90s Anime Memes for OG Otakus Who Grew Up with Goku and Usagi on Toonami (November 1, 2025)

Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor

Nov 2, 2025 1:00 PM EST

Question for all the OG anime fans: did you actually know anime was Japanese when you were watching it as a kid? For a lot of us growing up on Toonami, 4Kids, or Cartoon Network, those English dubs made things a little confusing. Depending on what show you were into, it wasn't always obvious.

If you were glued to Pokémon, you might've never guessed it came from Japan; the world felt so fantastical, and the characters' names were pretty neutral. Meanwhile, Dragon Ball fans could marathon entire sagas without clocking the Japanese cultural touches woven throughout. And sure, Sailor Moon was set in Tokyo, but I still knew kids who thought that was just the name of some made-up city.

Before the days of Google and fan wikis, all we had were our VHS tapes and Saturday morning lineups. So if you remember those simpler times, scroll down for some nostalgic anime memes that'll take you right back.