THE 3 ANIME SERIES THAT SHAPED MY CHILDHOOD

In this post, I’ll share my memories of three unforgettable classics. And at the end, I’d love to hear: which anime series left a lasting impression on your childhood?

ANIMES

If you grew up in the ’90s, you’ll probably understand exactly what I’m about to say. There was something magical about that era. The sound of the CRT TV turning on… the static on the screen… the anxiety of not wanting to miss the beginning of the episode. No internet, no streaming, no easy replay. It was watch it or… miss it.

And maybe that’s why everything felt more intense, more exciting, and certainly more memorable.

Each episode felt like an event. Each story, an experience. And that’s how some anime didn’t just entertain me—they left a mark on my memory in a way that I can still feel today.

And in this blog, I want to share with you the 3 anime that left the biggest mark on my childhood.

3rd Place – Dragon Ball Z

You can’t talk about the ’90s without mentioning Dragon Ball Z.

But I’ll be honest here: this wasn’t an anime that grabbed me right away. I remember watching Dragon Ball (Goku as a child) sporadically when it aired on SBT, back when the network didn’t place much importance on programming continuity. So, I couldn’t follow the story episode by episode—just random episodes—which left me confused most of the time.

When my friends started talking about Dragon Ball Z, which happened to be airing on Cartoon Network—and I didn’t have cable TV—I couldn’t connect the events and characters from the original Dragon Ball with Z. Again, I didn’t understand that anime with people flying all over the place and shooting lightning bolts in every direction.

I only really started following it when, in the group of friends we played RPGs with, someone suggested running a Dragon Ball Z campaign—just as the anime started airing on Band. That’s when it really hooked me.

It was almost a ritual: coming home from school, rushing to turn on the TV, and hoping I hadn’t missed anything. And when the saga was at a decisive moment… well…

I remember the first time I saw the episode where Goku finally transformed into a Super Saiyan… That wasn’t just an episode. It was a historic moment. It still gives me chills to this day.

The next day, the whole school was talking about nothing else. It was all discussion, theories, and excitement. It was as if we were all experiencing it together. And playing RPGs with my friends left that experience etched in my childhood forever.

Dragon Ball Z left a lasting impression on me because of its intensity, its emotion, and because it was the first anime I actually watched from start to finish, episode by episode.

2nd Place – Saint Seiya

There was no way around it… Back then, Manchete TV didn’t waste any time. While they were already airing the tokusatsu shows I watched every day—Winspector, Changeman, and Jiban—they announced this anime.

Spectacular armor, superpowers, and fights with blood spurting everywhere (uncensored)… it definitely caught everyone’s attention.

It wasn’t just fighting. It was sacrifice, pain, friendship… and an emotional intensity far greater than what we were used to back then. And with that unmistakable soundtrack, it was impossible not to become a fan.

There was just one problem: I was only 7 years old and had super conservative parents. So, I had to watch it in secret. But I remember never missing a single episode. Unfortunately, Manchete would rerun and restart the episodes all the time. Looking into it later, I found out that this happened because they didn’t have all the episodes (they were bought in batches) and also due to delays in the dubbing. That’s why I only got to watch the complete series years later.

Anyway, I know that today CDZ isn’t highly regarded by the current generation, but it was undoubtedly—for me and for a legion of kids from the ’90s—something unforgettable. Kids who kept trying to unleash a “Pegasus Meteor” or a “Dragon’s Wrath” during their street games.

A watershed moment in an era of Disney cartoons on TV Colosso and Chaves on SBT…

Good times… good times…

1st Place – Yu Yu Hakusho

Yu Yu Hakusho, my friends… that one was something else! And no, I didn’t watch the whole thing when it first aired on Manchete TV.

But I clearly remember some absurdly memorable scenes… I remember turning on the TV one afternoon and seeing a fight between a weird, goofy-looking guy and a short guy wearing a hat. At first glance, it didn’t seem like much, but during the fight, the short guy casts a spell on the other guy and shrinks him down to tiny size. He picks the guy up like a rag doll and tortures him mercilessly, culminating in snapping his arm like a twig (heavy scene). I didn’t know the context, or the story, or even the characters’ names, but that scene stayed with me for years.

The other day, while randomly watching the same anime, I saw a guy with spiky black hair, a mean look on his face, and a sword (crazy-looking) fighting a monster in a thong. Again, nothing special, apparently… but then, in a matter of seconds, the guy with the sword chops off his opponent’s arm and then plunges the sword into the guy’s skull… man, what a scene.

But that wasn’t enough to get me interested in the anime back then—though it certainly stuck in my memory. Years later—many years later, actually—now an adult and a family man, I decided to binge-watch an anime. That’s when I saw the cover of Yu Yu Hakusho on some episode download site (streaming didn’t exist yet). I immediately remembered those scenes I’d seen way back when I was a kid and got excited for an anime with epic fight scenes.

Man… it wasn’t just that. Right from the first episode, the anime hit me hard, almost like “absolute cinema.” The scene at Yusuke’s wake is so emotionally charged that it could easily make a grown man shed a few tears. That’s when I realized it wasn’t just a fighting anime.

An engaging story, ultra-charismatic characters, formidable enemies, a surreal soundtrack, and perfect voice acting made this masterpiece my favorite anime—the kind of podium where the first-place finisher doesn’t even see the second-place finisher in the rearview mirror.

And yes… I revisited those scenes from my childhood—and several others became memorable. And the character with the goofy face… he, without a doubt, became my favorite in the story. What charisma!

“The flower has to be a cherry blossom…

and the man has to be Kuwabara!”

Epic!!!

More than just cartoons… memories

Looking back today, it’s clear that they weren’t just cartoons.

They were moments.

They were feelings.

They were experiences that stayed with us and helped shape who we are. Every episode we watched… every opening theme we sang along to… every scene we still remember today… All of this is part of our story.

💬 What about you?

Now I want to hear from you:

Which anime series left a mark on your childhood in the ’90s?

Tell me in the comments—I’d love to reminisce with you.

And if you also feel that fond nostalgia for that era…

Stay tuned.

Because there’s still plenty of nostalgia for us to experience together.