Best Fantasy Anime of 1999

After surviving a deadly whirlpool at sea by hiding inside a barrel, the carefree Monkey D. Luffy finds himself on a ship that is being attacked by fearsome pirates. Although he looks like a naive teenager, Luffy should not be underestimated. He is an unmatched fighter and a pirate himself, determined to obtain the coveted One Piece treasure and claim the title of King of the Pirates. Before his death, the former King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, shook the world by revealing the location of his vast riches and daring anyone to claim them. Since then, countless powerful pirates have sailed dangerous seas in search of the One Piece, only to never return. Luffy may lack a crew and a proper ship, but he possesses a superhuman ability and an unbreakable spirit that make him both a formidable opponent and an inspiration to many. With a big smile on his face, Luffy faces numerous challenges and gathers one-of-a-kind companions to join his ambitious quest. Together, they embrace perils and wonders on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Hunters are skilled professionals across many fields, ranging from treasure hunting to cooking, and they gain special access to resources and knowledge that help them achieve their goals. However, becoming a Hunter is a rare honor, obtainable only by those who endure a deadly test with an extremely low success rate. Twelve-year-old Gon Freecss sets out to take the Hunter Exam, motivated by the desire to find his missing father. Along the way, he meets three other applicants: Kurapika, who is driven by revenge; Leorio Paladiknight, who dreams of becoming a doctor; and Killua Zoldyck, a cheerful boy around the same age. As these four individuals face a dangerous journey, they battle immense obstacles in pursuit of their ambitions.

Seven kids at summer camp are shocked when snow starts falling in July. In the ensuing chaos, each of them receives a strange device that sends them to another world. When they wake up in this new place, they meet bizarre creatures calling themselves "Digimon," who explain that the children have arrived in the "Digital World," far from their own home. Armed only with the Digimon and their "Digivices," the seven children set out to find a way back home and uncover why they were brought here. Led by the impulsive Taichi Yagami and his hungry Digimon partner Agumon, the group must battle unknown evils as they learn more about this strange Digital World.

Shuuzou "Shuu" Matsutani leads a typical, peaceful life. He has friends, a crush on a girl, and a dedication to kendo. After feeling down about losing to his kendo rival, Shuu climbs a smokestack to watch the sunset and meets Lala-Ru, a quiet girl with blue hair who wears an unusual pendant. Shuu tries to befriend her, even though she gives only uninterested, bland replies. His hopes are dashed when a woman, accompanied by two serpentine machines, appears out of thin air with the sole purpose of capturing Lala-Ru. Stubborn as he is, Shuu attempts to rescue his new acquaintance from her kidnappers and is transported to a desert world unlike anything he has ever known. Despite the circumstances, Shuu focuses only on saving Lala-Ru until he is severely beaten by soldiers. He soon learns that Lala-Ru can control water, and her pendant is the source of this ability—a precious resource in his new, arid surroundings. But now the pendant is missing, and Shuu is the main suspect. Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku is a haunting tale of a dystopian world, following Shuu as he endures torture, hunger, and the horrors of war to save the lonely girl he found sitting on a smokestack.

Genki, a boy who enjoys playing video games, is suddenly transported into the world of Monster Rancher, where he meets Holly and the monsters Mochi, Suezo, Golem, Tiger, and Hare. Their goal is to find a way to revive the Phoenix, the only monster that can defeat the evil Moo.

After arriving on Earth with dreams of becoming a star, Princess Di Gi Charat (Dejiko) quickly discovers that money is essential—and she has none. In a perpetual struggle to improve her financial situation, Dejiko, along with her sidekick Petit Charat (Puchiko), her guardian Gema, and her rival coworker Hikaru Usada, does everything possible to escape the crushing monotony of working in retail. Their efforts unfold through a series of surreal yet oddly relatable attempts to add excitement to their everyday lives.

Orphen and his companions embark on a fresh adventure filled with battles against numerous monsters and a complete absence of tranquility. A new ally joins the crew, a girl named Lycorus, who was dispatched specifically to locate Orphen. Meanwhile, ominous and mysterious shadows loom overhead.

Long ago, during an era of witchcraft and black magic, a malevolent sorceress enchants the emperor of a great dynasty, turning him into a mindless puppet. The kingdom falls into chaos, with evil spirits rampant everywhere. The human realm teeters on the brink of complete annihilation. The Confederation of the Immortal Masters devises a daring plan, dispatching a young master wizard to pursue and eliminate the villains and dark warlocks that plague the devastated lands.

The narrative centers on Elk, a bounty hunter navigating a peculiar futuristic world where advanced yet archaic technology coexists with primitive customs, magical creatures, and beasts—essentially blending elements of everything. An evil conspiracy capable of producing formidable monsters dubbed chimera, which can even assume human form, operates in the background. It does not take long before Elk rescues a young female beast-master and acquires some dangerous adversaries.

Gokudou’s story begins when he steals a pouch from a fortuneteller, believing it contains a gem. Instead, he finds a rock inside, from which Djinn emerges. The genie grants Gokudou the standard three wishes, but our anti-hero gives little thought to what he asks for. His wishes are granted, though not quite in the way he anticipated. The best thing he gains from them is Honou no Maken—a magical sword that allows its wielder to launch fire attacks and can be summoned from anywhere in the world. Even with an enchanted sword, Gokudou earns little respect. Djinn, who is also a shapeshifter, turns him into a woman. He is trailed by Rubette La Late, a potential love interest who cares more about adventure, karaoke, and outdoing Gokudou. He gets thwacked on the head frequently, especially by the fortuneteller, who keeps reappearing throughout the series just to torment him, it seems. Later on, he gains another sidekick: Prince, a former evil magician who is more handsome and a better womanizer than Gokudou.

