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    Home/Browse/TV Shows/1990s TV Shows/1990s Japanese TV Shows

    1990s Japanese TV Shows

    The 40 most popular 1990s japanese TV shows, ranked. Click any show for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.

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    Pokémon
    TMDB4.0

    Pokémon

    1997

    country: Japan

    Join Ash accompanied by his partner Pikachu, as he travels through many regions, meets new friends and faces new challenges on his quest to become a Pokémon Master.

    Detective Conan
    TMDB4.0

    Detective Conan

    1996

    country: Japan

    The son of a world famous mystery writer, Jimmy Kudo, has achieved his own notoriety by assisting the local police as a student detective. He has always been able to solve the most difficult of criminal cases using his wits and power of reason.

    Chibi Maruko-chan
    TMDB3.9

    Chibi Maruko-chan

    1990

    country: Japan

    Meet Maruko, a sweet schoolgirl with a hefty dose of curiosity (and occasional laziness!). She sails through life in a cozy town alongside her loving parents, grandparents, and sister. Maruko has a band of loyal friends, including her closest pal, Tama-chan, but her playful and doting grandpa is at the heart of it all. Life is never dull in this charming series.

    Ninja Boy Rantaro
    TMDB3.4

    Ninja Boy Rantaro

    1993

    country: Japan

    Rantarō, Shinbei and Kirimaru are ninja apprentices in the Ninja Gakuen, where first grade ones are called "Nintamas". They must learn everything a ninja must know, but as for our heroes, money, food or playing are more interesting. The series show the everyday adventures of our heroes.

    One Piece
    TMDB4.4

    One Piece

    1999

    country: Japan

    Years ago, the fearsome Pirate King, Gol D. Roger was executed leaving a huge pile of treasure and the famous "One Piece" behind. Whoever claims the "One Piece" will be named the new King of the Pirates. Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who consumed a "Devil Fruit," decides to follow in the footsteps of his idol, the pirate Shanks, and find the One Piece. It helps, of course, that his body has the properties of rubber and that he's surrounded by a bevy of skilled fighters and thieves to help him along the way. Luffy will do anything to get the One Piece and become King of the Pirates!

    Yu Yu Hakusho
    TMDB4.2

    Yu Yu Hakusho

    1992

    country: Japan

    After dying to save a boy, delinquent tough guy Yusuke Urameshi is granted another chance at life by redeeming himself as a "Spirit Detective."

    SMAP×SMAP
    TMDB4.3

    SMAP×SMAP

    1996

    country: Japan

    SMAP×SMAP was an ongoing weekly Japanese variety show on Kansai TV and Fuji TV starring the members of SMAP. The show began on April 15, 1996 and it aired from 22:00 to 22:54 every Monday. The show's usual ratings were higher than 20%, which is considered high since most variety shows range from 10-20%. Each episode begins a variety of skits, comedic performances, and/or games.  These are followed by Bistro SMAP, in which the SMAP members compete against each other to impress celebrity judges with their gourmet cooking.  Last is a musical performance by SMAP which may include celebrity guests, as well.

    Initial D
    TMDB4.0

    Initial D

    1998

    country: Japan

    Takumi’s job as a tofu delivery boy has turned him into one of the most formidable drivers around. Behind the wheel of his Eight-Six, he’s one with the road—and his life shifts into high gear when the underground street racing world takes notice. Drivers from across the region are lining up for a shot at the new guy. Takumi’s not just focused on winning—he’s out to prove he’s the best.

    The Woman of S.R.I.
    TMDB3.6

    The Woman of S.R.I.

    1999

    country: Japan

    Mariko is a forensic scientist working at the Kyoto PD Crime Lab. Her credo is “science never lies” and she delves into the truth of the case with her colleagues with their specialized skills and knowledge in forensic medicine, physics, chemistry etc. Mariko’s steadfast belief in science makes her stand against conventional institutional ethics of the police department, diehard detectives averse to scientific investigation and sometimes even with her own colleagues, but she stays faithful to her belief in science and continues to pursue the truth.

    Shin Chan
    TMDB3.9

    Shin Chan

    1992

    country: Japan

    Shin-chan, the boy next door, is a walking disaster, creating chaos wherever he goes. With the body of a child and the mind of an adult, Shinchan is wreaking more havoc than any child before. Shin-chan is carefree, optimistic and gets excited about everything. This 5 year-old likes to do things his way.

