18 Best Cartoons Influenced by Anime (Ranked)

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Anime and Western cartoons can feel like separate worlds, but the line between them is blurrier than you would think.

For decades, Western animators have borrowed anime’s big expressive eyes, its sweeping action, its serialized storytelling, and its willingness to get emotional.

Some cartoons influenced by anime wear it quietly. Others practically shout it.

Cartoon Network deserves a lot of the credit here, both airing anime and greenlighting a wave of anime-flavored originals.

From quiet homages to shows that basically are anime, these are the ones where the Japanese fingerprints run deepest.

The Best Cartoons Influenced by Anime, Ranked

Across these cartoons influenced by anime, the borrowing ranges from a single transformation to a whole show Japan later turned into actual anime.

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, one of the cartoons influenced by anime

Built around the real-life J-pop duo Puffy AmiYumi, this Cartoon Network original looks the part at every turn. Big eyes, wide mouths, vivid hair, and oversized reactions make it read like an anime at a glance. It is style-first fun, and that anime coat of paint is the whole appeal.

  • Anime-style art and exaggerated, rapid-fire comedy
  • Based on a real Japanese pop duo
  • The same duo that recorded the Teen Titans theme song
The anime connection: it borrows anime’s visual shorthand more than its storytelling, a Western comedy dressed head to toe in Japanese pop-art style.

Winx Club

Winx Club, an Italian cartoon influenced by anime

Winx Club is constantly mistaken for anime, and it is easy to see why, even though it is an Italian creation. Its magical-girl premise and sparkly transformations echo Japanese shows, filtered through early-2000s European pop. The result is a fascinating middle ground between Sailor Moon and a Y2K fashion magazine.

  • Fairies attending a magical boarding school
  • Magical-girl transformations and a sprawling fantasy universe
  • Character looks modeled on early-2000s pop stars
The anime connection: it proves the magical-girl formula traveled far beyond Japan, an Italian series wearing clear anime influence in every transformation.

Ultimate Spider-Man

Ultimate Spider-Man, a Marvel cartoon influenced by anime

Ultimate Spider-Man leaned lighter and goofier than earlier Spidey cartoons, and a lot of that energy is pure anime. Characters constantly pop into chibi form for jokes, and reactions blow up big and wide-eyed. It is not deep anime DNA, but it is anime comedy through and through.

  • A younger Spider-Man learning the ropes alongside other heroes
  • Frequent chibi cutaways lifted straight from anime
  • Fourth-wall breaks and dramatic, exaggerated reactions
The anime connection: it raids anime’s comedic toolbox, the chibi gags and over-the-top faces, without changing the core Marvel superhero story underneath.

ThunderCats

ThunderCats, an 80s cartoon influenced by anime

Catch ThunderCats back in 1985 and you might have sworn it was a polished anime import. Then the Rankin-Bass credit rolls, the studio better known for cozy holiday specials. The secret is that the animation itself was made in Japan.

  • A band of cat warriors fighting to survive on a strange world
  • An anime look that runs deeper than surface style
  • Written and voiced in America, with the action left intact
The anime connection: it looked like anime because it basically was, produced by Japanese animators, which is exactly why it stood out from its American peers.

Voltron: Legendary Defender

Voltron: Legendary Defender, a mecha cartoon influenced by anime

Voltron has anime in its blood, because it literally began as one. The 2016 reboot revives the 1984 series, which was itself stitched together from a Japanese mecha anime. This version simply embraces the DNA that was always there.

  • Five pilots and their lion robots forming one giant defender
  • Epic mecha battles and serialized team drama
  • A reboot that leans hard into its anime origins
The anime connection: the original 1984 Voltron was a re-edited cut of the Japanese series Beast King GoLion, so the reboot is less “influenced by anime” than a homecoming.

RWBY

RWBY, a Western cartoon influenced by anime

RWBY is the show most guaranteed to start the anime versus cartoon debate. Made in the US by Rooster Teeth, its art, fight choreography, and serialized plotting are so anime that the anime community adopted it outright. It is the clearest proof that the line has all but dissolved.

