Ghost in the Shell is a classic that influenced countless other anime series over the decades. Dating back to the debut of the 1995 film directed by Mamoru Oshii, based on the manga by Masamune Shirow, the franchise is one of the most influential works in the world of Japanese cyberpunk. There’s only so much Ghost in the Shell content out there, though, so for those fans who want more, these are the anime that can deliver on the same level.
Fans of the movie who haven’t checked out the 2002 anime TV series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex absolutely should, as the series is nearly as classic as the film at this point. The series is thoughtful, and like the film, deals with complex topics like politics and philosophy. But there are many other works, even outside the cyberpunk genre, that share these traits with Ghost in the Shell, and they make for the perfect complement.
10 Neon Genesis Evangelion – Philosophy Wrapped in Despair
Created by Hideaki Anno, produced by Gainax
Evangelion tells the story of Shinji Ikari, a young boy brought into an organization bent on defeating the Angels which constantly attack humanity by his father. Ordered to pilot one of their mecha known as EVA units, Shinji discovers the horrors of conflict. All the while, a secret plot is brewing, one steeped in religion and philosophy. Evangelion‘s tone is a bit bleaker than Ghost in the Shell, but the series still deals with many of the same concepts about what counts as human and what it means to be human. Fans of Ghost in the Shell should enjoy Evangelion‘s own unique take on philosophy as filtered through depression.
Watch on Netflix
9 Steins;Gate – Perspectives on Human Nature
Created by NitroPlus, produced by White Fox
Steins;Gate is an anime based on a visual novel, which follows mad scientist Rintaro Okabe, who one day discovers that it’s possible to send messages backward in time, altering the future and thus changing the present. Things rapidly escalate, however, until Rintaro is tasked by the future with preventing the beginning of World War 3 by ensuring that a certain scientist survives. The series features some of the political and megacorporation angles from cyberpunk media, as well as a focus on what impact new technology can have on the world at large.
Watch on Crunchyroll
8 Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These – Politics and War Take Center Stage
Created by Yoshiki Tanaka, produced by Production I.G.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is, like Ghost in the Shell, animated by the studio Production I.G., and is also a sci-fi series, although this time set in space in the distant future. It tells the story of two warring nations, the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance, focusing on a high-ranked character from each side of the war: Reinhard from the Empire, and Yang from the Alliance. Politics plays a heavy role in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, even compared to Ghost in the Shell, as these characters must navigate the difficult situations they are in while attempting to live up to their contrasting ideals.
Watch on Crunchyroll
7 Ergo Proxy – Philosophical Cyberpunk
Written by Dai Sato, produced by Manglobe
Ergo Proxy tells the story of Re-l, an inspector in the post-apocalyptic future where humans live alongside androids known as AutoReivs. When some of the AutoReivs suddenly develop sentience and begin a killing spree, Re-l is entrusted with finding out the truth, and discovers along the way a much bigger plot in the works. Ergo Proxy has a very cyberpunk tone, and focuses heavily on philosophy, such as what it means to be self-aware and what extent humans are willing to go to in order to preserve the species.
Watch on Crunchyroll
6 Psycho-Pass – Dystopian Futures and Government Enforcers
Written by Gen Urobuchi, produced by Production I.G.
Another cyberpunk series from Production I.G., Psycho-Pass is set in a dystopian future where people’s emotional states are constantly assessed as a means of fighting crime, and should this number go too high, officials are dispatched to stop the person before they commit a crime. However, as rookie cop Akane Tsunemori soon finds out, the system that they place so much faith in may have an enormous flaw in it which could destroy society. The series revolves around philosophy and psychology, exploring what it means to be a “criminal” in a world that arrests people based solely on their emotional state.
Watch on Crunchyroll
5 The Big O – A Major Mystery Slowly Unravels
Created by Keiichi Sato and Kazuyoshi Katayama, produced by Sunrise
The Big O is a 1999 series that follows Roger Smith, a wealthy negotiator in the mysterious world of Paradigm City who has control over an enormous mecha known as a Megadeus, the eponymous Big O. The citizens of Paradigm City lost all their memories 40 years ago, and no one even knows whether life still exists outside the city. Much of the series focuses on the mystery of how and why Paradigm City lost its memory, a plot that slowly comes together as Roger engages with other negotiator cases. Its structure in uncovering the mystery is somewhat similar to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex‘s, and it’s compelling enough that fans will be dying to find out the answers.
4 Paranoia Agent – The Mysteries of What is Real
Created by Satoshi Kon, produced by Madhouse
Paranoia Agent is an intense thriller series that can be a bit difficult to explain at first. It follows several characters, including detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa, and the character designer responsible for the popular Maromi character, Tsukiko Sagi. The story centers on attacks by a mysterious figure known as “Lil Slugger,” who attacks people with a baseball bat. As the detectives investigate, they find increasingly impossible things, and somehow it all seems to tie back to Tsukiko. The mystery aspect is what makes Paranoia Agent most like Ghost in the Shell, and the series definitely isn’t afraid of getting weird.
Watch on Crunchyroll
3 Appleseed XIII – Ghost in the Shell‘s Sister Series
Created by Masamune Shirow, produced by Production I.G.
Appleseed XIII is inspired by a manga by Masamune Shirow, the same artist who originally created Ghost in the Shell, making it something of a sister series. Set in a city known as Olympus after the fallout of World War 3, it follows Deunan Knute, a young mixed-race woman who is part of the elite special forces of Olympus, and her partner (both romantically and at work), Briareos, who is fully cyborgized. Appleseed XIII deals with many of the same ideas and themes as Ghost in the Shell, particularly surrounding what it means to be a cyborg. Starring government agents with heavily cyborgized bodies, the similarities are simply too great to ignore.
2 Bubblegum Crisis – Cyberpunk, 80s Style
Created by Toshimichi Suzuki, produced by Artmic and AIC
Bubblegum Crisis was Ghost in the Shell long before that series came to exist even as a manga. A series of OVAs released from 1987 to 1991, Bubblegum Crisis tells the story of the all-female mercenary group, the Knight Sabers, who use powered armor to battle against artificial lifeforms. Like Ghost in the Shell, Bubblegum Crisis‘s heroines often find themselves hampered by politics and infighting that have nothing to do with them. While the original OVA series never quite finished, it’s still a classic of the cyberpunk genre, and it spawned later remakes that did get to finish the series.
Watch on Tubi
1 Serial Experiments Lain – A Deep Dive into the Net
Created by Yasuyuki Ueda, produced by Triangle Staff
Serial Experiments Lain is a rather creepy series, with elements of psychological horror, but at its heart are the key questions that make cyberpunk what it is. When one of young Lain’s classmates kills herself, the kids in class all receive an email from her, claiming she now exists online. While most dismiss it as a sick joke, Lain is intrigued and investigates, diving deep into the world of computers and the net (called here The Wired). Lain deals with conspiracy theories, what it means to be human in the modern world, and complex philosophical and religious ideas.
Watch on Funimation
