10 best anime to watch if you like Lazarus

Lazarus quickly became a widely talked-about anime since its debut. It follows a special task force named "Lazarus" in the year 2052, as they race against time to locate Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. Skinner and develop an antidote after his miracle drug Hapuna is revealed to have a delayed, fatal side effect.

With only 30 days until the first wave of deaths, Lazarus must pull out all the stops to avert catastrophe, as Hapuna was initially hailed as a miracle drug believed to cure most major diseases before this devastating revelation.

For those who can’t get enough of this anime and are looking for their next great anime obsession, this list will point you towards some excellent series that should satisfy that craving for cerebral, provocative science fiction. From anime classics to more recent hidden gems, here are 10 of the best anime to watch for those who like Lazarus.

10 must-watch anime for fans of Lazarus

1. Psycho-Pass

In many ways, Psycho-Pass shares compelling thematic parallels with Lazarus. Set in a dystopian future where a person's likelihood to commit crimes can be quantified and tracked, Psycho-Pass examines pressing ethical issues around mass surveillance, crime prevention, and state control over citizens' lives.

When rookie inspector Akane Tsunemori joins the police force tracking down latent criminals, she begins questioning the over-reliance on the ominous Sibyl System making these judgments.

As Akane unravels darker conspiracies behind the seemingly idyllic society, Psycho-Pass provides plenty of engrossing character dynamics and thought-provoking dilemmas to ponder.

2. Ergo Proxy

For viewers who loved Lazarus' cerebral exploration of technology gone wrong and humanity's scientific hubris, Ergo Proxy should prove deeply appealing.

In a post-apocalyptic future where humans live in domed cities under the watch of god-like artificial beings called Proxies, investigator Re-l Mayer from the city of Romdo begins tracking down an ominous threat that quickly escalates into an existential crisis.

As the truth of this mysterious Proxy named Ergo is slowly uncovered, Re-l has to question everything she thought she knew about her society and her own origins. Ergo Proxy delivers a metaphysical plunge into dystopia, blending the high-concept ambition of Lazarus with striking style and atmosphere.

3. Texhnolyze

For fans of anime's darker themes, Texhnolyze dives even deeper into the cyberpunk abyss. Set in the underground city of Lux, where descendants of humans altered through genetic experiments scrape by for survival, it follows a prize fighter named Ichise after he loses an arm and a leg in a brutal fight.

Given a chance at new cybernetic limbs known as “Texhnolyzes” to become a powerful fighter, he soon uncovers battles over controlling Lux as factions vie for power in the crumbling city.

Violent, complex, and utterly uncompromising in its bleak outlook on human nature, Texhnolyze is an uncompromising descent into a neo-noir perspective on the future that fans of Lazarus’ darker moments are bound to appreciate.

4. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Image via Production I.G)

This classic anime shares Lazarus’ affinity for science fiction concepts grounded in present-day societal concerns taken to high-tech extremes. In a future world where cybernetic enhancements are commonplace, Public Security Section 9 hunts down hackers and cyber-terrorists.

Led by the legendary Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg herself, the series explores complex themes of transhumanism through its political thriller lens, centering in its first season on the Laughing Man, a mysterious figure tied to a corporate cover-up involving medical technology and media manipulation.

With its combination of sci-fi action spectacles along with cerebral observations on identity, technology, and social conditioning all brought to vivid animated life, Ghost in the Shell shares key tones and sensibilities with Lazarus that should readily appeal to its fans.

5. Akudama Drive

Akudama Drive (Image via Studio Pierrot)

For a wild, blood-soaked ride to pair with Lazarus’ moments of off-kilter dystopian action, Akudama Drive absolutely fits the bill. This twisted sci-fi series unfolds in a cyberpunk Japan fractured between ordinary citizens and elite superhumans known as Akudama, condemned criminals with incredible abilities.

When a lowly civilian named Swindler gets caught up with a dangerous group of Akudama on the run, she winds up on an explosive bullet train ride across a dystopian landscape rife with shocking twists and ultra-violent showdowns.

