Best Cyberpunk Anime, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Cyberpunk genre explores complex themes of technology, transhumanism, and identity, captivating fans globally.
• Modern cyberpunk anime like Dimension W, Maou 2099, and Texhnolyze merge futuristic and dark themes effectively.
• Classics like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Neon Genesis Evangelion set the benchmark for cyberpunk storytelling.

The cyberpunk genre is known for being very well-received outside of Japan. Perhaps this is because it was originally an occidental literary movement, or maybe because its philosophical approaches and inquietude about technology, transhumanism, and identity never cease to amaze and interest worldwide. Whatever the case might be, it is a fact that this genre has an amazing collection of work, and a good number of beloved shows and films, both by fans and critics.

As a result, it’s easy to see why some people would want to seek out the best cyberpunk anime they can get their hands on. After all, the last thing fans of the genre want to deal with is the reality that they’ve missed any of the masterpieces in the genre that have done a great job of highlighting the complex themes in this genre and how people survive in an urban dystopia where technology has taken over their lives.

Updated November 5, 2024, by Oluwatokiloba Folami: What counts as cyberpunk and what doesn’t is highly debated by fans, but many fans agree that the cyberpunk genre portrays a futuristic computer-based society, a dystopian world, and an authoritarian but shady corporation, alongside antiauthoritarian protagonists that dig into the corporation’s secrets and seek to expose, stop them, or both. Thinking along these lines, many cyberpunk shows have been portrayed, but few in recent times. While they remain old but gold gems, the world has far-left shows like Texhnolyze and Serial Experiments Lain, and a new generation of cyberpunk anime has been introduced. Shows like Cyberpunk Edgerunners, Maou 2099, and Dimension W are worth trying out for their cyberpunk elements incorporated into modern themes.

22 Dimension W

MAL Rating: 7.18

• Japanese Title: Dimension W
• Studio: 3Hz, Orange

After countless years of human development, a higher plane bearing a fourth-dimensional axis is discovered. Known as Dimension W, this higher plane was discovered to have an infinite amount of energy that only needs to be extracted. With the development of coils, this infinite power can be extracted, and a Hegemon soon monopolizes all the coils, at least the legal ones.

The illegal coils used for illegal purposes are left to bounty hunters known as collectors to confiscate. However, after two unlikely collectors join hands to track down illegal coils, they soon discover the dark truth and mode of operation behind New Tesla Energy, the hegemon that controls all ‘legal’ coils.

21 Pluto

MAL Rating: 8.47

The story of Pluto was introduced in the Fall of 2023, and it portrayed unique themes that had fans of the cyberpunk genre excited. Pluto takes place in a world where man and machine live alongside each other, but the balance is threatened to be broken after a series of elite and renowned hero robots are killed.

To investigate the case and prevent uprisings from taking place, Gesicht teams up with Atom, a state-of-the-art android that resembles a little boy, and together they investigate the shady dealings typical in cyberpunk shows as they realize that the murder of retired war heroes, be they humans or machines, could lead to bigger conflicts and much more consequences.

20 Maou 2099

MAL Rating: 7.30

• Japanese Title: Maou 2099
• Studio: J.C.Staff

As a fresh ongoing anime series in Winter 2024, Maou 2099 features a massive cyberpunk metropolis that is combined with magic. At the center of the show is Veltol, a Demon lord who was defeated five centuries ago, and awakens only to find that his former magical world has now merged with Earth and its people’s engineering. While he’s taken aback by the Cyberpunk world he finds himself in, Veltol is still determined to conquer all.

Most of the show’s themes of cyberpunk stem from its dystopian setting and its darker themes. The show takes a unique approach by combining cyberpunk, a genre known for its highly technologically advanced world, alongside darker and more menacing societies with magic.

19 Kaiba

MAL Rating: 8.14

Airing in the spring of 2008, Kaiba is not the most recent Cyberpunk anime, but its themes of memories being bought, sold, and altered make it an interesting watch. In this show, bodies are nothing but shells that can be abandoned and regained, and the concept of immortality feels closer and more possible than ever before.

