The earliest anime that was produced in Japan to have survived into the modern day, The Dull Sword, was released on June 30, 1917, but there it is disputed which title was the first to get that honour.

Here is a list of the top 10 oldest anime ever created in chronological order. 1. Namakura Gatana – 1917 Subscribe to watch new videos English title: The Dull Sword Year founded: 1917 Director: Junichi Kouchi

Astro Boy could easily be described as the first popular anime TV series ever. It follows the story of an android boy, "Astro Boy", and his interactions with humans in the futuristic world. This anime classic by Osamu Tezuka became the cartoon for generations of children, not only in Japan, but abroad as well.

Considered by some to be the first-ever anime series, Astro Boy began life as a moderately-successful manga series before making the jump to television in 1963.