    Sailor Moon
    TMDB4.2

    Sailor Moon

    1992

    country: Japan

    One day, Usagi Tsukino, clumsy 2nd-year middle school student, stumbles upon a talking cat named Luna. Luna tells her that she is destined to be Sailor Moon, "champion of love and justice", and she must search for the fabled Moon Princess. Usagi finds friends that turn out to be destined senshi as well, and together they fight to save the world from the certain doom brought upon by the Dark Kingdom.

    KochiKame
    TMDB4.0

    KochiKame

    1996

    country: Japan

    Ryotsu Kankichi, or Ryo-san for short, is an unconventional cop working at the local police station who loves money. Together with famous celebrities like Nakagawa and Reiko, his strict boss Police Chief Ohara, and other wildly unique characters, he gets everyone caught up in all sorts of hijinks!

    Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen
    TMDB4.8

    Yonimo Kimyou na Monogatari Tokubetsuhen

    1990

    country: Japan

    No overview available

    Digimon: Digital Monsters
    TMDB4.0

    Digimon: Digital Monsters

    1999

    country: Japan

    While at summer camp, seven kids come across seven Digivices and are transported to a strange digital world. In this new world they make friends with creatures that call themselves Digimon who were born to defend their world from various evil forces.

    Hunter x Hunter
    TMDB4.2

    Hunter x Hunter

    1999

    country: Japan

    Gon Freecss discovers that the father he had always been told was dead was actually alive the whole time. Ging is a famous Hunter: an individual who has proven themself an elite member of humanity. Gon becomes determined to follow in his father's footsteps, pass the rigorous Hunter Examination.

    Iron Chef
    TMDB3.6

    Iron Chef

    1993

    country: Japan

    Iron Chef is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The series ended on September 24, 1999, although occasional specials were produced until 2002. The series aired 309 episodes. Repeats are regularly aired on the Cooking Channel in the United States and on Special Broadcasting Service in Australia. Fuji TV will air a new version of the show, titled Iron Chef, beginning in October 26, 2012.

    Ninku
    TMDB4.0

    Ninku

    1995

    country: Japan

    The story in Ninku is about an odd-looking 12-year-old named Fūsuke (Fūsuke of the wind) who is a powerful warrior from the Ninku school of martial arts, a style that mixes ninjutsu and karate. It is explained that before the present time in the story that those who could use Ninku were targeted by an evil empire and the Ninku corps were formed to combat the menace. The names of the corps were taken from the twelve Chinese zodiac animals (Eto) and each captain of the corps was called the zodiac animal Ninku master (Etonin). When the war was over, the Ninku were defeated and almost all of them were killed since they were useless and were also dangerous for the rulers. At the beginning of the story, three years later, Fūsuke, the young former captain of the 1st Ninku corps and controller of the wind and Hiroyuki, his flatulent penguin, start searching for the other Ninku captains...

    Cowboy Bebop
    TMDB4.2

    Cowboy Bebop

    1998

    country: Japan

    In 2071, roughly fifty years after an accident with a hyperspace gateway made the Earth almost uninhabitable, humanity has colonized most of the rocky planets and moons of the Solar System. Amid a rising crime rate, the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) set up a legalized contract system, in which registered bounty hunters, also referred to as "Cowboys", chase criminals and bring them in alive in return for a reward.

    Tales of the Bizarre
    TMDB3.9

    Tales of the Bizarre

    1990

    country: Japan

    Inspired by American TV movies like "Hitchcock Theater" and "The Twilight Zone," the show features multiple works with Tamori as the storyteller and actors as the main characters. While horror and supernatural themes are predominant, a variety of genres like comedy and drama are also produced. Most episodes, however, have a bad ending.

    Cardcaptor Sakura
    TMDB4.3

    Cardcaptor Sakura

    1998

    country: Japan

    Sakura Kinomoto, an elementary school student who discovers that she possesses magical powers after accidentally freeing a set of magical cards from the book they had been sealed in for years. She is then tasked with retrieving those cards in order to avoid an unknown catastrophe from befalling the world.

