Published Jul 5, 2026, 8:01 PM EDT
Joshua Edward Ryan Fox is a freelance writer for Screen Rant with a passion for pop culture. Joshua grew up in Connecticut where he developed an appreciation for writing and entertainment and has earned a Master’s degree in professional writing and technical writing. His writing has been quoted by both the anime streaming site Crunchyroll and the anime YouTuber Gigguk.
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For many people, the 1990s are often regarded as the best era of anime, and it’s easy to see why. Not only were the 90s the era when Dragon Ball Z took the world by storm alongside new classics in the making like One Piece, Cowboy Bebop, and Yu Yu Hakusho, but with cel animation still being the norm at the time, many anime of that era had a look and style to their art and animation that was bursting with genius, and they’re still often heralded as some of the best-looking products in anime and animation as a whole.
The 90s were an era of anime unlike any other, but it’s harder for modern anime fans to see what it was like than one might think. While streaming has made it easier than ever to watch old and new anime alike, there are a surprising number of titles that remain unwatchable for one reason or another, and in many cases, they aren’t even available in physical media. The 90s arguably suffer from this the most, and with how many great anime have been lost because of it, that’s nothing but a shame.
While Hunter x Hunter is best known for the legendary 2011 anime by Madhouse, that wasn’t the first time Hunter x Hunter received an anime adaptation. In 1999, Hunter x Hunter was first animated by Nippon Animation, with the series receiving 62 episodes and three OVA series that covered everything up to the very beginning of the Chimera Ant arc, albeit with some changes to the story and the characterization of the cast here and there.
The 2011 adaptation of Hunter x Hunter deserves all the praise it’s been given, but that doesn’t mean the original anime is without merit. Not only is the story just as fun as one would expect from Hunter x Hunter, even if it does make some changes, but the art and animation hold up incredibly well, and there are even some episodes and fight scenes that one could argue are even better than the remake.
The original Hunter x Hunter anime is one of many classic anime that’s disappeared from both streaming and physical media, and with how popular the remake is, Viz Media is unlikely to bother bringing it back anytime soon. That doesn’t make the original Hunter x Hunter anime any less of an underrated gem, though, and anyone who has the means to watch it should do so as soon as possible.
While Gundam might be one of the biggest anime franchises in the world, some Gundam anime are surprisingly hard to find, and that’s especially true of 1999’s Turn A Gundam. Despite being one of the last Gundam projects franchise founder Yoshiyuki Tomino worked on and the massive, albeit controversial way it tried to unify the entire franchise, Turn A Gundam has never been available on streaming or physical media, and there isn’t even an English dub for the anime.
At this point, it’s highly unlikely that Turn A Gundam will ever get a proper release, and that’s nothing but a shame. As controversial as some of its later twists might be, Turn A Gundam has one of the most distinctive stories of any Gundam anime and an incredible cast of characters to tell it with, all while boasting the franchise’s signature stunning visuals. Despite its divisive reputation, Turn A Gundam more than earns its place as a legendary Gundam anime, and that makes its unavailability all the more disappointing.
When it comes to classic fantasy anime, few are more iconic than the legendary anime Slayers. While Slayers is largely a parody of traditional high fantasy stories like The Lord of the Rings, not only is its comedy always on point and manages to hold up incredibly well, but the series also has surprisingly engaging worldbuilding that lends itself to dramatic action and storytelling when need be, and whether it’s from E&G Films or J.C.Staff, both styles always lend themselves to incredible animation.
While Crunchyroll does hold the licensing rights to Slayers, for some reason, they’ve neither added it to their streaming library nor made it readily available on physical media; if someone wants to buy a DVD through Amazon, the only reliable purchase they can make is for the fourth season, Slayers Revolution, and the movies and OVAs are completely out of the question. With how iconic a fantasy anime Slayers is, that’s nothing but a shame, and hopefully, Crunchyroll will see fit to make the entire series more readily available one day.
Anime writer Chiaki J. Konaka is famous for his work on shows like The Big O, the first Hellsing anime, and Digimon Tamers, but his most famous work is undoubtedly Triangle Staff’s Serial Experiments Lain. Not only does the series look incredibly gorgeous with plenty of great music and animation to match, but its philosophical themes of identity and how dangerous the internet can be make it one of the most thought-provoking anime around, and it’s arguably even more relevant now than it was in 1998.
Serial Experiments Lain was one of many anime to become lost media when Funimation was absorbed into Crunchyroll, and after Chiaki J. Konaka’s recent controversies surrounding his views on cancel culture, political correctness, and conspiracy theories in general, it would be understandable for Crunchyroll to leave the series alone to avoid bringing all of that back up. With how iconic and wonderfully surreal an anime Serial Experiments Lain is, though, that’s nothing but a shame, so hopefully that will be rectified at some point.
Over a decade before David Production made JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure mainstream with their anime adaptation, the series was adapted into a series of OVAs by the now-defunct studio A.P.P.P. The OVAs were a loose adaptation of Stardust Crusaders released anachronically from 1993 to 2002, with the first half covering the cast’s exploits in Egypt and the final fight against DIO, and the second half covering everything before that point, although both halves notably had blatantly different staff and artwork accompanying them.
As iconic a decade for anime as the 1990s was, there were plenty of anime that didn’t get enough attention and plenty that are best left ignored.
As iconic as the 2012 anime may be, the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure OVAs are also plenty deserving of praise. While they cut out a lot of content from the manga, it’s more than made up for by the incredible animation shown off in every episode, with fights like the team vs. D’Arby and the final fight with DIO arguably being even better than the anime. The OVA series was even how legendary director Satoshi Kon became recognized in the industry and was given a chance to make Perfect Blue, and the animation more than lives up to that reputation.
The JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure OVAs were involved in an infamous controversy surrounding DIO being shown reading the Qur’an, and not only were the OVAs pulled from streaming and physical media worldwide, but Hirohiko Araki was forced to redraw Stardust Crusaders to remove any imagery of characters destroying mosques, as well. Because of the sheer severity of the controversy, the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure OVAs will likely never see the light of day again, and that makes them the most egregious example of a classic 90s anime that’s unwatchable today.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure ](/tag/jojos-bizarre-adventure/)
JoJo Bizarre Adventure
Video Game(s)
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R
Character(s)
Will A. Zeppeli, Jonathan Joestar, Giorno Giovanna, Jotaro Kujo, Joseph Joestar, Jolyne Cujoh, Johnny Joestar, Josuke Higashikata, Gyro Zeppeli