Some people think that only children can watch cartoons Anime , and it’d be sarcastic if an adult person is watching them. The world is changing, and there are now large categories of cartoons and anime cartoons with a unique style of animations. Hence, not only kids, but some adults also love watching them.
The Japanese have created this new animation style in the form of Manga and anime for cartoon lovers in a different style. There’s a difference in animated characters, documenting the project, and budget for simple cartoons and anime.
Let’s discuss some of the most popular cartoons in today’s world for their fans in this article.
Some popular manga and anime to watch:
There are a large number of cartoons for children and adults to watch. Even there are categories of cartoons such as 18+ cartoons which show some adult content. So, we can say that they are not just documented for children. Following are some of the most liked cartoons in today’s era.
1) Jackie Chan Adventures:
Sony Pictures produced this action and comedy animated series under the production of John Rogers and Duane Capizzi. Moreover, this TV series has 5 seasons which ended in 2005. People loved this animated series as it fictionalized Jackie Chan in it as an action star. Also, this series showed some amazing magical, animated, comedy, and supernatural stuff based on real Asian stories.
Furthermore, there are 95 total episodes of this animated and fictional series revolving around the character Jackie Chan. The storyline included Jackie as the superhero dealing with all the daring tasks and difficulties coming in his way.
2) Animaniacs:
Tom Ruegger was the director of your favourite animated musical TV series full of comedy. In addition, this TV series has 99 amazing episodes which the children love to watch. Also, it has made a feature-length film after the great success of animated series with the name Animaniacs: Wakko’s wish.
Differing from other animated series, it is a variety show which contains a large number of animated characters. Also, these series include cartoon violence more than other such shows with a touch of humour in them.
3) Pinky and the Brain:
Just like the show Animaniacs, Tom Ruegger created this animated series Pinky and the Brain in 1995. It should be noted that it was the first TV series that Steven Spielberg’s entertainment and Warner Bros animation presented in collaboration. The series has a total of 66 episodes which the kids love to watch on various channels featuring this show.
Along with this, the name of the series is due to its animated characters which were laboratory mice Pinky and Brain. As well as that, the mouse Brain is an intelligent animated character, while Pinky is also a good-natured character. The story revolves around the various plans and struggles of Brain which he made to take control of the world.
4) The Jetsons:
Hanna-Barbera produced and directed this amazing American sitcom show. This animated show elaborated the future life with the great changes including robots, aliens, holograms, and so much more. It should be noted that there were black and white versions of its first two seasons. Then, it started its coloured version for the audience which they loved even more.
Moreover, it was a great show of the 20th century featuring all the inventions and discoveries of the 21st century in its episodes. Such as it showed the use of smartphones, smartwatches, smart homes, working robots, flying cars, and all such future predictions.
5) One Piece:
The great animated show writer Eiichiro Oda wrote the storyline of the manga series One Piece created in Japan. The story of this animated series is about Monkey Luffy who ate a devil fruit. And after eating that devil fruit, he gained many different characteristics and features of rubber. Also, Luffy explored the world and grand line in search of treasure known as One Piece.
In addition to this, cartoon fans love this show because of its amazing storyline, characters, and humour. According to the ranking by different critics and readers, we can call it one of the best manga of all time.
6) The Flintstones:
Hanna-Barbera: A big name in American production has created this animated sitcom The Flintstones. The story revolves around the Flintstones, the titular family, and the rubbles. It went on air for 6 years from 1960 to 1966 on channel ABC for the audience. The producers took the inspiration of this animated series from Tom and Jerry and other such shows of that time.
It should be noted that the show got huge popularity due to the comparison of that stone age setting time with modern-day life. Also, it earned a huge revenue and became the longest show to run on the TV network.
7) Bleach:
The inspiration for the Japanese anime cartoon series Bleach was Tite Kubo’s manga series of that time. The Pierrot studio produced this series under the direction of Japanese director Noriyuki Abe. It has a total of 366 episodes showing the various adventurous struggles of Ichigo Kurosaki.
