Toonami (/tuːˈnɑːmi/ too-NAH-mee) is an American late-night television programming block that primarily broadcasts Japanese anime and occasionally American action animation. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and produced by Williams Street, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment. The name is a portmanteau of the words "cartoon" and "tsunami".[1] It currently broadcasts every Saturday night from 12 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. ET/PT.

 

Toonami initially ran as an afternoon and evening block on Cartoon Network and was primarily aimed at boys aged 9–14. In its original run from 1997 to 2008, the block was known for showcasing action genre anime that became widely popular with American audiences. Toonami is recognized for its distinctive space-themed backdrop, anime music videos, drum and bass-flavored soundtrack, and its robot host named T.O.M. (short for Toonami Operations Module).

 

On May 26, 2012, Toonami was relaunched as a late night block on Adult Swim. The current incarnation is a rebrand of Adult Swim's Saturday night action block (itself inherited from Toonami's Midnight Run block), which primarily airs mature Japanese animation.