the world. Saint Seiya had the potential to be as popular as Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon were in the 90s in the US.
The original manga was created by Masami Kurumada in the late 80s. It turned out to be one of the most popular shounen series from back in the day. Now is the perfect time to bring back this show.
Modern streaming services are actively funding new anime as well as remakes. Saint Seiya would stand tall among shows such as My Hero Academia and Chainsaw Man.
Yu Yu Hakusho
Yoshihiro Togashi’s most popular work definitely has to be HunterxHunter. Due to health reasons, it has now become one of his longest-running works. He has to continuously take breaks between works.
Little do people know that HunterxHunter already had an anime from the 90s but it was overshadowed by a lot of other shows. The tone of the older show was also very different, more attuned to the horror and creepy side of the manga.
A remake of the show released in 2011 broke the internet and the anime community. Suddenly, it was the most popular media around. The same thing can be replicated again if Yu Yu Hakusho is remade today.
The source material is a brilliant shounen action fantasy. It even got a live-action adaptation recently from Netflix. A new remake release alongside would have been great, totally a missed opportunity.
Maison Ikkoku
Rumiko Takahashi is one of the most beloved manga artists. Also known by many as the manga princess of the industry. She has produced some wonderful works, such as Urusei Yatsura and Ranma1/2.
Both of those series got their own anime in the last few decades, and also got remakes recently. Both of them have been very successful in bringing such old shows to a newer generation of audiences.
So it is now the perfect time to bring back another classic Rumiko Takahashi anime. Maison Ikkoku is one of the best romance-comedy series from the late 80s. It definitely needs a resurgence as it has the potential to be loved by modern romance anime fans.
Flame of Recca
Flame of Recca is an anime about ninjas in modern times. It is a charming shounen action fantasy show from the late 90s that seems to have mostly been forgotten. It was created by Nobuyuki Anzai as manga which published back in the mid 90s.
This is a show that will benefit very much from a modern studio reimagination of the action sequences that were in the old show. Not to be mistaken, but the old anime still holds up as some of the most beautiful action shows of that era.
The story follows Recca Hanabishi, who is obsessed with ninjas and their discipline, as he claims to be one. He eventually becomes a ninja in loyal service to a girl who has the ability to heal wounds.
Great Teacher Onizuka
We have talked about this before in other discussion pieces, but the anime landscape has a huge void. The delinquent manga genre seems to be missing and completely wiped out of the modern scenes.
But it does not need to be like that; the anime industry can definitely do something to bring back these amazing shows from their glory days as remakes. If we had to choose a show we wanted to come back, then it definitely has to be Great Teacher Onizuka.
Thai anime is praised as one of the best shows from the late 90s. It’s about a young individual named Onizuka who is trying to become a teacher. He previously was a part of a biker gang, so it is unusual for him to be in an educational institution. But he turns out to be one of the best things that has ever happened to his students.
Soul Eater
Soul Eater is not really a manga from the 80s or 90s as most other shows in this list. But it is definitely a show that will benefit a lot from a remake in the present day and age. Soul Eater is written and illustrated by Atsushi Ohkubo. He is famous for his present day work, Fire Force.
But the reason we want Soul Eater to come back is not because this would be the right time to bring back the Fire Force author’s old work. But because of this new manga, which also got an anime release recently, and has been taking the world by storm.
We are obviously talking about Gachiakuta, which is a manga created by Kei Urana, who is an assistant artist for Atsushi Ohkubo. So to see a remake of Soul Eater alongside his apprentice’s work on air would be an amazing time to live in. Not to mention, Gachiakuta and Soul Eater have a lot in common, starting with how unique the art style for both is.
Ashita no Joe
Fans of sports anime say that Hajime no Ippo is the greatest boxing manga of all time. But most of them were probably not around when Ashita no Joe was airing back in the early 70s.
A lot of fans who have watched this show would tell you that this anime elevated sports manga storytelling. Ashita no Joe comes from a manga created by two people, Asao Takamori as the writer and Tetsuya Chiba as the illustrator.
The anime is sort of a personal reflection of the writer’s own life as he was delinquent in his juvenile days. It tells the story of Joe Yabuki, who is lives a poor working class life but finds solace when he discovers boxing. More of the modern youth should learn about amazing stories like Ashita no Joe, and that’s exactly why it needs a remake.
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
The tokusatsu genre is a huge deal in Japan but we don’t see it explored as much in anime. Surely there are shows about superheroes, such as My Hero Academia. But shows that inherently focus the aspects of transformation and masked hero are few and far between.
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman was a classic anime that followed a five member superhero team. Very few will remember this show as it was from the 70s and in the english speaking side of the world, it had a different title.
Outside the anime, Gatchaman has appeared in several multimedia franchises. The IP is known to a lot of fans from the 90s forward, through video games and other media.
Looking at the surge of tokusatsu fans globally over IPs such as Kamen Rider, now is the perfect time to bring it back. The amazing characters of Gatchaman definitely deserve to be reintroduced to a newer generation in a remake.
Battle Angel Alita
Battle Angel Alita is a cyberpunk action manga written by Yukito Kishiro in the 90s. It had an OVA adaptation, which was released to the Western world. But nothing turned heads more than when legendary Director James Cameron put out a live action adaptation of the IP.
He introduced a new generation of audience to the Battle Angel Alita IP. It was also one of the more successfully received live action adaptations of any anime. But the biggest missed opportunity around this time was the license holders not greenlighting an anime remake.
Battle Angel Alita would have been an anime that would be very much appreciated among modern fans if it were rereleased. With the growing interest in Cyberpunk shows in recent times, there’s still time to bring Alita back.