It should be noted that this anime series portrayed the original characters and real stories for the audience in the form of animations. The American production industry showed this series on various forums from 2006 to 2014.
8) CatDog:
An American producer Peter Hannan created the TV series CatDog portraying the animations under the Nickledoeon animation production. It should be noted that this series has an interesting storyline revolving around conjoined brothers of different species. Following this, one of the two brothers belonged to a specie dog and the other one as a cat.
The show started in 1998 as the American animated kids show. The last episodes of this series came on the air in 2002, and they lasted for 7 years. The well-known animation productions, Saerom production and rough draft production worked for the success of this series.
9) The Lion King’s Timon & Pumbaa:
One of the most popular cartoon series Timon & Pumbaa revolves around the meekat Timon and the warthog Pumbaa. Walt Disney Animation created this show which is full of action, comedy, and humour. The main feature of this series is a comedy, and the kids love watching this show for fun.
The comedy animated series has three seasons which started in 1995 and ended in 1999. Also, the characters Timon and Pumbaa belonged to the worth watching movie The Lion King. It should be noted that The Disney Afternoon, CBS, and Toon Disney aired the three seasons of this animated series.
10) Taz-Mania:
The American production company Warner Bros produced the animated sitcom Taz-Mania which aired in 1991 for the first time. It revolves around the adventurous actions of the characters Looney tunes and Tazmania. The main character of this series is Tazmania who appears in almost all episodes.
Tazmania, the main character of the series is a hungry character who doesn’t like water and is caring towards others. She has been seen talking on the phone in many episodes and doing different chores. All characters were interesting and played the role of cute imaginative roles.
11) Inuyasha:
Rumiko Takahashi: A Japanese writer has written the storyline of this Japanese Manga Inuyasha. The story includes the character of 15 years old girl Kagome Higurashi who met the half-human- half-dog character Inuyasha. Following this, both characters Kagome and Inuyasha strove hard for the recovery of the jewel’s fragments.
This manga series got on the air for the first time in 1996 and ended in 2008. The series also includes some of the comedic elements with the display of the Sengoku period with some violent actions.
12) Digimon: Digital Monsters:
Toei Animation produced this Japanese Manga series with the cooperation of Bandai and Fuji production animation. Released in 1999, this series revolves around the stories of digital monsters in English territories. It shows the digital monster virtual world that worked under the Digimon media franchise.
Along with this, the series has also many sequels and adaptations in the series as well as in movies. One of the production houses also created the video game based on this digital monster series.
13) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
People love this show as it is full of comedy and entertainment for the audience. Kevin Eastman and Peter Liard who are comic writers have created Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This show got huge success, and they generate billions of revenue by selling turtle toys.
It should be noted that some people take the meaning of the word Ninja is a violent term. Hence, different regions use the term Hero instead of the word Ninja for its different connotations meaning. Viacom then purchased this Ninja comedy franchise and produced further comic movies and action series.
14) Detective Conan:
The Japanese writer Gosho Aoyama has written the storyline of the manga series Detective Conan, also known as Case Closed. Firstly, the series started in the manga magazine named Shogakukan’s shonen with many different chapters. At the start, the name of this series was detective Conan. But then it became Case Closed due to the legal causes of the name.
Secondly, the basis of the story is about a detective named Shinichi Kudo who belongs to a high school. The detective was investigating an institute, and he transformed into a child while this investigation.
15) Ed, Edd n Eddy:
Showed on the cartoon network, it is an animated series full of comedy and entertainment. The name of the series belongs to the three boys whose names are Ed, Edd, and Eddy. Also, we can collectively call their names The Eds. In this series, these three boys live in a fictional town, and they make different plans about life.
Moreover, all their plans mostly fail which is the cause of humiliation for them and they feel disappointed. It became one of the most successful series after the ranking by critics and other writers. And this series was broadcast in many other countries also including Canada.
