What Was the First Anime Ever Made?

Much like movies, video games, and general television, anime has reached the point as a genre where it is so widely popular that no one really questions where it came from anymore, as it has been around for over a century. But what was the first anime ever made? Here is everything you need to know.

The answer to this question really depends on a number of different variables, including what exactly you consider an anime. As such, we are going to break it down a bit to specify a few different distinctions as to what the first anime ever made was.

What Was the First Anime Ever Made?

According to the 2017 book “Animated Film in Japan until 1919. Western animation and the beginnings of anime,” by Frederick S. Litten, the history of anime can be traced back to 1907. Before the invention of film, Japan used magic lantern shows, with the first animated film ever made being called Katsudō Shashin (Activity Photo).

This style in turn inspired the first anime with synced, pre-recorded voices (a “talkie”) in 1933, Titled Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka (Within the World of Power and Women). More war-based propaganda anime were also created a few years after this, with Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei (1945) becoming the first anime feature film ever.

First Color Animated Film & TV Series

In 1958, Toei Animation and Mushi Production produced the first animated feature film Hakujaden (The Tale of the White Serpent), which was released in the US three years later. When it comes to television series, Otogi Manga Calendar (Instant History) premiered in 1961 and become the first color-animated tv series, becoming what many argue is the first anime ever created.

Since Otogi Manga Calendar didn’t consist entirely of animation (According to Anime: A History. London: British Film Institute), some consider Astro Boy to be the first anime ever created, especially since it also was the first tv series that ever debuted in the US.

So what do you think classifies as the first-ever anime ever made? Be sure to let us know in the comments below. And while you’re here, check out all of the other great features, guides, news, and quizzes we have about anime in the related articles section at the bottom of the page.

Featured Image Source: Toei Animation