The 16th century saw the rise of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who were instrumental in unifying Japan under a centralized government.

Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, which marked the beginning of its aggressive expansion in Asia prior to World War II.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, created by Hideaki Anno in 1995, is a popular anime series that explores themes of psychology, philosophy, and spirituality, and has become a cult classic.