Gunbuster, known in Japan as , is a six-episode
anime OVA series created by
Gainax in 1988. It was the directorial debut of
Hideaki Anno, best known as the director of
Neon Genesis Evangelion. The title is a combination of the titles of classic
tennis anime
Aim for the Ace! and hit action drama film
Top Gun, whose plot inspired
Gunbusters. To celebrate Gainax's 20th anniversary in 2004, an official sequel to
Gunbuster,
Diebuster (or
Gunbuster 2), was released as an OVA. The sequel features new characters and mecha, but retains the format and many of the concepts of the original series.