16) ¡Mucha Lucha:
Premiered in 2002, this American series got a huge success due to its amazing fictional story and animated characters. This series broadcast on kids WB, Teletoon, and canal 5, and the audience including kids and adults loved the show. The big production names of America Eddie Mort and Lili Chin created this series under the Warner Bros production.
This series used the technique of adobe flash in it for the first time in the entertainment world. The children loved the series due to the characters, the entertaining story, and the musical features.
17) SpongeBob SquarePants:
Stephen Hillenburg: a science educator and animator created this American comedy series SpongeBob SquarePants. The story involves some animated characters who are friends and perform various adventures in the fictional city Bikini Bottom. This series has many episodes, and it was one of the longest-running animated series.
In addition, this animated series got highly popular among the kids and audience, and it created a media franchise. Also, it got high profitable earning generating billions of merchandise revenue till 2019.
18) Hey Arnold:
Craig Bartlett created this animated series full of comedy and entertainment in 1996. The series Hey Arnold ended in 2004 and continued for 8 years as a source of entertainment. In this series, Arnold Shortman is a main animated character living in Washington city with his family including his grandparents.
In the series, he has to face a lot of difficulties with his friends while navigating urban life. There were also many other supporting roles and characters in the series.
19) Avatar: The Last Airbender:
The large American production house Nickelodeon Animation created this popular American animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The other big names including Michael Dante, Bryan Konietzko, and Aaron Ehasz also played their part in its creation and production. This popular series has three seasons which continued from 2005 to 2008.
The basis of the Avatar series or movies is mainly on four components including water, earth, air, and fire. These four elements also form the basis of life that these series portray by the animated characters. These elements serve to create the balance between the physical and spiritual world in this series.
20) Ben 10:
A huge media franchise Ben 10 made under the production of Cartoon Network portrays a boy Ben Tennyson as the main character. In this series, the boy Ben has found a wristwatch that contains all biological information of alien species. The boy Ben has gotten the superhero ability, and he can transform himself into a powerful creature.
The media franchise Ben 10 has received many awards due to its huge success and appreciation by critics and writers. The production studios also created many movies based on Ben 10 and other such series.
21) Teen Titans:
The American series Teen Titans got its inspiration from the superhero of DC Comics. Glen Murakami, David Slack, and Sam Register created this series which got on the air in 2003. The series was broadcasted on Cartoon Network for the first time, and then on Kids’WB. The series got high popularity due to its storyline and amazing animated characters.
Because of this, the producers and directors created five seasons of this series because the audience loved watching it. The production studios created many such movies after its success such as Things Change and Trouble in Tokyo.
22) Naruto:
The famous Japanese writer and critic has written the storyline and created the series Naruto as the Japanese manga series for the audience. Firstly, the basis of the story revolves around Naruto Uzumaki who became the leader of the village after so many struggles. Secondly, it showed the hurdles that Naruto had to face for seeking the appreciation of peers and fulfilling her dreams.
In addition, this Japanese manga series has two parts which include her life before her teen years and her life in her teen years. The series also showed her emotional struggle in different phases of her life.
23) Beyblade:
Takara production studios have created this Japanese debut series Beyblade in 1999 as a collection of spinning toy companies. And now, many different toys companies from all over the world use Beyblade toys in their areas. These areas include western areas as well as the eastern side of the world with the South Korean countries.
In 1968, a toy company started a board game, and these Beyblade games got their idea from that toy line. This series got huge popularity in all areas of the world due to the love for this toy line.
24) The Simpsons:
Premiered for the Fox broadcasting company, Matt Groening created this American sitcom which has shown American life. In this series, The Simpsons include the whole Simpsons family including the characters Bart, Lisa, Homer, and Maggie. This show has depicted the American society as well as its culture relating to humans by the use of animated characters.
Along with this, the show consists of 717 episodes and is one of the longest American shows. It has a large number of seasons as well as episodes depicting American culture for the people. It has 33 seasons, and the last season premiered in 2021.
