Cartoon Network's Cult 90's Sci-Fi Drama Is The Best TV S...

Cartoon Network's Cult 90's Sci-Fi Drama Is The Best TV Show Time Forgot

By J.R. Waugh Published Feb 12, 2026, 10:45 PM EST An experienced Editor representing Canada via Screen Rant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com. His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

For anime fans growing up in the United States during the 1990s, Cartoon Network, particularly its Adult Swim and Toonami programming blocks, were formative shared viewing experiences. Multiple iconic franchises and all-time great anime sprung forth from the channel, and while icons like Cowboy Bebop and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing get their roses, some Sunrise anime are unfairly forgotten.

Such is the case for 1998's Outlaw Star which, while releasing in the same year as Cowboy Bebop's anime both in Japan and its later 2001 U.S. debut, encountered multiple hurdles holding back its unfettered style. With such an incredibly well-produced series, it certainly deserves better, and while discerning fans vocally support it, it deserves greater mainstream exposure once more.

Outlaw Star Is a Fantastic Sci-Fi Anime Balancing Drama and Comedy

For those who remember the late '90s as an era exemplified by anime like Cowboy Bebop, it may sometimes come as a surprise just how excellent Outlaw Star also is. Despite their similar debuts, one will quickly find vast differences between the two. In place of Cowboy Bebop's more relaxed vibes, Outlaw Star is far punchier.

But comparing Outlaw Star to Cowboy Bebop is an exercise in futility. Its worlds are far more fantastical, with a sort of pulpy, space-faring swashbuckler vibe, especially as its main character, Gene Starwind, gradually matures from his generically womanizing beginnings in the show. As he gathers his allies, he soon launches an adventure to find the fabled Galactic Leyline.

With humble beginnings, at first only joined by his 11-year-old pal Jim Hawking as a nod to Treasure Island, Gene soon gathers kindred spirits at his current home, Sentinel III, including Hilda and the mysterious, naive Melfina whom they quickly discover in the premiere. Soon enough, their numbers grow with characters like Suzuka and the fan-favorite Ctarl-Ctarl catgirl, Aisha Clanclan.

"Outlaws never go down easy, no matter what happens to them."

-Hilda

The story opens with a run-of-the-mill quest for what's marketed at first like a sci-fi Treasure Island, only for it to be a far more arcane, cosmic secret upon discovery. Viewers get familiar with Gene's past, his connection with the space pirates, particularly the Kei Guild, alongside Melfina's origins, all over the course of 26 stylish episodes.

They Just Don't Make Anime Like Outlaw Star Anymore

Outlaw Star Caster Gun

Outlaw Star embodied the untouchable quality and aesthetic that'd become emblematic of the '90s. It had sharp character designs, sci-fi stories featuring idiosyncratic spaceship designs, glorious fights, and admittedly more than one element that hasn't aged well. Fred Luo's proud gay portrayal was refreshing; his flamboyance, however, felt like a caricature. No anime is perfect.

Incorporating overt worldbuilding and transforming alien races front-and-center, Outlaw Star is also spectacularly animated, from intricate mechanical movement, to detailed computer interfaces making its worlds believable, to uncannily expressive faces by the finale. Anytime Gene took out his Caster, a gun made to hold shells containing scarce mana reserves, it'd counter forces like Tao magic deployed by Gene's pirate foes.

Despite some wild concepts thrown around and feeling significantly more out-there than much of Cowboy Bebop's comparatively subdued, grounded plots, Outlaw Star was relatively easy to follow. It did have a guiding star though, adapting the seinen Ultra Jump manga of the same name, even leaving room for a spinoff in 1999, Angel Links.

Outlaw Star Is Widely Unavailable for Streaming

While shows like Cowboy Bebop are practically impossible to miss online, thanks to broad availability either on Crunchyroll or on Netflix depending on the user's home, the same can't be said about Outlaw Star. Its previous remaining streaming availability is on Crunchyroll, but only on its Guernsey, Ireland, Jamaica, and United Kingdom servers.

Its previous remaining streaming availability is on Crunchyroll, but only on its Guernsey, Ireland, Jamaica, and United Kingdom servers.

While this is disappointing, there is a silver lining. Outlaw Star's initial airing, as is typical of Cartoon Network in the early 21st century, was prominently edited, with even its cut episode #23 being available to stream on Crunchyroll. In fact, much of the edited content is available there, should one choose not to track down Blu-rays of the anime.

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Outlaw Star is a special series, and while it takes its time at first, feeling somewhat awkward with its depicted depth and characters feeling flat at times, it overall has aged incredibly well. It certainly won't ever reach the same legacy as many of its '90s cohort, but it deserves all the roses it gets.

8.5/10

Outlaw Star

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Action Animation Sci-Fi Release Date 1998 - 2001-00-00 Directors Mitsuru Hongô Writers Katsuhiko Chiba Franchise(s) Outlaw Star