The golden age ofToonamiwasn’t just about the anime and action cartoons—it was about the atmosphere.Toonami’s commercials and promos were a core part of that experience, blending sleek visuals, evocative music, and powerful voiceovers to craft mini-masterpieces that transcended the typical approach to marketing animation. They embodied the spirit of Toonami itself, igniting excitement and leaving an indelible mark on viewers, many of whom were just discovering anime. Toonami’s original commercials celebrated creativity and storytelling in their own right, with some becoming as iconic as the series they promoted.
Toonami, Cartoon Network’s action-oriented programming block, launched in 1997 and quickly became a staple for fans of anime and sci-fi. With its robot host TOM and his AI companion SARA guiding the audience, Toonami introduced American viewers to legendary series likeDragon Ball Z,Sailor Moon, andNaruto.Not only did it showcase diverse and dynamic shows, but Toonami redefined how animation could be presented to Western audiences. Though it went on hiatus in 2008, its 2012 revival proved its lasting appeal, and Toonami is still on the air to date, trying to recapture the magic of the early 2000s.
10The Intruder
Toonami’s Premiere Total Immersion Event
Three years into Toonami’s run, it introducedTotal Immersion Events(TIEs), original, narrative-driven specials that aired during commercial breaks. The first TIE wasThe Intruder, an eight-episode arc where TOM and SARA hunt a mysterious lifeform that’s infiltrated the Absolution. TIEs would become a staple of Toonami programming and were used as an extra ratings draw during the season premiere week of its most popular show,Dragon Ball Z.
The Intruderis the first of many TIEs across Toonami’s history, and arguably the most impactful. By the end of the miniseries, TOM encounters a blob-like alien intruder which consumes his entire body. Luckily, SARA is able to reboot TOM in a new, upgraded body, now voiced by the iconic voice actor, Steve Blum, who also lent his voice to iconic Toonamianime series likeCowboy Bebop.
9Anger
TOM’s Speeches Are Iconic
Dragon Ball Zwas a runaway hit for Cartoon Network, and incorporating footage of its characters into as many promos as possible was a no-brainer. Rather than simply advertise individual shows for longer runtimes, TOM used that precious commercial time to pontificate on specific themes like anger, or parenting, with footage from as many Toonami programs as possible. The results were poignant speeches set to the best scenes from some of the most iconic anime in the lineup.
It makes sense that TOM’s speech on the emotion soundtracks a flurry of Z Fighters screaming, but what’s really intriguing about this promo is the overarching theme of anger and how to manage it without causing collateral damage.TOM seemingly identifies the growing concern with American youth just before school shootings become an unfortunate trend, and responsibly implores his audience to think about the proper expression of anger along with the dangers of the alternative.
8Teamwork
Before TOM There Was Moltar
TOM is the face of Toonami and has become beloved among fans, but he wasn’t the original host.Teamworkis a TOM Speech prototype narrated by the original host, Moltar, an old-school Hannah Barbara villain popularized by the parody show,Space Ghost Coast to Coast. He looked cool, rendered with computer-generated animation, rather than the classic hand-drawn version, but he lacks the charisma that TOM would later bring to these thematic analyses.
Teamworkis cool because it is rooted in Toonami’s earliest concepts before the rough edges were sanded down. It’s kind of like looking at an original iPod or any other iterative technology: there’s a genius idea there, it gets the job done, but not everything has been figured out. Of all the TOM-style speeches,this isn’t the worst, it’s just missing something.
7Midnight Run & Rising Sun
Toonami Takes Over Late-night and Saturday Morning
Soon after Toonami became a hit with its weekday afternoon block, Cartoon Network smartly decided to expand its reach and created Midnight Run and Rising Sun. The former served as a late-night programming block that could air more mature anime content that was unsuitable for the regular Toonami audience, and Rising Sun was a clever rebranding of Cartoon Network’s Saturday Morning cartoons slot.
These promos are a testament to the impact and reach that Toonami had at the time, and why its legacy endures today. They may not be the flashiest promos or have memorable soundbites, but they symbolize the increasing popularity of anime and Cartoon Network’s investment in appeasing its audience. Midnight Run’s ability to bring the network’s ratings to previously unseen heights during late-night timeslots is a proof-of-concept thatled to the creation of Adult Swim.
