What is Toonami?

Toonami started on Monday, March 17, 1997 at 4 PM EST as a weekday afternoon block on Cartoon Network. The block was the fourth incarnation of the Super Adventures action afternoon franchise. Similar to the most previous incarnation of Super Adventures known as Power Zone (which showcased a few acquired shows like G-Force, Speed Racer, and James Bond, Jr.), Toonami was created to showcase the newly-acquired action shows of the young animation station (Thundercats and Voltron: Defender of the Universe) and the network's original action drama, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, with classic Hanna-Barbera action shorts, CGI interstills featuring the original host Moltar and his eyes to the world, Clyde 49, and extreme sports segments inbetween each series. Yeah, this was an ever-evolving format that has taken many forms over the years, from a haven of old-school excitement in the first years to a showcase of cartoons that were almost lost to poor broadcasting scheduling to presenting the best of America and Japan (including shows that wouldn't have even aired on television in this country) in year three to being a promotional tool in year four to a combination of all of these in the present.

Toonami has been the home of almost every major action franchise. It was a very diverse showcase of the best action in the world, and Hamtaro. Toonami has aired North American action shows like Thundercats, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Powerpuff Girls, ReBoot, Batman, Superman, Batman Beyond, G.I. Joe, Justice League, Samurai Jack, Jackie Chan Adventures, and Teen Titans, classic action shorts from Hanna-Barbera, Max Fleischer, and Filmation, legendary anime franchises like Robotech, Voltron, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo, and Gundam, iconic shows shows like Outlaw Star, The Big O, Rurouni Kenshin, Cyborg 009, and Astro Boy, toyetic favorites like Zoids, Masters of the Universe, and Transformers, and current favorites like DuelMasters, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Megas XLR. Even shows like Beast Wars, G-Force, Cardcaptors, Evangelion, Nadesico, and Dai-Guard made a trip to Toonami in its history, not to mention the only place where the original Mach Go-Go (we know the show as Speed Racer stateside) theme was show in its entirety.

Sure, Toonami is no longer the center of the universe for the block's producers, Williams Street Productions (who also produce Adult Swim and the weekday replacement for Toonami, Miguzi), but it continues to be a big part of the image that represents Cartoon Network to a worldwide audience. Toonami currently airs in one form or another in lands like Latin America, Africa, the United Kingdom (where the world's only Toonami channel is located), France, Germany, Italy, the Ukraine, Australia, India, and Japan.

Toonami, now a Saturday evening action block, is perhaps one of the most influential programming blocks ever created on cable television, and it's about time to give it the respect it deserves.