While maybe not the same kind of landmark year 1995 was,
1996 was still a stellar year for Anime, especially when it came to Mecha. We’ve obviously got a lot of brand new and
returning titles in 2026 including the continuations and conclusions of Jujutsu
Kaisen and Bleach respectively. Today on
Top 5 Wednesday though, we’re warping back a couple of decades to give
celebratory shoutouts to the old school titles that remain fondly remembered
starting points in the genre for fans such as myself (even if I found some of
them much later on Toonami). These are
the Top 5 Anime Turning 30 in 2026.
Often considered the Black Sheep of the Dragon Ball
franchise (and for good reason), Dragon Ball GT marked a turning point for the Dragon
Ball saga.
It was the first (and so far
only) series not to have Akira Toriyama’s involvement and suffered in
popularity compared to Dragon Ball Z, ending at a paltry 64 episodes.
Still, GT has a soft spot in the hearts of
some fans for some if its inclusions to the mythos such as the introduction of
Super Saiyan 4 and Golden Ozaru’s.
While
the show was mostly retconned out of existence thanks to Super and Daima, GT
might be worth a quick rewatch to see how the Dragon Ball franchise stumbled
before it could run again.
#4-Rurouni Kenshin
One of the most definitive Samurai Anime, Rurouni Kenshin
might be thriving thanks to its revival series but this year sees the 30
th
birthday of the adaptation that still remains a gateway Anime for many
fans.
Thanks to its core cast of
characters, music and flashy action, watching the RuroKen anime is what got me
to read the Manga and sour when it became clear that the final arc wasn’t gonna
be touched by it.
Still, there are
plenty of highlights and amazing fights to be enjoyed including Kenshins
legendary showdowns at the end of the Kyoto Arc that made all of us love the
adventures of the Wandering Samurai and paved the way for a thriving franchise
today.
#3-The Vision of Escaflowne
Fantasy Mecha isnt something you think about everyday and
few follow ups have nailed it right like The Vision of Escaflowne.
Coming from the same forces that gave us the original
Super Dimensional Fortress Macross series, Escaflowne is part Isekai, part
political drama, mostly giant mecha clashing with swords while a thundering
choir chants the shows namesake in the background.
Shoji Kawamori married two normally separate genres
together masterfully and the cherry on top of this cake is Yoko Kanno and Hajime
Mizoguchi’s collaborative score that gives Escaflowne more power than its core
love triangle.
#2-Martian Successor Nadesico
Before Gurren Lagann honored and challenged all the Mecha
Anime norms, there was Nadesico.
This
series chronicled a crew of Mecha enthusiasts, misfits, screw ups and gorgeous
ladies as they headed to the front lines of an intergalactic war.
The show has a nice blend of space adventure
and mecha mayhem but also feels like a love letter to classic Mecha Anime of
the 70s and 80s that proceeded it.
It’s
not hard to find a favorite character among this lively bunch (or a cute girl
to crush on, looking at you Yurika and Ryoko).
Plus how can you not get pumped once YOU GET TO BURNING kicks in?
#1-After War Gundam X
There are two major Gundam titles turning 30 this year
and while we all know how much as The 08
th MS Team kicks, this year
truly belongs to After War Gundam X.
A
victim of following up the hugely popular Gundam Wing, Gundam X was set in another
alternate timeline and followed a crew of mercenaries and scavengers as they
sought to protect a young girl from forces who would use her gifts to restart a
war that almost destroyed Humanity.
In
many ways, X is kind of superior to Wing in terms of story and character arcs
but suffers from lack of exposure during its criminally short runtime.
More and more have rediscovered it over the
years, including yours truly.
And with
Gundam Wing and G Gundam celebrating their 30
th Anniversaries
recently, I think X deserves a bit more love cause it really is a hidden gem in
the franchise.
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