Though anime in Japan refers to animation in general; for the rest of the world, the term is specific to Japanese animation. Dating back to the start of the 20th century, the oldest known animation is a 3-second clip from 1907. In the clip, a sailor boy writes out "moving pictures" in Chinese, turns, and tips his cheap caps to the viewer. Discovered in 2005, the clip is a precious 50 frames long, with each image drawn directly onto celluloid. There is no knowledge of the animator. Prior to this discovery, the oldest animation had been attributed to the mid-1910s. However, the 2005 discovery proved that ideas were beginning to surface some 10 years before.

As for the next two decades, there is more archival evidence of Japanese animation beginning to rise. Among the pioneer animators was Kouchi Junchi, a caricature artist and painter who was hired by Kobayashi Shokai in 1916 to work in the new artistic field. In his career, Junchi would produce 15 titles. In addition to his work, there was that of Shimokawa Oten, who worked for Tenkatsu in the early years, and Kitayama Seitaro, who worked for himself. Works from Murato Yosuji, Kimura Hakuzan, and Yamamoto Sanae also helped comprise the silent-era of anime. The stories at this time tended NBA Snapback Hats to revolve around well-known folktales.

The 1923 Great Kanto earthquake would disperse the early animators to various parts of Japan. Some began their own studios, while others simply worked on their independent projects. When the 1930s arrived, an imposed Japanese nationalism impacted much of anime, as far as story, character, and theme. As wartime neared, the government also insisted that animators create works that reflected a strong Japanese spirit and that would inspire national Obey Snapback Caps affiliation. The most notable of these propaganda works was Mituyo Seo Momotaro Divine Sea Warriors.