Looking for older 80s-2000s anime.

Hello. Looking to find some good quality anime in this era. I've watched cowboy bebop, evangelion, perfect blue, GTO, and all of the Ghibli movies. I don't mind older animation, I'm just not familiar with other shows of this timeline I could have missed.

I was just wanting some more serious anime to watch , centered around drama or deep character development.

Thank you!

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AutoModerator2026-01-28 20:19

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Acceptable_Neck_16002026-01-28 20:21

Hajime No Ippo

Unlikely_Usual_35272026-01-28 20:30

I've heard this is a good one, I'll add it to the list ty

hxh_gon12026-01-28 20:27

Slam dunk is a legendary sports basketball anime. It has a really nice char development.

Unlikely_Usual_35272026-01-28 20:30

I'll give it a look!

Fallen-Shadow-12142026-01-28 20:27

Psycho Pass
Banana Fish
Violet Evergarden
Vinland Saga
Madoka Magica
Code Geass
Black Lagoon
Serial Experiments Lain
Devilman Crybaby
Claymore
Btooom
Monster
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
Heavenly Delusion
Welcome to the N.H.K.
Castlevania

Unlikely_Usual_35272026-01-28 20:29

Are u good bro

Fallen-Shadow-12142026-01-28 20:33

Oh sorry, didn’t read the title, just saw the end where you wanted serious anime with drama or deep character development

OkThought72632026-01-28 21:18

New level of TikTok brain

Fallen-Shadow-12142026-01-28 21:19

??? How is this Tik tok brain?

ZaphodBeebblebrox2026-01-28 20:28

The first thing that comes to mind is [Revolutionary Girl Utena](https://anilist.co/anime/440/Shoujo-Kakumei-Utena/). It has a somewhat wacky/surrealist exterior, but its core is character-centric drama about the roles society imposes upon people.

Uma-apreciator2026-01-28 20:28

Ashita no Joe

LastGameBeasts2026-01-28 20:31

Great teacher onizuka

porpoiseoflife2026-01-28 20:33

* Serial Experiments Lain
* Key The Metal Idol
* Legend of the Galactic Heroes
* Fushigi Yuugi
* The Legend Of Black Heaven
* Record Of Lodoss War
* Beck (English dub highly recommended)
* Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Unlikely_Usual_35272026-01-28 20:43

Great list thank you

Wasabi_5_332026-01-28 20:34

Yu Yu Hakusho !!

Sea_Machine_74692026-01-28 21:15

How did it go this far down the list before I found someone suggesting this masterpiece

Sahrde2026-01-28 20:35

Rah XePhon, Vision of Escalfowne, Gasaraki, Trigun (not stampde or stargaze, though those are excellent too), Magic Knights Rayerth, Fushigi Yugi

RyaReisender2026-01-28 20:42

1980-2000:

- Queen Millenia

- Captain Harlock / Harlock Saga

- Trigun

- Now and Then, Here and There

You said 2000s, that would also include years 2001-2009, but not sure if you meant that since all your examples are from the past millenium, so I'll list these separately below, if you look particularly from 1980-2000, ignore these:

- Gundam SEED

- Toradora!

- Gantz

- Claymore

- Nana

- Death Note

- Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

- Code Geass

- Monster

- Welcome to the NHK

- Clannad

yourrealdad282026-01-28 22:33

Damn, just throwing Gantz in there with no warning huh? 🤣

RyaReisender2026-01-28 22:54

He wanted serious anime.

Skaven132026-01-28 20:42

Vampire Hunter D
.
Slayers

Rune Soldier

//Hack.sign

Hellsing Ultimate

Dragon_Bench_Z2026-01-28 20:50

.hack Sign holy shit forgot that existed. Still don’t think I ever finished it tho. .

Skaven132026-01-28 20:57

Banger Soundtrack and Gaming Isekai before gaming Isekai were invented. 😅

I forgot Read or Die and Airmaster on my recommendations.
Also less known good Series

the_akage32026-01-28 20:42

Vampire Hunter D & its sequel

Hajime no ippo

Berserk (90's adaptation)

Ghost in the shell movies

Akira

Samurai X: trust & betrayal OVA (really underrated)

Monster

yourrealdad282026-01-28 22:34

Be aware that Beserk has no ending unless I missed something back then.

Samurai X/Kenshin is amazing!!

Dragon_Bench_Z2026-01-28 20:49

Yu Yu Hakusho. Gundam. Rurouni kenshin. Death note

Shadowcat12242026-01-28 20:57

The movie Tokyo Godfathers

Interesting_Self50712026-01-28 20:59

Blue Blink

Kodocha

Marmalade Boy

Thorguild2026-01-28 21:01

Tank Police - Laugh out loud, over the top action

Kimagure Orange Road - Sweet slice-of-life high school romance. With Espers!

Ranma 1/2 - A martial arts-obsessed boy deals with a curse that turns him into a girl and back. Wacky hijinks ensue.

Bubblegum Crisis / AD Police - Two related anime about society trying to deal with new cybertechnology, and the pursuant cyberpsychosis that comes with it.

Akira - Used to top ALL of the must-see lists. My friend's comment: "Tokyo gets nuked at the beginning, AND the end." Hard to pin down to one description or genera.

noshingsomepods2026-01-28 21:06

A few movies:

Akira - I mean just watch it. The plot loses quite a bit with the shear amount of plot it's trying to condense into that movie, but it's beyond gorgeous.

Wings of Honneamise. - An alternate world's take on Nasa taking its first steps into space. Great movie, the main character is very flawed

Patlabor: The movie 2. Kind of a weird pull, but you don't need to know much lore from the series, terrorists working with parts of the military cause a bunch of civil unrest and the team has to figure it out.

Jin-Roh the Wolf Brigade - More then a little fasc-i, but a really dark story about terrorists, insurgents, counter insurgents and how it destroys humanity

OAV: Macross Plus - Shinichirō Watanabe's debut (Cowboy Bebop). Great music, visuals, compelling story about a pair of bitter rival test pilots, former friends and the pop star they both simp hard for.

Fine_Tension28762026-01-28 21:09

I would go with

Escaflowne

Gundam wings

Akira

Macross series

Fate series

zsmg2026-01-28 21:09

Serei no Moribito

MeroMeroDraws2026-01-28 22:28

You should totally see Code Geass, i've also heard that Monster is really good too!

jaesuk972026-01-28 22:33

Millennium Actress

Mobile Suit Gundam: War in the Pocket

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Ghost in the Shell

Patlabor

Touch

Maison Ikkoku

Oniisama E...

Anne of Green Gables

Alt22212026-01-28 23:12

10/10 based

Prof_Acorn2026-01-29 00:02

Mardock Scramble.

(Note: There's nudity, but it's the kind you might find in a Rated R film in America.)

Offrostandflame2026-01-29 00:27

Sword of the stranger

North5142026-01-29 02:30

- Armored Trooper Votoms - watch the spinoffs too like Mellowlink

- Cyber City Oedo 808

- Area 88 OVA

- Haibane Renmei

- Macross

- Major

- Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

- Ashita no Joe S2 - this requires having seen S1 (1970) up until EP55 (then I just suggest going to S2 as the rest of S1 is just filler mixed in with canon stuff that is readapted in S2, much better) - great if you like significant character development

- The Big O

JamesYTP2026-01-29 04:41

If you like Perfect Blue I'd go with the rest of Satoshi Kon's work.