    Magical DoReMi
    TMDB4.2

    Magical DoReMi

    1999

    country: Japan

    Ojamajo Doremi, known as Magical DoReMi internationally, is a magical girl anime television series created by Toei Animation in 1999. It focuses on elementary school students who become witch apprentices. Led by Doremi Harukaze, the girls must maintain their double lives in secret. Ojamajo Doremi has been followed up by three direct sequels, lasting until its end in 2003. During the television series' runtime, two companion films were released in theaters. The English dub, produced by 4Kids Entertainment, released a preview episode in the US airing on August 13, 2005, and the first episode on September 10, 2005.

    Neon Genesis Evangelion
    TMDB4.3

    Neon Genesis Evangelion

    1995

    country: Japan

    At the turn of the century, the Angels returned to Earth, seeking to wipe out humanity in an apocalyptic fury. Devastated, mankind's last remnants moved underground to wait for the day when the Angels would come back to finish the job. Fifteen years later, that day has come... but this time, humanity is ready to fight back with terrifying bio-mechanical weapons known as the Evangelions. Watch as Shinji, Rei, Asuka and the rest of the mysterious shadow agency Nerv battle to save earth from total annihilation.

    Making It Through
    TMDB3.5

    Making It Through

    1990

    country: Japan

    A family drama series that follows the lives of the Okakura family, focusing on the parents and their five daughters. It explores personal struggles, and societal issues through the interactions and conflicts among the family members.

    Rurouni Kenshin
    TMDB4.3

    Rurouni Kenshin

    1996

    country: Japan

    The Meiji Era was one of great renewal for Japan, where swords and killing were outlawed. However, many survivors from the time of Revolution still live, lurking in the shadows and waiting for a chance to use their killing blades again. Only Kenshin Himura, formerly one of the most brutal of killers, hopes to keep his swordsman's honor and still live in the new era.

    Serial Experiments Lain
    TMDB4.1

    Serial Experiments Lain

    1998

    country: Japan

    Lain—driven by the abrupt suicide of a classmate—logs on to the Wired and promptly loses herself in a twisted mass of hallucinations, memories, and interconnected-psyches.

    The Files of the Young Kindaichi
    TMDB3.8

    The Files of the Young Kindaichi

    1995

    country: Japan

    A young man who showed little promise while a high school student becomes a master detective, just like his grandfather.

    Berserk
    TMDB4.3

    Berserk

    1997

    country: Japan

    Guts, a wandering mercenary, joins the Band of the Hawk after being defeated in a duel by Griffith, the group's leader and founder. Together, they dominate every battle, but something menacing lurks in the shadows.

    Great Teacher Onizuka
    TMDB4.2

    Great Teacher Onizuka

    1999

    country: Japan

    A former gang member wants to be Japan's best teacher. When he's hired to supervise a class of hopeless cases, it's his chance to prove himself.

    Kimi no na wa
    TMDB3.8

    Kimi no na wa

    1991

    country: Japan

    A story of a man and a woman who meet amid the Great Tokyo Air Raid in 1945.

    Super Sentai Zyuranger
    TMDB4.0

    Super Sentai Zyuranger

    1992

    country: Japan

    Five young warriors from the ancient civilization of Dinosaur-evolved Humans are awakened in the present day after 170 million years of suspended animation when their sworn enemy, Bandora the Witch, is inadvertently released from her magical container on Planet Nemesis by two astronauts. The five warriors, the Zyurangers, must summon the power of mechanical-looking deities known as the Guardian Beasts, each modeled after a different prehistoric beast, in order to protect mankind from Bandora's evil forces.

    Moomin
    TMDB4.3

    Moomin

    1990

    country: Japan

    In the remote and mysterious Moominvalley live the Moomins, gentle and peaceful creatures. Young Moomintroll and his family experience many strange adventures, both magical and mundane.

    Cooking Master Boy
    TMDB3.9

    Cooking Master Boy

    1997

    country: Japan

    After the death of his mother, a young boy travels to China and become a master chef, in his attempt to become head chef of his late mother's restaurant

    Slam Dunk
    TMDB4.3

    Slam Dunk

    1993

    country: Japan

    Sakuragi Hanamichi is a junior high punk used to getting into fights and being rejected by girls but upon entering high school he meets the girl of his dreams, Haruko Akagi. He will do anything in order to win her heart including joining the school basketball team that is aiming to conquer the nation lead by Haruko's brother. The problem is that Sakuragi has never played basketball before and a freshman sensation is stealing the spotlight and Haruko's affection from him.

    Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
    TMDB3.7

    Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

    1990

    country: Japan

    In mankind's grasp for the future, a sinister foe known only as Gargoyle begins his plans to take over the world. Nadia, with the help of a young inventor, Jean Ratlique, and Captain Nemo of the submarine Nautilus, must fight to save the world from Gargoyle and Neo-Atlantis.

    You're Under Arrest!
    TMDB3.9

    You're Under Arrest!

    1996

    country: Japan

    Tokyo Highway Patrolwomen Natsumi and Miyuki get off to a bad start when Miyuki busts Natsumi for reckless moped driving on her way to work. Things get worse when they find out they're going to be partners!

    Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play
    TMDB3.8

    Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play

    1995

    country: Japan

    Miaka, a junior high school student in Tokyo, has normal problems: fights with her mom, entrance exams, and deciding where she's going to go eat with her friends. But when she finds a mysterious book in the library, her life is changed forever when she and her best friend are transported inside!

    TRIGUN
    TMDB4.0

    TRIGUN

    1998

    country: Japan

    Trigun takes place in the distant future on a desert planet. Vash the Stampede is a gunfighter with a legend so ruthless he has a $$60,000,000,000 bounty on his head. Entire towns evacuate at the rumor of his arrival. But the real Vash the Stampede, the enigmatic and conflicted lead character, is more heroic, even though he usually acts like a complete idiot.

    How do you like Wednesday?
    TMDB3.9

    How do you like Wednesday?

    1996

    country: Japan

    How do you like Wednesday? was a Japanese television variety series that aired on the HTB network in Hokkaidō, Japan, and on other regional television networks in Japan. The program debuted on HTB on October 9, 1996. The series was one of the first local variety programs to be produced on Hokkaido; prior to this series' launch, local variety programs in Hokkaidō were virtually non-existent. The program also had a significant influence on other local programs in other regions in Japan, most notably Kwangaku! in Kansai and Nobunaga in Tokai. The series achieved a record 18.6% viewing share on December 8, 1999, the highest share for a late-night program on a local TV station. Production of the weekly regular series ended in September 2002, though new limited-run series were produced on average of every 18 months; the latest series was shown on HTB in late 2005, eight episodes in length. Most of the series have been rerun under the names of Dōdeshō Returns and Suiyō Dōdeshō Classic.

    Kindaichi Case Files
    TMDB4.0

    Kindaichi Case Files

    1997

    country: Japan

    Kindaichi Hajime may look dumb, but he is one of the smartest you will ever see. He encounters mysteries after mysteries with his good friend, Miyuki, and he swears to solve them in the name of his grandfather, which was a great detective.

    His and Her Circumstances
    TMDB4.0

    His and Her Circumstances

    1998

    country: Japan

    In His and Her Circumstances, like a drug, Yukino Miyazawa was addicted to admiration and praise from those around her. She worked hard to become the perfect student, the perfect girl. But that was before… him. Souichirou Arima. The instant she met him, she hated him. Without even trying, he snatched the very glory from her hands by easily acing the high school entrance exam that should have made her the class representative. To take back what is rightfully hers, Yukino is putting all her efforts into plotting her revenge – but was love part of the plan?

    About 1990s Japanese TV Shows

    The 1990s

    1990s television was the last era of true mass audiences, when a network sitcom or a season finale could be a shared national event.

    Japanese television

    Japanese television is dominated by anime and the dorama — short, tightly-run seasons that rarely outstay their premise. Anime in particular has become one of the most globally exported forms of television there is.

    In this list

    Best reviewed
    One Piece (8.7)
    Most common genres
    Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    Longest run
    39 seasons

    Common questions

    What are the best 1990s Japanese TV shows?
    By popularity across Flickfolio and TMDB, the top picks right now are Pokémon, Detective Conan, and Chibi Maruko-chan. The full ranked list of 40 sits above — open any show for ratings, reviews, and streaming availability.
    How is this list ranked?
    1990s Japanese TV shows are ordered by overall popularity, which blends how often a title is viewed, searched, and logged. It updates as viewing habits shift, so the list reflects what people are actually watching rather than a fixed critical canon.
    Where can I watch these TV shows?
    Every show page lists current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region, alongside community ratings and reviews from Flickfolio members.

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