Centered around its titular protagonist, Kaiba portrays a man who wakes up without memories, a grave hole in his body, and the picture of an unknown woman. To find out who he is, and what his past entails, Kaiba must explore the various planets in one big universe and get to the bottom of how he lost his memories.

18 Appleseed

MAL Rating: 7.06/10

Appleseed is set in the ironically-named city of Utopia, which is populated by humans and biodroids. For what it’s worth, the city seems relatively perfect for an urban settlement in the cyberpunk genre, but it doesn’t take long for the movie to reveal the tensions that are present beneath the surface. This tantalizing premise serves as the bedrock for what Appleseed strives to show to the viewer.

At the center of this story is Deunan Knute, an important figure from the war who will play a key role in the events to come. Some people may argue that Appleseed isn’t all that in-depth and takes a more superficial look at the genre, but viewers willing to ignore this legitimate criticism will love what Appleseed brings to the cyberpunk table.

17 Battle Angel Alita

MAL Rating: 7.07/10

Most people know that Alita: Battle Angel is a manga that was adapted into a full live-action film that was a surprise hit, with many fans loving the action despite the uncanny look of the main character. However, what most people aren’t aware of is that this manga was also adapted into a 2-OVA anime that’s pretty decent in its own right.

While the truncated plot makes it harder to get invested in the series and its characters, this OVA is still a fine introduction to Alita: Battle Angel. It wouldn’t be surprising to assume that most people wouldn’t mind reading the manga or watching the movie after seeing this OVA, which is perfectly serviceable for its time.

16 Cyber City Oedo 808

MAL Rating: 7.18/10

• Japanese Title: CYBER CITY OEDO 808 (サイバーシティ オーエド ハチマルハチ)
• Studio: Madhouse

In a cyberpunk society rife with crime, the only way to catch criminals is to employ people who understand how the minds of these villains work. This makes it easy to see why the Cyber Police in this series use incarcerated criminals, promising a reduced sentence if they help out in capturing other lawbreakers in the act. This ensures that the people who walk the straight and narrow aren’t caught in the crossfire.

Of course, the Cyber Police has a contingency plan in place if these criminal helpers try to run away on the job. They’re fitted with an explosive collar that is triggered if they get too clever and try to escape. It’s a savage way to keep the forced help in check, making for a tantalizing cyberpunk premise that makes Cyber City Oedo 808 a fun series to get into.

15 The Animatrix

MAL Rating: 7.30/10

• Japanese Title: Animatorikkusu (アニマトリックス)
• Studio: Various

The Matrix was one of the most ambitious sci-fi projects of its era, with the first movie becoming an instant classic. While attempts to build up on this film’s success didn’t bear as much fruit as expected, it was clear that this universe was rich and full of many amazing stories that would be a blast to uncover. This idea led to the release of The Animatrix, a collection of short stories in a feature-length film with varying animation styles that are pretty engaging in their own way.

The Animatrix was a glimpse into the vast potential left behind by The Matrix, and it’s a shame that this void hasn’t been filled since. Still, fans of The Matrix who haven’t seen this amazing animated movie yet are missing out on something special, with this compilation doing a better job of conveying what The Matrix is all about than the three sequels ever did.

14 Mardock Scramble

MAL Rating: 7.42/10

• Japanese Title: Mardock Scramble: Asshuku (マルドゥック・スクランブル 圧縮 )
• Studio: GoHands

Mardock Scramble is a unique story that focuses on a sex worker whose life changes after meeting a person who makes her wildest dreams come true. However, in a world where no one has all their wishes come true without any strings attached, Rune Balot decides to check out the background of the casino manager who helped her achieve this dream.

This triggers a series of events that leads to Shell coldly murdering Rune, leaving her to die. Thankfully, a new program adopted by the police lets them reconstruct Rune with synthetic fiber, reviving her as a cyborg. The desire for revenge overwhelms her, and she does everything in her power to take down the casino manager who helped her rise from the ashes only to murder her once he’d gained her trust.