25) Family Guy:
An American production house Fuzzy Door productions have produced this adult animated sitcom. Moreover, Seth MacFarlane creates this American adult sitcom under the production and development of MacFarlane and David Zuckerman. This sitcom shows a family with parents, their children, and their pet dog.
In addition, this sitcom shows humour as the main element portraying American culture, set in Rhode Island of America. The series has won many awards as well as criticism by the writers.
26) The Cramp Twins:
The well-known cartoonist Brian Wood created this animated series The Cramp Twins, and the story revolves around the novel of the same name. Sunbow entertainment and Telemagination produced this entertainment show for the Cartoon Network.
In addition, the series got high popularity and won many awards such as BAFTA children’s awards 2002 and nominated for best shows. Moreover, Cartoon Network cancelled this series to add Mew Mew Power in the replacement.
27) Scooby-Doo, Where Are You:
Hanna-Barbera has produced one of your favourite animated series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You for Columbia Broadcasting Production Company. This series is full of mystery, suspense, comedy, and entertainment. Due to the success of this series, many production companies further produced more related animated movies, series, and merchandise.
It should be noted that the focus of this mystery series is on four teenagers named Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred. Also, it focuses on their pet dog named Scooby-Doo who was one of the main characters of this show.
28) Justice League:
You might have watched this American action film based on a superhero adventure released in 2017. The movie includes the superhero characters to save the world from catastrophic tragedies after the death of superman by the great army including Aquaman and Cyborg. Besides this, there was about $300 million spent on the production of this movie.
Hence, we can say that it is one of the most expensive movies in the industry by million dollars budget. The film received appreciation as well as criticism on its plot and imagery techniques used in it.
29) Samurai Jack:
American producer Genndy Tartakovsky created this popular animated series which premiered on Cartoon Network for the first time. The character Jack portrays a Japanese prince who can cut virtually through anything. The main mission of the character jack is to prevent the kingdom from the evil demon named Aku.
In addition, the hero character jack strived hard to turn back in time when the evil character Aku was trying to take control of the world. This series has four seasons, and each season has 13 episodes leaving the suspense part at the end.
30) Superman: The Animated Series:
This American series revolves around the fictional character Superman and includes the DC Comics by Warner Bros production. Firstly, it premiered on Kids’ WB in 2000, and people loved it for its acting skills and modernization of comic book characters. You can watch it on the platform HBO Max, as it included it in 2021 in HD quality.
Moreover, this series has four seasons, and people love all of them. Along with this, there was some disagreement between the producer and the network head. Hence, the production house cancelled the animated series based on the character Superman.
31) Grendizer:
The famous manga artist Go Nagai created the Japanese anime series Grandizer also known as Force Five. Toei Doga produced this Japanese series for Fuji TV in 1977 which consisted of 74 episodes. The meaning of the name of this Japanese series means a huge monster robot that can fly by interfacing with Spaizer.
It should be noted that it is one of the longest Mazinger series in Japan with a large number of episodes. The children of Arab loved this series, and it got highly popular among them.
32) Captain Tsubasa:
The Japanese manga writer Yoichi Takahashi wrote this series Captain Tsubasa that focused mainly on football association sport. It is mainly for football lovers portraying the stylish and interesting moves of football players. Tsbusa is a football player in this series who has an amazing friendship bond with his friends and fellows.
The series also showed the rivalry between the main hero character with his opponents in the football team. Also, it showed the training matches as well as the competitions between different teams.
33) Fist of the North Star:
Another famous Japanese manga writer Buronson and Tetsuo Hara created this series Fist of the North Star. The central character of this series is Kenshiro who is a warrior and can kill his rivals by attacking their secret points. This type of death is often violent and tragic, and the main hero character Kenshiro spends his life-saving others by fighting against various deadly groups.
Moreover, the Japanese manga series consisted of 152 episodes and has expanded its reach into a huge franchise. It is one of the largest selling companies in the history of animated series, anime, and manga.