  • Four huntresses in a world of monsters and Dust-powered weapons
  • Anime-style action and long-form storytelling
  • A true blurring of the cartoon and anime line
The anime connection: RWBY got so anime that Japan made it into actual anime, receiving a Japanese-produced adaptation, Ice Queendom, in 2022, a near-total reversal of the usual direction.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Star vs. the Forces of Evil, a cartoon influenced by magical girl anime

Grow up on magical girl anime and Star vs. the Forces of Evil will feel instantly familiar. A wand-wielding princess, monster-of-the-week battles, and big transformation moments come straight from that genre. Layer sharp Western comedy on top and you get one of the best modern fusions on this list.

  • A magical princess from another dimension stuck in suburban Earth
  • Wand, spells, and transformations pulled from magical-girl tradition
  • A real blend of Sailor Moon and American comedy
The anime connection: creator Daron Nefcy, the first woman to create a series for Disney Television Animation, built the show on the magical-girl anime she loved, from Sailor Moon to Cardcaptor Sakura.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, a cartoon influenced by anime

The She-Ra reboot filters an 80s property through an unmistakably anime lens. Bright palettes, big transformations, and a serialized arc give it the rhythm of a magical-girl series. It is one of the modern cartoons influenced by anime that wears its roots with the most pride.

  • A modern retelling of the classic He-Man spinoff
  • Magical-girl transformations and tight team dynamics
  • Serialized storytelling over episodic resets
The anime connection: it takes the magical-girl blueprint, the transformation sequences, the ensemble bonds, the emotional arcs, and rebuilds a Western property entirely around it.

The Boondocks

The Boondocks, a cartoon influenced by anime

The Boondocks blends razor-sharp social satire with some of the most anime-faithful action ever made for Western TV. The fluid fight choreography comes directly from Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. Few shows commit to the aesthetic this hard while saying this much.

  • Biting satire about a Black family in a mostly white suburb
  • Martial-arts fights animated in full anime style
  • Built from a comic strip its creator drew with manga in mind
The anime connection: open anime fan Aaron McGruder leaned in so far that some call it the first Black anime, with one season-one duel a direct homage to a Samurai Champloo bamboo-grove fight.

Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6, a Disney cartoon influenced by anime

Big Hero 6 went from obscure Marvel comic to Disney’s first animated Marvel film to a TV series, picking up anime flavor at every step. The setting says it all: a mashup city called San Fransokyo, equal parts San Francisco and Tokyo. It is Disney warmth with a Japanese soul.

  • A boy genius and his marshmallow-soft healthcare robot, Baymax
  • Set in San Fransokyo, a literal East-meets-West city
  • Chibi-style designs and anime-flavored action beats
The anime connection: the whole production is a deliberate East-meets-West fusion, from the hybrid city to the character designs, wrapped in classic Disney heart.

Kim Possible

Kim Possible, a cartoon influenced by anime

Kim Possible pairs American high-school comedy with action that owes a real debt to anime. The over-the-top fights, dramatic poses, and expressive faces all lean East. It made spy-fi feel snappy and stylish, one of the early cartoons influenced by anime to pull it off.

  • A cheerleader who moonlights as a teen super-spy
  • Exaggerated action sequences with anime timing
  • Expressive, cartoon-meets-anime character acting
The anime connection: its action language, the poses, the timing, the reaction shots, borrows anime’s flair while keeping classic Western high-school stakes underneath.

Danny Phantom

Danny Phantom, a cartoon influenced by anime

Danny Phantom is a Western teen show at heart, but its central hook is pure anime. The moment Danny shifts into his glowing ghost form plays exactly like a magical-girl or shonen transformation. That one device gives the whole series its anime pulse.

  • A teenager who becomes a half-ghost superhero after a lab accident
  • Transformation sequences straight out of the anime playbook
  • Action and powers with a clear anime tilt
The anime connection: the hero-transformation beat is lifted wholesale from anime, giving a high-school comedy the rhythm of a shonen battle series.

Samurai Jack

Samurai Jack, a cartoon influenced by anime

Samurai Jack is an American production soaked in Japanese influence, from its lone-samurai hero to its spare, striking visuals. Long stretches pass with almost no dialogue, letting the imagery carry the weight. It is arguably the most cinematic of all these cartoons influenced by anime.

  • A displaced samurai stranded in a strange, dark future
  • Minimalist art inspired by anime and Ukiyo-e prints
  • Quiet, tense pacing that lets scenes breathe
The anime connection: creator Genndy Tartakovsky openly names Akira and Ghost in the Shell, and it shows in his confidence with silence and his willingness to hold a single, beautiful shot.

