Cyberpunk 2077 is a decent entry into the niche that is cyberpunk which the world isn’t quite ready for just yet. Its release marks an important milestone in the said media genre as there aren’t as many cyberpunk games in that class of popularity. Sadly, the release was marred by bugs and performance issues and the game was also rather short. It was short enough to leave players craving more cyberpunk adventures.
But some fans might want to take a break from cyberpunk games with other media in the genre. It just so happens that nothing else explains cyberpunk better than anime because Japan essentially fueled the cyberpunk golden age. So breathe in that high-tech poverty and crime dystopia with these iconic cyberpunk anime. They ought to fill in the void left by Cyberpunk 2077.
Updated October 19th, 2022, by Sid Natividad: With Cyberpunk 2077 becoming more popular than ever before, anime like Cyberpunk are bound to be more in demand. This bittersweet genre, after all, is starting to look more and more like a relatable indication of the near future. And besides, CD Projekt RED has announced that there will be a DLC for Cyberpunk 2077. So in the meantime, while waiting, you can watch these cyberpunk-themed anime to familiarize yourself better with the concept and the grim dystopia of cyberpunk worlds.
15 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Release year: 2022
- Available on Netflix
Of course, there’s no better companion series to watch after finishing Cyberpunk 2077 than its very own anime, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. This anime is set in the very same city as Cyberpunk 2077, and thus features the same landmarks as well as a protagonist similar to V.
It follows the story of slum boy David Martinez as his life takes a turn for the worse, and he gets another shot at the top thanks to a military-grade cybernetic implant. The anime captures the spirit of Night City in a haunting manner and also highlights the absurdity of the high-tech, low-life theme of cyberpunk worlds.
14 Appleseed
Appleseed is a classic in the cyberpunk genre that it warranted a 2004 remake. You can’t go wrong with either anime films, but for more digestible visuals, we recommend the 2004 version. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where most people have been turned into cyborgs.
The hero of the story is Deunan Knute, a war veteran who survived the Global War and was taken into the city of Utopia. She now finds herself at odds in a rapidly-changing world; while Utopia looks peaceful on the surface, looming tensions seek to turn their fragile peace into a time bomb. Deunan’s legacy as a warrior might just be the key to Utopia’s salvation.
13 Neo Tokyo
- Release year: 1987
- Available on Roku
Neo Tokyo is an anthology film consisting of three separate stories that take place in the dystopian cyberpunk future of the titular city. For fans of similar anthology films like the Animatrix, there’s plenty to like in Neo Tokyo.
All three stories involve the perils and ironies of cyberpunk societies where the recurring theme is the discovery of sentient robot life forms that seek to outdo their creators. Neo Tokyo’s style might be old, but its hand-drawn and manually animated visuals put it in the same league as classics like Akira.
12 Megazone 23
- Release year: 1985
- Available on Tubi TV, Hoopla, and Retro Crush TV
Speaking of classics like Akira, Megazone 23 is another anime that has a similar plot and protagonist. It involves a young firebrand biker named Shougo Yahagi. He lives a carefree life in a glamorous society full of idols, rock music, and of course, the hottest motorcycles.
His reality becomes disturbed one day after he stumbled upon an experimental motorcycle with a hidden function. This motorcycle somehow has a link to the reality of his world, and it’s not exactly as glamorous or as shiny as its surface. Megazone 23 offers familiar styles and even familiar characters for those who can’t get enough of 1980s cyberpunk iconography.
11 Time Of Eve
- Release year: 2008
- Available on Crunchyroll
Time of Eve explores a future world where the common households are managed by android housekeepers. To prevent an android uprising, there are three fundamental laws that all robots must adhere to. All androids are thus treated as lower life forms, similar to how human beings treat their phones.
However, a man named Rikuo Sakisaka one day discovered a hidden message embedded in one of his household androids, which shook the very foundation of how they treated these lowly robots. Suddenly, the distinction between androids and humans is blurred, and Rikuo finds himself in an ever-doubtful world and society.
10 Ghost In The Shell
No one can mention cyberpunk without giving a nod to this one. Ghost in the Shell is quite possibly the most important cyberpunk anime in existence as it served as the creative fuel for the Wachowski siblings when they conceived the Matrix films.
There are many iterations within the Ghost in the Shell family to enjoy, such as Stand Alone Complex. The original film is by far the most philosophical of the bunch, and explores the idea of an AI becoming a thinking individual with its own morals. At the heart of that is Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg whose memories are the only human part of her — ghosts in a shell, if you will.
9 Ergo Proxy
- Release year: 2006
- Available on Hulu, Tubi TV, and Netflix
Ergo Proxy is another anime with a female protagonist and a deep plot about the nature of humanity. It explores a world that is still reeling from a recent apocalyptic event. One last bastion of human civilization is all that’s left in the world. In order to make their lives and survival easier, special androids were created.
