Cyberpunk is a type of science fiction where the rapid advancement of technology comes at the cost of neglecting social issues. In this article, we will see a list of anime in the genre, along with a brief description of the best and most popular cyberpunk anime.
Common themes include powerful or intelligent computers, vast cyberspace networks that can be connected or explored virtually, or human enhancement. Generally, the anime are of the action and psychological thriller genre.
Many Cyberpunk anime depict a society that has evolved into a hyper-efficient Dystopia, where human needs are secondary to a corporate machine that runs smoothly. What anime await in this list?
There are few anime in the Cyberpunk genre, but they are great and well-crafted. Many of these anime are old, as the Cyberpunk style was popular decades ago. See below the best cyberpunk anime:
Table of Contents
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Based on the famous game Cyberpunk 2077, the anime made by Netflix was a great success during its release, bringing a quite adult anime full of action and fanservice.
According to Netflix, the synopsis is as follows: To survive in a dystopian reality where corruption and cybernetic implants control everything, a talented and impulsive young man decides to become a mercenary.
Read also: List of the best Netflix anime
Psycho Pass
Psycho Pass is an original anime series that has already won more than 3 seasons and a movie, telling the story of Akane Tsunemori, a girl who ends up entering the police department in a world where crimes are monitored before they happen.
A system called Sibyl presides over the country and provides order to all facets of life. It determines which jobs citizens should enter and can read the mental state of each resident and predict who is likely to commit crimes in the future.
Akane Tsunemori is starting her career as an inspector, a specialized police officer who works to apprehend latent criminals and prevent crimes before they happen. For this, she receives help from latent criminals known as Executors.
Ghost in the Shell
Another anime series that has gained several movies and series over the decades, even a Live Action. The series is quite complete and requires attention from those who will watch, starting from the oldest and going through the movies.
A new and mysterious hacker, known only as the Puppet Master, threatens to create chaos by erasing and rewriting the memories of his victims: humans who have abandoned their physical bodies to become cyborgs. Is he a genius of evil, or could he signal the beginning of a new era in the relationship between man and machine?
Ergo Proxy
In a nearly sterile futuristic world, humanity is confined to domed cities, where AI controls all aspects of life. In this world, humans are no longer born; they are manufactured on an assembly line; and alongside them walk androids known as autoreivs.
In the dome called Romdeau, lives Re-Mayer, one of the few citizens who are not completely prevented from thinking. The prominent position of her grandfather and the affection of the scientist Dédalo have left her free will more than normally allowed.
Re-l begins to question the sanctity of the city and the perfect way of life of its citizens. With mysterious beings known as proxies wreaking havoc and a man named Vincent having a great influence in her life, Re-l must travel outside the city to find the answers she seeks and discover the mystery behind the “awakening”.
Akira
After the disaster caused by a mysterious being called ‘Akira’, Neo Tokyo is now in social and economic turmoil. In such a decaying city, the grumpy Kaneda and his shy friend Tetsuo survive by running with a motorcycle gang.
They chase local rivals and often flee from the police. Everything changes, however, when Tetsuo collides with a strangely appearing boy during a bike chase and the military ends up taking him away.
When he finally returns to his friends, he is no longer the same weak boy they always knew – in fact, a military experiment has transformed him into something beyond human imagination.
As the military intends to recover their specimen at any cost, Tetsuo is tired of being bullied and is about to show everyone, including his friend Kaneda, exactly who is the boss.
The Best Cyberpunk Movies
There are few cyberpunk anime, but there are many animated cyberpunk movies and OVAs, some of which deserve highlights. First, we should mention that Ghost in the Shell has several movies; I won’t list them here, but here’s a tip.
Battle Angel Alita – Restored by a brilliant cyberneticist, a young girl named Gally struggles to find her own place in the world, learn the extent of her own lethal abilities, and discover what truly makes her human: love.
Mardock Scramble – To stop the unstoppable, you need the irresistible. To kill the immutable, you need someone for whom death has no more meaning. And to catch the perfect serial killer, you need the only person who knows his methods best… his last victim!