34) Batman: The Animated Series:
As the name suggests, this series is based on the superhero character Batman under Warner Bros production. This series consists of 85 episodes, and its first season premiered in 1992. The series lasted for 3 years, and its last season premiered in 1995. Moreover, you cannot watch this amazing show if you’re a Netflix or Prime subscriber.
It should be noted that you have to pay to watch this series on Amazon, Google Play or other such platforms. People love this show for its artistic presentation, amazing storyline, and aesthetic cinematic features.
35) Courage the Cowardly Dog:
You must watch this American series Courage the Cowardly Dog if you love watching horror and comedy movies or series. John Dilworth created this animated horror-comedy series for the large animated network named Cartoon Network. The story revolves around the anthropomorphic dog who lives with a couple in a farmhouse.
This series included the touch of horror features, comedy, and entertainment in it. Apart from this, this series is way too much horror for the children. Because of this, the media industry cancelled this show to prevent children from such horror elements.
Garfield and Friends:
Jim Davis created this popular cartoon show Garfield and Friends which the kids of the 1980s and 1990s loved because of its entertaining theme. One of the main friends of Garfield is Nermal who is a cute character. The kids of that time seriously love this show, and even today kids love watching it on different platforms while streaming.
In addition, the popular series consists of 121 episodes for Fox Home entertainment. Along with Garfield and Nermal, other main characters include Arbuckle, Odie, and Floyd. Some other minor characters are Pooky, the buddy bears, Penelope, and Ludlow.
37) The Bugs Bunny Show:
Warner Bros produced The Bugs Bunny Show in 1948 which featured three cartoons as the main characters. You can watch these classic Looney Tune cartoon characters in this series by paying the subscription fee to watch online streaming. Moreover, we can call it the longest-running show which premiered on Saturdays from 1960 to 2000.
The show premiered 40 years on ABC and CBS featuring cartoons for kids. The kids at that time loved watching this show. It has three seasons, and it ended in 1971 after which it started TV broadcast every Saturday.
38) The Pink Panther Show:
One of the favourite shows of kids is The Pink Panther which features the character Jacques Clouseau as a French police detective. This franchise started in 1963, and Blake Edwards has directed and produced most of its films, series, and shows. It should be noted that there are a large number of series created by this franchise.
The Pink Panther got a huge success in the cartoon industry due to the amazing opening sequence shots and pink diamond featured character.
39) Danny Phantom:
Butch Hartman created the animated action TV series Danny Phantom featuring a teenage boy who became a human-ghost hybrid after the ghost attack on the human world. His two best friends were Sam and Tucker, and his sister was Jazz. the story revolves around Danny, his friends, his sister, and his quest to save his town from the ghost zone.
This series has won five Annie award nominations, and different writers and critics give positive reviews about it. After the huge success of this merchandise, it also created two video games based on the character Danny Phantom. The two popular video games are “The ultimate enemy” and “urban jungle”.
40) The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius:
John A. Davis created this computer-based animated American series which you can also refer to simply as Jimmy Neutron. The first episodes of this series started in 2002 and ended in 2006. There are three main characters in this series named Jimmy, Sheen, and Carl. These friends go through many adventures and conflicts in this show.
Moreover, the main character Jimmy is a genius who made various inventions in different fields. His IQ was 120 in the show portraying such an intelligent character.
41) Fairly OddParents:
Butch Hartman created the Animated series Fairy OddParents followed by the Timmy Turner adventures. Timmy Turner in this series is a ten years old small boy living with Cosmo, Wanda, Vicky, and Denzel Crocker. It has a total of five seasons which started in 2001 and ended in 2006.
The story revolves around the boy Timmy whose parents used to neglect him, and he faced abuse by babysitter Vicky.
42) Recess:
Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere created the American TV series Recess under Walt Disney Production. In this series, the main story revolves around six school students and their friendship with their other mates Anime . As the name indicates, the word recess means break time during usual school time.
Hence, it means the break time in the American cultural tradition. In addition, it also portrays the various activities of students in their free time.
43) Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog:
Sega of America, DIC ANimation city, and Reteitalia have created the video game the Hedgehog which became the basis of the animated series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Bohbot Entertainment produced this series with a total of 66 episodes in the beginning. It is a comical series featuring the teenage hedgehog with amazing moving powers.
In this series, the main character Tails performs amazing stunts who is even not 5 years old. Moreover, Clark Gassman has written the opening musical lines of this series.
44) Dexter’s Laboratory:
The Cartoon Network series Dexter’s Anime laboratory is an animated TV series featuring an intelligent boy Dexter. The boy Dexter has kept an inventor secretly in his room for making various inventions in their secret laboratory. Also, this series features his sister as the character who always intrudes in his laboratory and foils his work.
The leading character Dexter doesn’t like his neighbour and classmate boy who is a genius. Moreover, this series has won many awards and nominations including Annie nominations, Reel rewards, and other such nominations.
45) The Mask:
An American film The Mask featuring a superhero Anime with the comedy and entertainment elements included in it has starred Jim Carrey as the lead title role. Chuck Russel has directed this film under the Bob Engelman production. Moreover, Dark Horse Comics has published the story line of this movie.
The story is about a bank clerk who got the ability to transform himself and his surroundings after finding the magical mask. That clerk is the leading character of this film who then fought to stop crimes in the surroundings by using that magical wooden mask.
46) The Power puff Girls:
Hanna-Barbera produces this amazing American superhero series featuring kindergarten-aged girls who have great superpowers for Cartoon Network. The names of these girls with superpowers are Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. The story revolves around these girls who use their superpowers to fight against crime in society.
Moreover, this series has a total of 78 episodes and has won many Emmy awards, Annie awards as well as various nominations. These girls protect their village and home town from various evil powers and people who spread negativity and crimes there. The children find this series quite interesting Anime , and it produces a sense of help and empathy in these kids.
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command:
The Walt Disney Animation has produced this fictional, comedy, and adventurous series under Pixar animation studios. The story of this series revolves around the experienced spaceman and the buzz light year for protecting threats against galactic space. It should be noted that this popular and hit series is not available on Disney+ to watch.
Moreover, the main catchphrase used in this series that got popular was “To Infinity and Beyond” used in 4th season by Buzz and many other characters. This series ended in 2001 as the popular series among children and people of that time.
48) Dragon Ball Z:
The Japanese production Toei Animation produced this Japanese anime series which is the sequel of the Dragon Ball anime series made in 1986. The Dragon Ball is a huge media franchise that has created a large number of series, manga, anime, films, and shows. This series premiered in Japan for the first time in 1989 and ended in 1996.
In addition, many countries aired this series on their channels with the dubbing of this series. This series features Son Go ku as one of the main characters who fought against villains with his friends. This series has played an important role in the success and growth of the Japanese anime series.
49) Pokemon:
The game company Nintendo has founded the company Pokemon which is now a huge media franchise in Japan. Pokemon is a fictional character, and the animated movie industry has about 900 Pokemon characters. Pokemon is an anime series that premiered in Japan for the first time in 1997.
It should be noted that Pokemon films are one of the main causes of anime popularity in the US. The anime was not much popular in the western media before Pokemon monsters characters, but people started watching anime to a larger extent after it.
50) Cyborg 009:
Shotaro Ishinomori created the Japanese manga series Cyborg 009 which is full of science and got popular in many Japanese magazines also. The story revolves around the kidnapping of nine people from the world by an evil black ghost community for conducting experiments on them. This community then got successful in converting these nine humans into super humans with super powers which they can use for various purposes.
These super humans then turned against that ghost organization and stopped it to start the world war. Moreover, these super humans have to fight against different other super-powered beings, various scientists, and ancient civilizations.
Ending note:
In this article, we have discussed the top 50 cartoons, anime, and Japanese manga popular among the western as well as Japanese audiences. Anime and manga are becoming popular day by day with the increasing demands of children and adults to watch them. It should also be noted that these manga and anime are not only for kids, but there are various categories for adults.
Keep reading our articles to know more about these anime and manga Anime characters.