In the anime’s current timeline, however, the said androids started exhibiting human behavior and asking questions that not many humans would want to answer. It’s up to the androids and humans to investigate the root of such matters before things spiral out of control.
8 Bubblegum Crisis
Bubblegum Crisis assumes the typical premise of most cyberpunk worlds. It imagines a Japan that was devastated by a huge Earthquake; this ruined much of society with extreme poverty on top of the physical damage. Furthermore, an evil corporation is producing mechanical monsters that are too much for the police to handle.
So along came the Knight Sabers to set things straight and to fix the problems that the corrupt and evil corporations started. They also do it in style as most of their members are stylish powerhouses that commandeer special armor to combat the mechanical beasts.
7 Psycho-Pass
- Release year: 2012
- Available on Hulu, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Disney+, and Netflix
Psycho-Pass is also more popularly known as the anime version of Minority Report. The whole anime revolves around the so-called Sibyl System that predicts criminal behavior in individuals before they commit crimes. The idea originates from a sci-fi novella by Philip K. Dick of the same name as the movie.
Such a setup is ripe for suspenseful detective opportunities, and that’s where most of Psycho-Pass’s story lives. Much like most cop stories, this one involves an idealistic rookie and her veteran partner who’s one case away from becoming a disillusioned outcast.
6 Battle Angel Alita
- Release year: 2019
- Available on Crunchyroll
If fans don’t mind going a bit further in the future, then Battle Angel Alita offers a grim and unsettling dystopia where the poor live among the rich’s trash heap. After watching this one, you can also treat yourself to a live-action Hollywood adaptation. The film, called Alita Battle Angel, was released in 2019.
They pretty much have the same story and narrative nearly shot-for-shot. Both films begin with a cyborg doctor discovering Alita’s mangled remains in a garbage dump. Pretty soon, he discovers that Alita is more than just an old cyborg and has a past that makes her a deadly individual.
5 Akira
- Release year: 1988
- Available on Hulu, Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Tubi TV
Much like Ghost in the Shell, Akira is also a significant film for the cyberpunk genre. It was first released back in 1988 and even by today’s standards, it puts many other anime to shame with its fluid hand-drawn visuals.
The story itself is also riveting, as it follows the struggle of a biker gang where one of their friends was unfortunate enough to be an accidental vessel for an entity that can warp reality. Amid all that, a riot is also ensuing against the government, which prioritizes experiments instead of the welfare of their people.
4 Texhnolyze
Texhnolyze toys with one of the cyberpunk genre’s most ubiquitous trademarks: cybernetics. The idea that people can discard their organic parts and become functionally immortal or something stronger, faster, and smarter is one of the points of conflict in the genre as Cyberpunk 2077 exhibited. Texhnolyze further showcases this idea.
This notion is seen in action through the eyes of an unfortunate prizefighter who lost some of his limbs due to “occupational hazards”. He was, however, chosen as a candidate for an experimental limb tech called Texhnolyze.
3 No Guns Life
A cyborg with a giant revolver for a head is not something people would expect in a cyberpunk setting, but this is anime, so No Guns Life is about as valid as it is outrageous. That cyborg is also the main character of the show and has a trench coat that puts all noir detectives to shame.
He was created as a special kind of weapon to fight in a war. Is anyone getting Master Chief vibes here? The catch is that he has no memories of his pre-war life, but life goes on anyway. He decided to become a private investigator who solves crimes related to cyborgs similar to him.
2 Blame!
This kind of animation might put some people off, but Blame! is a solid cyberpunk film and six-episode series. The story takes place in an entirely automated world in a time far more technologically advanced than now. An infection takes hold of the automated systems and the city begins to go haywire.
Without getting too spoiler-y, the basic plot is a team is deployed to fix The Problem. The team including Killy the Wanderer must evade the Safeguard — a rampant defense system purging humans. Pop the popcorn, grab your favorite beverage, and settle in for some classic cyberpunk action.
1 Serial Experiments Lain
- Release year: 1998
- Available on Funimation and Crunchyroll
Serial Experiments Lain mostly focuses on the intellectual side of cyberpunk and as such, it tackles an issue more convoluted than Cyberpunk 2077’s proto-immortality corpo-war angle. The protagonist Lain suddenly stumbles upon a cyberspace not unlike our internet today.
Only, the cyberspace she opened was more dangerous and reality-altering. Serial Experiments Lain shows its viewers the dangers of false identities forged in a digital world in what appears to be a cyberpunk setting in its infancy.
NEXT: Cyberpunk 2077: Every District, Ranked From Worst To Best
