Best Action Anime of 1968

Prior to the production of the television series, a pilot film was created to give sponsors and broadcasting stations a sense of the work's overall atmosphere. This pilot for "Dororo" features characters that more closely resemble their counterparts from the original manga than those seen in the TV series. In the televised version, the characters' appearances and personalities were frequently tweaked in order to win over audiences. Consequently, viewer reception was sometimes highly favorable, while at other times it fell flat. The Dororo pilot was shot in color, but the TV series was broadcast in black and white due to a more constrained budget. The narrative follows the journey of a young thief named Dororo and a cursed man called Hyakkimaru as they battle and destroy monsters. Hyakkimaru is only able to become a full "human" once he has vanquished 48 demons.

The narrative follows Sabu, a young investigator serving the Edo bakufu, and Ichi, a blind swordsman of extraordinary skill, as they roam the countryside helping ordinary people solve mysteries and correct injustices frequently stemming from bandits or corrupt officials. Amid their journeys, Sabu is betrothed to Midori, the daughter of his superior, who works as a police officer under the Tokugawa shogunate.

Sasuke is the child of Ozaru, a ninja of exceptional skill. When their lord, Yukimura Sanada, is defeated, the ninja forces of Tokugawa and Hattori set out to hunt down every surviving enemy. This forces Ozaru and Sasuke to abandon their home and fight desperately just to stay alive. The story is built on danger, vengeance, anger, loyalty, and pain, exposing the darkest sides of human nature while following the growth of its young protagonist, Sasuke.

In Wanpaku Tanteidan, a group of young boys, along with a girl and her bratty younger sibling, form a detective club. Employing their combined skills in intelligence, physical strength, invention, and driving, they solve mysteries across Tokyo. Police Chief Nakamura is frequently frustrated by their success, as they crack cases that even veteran officers struggle with.

A young boy uses his scientific skills to fight enemies.

A new transfer student arrives and is immediately met by the school gang. He defeats each gang member one after another and then challenges their leader to a fight. The episodes were ten minutes long and aired from Monday to Saturday. Because the series never received any releases beyond its TV broadcasts, all 156 episodes aside from the opening sequence are now lost media.

In "Johnny Cypher in Dimension Zero," Johnny Cypher, a tough superagent, uses his power to travel through inner space, especially Dimension Zero, to fight evil across the universe. He is joined by the beautiful blonde Zena and Rhom, a small alien from the Black Star. This series is an early joint project between Japan and America, made by former Disney animator Joe Oriolo for Warner/Seven, a studio created from the merger of Seven Arts Production with Warner Bros. The show began airing in Japan one year after its first broadcast in the US.

The titular hero sets out on a journey to the underworld.