Appleseed – In a world on the brink of destruction, a lonely scientist invented the means to save it: the bioroids. These artificial humans coexist with humans in the city of Olympus, under the watchful eye of the supercomputer Gaia – to stabilize society.
Blame! – Killy is a wanderer in a vast technological wasteland known as the Megastructure. His mission is to find a human with liquid terminal genes to prevent the collapse of the Netsphere, a virtual domain under the control of the Authority.
List of Cyberpunk Anime
To conclude, let’s leave a complete list of Cyberpunk anime with their release dates. These are anime, movies, and OVAs of different genres for you to explore.
| Cyberpunk Anime | Type | Year |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig | TV | 2004 |
| Psycho-Pass | TV | 2012 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex | TV | 2002 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society | Movie | 2006 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man | Movie | 2005 |
| Ghost in the Shell | Movie | 1995 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Individual Eleven | Movie | 2006 |
| Ghost in the Shell 2.0 | Movie | 2008 |
| Psycho-Pass SS: Case. 3 – Onshuu no Kanata ni | Movie | 2019 |
| Akira | Movie | 1988 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise | Other | 2013 |
| Psycho-Pass 3 | TV | 2019 |
| Psycho-Pass SS: Case. 2 – First Guardian | Movie | 2019 |
| Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence | Movie | 2004 |
| Ergo Proxy | TV | 2006 |
| Psycho-Pass 2 | TV | 2014 |
| Mardock Scramble: The First Compression | Movie | 2010 |
| Mardock Scramble: The Third Exhaust | Movie | 2012 |
| Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie | Movie | 2015 |
| Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion | Movie | 2011 |
| Serial Experiments Lain | TV | 1998 |
| BLAME! Movie | Movie | 2017 |
| Psycho-Pass SS: Case. 1 – Tsumi to Batsu | Movie | 2019 |
| Appleseed: Ex Machina | Movie | 2007 |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 | Web | 2020 |
| Appleseed Alpha | Movie | 2014 |
| Appleseed Movie | Movie | 2004 |
| Battle Angel Alita | OVA | 1993 |
| Armitage III | OVA | 1995 |
| Armitage III Poly-Matrix | Movie | 1997 |
| Bubblegum Crisis | OVA | 1987 |
| Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 | TV | 1998 |
| Armitage III Dual-Matrix | Movie | 2002 |
| Texhnolyze | TV | 2003 |
| Human Lost | Movie | 2019 |
| The Animatrix | OVA | 2003 |
| Cyber City Oedo 808 | OVA | 1990 |
| Appleseed | OVA | 1988 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Ghost Chaser | Other | 2018 |
| Bubblegum Crash! | OVA | 1991 |
| Baldr Force EXE | OVA | 2006 |
| Megazone 23 Part III | OVA | 1989 |
| Appleseed XIII Movie 1: Tartaros | Movie | 2011 |
| Arve Rezzle: Kikaijikake no Yousei-tachi | Movie | 2013 |
| AD Police Files | OVA | 1990 |
| Appleseed XIII Movie 2: Ouranos | Movie | 2011 |
| AD Police | TV | 1999 |
| Appleseed XIII | OVA | 2011 |
| DRAMAtical Murder | TV | 2014 |
| BLAME! | Netflix | 2003 |
| DRAMAtical Murder: Data_xx_Transitory | Special | 2014 |
| Ai City | Movie | 1986 |
| Techno Police 21C | Movie | 1982 |
| Download: Namu Amida Butsu wa Ai no Uta | OVA | 1992 |
| Blame! Prologue | OVA | 2007 |
| Blame! Special | Special | 2003 |
| Cyberpunk: Edgerunners | Web | 2022 |
| Texhnolyze: Revisit | Special | 2004 |
| Akira (New) | TV | |
| Megazone 23 XI | OVA | |
| Megazone 23 SIN | OVA | |
| BLAME! Movie 2 | Movie |
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