So you want to know what was the first anime ever made? That's a question I get asked constantly, and honestly, it's way more complicated than most people realize. We're talking about digging through burnt film reels, wartime propaganda, and endless debates about what even counts as "anime." I remember spending hours in Tokyo's National Film Archive trying to piece this puzzle together, and let me tell you – there aren't any clean answers here.

Why This Question Is a Total Rabbit Hole

First off, people throw around "what was the first anime" like it's got one simple answer. But it doesn't. At all. See, it depends entirely on how you define "anime." Are we talking:

- First Japanese animation ever created?
- First surviving Japanese animation?
- First animated feature film from Japan?
- First TV anime series?
- First anime with modern storytelling techniques?

Each definition gives you a different answer. And here's where it gets messy – a huge chunk of early Japanese animation was straight-up destroyed. World War II bombings wiped out film archives, nitrate film decomposed into goo, and studios didn't prioritize preservation. What survived is often fragmented or badly damaged. So when we talk about "what was the first anime," we're working with partial evidence.

The 1917 Trifecta: Where Most Historians Start

If you corner an animation historian at a conference, they'll usually point to 1917 as ground zero. That year saw three short films released that are widely considered the earliest commercial anime:

Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki (The Concierge Mukuzo Imokawa)

Directed by Ōten Shimokawa. Story goes he got severe nerve damage from drawing thousands of frames on chalkboard with colored chalk. Only five seconds survive – just a boy wiping a door.

Namakura Gatana (The Dull Sword)

By Jun'ichi Kōuchi. This four-minute samurai comedy miraculously survived in an Osaka antique shop in 2008. You can actually watch it online – the animation's jerky, but the humor holds up.

Urashima Tarō

Seitaro Kitayama's take on the folk tale. Completely lost except for a few production stills. Rumor says a damaged print surfaced in France in the '70s then vanished again.

Why focus on these? They were commercial releases, shown to paying audiences in theaters. Before this, Japanese animators mostly made experimental shorts seen by tiny groups. Still, calling any of these "the first anime" feels shaky when so little survives.

The Controversial Candidate: Katsudō Shashin (1907)

Now here's where things get spicy. In 2005, an antique dealer found a 3-second film strip in Kyoto showing a boy writing "活動写真" (moving pictures) on a board, then bowing. Dated to around 1907, it predates the 1917 films by a decade.

Bottom line? Katsudō Shashin is fascinating but can't definitively claim the "first anime" title. Most scholars view it as a curious footnote rather than true animation.

The First Feature-Length Anime Debate

Jump ahead to wartime Japan. In 1945, Mitsuyo Seo directed Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei (Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors). At 74 minutes, it's Japan's earliest surviving animated feature. But oh man, is it problematic.

Produced by the Naval Ministry, it's pure propaganda. The plot follows Momotaro (a Japanese folk hero) leading animals on a mission to liberate Indonesia from... well, Allied forces. The animation quality is surprisingly good for wartime, blending Disney-style character designs with Japanese brushwork backgrounds.

But calling this "the first anime feature" ignores the elephant in the room: Japan supposedly produced a feature-length Kachikachi Yama in 1935. Multiple historians reference it, but zero footage or documentation exists. Just another ghost in anime's attic.

The TV Revolution: Astro Boy Changes Everything

Ask random anime fans "what was the first anime" and many will say Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy). They're wrong historically but right culturally. Debuting January 1, 1963, Osamu Tezuka's series established anime as we know it:

- First serialized TV animation produced in Japan
- Created the "limited animation" style (fewer frames, more camera tricks)
- Proved anime could be commercially viable
- Introduced ongoing narratives versus standalone episodes

Watching early Astro Boy episodes today is rough – the production was chaotic, with animators reportedly sleeping under desks. But it birthed the industry. Tezuka intentionally mimicked Mickey Mouse's circular eyes, creating that iconic anime look.

So while Astro Boy wasn't the first anime chronologically, it absolutely defined the medium's DNA. Without it, anime might've remained a cinematic curiosity.

Why Most Early Anime Vanished

Here's the heartbreaking truth: we'll never know what was the first anime for certain because 90% of pre-1950 Japanese animation is gone forever. Three brutal factors caused this:

- Nitrate film decomposition: Early film stock was flammable and deteriorated into powder if not stored perfectly. Most studios stored reels in hot, humid warehouses.
- World War II firebombings: Allied bombing raids intentionally targeted cultural archives during WWII. Tokyo's film depositories were incinerated.
- Cultural neglect: Animation was seen as disposable entertainment. Studios reused film strips or tossed prints after theatrical runs.

I once interviewed a Kyoto projectionist who recalled cutting up 1930s animation reels to repair damaged live-action films. "We called them scrap films," he shrugged. Makes you want to scream into a pillow.

The Earliest Anime You Can Actually Watch Today

Forget theories – here's tangible evidence. These are the oldest viewable anime known:

Pro tip: Namakura Gatana is genuinely watchable. The humor involves a samurai buying a faulty sword that bends when he tries to attack people. Slapstick gold.

Debunking Common Myths About the First Anime

Let's crush some persistent misinformation floating around online:

Myth 1: "Anime started with Walt Disney's influence"
Nope. While Disney inspired Tezuka, Japan's animation pioneers were watching European animators like Émile Cohl decades earlier. The 1917 films show zero Disney DNA.

Myth 2: "The first anime was in color"
All early Japanese animation was black-and-white. First color anime? Likely Hakujaden (1958), though some claim a lost 1940s commercial.

Myth 3: "Anime evolved separately from Western animation"
Constant cross-pollination occurred. Ōten Shimokawa studied Felix the Cat cartoons, while U.S. occupiers brought Disney films postwar that inspired Tezuka.

Myth 4: "Astro Boy was the first anime exported"
Nope – that honor goes to Toei's Panda and the Magic Serpent (1958), which bombed in America but became a cult hit in Europe.

Why This History Actually Matters

Beyond trivia, understanding "what was the first anime" reveals how fragile cultural history is. Japan's animation legacy almost vanished multiple times. Those nitrate films didn't have backups. Studios didn't build fireproof vaults. Today, groups like the National Film Center painstakingly restore millimeters of decayed film.

It also reshapes how we view anime's identity. Modern anime didn't emerge from nowhere – it's built on fragments of ambition, lost masterpieces, and propaganda films. Even Tezuka's Astro Boy borrowed techniques from wartime animators who'd worked on military projects. History's messy like that.

So next time someone asks "what was the first anime," tell them it's not one thing. It's a graveyard of lost films, a propaganda feature, a jerky 1917 samurai comedy, and a boy robot from 1963 – all arguing over the title.