Teen Titans

Teen Titans, a cartoon influenced by anime

Teen Titans pairs American superhero stories with proudly worn anime influence. The vibrant, fast action and big emotional reactions call back to Naruto and One Piece. Few cartoons influenced by anime ever committed to the look this fully.

  • A team of teenage heroes living and fighting together
  • Anime-style action and dramatic, exaggerated emotion
  • Sudden chibi gags during comedic or tense beats
The anime connection: the anime energy runs from the theme song down, an opening performed by J-pop duo Puffy AmiYumi, with the series constantly dropping into chibi-style gags.

The Powerpuff Girls

The Powerpuff Girls, a cartoon influenced by anime

The bright, blocky world of The Powerpuff Girls hides plenty of anime fingerprints. The huge eyes, the speed lines during fights, and the over-the-top reactions all trace back to Japanese animation. It is proof that cartoons influenced by anime can hide the connection inside the most all-American package.

  • Three superpowered sisters defending the city of Townsville
  • Large expressive eyes and anime-style action lines
  • Influences creator Craig McCracken traces to Speed Racer and Astro Boy
The anime connection: the influence ran both ways, since Japan loved it enough to make its own magical-girl version, Powerpuff Girls Z, animated by Toei, the studio behind Sailor Moon.

Adventure Time

Adventure Time, a cartoon influenced by anime

Adventure Time hides a startling amount of anime beneath its goofy surface. Creator Pendleton Ward points to Studio Ghibli and Akira as touchstones, and you feel it in the strange, post-apocalyptic worldbuilding. When it swings into real emotion, it lands like the best anime does.

  • A boy and his shapeshifting dog in the candy-coated land of Ooo
  • A secretly bleak, post-apocalyptic backstory
  • Emotional depth and lore that reward close watching
The anime connection: the Ghibli and Akira DNA shows up in its ambitious worldbuilding and its willingness to turn truly dark, all hidden under a deceptively simple art style.

Steven Universe

Steven Universe, a cartoon influenced by anime

Steven Universe wears its anime heart on its sleeve. The emotional, identity-driven storytelling and the gem-summoned weapons feel pulled straight from anime, and the show name-drops its influences more than once. It is one of the most emotionally ambitious cartoons ever made.

  • A boy raised by alien gem warriors learning to use his powers
  • Transformation and weapon-summon sequences with anime flair
  • Deep, serialized themes of love, identity, and growing up
The anime connection: creator Rebecca Sugar is a devoted fan of Revolutionary Girl Utena, and it is baked into the fusion dances, dramatic transformations, and big emotional turns, not just used as decoration.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender, the definitive cartoon influenced by anime

You cannot talk about cartoons influenced by anime without Avatar. Its detailed world, martial-arts-based bending, serialized arcs, and fearless heavy themes all read like a great anime, which is exactly why fans still argue about how to label it. It is the definitive proof that a Western cartoon can match anime at its own game, and the clear number one here.

  • A young Avatar learning to master the four elements
  • Bending styles based on real martial arts
  • A long, serialized story with real character growth and detailed anime-style art
The anime connection: the creators were such fans that they steeped it in Miyazaki films and Cowboy Bebop, which is why “is Avatar an anime?” remains one of the most reliable arguments in any fandom.

Why So Many Western Cartoons Borrow From Anime

The best cartoons influenced by anime all borrow for a reason. So why does anime keep turning up in Western cartoons? A few come up again and again.

  • A bold visual style. Anime’s striking look hands animators a rich toolkit to pull from, from expressive eyes to dynamic action and imaginative settings.
  • Serialized storytelling. Where older Western cartoons reset every episode, anime built long, continuous arcs that allow for deeper characters and bigger payoffs.
  • Room for mature themes. Anime spans every age group, including stories aimed at adults, which gave Western creators license to tackle heavier subjects.
  • Real emotional weight. Anime is not shy about big, sincere feelings, and borrowing that lets a cartoon land moments that truly stick.
  • A different cultural lens. Leaning on anime brings in Japanese settings, ideas, and sensibilities, broadening what a Western cartoon can even be about.

Where Cartoon Ends and Anime Begins

From quiet homages to shows that basically are anime, these cartoons influenced by anime prove the border between East and West was never as solid as it looked.

The best of them do not just copy anime.

They absorb it and build something new.

So which cartoon blurs the anime line the hardest for you?

Drop your pick in the comments, and settle the “is it anime?” debate once and for all.