Cartoon Network‘s Toonami block was critical in introducing America to the now widely popular world of anime in the late 90s and early 2000s. Juggernauts like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and the original Mobile Suit Gundam all gained footholds in the West thanks to the cable network, with most viewers’ first exposure to the now long-running franchises attributed to the late-night broadcasts. It’s still going strong to this day under Adult Swim, continuing a mix of anime like One Piece and other original animation like Get Jiro!, the network’s adaptation of the late Anthony Bourdain‘s comic of the same name. However, one series from Toonami’s early days is only now finally getting new life despite being one of its foundational releases from Japan in 2001.
Originally aired in 1999, The Big O was introduced as a very different type of mecha anime from its peers, mixing detective noir stylings with the over-the-top action of the genre in a tribute to both Western and Japanese shows of the 60s and 70s. It revolves around the fictional Paradigm City, a futuristic, dystopian city-state whose residents have lost all memories of the world before it thanks to “The Event.” The city’s top negotiator, Roger Smith, is tasked with taking all manner of contracts to take down threats within its partly domed borders using an old mech — the titular Big O — and the assistance of a young android under his care named Dorothy Wayneright and his butler Norman Burg. Each problem he solves brings him closer to fully understanding the mysteries of Paradigm and his own existence.
From its release, Sunrise found itself in an awkward spot with The Big O, given it proved more popular in the West than in Japan. As a result, it only ran for two acclaimed seasons, but it’s still considered by some to be among the best anime of the 1990s, with one of the most unique art styles. 25 years after its debut in the U.S., Discotek Media has now brought the entire 26-episode series together on Blu-ray. The Big O: The Complete Paradigm collection is now available for purchase, featuring both the original Japanese with English subtitles and the English dub in high definition for $49.95. Copies appear to have already sold out, but there’s likely more to come given the high demand.
Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.
You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.
- You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
- You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn’t ask for but can’t escape.
- Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
- That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won’t, is exactly you.
You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.
- You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
- Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it.
- Kirk’s genius isn’t tactical — it’s human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
- That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.
You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.
- You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
- You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you’ve never looked back.
- Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
- That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.
You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.
- You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
- Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn’t have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
- You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn’t there.
- When it counts, you don’t flinch. That’s everything.
You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.
- You don’t ask for help, don’t need validation, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
- Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it’s earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
- Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
- That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.
Who Was Behind ‘The Big O’?
Behind the sci-fi action noir of The Big O were some big names in anime. The collective Sunrise animation staff, credited to Hajime Yatate, created the series, having previously helped bring to life classics like Cowboy Bebop and many of the Gundam series. Hitoshi Ariga, best known for his work on official Mega Man manga and the Pokémon trading card game, created the original manga the series was based on. The anime’s head writer wasChiaki J. Konaka, who also spearheaded classics like the original Hellsing anime.
The Big O: The Complete Paradigm is now available from Discotek Media. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the latest film and television home releases.
The Big O
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Mitsuru Miyamoto
Enjoying this article? Support our work with a small crypto donation.Roger Smith (voice)
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Akiko Yajima
R. Dorothy Wayneright (voice)
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Emi Shinohara
Angel (voice)
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Gorō Naya
Gordon Rosewater (voice)
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