Bucky, the main character of this story, is an ordinary boy living in the first world. He harbors a single, modest ambition: to rule the world (meaning the entire planet). He is absolutely determined and would readily die to achieve his goal. One day, he encounters Spark, the Great Child of Primas (World One). Spark is renowned as the strongest Great Child across all the worlds and is in search of a successor. After meeting Bucky and exchanging a few words, Spark—for no apparent reason—chooses Bucky as his successor. Bucky has now become a Great Child and gains the companionship of Jibaki, the spirit of the first world.

The Magic User's Club consists of five well-intentioned oddballs who can wield actual magic, not just perform parlor tricks. Using that magic, they successfully took down a massive ship from outer space. However, their encounter left an enormous cherry blossom tree planted in the middle of the city, so large that it blocks out the sun entirely. Takeo Takakura, the club's well-meaning yet perverted president, summons an emergency Sunday meeting to deal with the tree. The task seems straightforward, but with magic in play, nothing ever goes as planned. To make matters worse, a ghostly figure lurks among the branches, observing their every move. Who is this silent specter, and what does he want?

In the year 356 BC, Alexander the Great reaches Greece bearing the dark prophecy that he is destined to be the "destroyer of the world." After assuming the throne as king of the Macedonians, he embarks on a rapid campaign of conquest. Eventually, he faces his foreordained rival Darius the Third in a conflict against Persia, a war that transforms Alexander into the demon he was meant to be, guaranteeing ruin for everyone in his way—and perhaps for himself as well.

This anime is adapted from a PlayStation game of the same name. The story follows four travelers journeying across the barren land of Filgaea, carving out a legendary tale along the way. These adventurers are Sheyenne Rainstorm, a gunslinger wielding the legendary weapons called ARMs; Kiel Aromax, a scientist who appears as if he ought to be carrying a sword; Roleta Oratorio the Crest Sorceress, a magic-user who employs cards known as Crests to cast spells; and Mirabelle Graceland, a member of the Noble Red, a family of vampiric beings living alongside humans. They are also accompanied by small, clever furry creatures from the Popepi Pipepo Tribe, named Isaac and Jerusha.

According to an old legend, a magical Powerstone exists that can grant any wish to whoever possesses it. Adventurers from across the world compete fiercely to find this mysterious jewel. Based on the Dreamcast game, POWERSTONE aims to tell the story behind the game's concept. The narrative starts with the protagonist, Fokker, who is training to become a fighter just like his hero, Vargas.

Yuusuke was an ordinary high school student. Then one day, the cute, haloed Noelle literally dropped into his life, naked as a baby and just as innocent. Before he can fully process what happened, Yuusuke is brought into a bizarre family of otherworldly beings. Papa is a Frankenstein monster who loves calisthenics. Mama is a gorgeous woman with a thing for "round objects" — seriously! The eldest sister, Sara, is completely invisible; the brother, Gabriel, is a teenage vampire with an attitude; and the youngest sister, Ruka, loves inventing things. There's a disapproving Grandma, a witch to the highest degree, and her vulture familiar. All Yuusuke ever wanted was for the beautiful Natsumi to notice him, but now he has an angel-in-training following him everywhere. And Noelle also has a guide on her path to becoming an angel—the mysterious Michael.

Yorn looks up at two enormous floating cities in the sky, longing to uncover their secrets. Suddenly, those secrets come after him. Edenic assassins kill his father, and Yorn becomes their next target. A nameless old man and a mysterious young girl assist Yorn in his search for his missing mother and the truth. Known as the God Hunter, Yorn races against the sinister schemes of the technological overlords.

A world where the dead roam, and good and evil are tangible forces, is threatened by a rising darkness. The undead armies advance on the cities of light, seeking to seize the sacred fire—the source of their power. Yet there is still hope. Summoned to this realm by a magical flame, a young girl named Himiko is thrown into a vortex of peril, treachery, and conflict. As the heir to the sacred fire, she possesses a strength that might rescue its Guardians... provided she lives through it.

While exploring some ruins on Angel Island, a doctor discovers a mysterious newborn bird named Kyoro-chan. The two form a bond and set out to travel the world together. Three years later, when the Doctor and Kyoro-chan attempt to return to Angel Island, a storm causes their ship to wreck. Kyoro-chan manages to reach the island safely, but the Doctor is nowhere to be found. Kyoro-chan prays for his safety and hopes he will return, as he now begins a new life on Angel Island.

Hello Kitty and her twin sister Mimi, who is also called Mimmy, attend kindergarten and frequently go on adventures either "over the rainbow" in their imaginations or in their home and neighborhood.

Sun Wukong, born from a magic stone, spent five centuries imprisoned beneath a mountain for causing chaos in the heavens. The deity Guanyin informed him that the monk Tangsen would release him, and Wukong would accompany Tangsen on a pilgrimage from China to India. The following day, Xuanzang freed him, and the two set off on their journey to the West. Along the road, they gained two companions: Zhu Bajie and the hermit Sha Wujing. Together, they confronted numerous perils, evil creatures, and sorcerers, while learning to cooperate.

More adventures of Bikkuriman.