10 best science anime that you can't afford to miss

Anime and science fiction have always gone hand-in-hand. Popular science anime use scientific themes or futuristic settings to tell engaging stories that capture viewers' imaginations. From time-travel adventures to clashes between humans and AI, sci-fi anime covers a wide range of thought-provoking concepts.

If you're interested in anime at the cutting edge, read on for our picks of the top 10 science anime you simply can't afford to miss. We've included iconic classics as well as exciting recent releases spanning from hard sci-fi to softer speculative fiction. With complex plots, dynamic characters, and stunning animation, these shows demonstrate why science plus anime is such a winning combination.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion and is not ranked in any particular order.

Top 10 must-watch science anime: A journey beyond imagination

1) Steins;Gate

Steins;Gate follows a group of friends who accidentally invent time travel and must deal with the far-reaching consequences. Protagonist Rintaro Okabe discovers he can send messages to the past to change the future, but soon realizes even small alterations can have catastrophic effects.

This thriller anime masterfully handles its time-travel premise without plot holes or paradoxes. Okabe's desperate attempts to undo the damage caused by altering the past result in high-stakes drama. With dark twists plus moments of comedy-relieving tension, Steins;Gate deserves its reputation as one of the most intricately crafted science anime out there.

2) Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain (Image via Triangle Staff)

A 1990s classic, Serial Experiments Lain explores the influence of emerging internet technology on human consciousness. The series follows Lain, a teenage girl who discovers powerful secrets after receiving an email from a suicidal classmate. Strange events make Lain question the boundary between the real world and cyberspace as she sinks deeper into a conspiracy about a global network that connects human minds.

With its eerie atmosphere and surreal visuals, Lain was well ahead of its time in predicting concepts like augmented reality and issues around internet privacy that feel very relevant today. Its ambiguous, open-ended conclusion cements it as a trailblazing work of science fiction.

3) Planetes

For a more realistic and down-to-earth take on potential future science, look no further than Planetes. Set in 2075, the story revolves around a crew that clears dangerous debris from Earth's orbit. Rather than an idealized view of technological advancement, we see the mundane work needed to make space travel safe and viable.

Despite its ordinary setting and an ensemble cast of characters, Planetes delivers a thought-provoking look at current problems projected decades ahead. How will capitalism, discrimination, terrorism, and pollution shape humanity's expansion into space? This slice-of-life science anime handles big questions without easy answers.

4) Psycho-Pass

This dystopian crime thriller is set in a futuristic Japan where your likelihood of committing a crime is constantly scanned and quantified into a "Psycho-Pass" score. When a series of grisly murders shatters the perfect order maintained by the ubiquitous Sibyl system, it's up to Inspector Akane and her crew to solve the case and apprehend the killer.

Psycho-Pass portrays a disturbing world where people's fates depend on algorithms judging their thoughts and emotions. The high-stakes cat and mouse game between detectives and criminals paired with deep philosophical questions around crime, justice, and technology make this science anime a must-watch.

5) Gurren Lagann

For sheer, over-the-top mecha action blended with scientific theories, it's impossible to top Gurren Lagann. This rowdy science anime follows Simon and Kamina, rebels who battle beastmen oppressors in their underground village using giant robots powered by spiral energy. When they discover a portal to the planet's surface, they step into a world and conflict of far greater scale.

Gurren Lagann's seemingly absurd escalation turns out to be a metaphor for the exponential growth of the human population and technological progress. Power levels and threats increase at a breakneck pace in galaxy-flinging battles, reflecting how scientific discoveries shape civilization's capacity in unpredictable ways. Behind all the eye-popping action, there are deep messages about human potential.

6) Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell (Image via Production I.G)

One of science anime's undisputed masterpieces, Ghost in the Shell, depicts a future world transformed by cybernetic technology that blurs the line between human and machine. Cyborg federal agent Major Motoko Kusanagi heads Section 9, a covert ops team that counters cyber crimes and hacking threats posed by artificially intelligent computer programs.

Its gritty cyberpunk setting made a huge splash in the 90s for its pioneering use of CGI animation and chilling imagining of the Internet age. From thermoptic camouflage to cyberbrains that allow hacking of human memories, much of this visionary film's technology now looks eerily prescient rather than distant science fiction.

7) Akira

No list of great science anime is complete without Akira. Set in post-apocalyptic Neo Tokyo, this iconic 1988 movie follows Shōtarō Kaneda's efforts to rescue his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project unraveling his psychic powers. The ensuing devastation reveals Tetsuo's abilities may connect back to experiments preceding a cataclysmic event that leveled Tokyo years ago.

Its setting, brimming with authoritarian regimes, revolutionary factions, anti-government protests, and biker gangs, makes Akira feel as rebellious and subversive as ever, decades later. Jaw-dropping, hand-drawn action plus sophisticated themes around political corruption, activism, and friendship cement its status as the definitive adult anime science fiction epic.

8) Cowboy Bebop

Jazzy soundtrack, fluid space-age gunfights, and existential themes about identity make Cowboy Bebop an all-time science anime great. Set across various planets humans have colonized, it charts the adventures of Spike Spiegel and Jet Black, bounty hunters chasing down dangerous criminals across the solar system.

While it adapts Western genre tropes from film noir to capers, Bebop also subtlety investigates deeper questions around memory, regret, and mortality through encounters with each unique target. It's this soulful infusion of philosophic depth with style and swagger that sets this science fiction anime classic apart.

9) Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Image via Gainax)

Few anime franchises have had as profound a mainstream impact as Neon Genesis Evangelion, which redefined expectations for science fiction anime back in the 1990s. In the aftermath of a global cataclysm called Second Impact, 14-year-old Shinji is recruited to pilot the giant bio-machine Evangelion to battle invading monsters dubbed Angels.

Under familiar mecha battles lies a psychoanalytic examination of the pilots pressed into defensive duty they barely understand by Shinji's estranged father's shadowy organization, NERV. Symbolism and subtext fuel this genre's deconstruction, confronting trauma, depression, and the hero's journey like no anime before.

10) Dr. Stone

What would happen if everyone on Earth suddenly turned to stone for several millennia? Dr. Stone explores this premise by following genius but eccentric teenager Senku, who wakes and finds himself facing the monumental challenge of rebooting human civilization from scratch.

Encyclopedic scientific knowledge allows Senku to slowly regain technology by producing things like electricity, glass, batteries, and eventually smartphones from plant fibers and minerals. While on one level teen adventure fiction, the science anime series insightfully breaks down the essential principles and innovations underpinning modern amenities we take for granted. Dr. Stone makes science exciting and fun rather than intimidating!

Conclusion

In conclusion, anime has an electrifying affinity with science fiction's boundless potential for imagination. These science anime titles draw on all aspects of scientific knowledge and discovery, from astrophysics to zoology, to spin thought-provoking tales speculating futures within reach or completely unprecedented.

Beyond awe-inspiring animation and memorable soundtracks, they share a spirit of intellectual curiosity about existence, ethics, and progress. So switch on your photonic brain to maximum flicker rate and immerse yourself in the masterful worlds of science anime.