10 Best Cyberpunk Anime That You Should Watching Update 03/2024

There have been few animes that have focused on the sub-genre of cyberpunk, but they haven’t received the attention they deserve. I’ve narrowed it down to the top 10.

Science fiction’s cyberpunk subgenre. Futuristic aspects, such as artificial intelligence, futuristic cities, and technological developments, frequently appear in cyberpunk stories. Despite the fact that Cyberpunk anime isn’t the most popular, this list features ten of the best.

Because many of the best Cyberpunk anime aren’t from the present period, the genre could be regarded a lost art in anime. Actually, there isn’t a lot of cyberpunk anime out there. Another option is to read a comic book that features cyberpunk elements. For more Cyberpunk, be sure to check out some of the best Cyberpunk comics on the market.

10. Gunslinger Girl

Triela, Gunslinger Girl

Gunslinger Girl, a military-themed anime, is the first on the list. An Italian-set animation was released in the fall of 2003. As a non-profit, the Social Welfare Agency provides a new life for young girls who have been discharged from the hospital. As a result of their training, the girls are made into vicious assassins for the Italian authorities. Human needs such as love and affection are there in these girls despite their artificial makeup. While a group of young women attempt to tread the border between human and creation, the story follows them. The 13-episode series Gunslinger Girl aired for two seasons.

9. Accel World

Accel World was released in the spring of 2012 and focuses on high school romances. Haruyuki Arita, an exceptional gamer at the top of the ladder, is the focus of the story. However, Kuroyukihime, the vice president of the student council, defeats him. Her name is based on “Snow White.” Using a program called Brain Burst, Kuroyukihime shows Haruyuki how to speed up their brainwaves. To do this, you’ll need to play an augmented reality fighting game against another person. Winners have access to Brain Burst, while losers are cut off from it if they lose the fight. With the help of their friend Haruyuki, they embark on an epic journey through Brain Burst in order to meet the game’s creator and earn their way to level 10. It ran for one season, with 24 episodes in total.

8. Texhnolyze

TEXHNOLYZE

Studio Madhouse created the animation Texhnolyze, a psychological thriller. Lux, a fictional metropolis in the world of anime, is the setting for this spring 2003 release. Three groups rule the city, which is entirely subterranean. In order to regulate Texhnolyze, Organo collaborates with criminals. In the anime, prosthetics are referred to as “Texnolyze.”

The Salvation Union, the second group, is always in odds with Organo. Racan, a bunch of Texnolyze-wielding youth, is the third faction to emerge. Ichise, a Texhnolyzed fighter, is the focus of the plot. Ran, a young clairvoyant that Ichise befriends while working in Organo, is a frequent visitor. As a team, they attempt to save Lux from civil conflict. A single season of Texhnolyze has 22 episodes.

7. Metropolis

The anime film Metropolis, directed by Madhouse, comes in at number two on this list. Osamu Tezuka, the creator of manga, created the original manga for this film. The film Metropolis, which was released on May 26th, 2001, is set in the futuristic metropolis of Metropolis, which is home to both humans and robots. Detective Oyaji Hige, alias Shimsali Ban, and his nephew Kenichi Shikishima are the central characters of the novel. In a laboratory, Kenichi frees a girl with amnesia named Tima, who is on the run from Duke Red, the Metropolis king. As the two travel through Metropolis, Kenichi tries everything in his power to keep Tima safe.

6. Ergo Proxy

Ergo Proxy

In the winter of 2006, an anime series called Ergo Proxy was released. Romdo, a metropolis wrapped under a dome, is the setting of the anime. Life outside the dome will vanish as the planet’s only surviving civilization. Inside the dome, AutoReivs were constructed to help ensure the survival of humanity. An AutoReiv has the Cogito virus, a virus that infects humanoid robots. This provides them the ability to think for themselves and be aware of the surroundings around them, just like any other human being. With the Cogito Virus under her belt, Re-I Mayer sets out to find the truth about the mysterious entity known as “Proxy”. There were a total of 23 episodes in the first season of Ergo Proxy.

5. Blame!

The film Blame! was released on May 20th, 2017 and is a work of science fiction. The film will be the emphasis of this entry, rather than a six-episode special. Technology in Blame! is considerably advanced compared to what we have today. The city’s automated systems are out of control due to an epidemic that has spread throughout the metropolis. Protecting the city is the Safeguard, a defense system installed in the city. Safeguard packs are dispatched if the Safeguard detects human activity. Blameprotagonist, !’s Killy the Wanderer, is on the prowl for the Net Terminal Genes in an attempt to return the city to its previous state.

4. Akira

Akira

Akira, a popular cyberpunk animation, was released on July 16, 1988. It begins in 1988, after an explosion in Tokyo devastates the city. This sets the stage for the outbreak of World War III. It was a boy with psychic abilities who was to blame for the explosion. Currently, in the year 2019, Tokyo has been reborn as Neo-Tokyo, a dangerous place plagued by terrorism and gang violence.

The Capsules motorcycle gang is led by Shoutarou Kaneda. One of their members has developed psychic powers following an accident. Silver Scream Award at the Amsterdam-based Imagine Film Festival in 1992 and a nomination for the Best Anime Feature Award at the American Anime Awards in 2007 are just two of the accolades Akira has received.

3. Serial Experiments Lain

Experiments that take place over time The story of Lain Iwakura is told in the form of a psychological thriller called Lain. Lain, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, was released in the summer of 1998. Lain is baffled as to who sent her an email claiming to be from a recently deceased girl. The Wired has the solution. What we now refer to as the internet was once known as “The Wired,” a virtual network of communication networks.

Lain’s ability to distinguish between the actual world and The Wired becomes increasingly difficult as she encounters more cyber riddles. Both worlds are affected by her decisions, but she begins to forget who she is. Experiments that take place over time During the Japan Media Arts Festival in 1998, Lain was awarded the Excellence Prize for her work. The anime ran for one season, with 13 episodes.

2. Psycho-Pass

Psycho-Pass

Psycho-Pass, a Production I.G. studio original, was released in the fall of 2012. Japan is the setting of the anime, which takes place in the 22nd century. Citizens are subjected to a new system known as the Sibyl System. A person’s Psycho-Pass is determined based on their level of threat to society. Inspectors and ex-prisoners, together known as Enforcers, are on hand to ensure the integrity of the system. Akane Tsunemori, a good citizen, is the focus of the story. To find out what’s really going on in the Sibyl System, she decides to become a police officer. 22 episodes and three seasons make up Psycho-Pass.

1. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is the best Cyberpunk anime of all time. The anime was released in the fall of 2002 and takes place in the future. Our species is now capable of performing complete body transplants into machines. Section 9 is an independent police team that focuses on crimes related to this technology. The technology is deadly in the wrong hands. Motoko Kusanagi is in charge of both the anime and Section 9. Defeating hacker “The Laughing Man” is one of her first assignments. Motoko must put a halt to him because he is responsible for a slew of atrocities in Japan. Subsequels, spin-offs and side stories are all part of the Ghost in the Shell series. There are a total of 26 episodes in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.