6In-Flight Movies
Friday Night Becomes Toonami Movie Night
Toonami started allocating time forfull anime films and short OVA seriespresented as a movie event. This was usually on a Friday evening, to kick off the weekend right, and a rare opportunity to see the higher quality films of favorite franchises likeDBZandSailor Moon.Dead Zone, World’s Strongest,andTree of Mightwere the most replayed features, but rarer content likeBlue Submarine No. 6andEndless Waltzpopped up occasionally.
Toonami’s “In-flight Movies” are genius because they offer the audience something that feels familiar yet boundary-pushing, and a rare, momentous occasion. Anyone who has experienced these infrequent screenings knows how special it was to have an entire evening devoted to their favoriteGundamcharacters. It shows an earnest desire to entertain young minds, not just advertise toys to them.
5Tenchi Muyo!
The Harem Anime That Changed Afterschool TV
Toonami usually referred to theTenchifranchise asTenchi Muyo!, despite its promo containing footage fromTenchi Universeprimarily. Eventually,Muyo!,Universe, andTenchi in Tokyo!all aired during the Toonami block andintroduced Harem anime to the American audience. That was a curious decision for a supposedly youth-oriented network, butTenchiwas censored and got away with airing one of its most provocative anime.
This promo captures the excitement aroundTenchi’s addition to Toonami. What it doesn’t capture is the true tone of the series. While the two-minute commercial sets up the premise of the show beautifully, and features some of the series' best high-concept sci-fi elements, the series is an Earth-bound romantic sitcom for much of the lead-up to those action scenes. Despite the deceptive marketing,Tenchiis absolutely worth the watch.
4Parenting
Toonami’s Rare Misstep
One of the most perplexing TOM speeches was on the topic of parenting. Set to footage of Toonami’s best-known parental figures, TOM made an appeal to children:take it easy on your parents. His reasoning was that raising children is difficult and doesn’t always follow a traditional path, so kids should cut them some slack, and take solace in the fact that things could be worse.
While that sentiment rings true, the topic of parenting is such an odd choice for a Toonami promo, no matter the wealth of footage of Usagi scolding Chibiusa, or Goku abandoning Gohan in the wilderness. The topic infantilizes the audience by assuming that their only viewers are children, and alienates anime fans of all ages. This is a rare misstep for Toonami, which is known for its forward-thinking nature.
3Advanced Robotics
The Opposite of Parenting
So much of Toonami’s schedule included mecha warfare and spaceship dogfights, includingmultipleGundamseries,Cowboy Bebop, andOutlaw Star.Advanced Roboticscovered all of those and more, as the narrator delivers a monologue about the advancement of technology and its weaponization against humanity. It was almost like a call to action for viewers to never lose sight of technology’s impact on humanity, no matter how fun it is to watch giant robots fight.
This is one of the most thought-provoking commercial breaks Toonami ever featured. Its voiceover is moody, contemplative, and existential,calling AI and advanced mechanical organisms into questionlong before the inescapable AI-assisted craze of today. These are heady concepts for an audience that’s usually patronized, but Toonami’s purpose is to elevate animation from its “children’s programming” pigeonhole, so it makes sense that they would entrust kids with more abstract moral quandaries.
2New Year’s Evil & Villaintine’s Day
Holiday Marathons Were Extra Special
At the height of the Toonami era,every special occasion was an excuse to curate themed content. From Valentine’s Day to New Year’s Eve, the holidays were the perfect opportunity to take a break from regularly scheduled programming and do something fun. These events were the definition of “appointment TV” and the promos were appropriately campy for the occasion.
These holiday-themed marathons look like an incredibly fun way to celebrate the occasion, especially for an audience that was likely home-bound for events like New Year’s Eve. TheDragon Ball Zmarathon, “New Year’s Evil”, is pure genius for the title alone, but it also became a tradition and expanded to other franchises and villains over the years. Events like “Villaintine’s Day” will be remembered far longer than any candy and flowers ever could.
1Broken Promise (Dreams)
The Quintessential Toonami Promo
Broken Promise (Dreams)was, and remains,the quintessential Toonami promo. It didn’t explicitly mention any particular series, push toy sales, or even effectively promote Toonami itself. What stood out about this promotion was how perfectly it encapsulated the gritty, self-indulgent vibe of 90s anime, Shōnen in particular. To watch this promo was to understand that these weren’t simply cartoon characters, they had something real to say.
The video speaks directly to the primarily young male audience of the time. Set against sweeping vistas of space adventures, and anime poster boys, like Gohan and Tenchi, reflecting on the juncture in life they find themselves at. Itinvites the viewer to examine their own place in this world, what purpose drives their actions, and how to break out of the mold just like their heroes.
