ABOUT TOONAMI

Toonami (stylized as TOONAMI) is a late-night animated programming block on Adult Swim geared toward action-oriented programming, primarily consisting of American cartoons and Japanese anime. It was created by Jason DeMarco and Sean Akins and produced by Williams Street. The name is a portmanteau of the words "cartoon" and "tsunami", suggesting a "tidal wave" of animated shows.

 

Toonami initially ran on Cartoon Network from March 17, 1997 to September 20, 2008. In its original run, the block was famous for showcasing action anime that were popular with American audiences, including Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, Rurouni Kenshin, Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo!, One Piece, Outlaw Star, Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto, Soul Eater and Attack on Titan. It was also recognized for its distinctive space-themed backdrop, anime music videos, hip hop-flavored soundtrack, and host (a robot named T.O.M.).

 

On May 26, 2012, Adult Swim relaunched Toonami as an adult-oriented animated block, which continues as a Saturday night action block.