13 Akudama Drive

MAL Rating: 7.59/10

• Japanese Title: Akudama Doraibu (アクダマドライブ)
• Studio: Pierrot

This is another show that came out not too long ago but was able to capture the public’s attention. Akudama Drive excelled at changing the tone with plot twists wonderfully executed for a show just 12 episodes long. It is set in a futuristic Japan that has been torn to pieces by a brutal Civil War that even left a big nuclear wasteland. Inside the authoritarian regime of Kansai, the most dangerous criminals are known as “Akudama.” A group of them got together for a mysterious job offered by an anonymous contractor that involves freeing a death row prisoner. However, the job will become much more than that.

Akudama Drive reflects influence from the 80s and 90s Hollywood, chiefly from films like Reservoir Dogs and Blade Runner. The world-building and the use of cyberpunk themes as a cultural critique of a police state make it a fresh and satisfying work, although the characters lack some depth. It is available to watch on Hulu and Funimation in the US.

12 Texhnolyze

MAL Rating: 7.76/10

A mind-bending experimental thriller directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki, this 2003 classic embraces what cyberpunk is supposed to be. In a Matrix-like subterranean society, the series follows Ichise, a clandestine fighter who will get immersed in a search for meaning that will put him in between the different factions ruling over the city of Lux. Each faction represents a certain philosophical point of view, as if a debate turned into a gang war.

Texhnolyze is a story about discovering the hidden truth and one’s purpose or destiny. Ichise’s journey has its moments where its detailed composition shines. Sometimes violent and dark, Texhnolyze might not be for everyone. But for fans of profound cyberpunk stories, this might be one of the best.

11 Ergo Proxy

MAL Rating: 7.90/10

Ergo Proxy is a much darker and more thrilling show than Edgerunners. The series is set in a dystopian future where, after an ecological disaster the only way to live is inside dome cities. One of those is Romdeau, where it all takes place. There, humans coexist peacefully with AutoReivs, androids build for different tasks, and that are divided between human appearance and robot appearance. The story follows the detective Re-l Mayer, who is assigned to investigate a series of murders committed by AutoReivs, something unprecedented.

Soon enough, more things start to unravel. The Cogito Virus, the Proxy project, and the politics behind the scenes take the city to ruin, all from the point of view of the Regent’s (the city’s biggest political figure) granddaughter. Deep philosophical themes surround the plot at every step, even with the small cameos like naming characters after Derrida, Lacan, and Husserl, Ergo Proxy is an intellectually challenging show that has immense value with its approach, but it also succeeds at making it exciting. The only thing this show has against is that it hasn’t been published in a lot of places.

10 Paprika

MAL Rating: 8.04/10

• Japanese Title: Papurika (パプリカ)
• Studio: Madhouse

This masterpiece by Satoshi Kon is the first film on this list. Paprika tells the story of Atsuki Chiba, a psychiatrist with a group of investigators in a major company. The company has developed a device, called DC Mini, that allows them to consciously navigate through dreams to help the detection and treatment of psychological traumas. Dr. Chiba while helping detective Toshimi Konakawa as her alter-ego in the dream world, Paprika, realizes that someone has been tampering with the DC Mini and causing incidents in the real world.

Once again, identity questioning is one of the central topics, while using a setting in a much more near future that brings the film a more relatable nature despite the fictional components. On top of that, the splendid work present in the shots and scenes by Satoshi Kon puts this film in an excellent position.

9 Serial Experiments Lain

MAL Rating: 8.09/10

Serial Experiments Lain is a cult classic that brought a unique approach and truly exceptional character development to the cyberpunk genre. It surfaces the identity crisis of the digital era like no other and portrays a disorienting atmosphere with really groundbreaking scenes and shots. The story focuses on Lain Iwakura, a 14-year-old High School student who feels “disconnected” from her social environment.

The main plot point is her relationship with The Wired, a virtual realm that contains all forms of human communication. In its 13 episodes, Lain unfolds a dense and thorough commentary on our relationship with technology and digital networks while telling the story of what this cybernetic world does to a shy student who is at a key point of her life to construct her identity. It is available to watch on Funimation.

8 Akira

MAL Rating: 8.16/10

The Akira manga gave birth to the cyberpunk genre in the manga/anime industry with its release in 1982. The anime adaptation, though it differs in some points from the manga (which was unfinished at the time the film was made), is considered alongside Blade Runner to be a major icon and reference for cyberpunk cinema. Akira put anime on the map internationally, something that continued with Ghost in the Shell a few years later.