With its vibrantly chaotic energy, central mystery cloaked in conspiracy, and compelling, flawed characters on a collision course with tragedy, Akudama Drive echoes some of the key highlights of Lazarus even as it charges wildly off the rails in entirely its own direction.

6. Kaiba

This poignant sci-fi mirrors Lazarus’ themes within a uniquely retro-futuristic world. In a world where human memories and consciousnesses can be stored, transferred to new bodies, sold, or stolen like commodities, Kaiba wakes up in a stranger’s body with no memories of his own.

What unfolds across twelve philosophically rich, emotionally resonant episodes is Kaiba’s journey across the stars to rediscover who he was amidst interweaving tales of love, loss, and the fundamental questions of what defines “self” and “humanity” in an age of technological soul-swapping advances.

Fans of Lazarus drawn to its musing on memory, identity, and what our innovations say about humanity will find a kindred spirit in the imaginatively expansive yet intimate perspectives of Kaiba.

7. Paranoia Agent

Legendary director Satoshi Kon’s eerie psychological thriller is a must-watch for Lazarus fans. It centers around a phenomenon gripping Japanese society—rumors of a young boy dubbed “Lil’ Slugger” mysteriously attacking people during times of intense stress with a bent golden baseball bat.

As panic grows over this urban legend coming to life, the plot dives down interweaving tunnels of conspiracy, warped perceptions of reality, and collective anxiety attacks manifesting in sinister form.

With trippy visuals, an unshakably ominous atmosphere, incisive commentary on social pressure and unease bubbling under the surface, Paranoia Agent takes viewers on a memorable descent into psychological darkness akin to Lazarus’ most paranoid moments.

8. No. 6

This dystopian anime pairs brilliantly with Lazarus in how it utilizes its futuristic premise to offer thoughtful social commentary relevant to modern viewers. In a peaceful city known as No. 6, the perfect orderly society is maintained through sinister means as privileged citizens turn a blind eye.

But when prodigy Shion meets an injured fugitive named Nezumi from the poorer reclaimed settlement outside No. 6’s walls, his notions of the city’s utopia start unraveling as the two become caught up in death-defying struggles for truth.

What seems at first glance like a sci-fi action thriller swiftly opens up into a politically conscious, emotionally charged drama delving into class divisions, environmental warnings, the use and abuse of power structures—themes close to the heart of Lazarus as well.

9. BLAME!

BLAME! offers an inventively surreal, gorgeously rendered cyberpunk sci-fi vision likely to appeal to Lazarus fans, even if its enigmatic storytelling provides a sharply cryptic contrast.

Set far in a dystopian future on an expansive multi-tiered megastructure extending endlessly in all directions, it follows lone wandering outcast Killy as he traverses decaying industrial landscapes hunting for human gene carriers to help him reboot civilization.

Alongside him is Cibo, a former scientist now inhabiting a robotic body, who assists Killy in this vast, empty domain on an existential quest. With retro-futuristic visuals and themes of lost humanity, BLAME! offers a genre-bending experience fans will love.

10. Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop follows a crew of spacefaring bounty hunters moving through a colorful futuristic vision of our solar system as they take on dangerous jobs chasing targets to afford their next meal.

Each member carries their baggage and regrets, brought together in their life on the run from pasts they’d rather leave behind while glimpsing hopes of personal redemption on the horizon.

With its smooth, jazzy soundtrack, neo-noir atmosphere, dynamic characters, and perfectly balanced infusion of wild action, offbeat comedy, and melancholic soul searching, Cowboy Bebop showcased the genre-defying creativity Watanabe would later bring to projects like Lazarus.

Conclusion

For fans hungry for more shows carrying on its legacy of stylish, philosophical sci-fi storytelling, this list collects some of the most rewarding, meaningful anime series to pick up next across a diverse range of subgenres, artistic styles, and eras.