# 1981 in anime

The following events occurred in the field of anime in the year 1981.

## Accolades

* Ōfuji Noburō Award: Gauche the Cellist

## Releases

| Released | Title | Type | Studio | Director |
| January 4 | The Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island | TV series | Nippon Animation | Yoshio Kuroda |
| February 7 | Hashire Melos! | Film | Toei Animation | Tomoharu Katsumata |
| February 7 | Yattodetaman | TV series | Tatsunoko Productions | Hiroshi Sasagawa |
| March 1 | Golden Warrior Gold Lightan | TV series | Tatsunoko Production | Koichi Mashimo |
| March 4 | Beast King GoLion | TV series | Toei Animation | Katsuhito Taguchi |
| March 6 | Hello! Sandybell | TV series | Toei Animation | Hiroshi Shitara |
| March 7 | Ohayō! Spank | TV series | TMS Entertainment | Shigetsugu Yoshida |
| March 14 | Doraemon: The Records of Nobita, Spaceblazer | Film | Shin-Ei Animation | Hideo Nishimaki |
| March 14 | The Fantastic Adventures of Unico | TV series | Madhouse | Toshio Hirata |
| March 14 | Mobile Suit Gundam | Film | Nippon Sunrise | Yoshiyuki Tomino |
| March 14 | Ojamanga Yamada-kun | Short film | Nihon Herald Pictures | Hiromitsu Furukawa |
| March 14 | Swan Lake | Film | Toei Animation | Kimio Yabuki |
| March 20 | Natsu e no Tobira | Film | Toei Animation, Madhouse | Mamoru Masaki, Toshio Hirata |
| April 3 | Ai no Gakko Cuore Monogatari | TV series | Nippon Animation | Eiji Okabe |
| April 4 | Dotakon | TV series | Kokusai Eiga-sha | Takeshi Shirato |
| April 7 | Belle and Sebastian | TV series | MK Company, Visual 80, Toho Company, Ltd. | Keiji Hayakawa |
| April 7 | Little Women | TV series | Toei Animation, Kokusai Eiga-sha | Kazuya Miyazaki |
| April 8 | Dr. Slump - Arale-chan | TV series | Toei Animation | Minoru Okazaki |
| April 11 | Furiten-kun | Film | Toho | Taku Sugiyama |
| April 11 | Jarinko Chie | Film | Tokyo Movie Shinsha, Toho | Isao Takahata |
| April 16 | Queen Millennia | TV series | Toei Animation | Nobutaka Nishizawa |
| April 20 | Tiger Mask II | TV series | Toei Animation | Kozo Morishita |
| July 3 | GoShogun | TV series | Ashi Productions, Studio Z5 | Kunihiko Yuyama |
| July 4 | Ashita no Joe 2 | Film | Tokyo Movie Shinsha | Osamu Dezaki |
| July 11 | Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow | Film | Nippon Sunrise | Yoshiyuki Tomino |
| July 18 | Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: Hello! Wonder Island | Short film | Toei Animation | Minoru Okazaki |
| July 18 | The Sea Prince and the Fire Child | Film | Sanrio | |
| July 21 | Enchanted Journey | Film | Studio Korumi | Hideo Nishimaki |
| July 27 | Kyoufu Densetsu Kaiki! Frankenstein | TV film | Toei Animation | Kentaro Haneda |
| August 1 | Adieu Galaxy Express 999 | Film | Toei Animation | Rintaro |
| September 7 | New Dokonjō Gaeru | TV series | Tokyo Movie Shinsha | Tadao Nagahama |
| September 28 | Ninja Hattori-kun | TV series | Shin-Ei Animation | Fumio Ikeno, Hiroshi Sasagawa |
| October 1 | Superbook | TV series | Tatsunoko Productions | Masakazu Higuchi |
| October 2 | Six God Combination Godmars | TV series | Tokyo Movie Shinsha | Tetsuo Imazawa |
| October 3 | Jarinko Chie | TV series | Tokyo Movie Shinsha | Isao Takahata |
| October 4 | Dash Kappei | TV series | Tatsunoko Production | Masayuki Hayashi, Seitaro Hara |
| October 6 | Galaxy Cyclone Braiger | TV series | Kokusai Eiga-sha | Takao Yotsuji |
| October 7 | Honey Honey no Suteki na Bouken | TV series | Kokusai Eiga-sha, Toei Animation | Takeshi Shirato |
| October 8 | Miss Machiko | TV series | Studio Pierrot | Masami Anno |
| October 9 | Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds | TV series | BRB Internacional, Nippon Animation | |
| October 10 | Ulysses 31 | TV series | DIC Audiovisuel, Tokyo Movie Shinsha | |
| October 14 | Urusei Yatsura | TV series | Studio Pierrot, Studio Deen | Mamoru Oshii, Kazuo Yamazaki |
| October 23 | Fang of the Sun Dougram | TV series | Nippon Sunrise | Ryosuke Takahashi |
| December 26 | Shunmao Monogatari Taotao | Film | | |
| December 29 | Space Warrior Baldios | Film | Toei Animation | |
| | Daicon III | Short film | | Hiroyuki Yamaga |