The story by Katsuhiro Otomo is centered in Neo-Tokyo, 30 years after the devastation of World War III. Two members of a biker gang, Tetsuo and Kaneda, stumble across a secret government project that intends to create mass destruction weapons by biologically engineering children. The themes, design, world-building, and animation presented in Akira are still a major cinematic influence.

7 Trigun

MAL Rating: 8.22/10

The series based on the manga by Yasuhiro Nightow could be considered both a classic and a new release. The original anime adaptation came out in 1998 and continued long after the anime came to an end. This post-apocalyptic space-western follows Vash the Stampede, the most wanted outlaw with a bounty of $$60 billion. This show proposes the coexistence of advanced technology with a wild west life on a desertic planet. It also offers great action scenes and mysteries to unravel.

A new reimagined version of the show with the title Trigun Stampede debuted in January 2023. Although it’s unfinished, it already offers a more colorful and exciting interpretation of the story. Both of them are great options. The original anime has 26 episodes, while the first part of Trigun Stampede accounted for 12.

6 Heavenly Delusion

MAL Rating: 8.22/10

It’s always a pleasant surprise when a show like this catches everyone’s attention, even if it wasn’t the most anticipated or the most popular series of the season. As is often the case with cyberpunk anime, Heavenly Delusion is set in post-apocalyptic Japan. The story follows Maru and Kiruko and their journey to find “Heaven.” Faced with powerful monsters and treacherous humans, they will need Maru’s special ability and Kiruko’s futuristic yet mysterious weapon to survive.

At the same time, it also follows the story of a group of children living inside a top-of-the-line facility, something that should be impossible in the world Maru and Kiruku have to live in. This show’s ability to build expectations and suspense, control the pace, and submerge the spectator into a thrill of mystery and doubt is unmatched. Already great with just 13 episodes, the show will only get better as Production I.G continues adapting the manga by Masakazu Ishiguro.

5 Ghost In The Shell

MAL Rating: 8.27/10

All that is left to mention is the classics, the films that set the example for this genre to develop. They have been the subject of thousands of analyses and academic papers. In that category, there’s only enough space for two, and one of them is Ghost in the Shell. Both Masamune Shirow’s manga and Mamoru Oshii’s film adaptation shaped the entire idea of cyberpunk, not only in Japan but around the world.

Set in the year 2029, technology has evolved to a point where almost every part of the body can be switched to a cybernetic component while maintaining consciousness, which is referred to as “ghost.” The story follows Major Motoko Kusanagi in her journey to discover not only herself but the essence of humanity, the concept of identity and existence.

4 Psycho-Pass

MAL Rating: 8.33/10

No one went as far as Psycho-Pass when it came to utilizing the cyberpunk genre to explore philosophical inquietudes. The show’s detailed setting reflects an authoritarian society ruled by a system that automatically calculates a person’s crime coefficient; in other words, their probability of committing a crime. If it goes over the established maximum, they can be detained or even executed. It also records their personality traits and their mental health. All together, this creates the Psycho-Pass, the form of identification in this futuristic world.

Through the eyes of Akane Tsunemori, an Inspector of the police force that oversees the population crime coefficient, the show displays the holes and contradictions of this allegedly utopian society which makes it even more interesting given that she is a character with strong utilitarian values. The show is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

3 Neon Genesis Evangelion

MAL Rating: 8.35/10

There has always been debate about whether Neon Genesis Evangelion is cyberpunk, or even if it should be considered mecha. That debate only speaks to its complexity and depth. Hideaki Anno reinvented the concept of mecha, giving it a story with cyberpunk themes that served as inspiration for other shows, such as the highly acclaimed Code Geass.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the futuristic city of Tokyo-3 has to defend itself from the attack of powerful beings known as Angels. The only way for humanity to protect itself is with the use of EVAs, gigantic weaponized robots, in the hands of a few selected children. One of them is Shinji Ikari, forced by his father Gendo Ikari to pilot Unit-01. What starts as a simple fight with robots quickly turns into a psychological thriller loaded with philosophical conjectures. Both the original series and the movies, including The End of Evangelion and the reboot, are a must-watch for anyone interested in the cyberpunk genre.