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16 Underrated Sci-Fi Anime Newer Fans Probably Haven’t Seen

By Every Day Story16 items
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Sci-fi is an exciting genre full of possibility, which makes exploring underrated sci-fi anime a great idea. Popular series like Psycho-Pass and Steins;Gate are just the beginning. The world of science fiction anime also includes high-octane action series like Akudama Drive and thought-provoking shows like Time of Eve. You may not know about these hidden gems, but hopefully, you'll discover a new favorite.

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  • 1
    Ergo Proxy

    An ecological disaster wipes out most of Earth. Domed communities like Romdo offer humanity a survival chance. They build humanoid robots called AutoReivs to ease life. The Cogito Virus gives these androids consciousness, sparking questions about their societal role. Re-l Mayer, Romdo's mayor's granddaughter, investigates this with her AutoReiv Iggy.

    She soon sees a bigger story. A huge conspiracy has gone too far. She meets Vincent Law, an AutoReiv who might help uncover these secrets.

  • 2
    Last Exile

    Try this for sci-fi with steampunk elements.Last Exile.In Prester, most travel happens in the sky. Claudia Fluid, which fuels aircraft, the "Guild" strictly controls it. The Guild also manages a war between Anatoray and Disith. Sky Couriers deliver messages, packages, and people through this chaos.

    Claus Valca and Lavie Head are Sky Couriers. They deliver an orphan girl named Alvis Hamilton to a battleship.Silvana.Caught between warring nations and environmental problems, the trip is hard. They soon face the Guild itself.

    Television
    🔥 318 up · 40 down▼ 1 below editor

    Also ranks #2 on Best Anime Like The Magnificent Kotobuki · #2 on Best Steampunk Anime, Ranked · #3 on Best Anime Like Steamboy

  • 3
    Akudama Drive

    Check out this for action-packed cyberpunk mayhem.Akudama Drive.Advanced tech makes the Kansai future look like a utopia. Still, crime can grow even in a utopia.

    Criminals called Akudama run rampant in the city. Cutthroat, an infamous Akudama who killed 999 people, faces execution. An elite Akudama group assembles to save him.

    Television
    🔥 264 up · 56 down▲ 1 above editor
  • 4
    Voices of a Distant Star

    Created by world-renowned Makoto Shinkai,Voices of a Distant Star.This anime is not well-known. It lacks the polish of later works likeYour Name.andWeathering with Youit still shows Shinkai's main idea: lovers who cannot be together.

    Noboru Terao and Mikako Nagamine fall in love. Aliens attack their home. Mikako joins a UN military space mission to fight them. They try to stay in touch, but Mikako’s distance slows her messages to Noboru. Can their love survive, or are they meant to separate?

  • 5
    Heavenly Delusion

    Looking for a new dystopian anime? Try this.Heavenly Delusion.Heavenly Delusion might be perfect for you. The story sets in a universe where man-eating monsters terrorized the world fifteen years before. With few survivors remaining, a facility creates a safe space for children behind walls, away from danger.

    Survivors Maru and Kiruko travel beyond the walls searching for Heaven. They hope this place holds answers to all their questions and solutions to their problems. While Maru and Kiruko cross the dangerous area past the barriers, those on the safe side start wondering what life is like outside isolation.

  • 6
    Dimension W

    Humanity discovers a fourth dimension, Dimension W. They build a coil device to use its power. The New Tesla Energy Corporation now controls these coils; unauthorized coils are illegal.

    Ex-soldier Kyouma Mabuchi distrusts coils; he uses a gas-powered car instead. His job is tracking illegal coils. On a mission, he meets an android connected to the coil's "father." These two get into strange events uncovering secrets about Dimension W.

    Television
    🔥 193 up · 36 down▼ 1 below editor

    Also ranks #15 on Best Anime 2016 · #19 on Best Anime Like Gangsta, Ranked · #23 on Best Anime Like Darker Than Black

  • 7
    Crest of the Stars

    The Abh Empire's humanoid race attacks humanity. They form the Four Nations Alliance to defend themselves. Not every world could defend itself.

    Jinto Linn's father sold their world to the Abh for a high post in the Abh Empire. Now a count, Jinto mixes with Abh royalty while preparing for school. On his first day, his ship gets caught in a battle between the Alliance and the Abh. He must find a way to manage the conflict with his friend, an Abh princess.

  • 8
    Time of Eve

    Androids are common, but strict rules separate them from humans. Society treats androids like any other household appliance.

    Rikuo Sakisaka believes his android teachings, but something changes his view. Activity logs on his android Sammy lead him to a cafe called Time of Eve. The cafe has one rule: humans and androids share the same space.

    Rikuo spends more time at the cafe and learns androids are more than he thought.

  • 9
    Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

    You might need a futuristic anime version of Alexandre Dumas's work.The Count of Monte Cristo.You do.

    Set in 5053, Albert de Morcerf attends a carnival on the moon. There, he meets the charming Count of Monte Cristo. Albert seeks friendship and fulfillment through his bond with the Count. The Count wants something much deeper and darker: vengeance.

  • 10
    Hal

    Kurumi's boyfriend Hal dies in a plane crash, devastating Kurumi. Her grandfather calls a robot, Q01, to take Hal's appearance and comfort her. It helps, but Hal is not quite the same.

    As the two develop a romance, questions arise about what it means for a human and a robot to love.

    Television
    🔥 101 up · 29 down

    Also ranks #17 on 18 Saddest Anime Movies · #214 on Best Romance Anime

  • 11
    Level E

    Do you loveYu Yu HakushoandHunter x Hunter?Check out the anime based on another Togashi manga.Level E.

    Baka Ki El Dogra, also called the Idiot Prince, comes from outer space. He seeks chaos on Earth. He enters apartments, steals clothes, gives kids powers randomly, and creates ridiculous scenes. This anime offers sci-fi that makes you laugh.

  • 12
    Space Brothers

    Mutta Nanba and his brother Hibito promise to become astronauts after seeing what they think is a UFO. Hibito achieves his dreams as an adult. Mutta, however, gets stuck in a dead-end job.

    Mutta loses his job. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency accepts him. Mutta starts a lifetime journey with his brother.

  • 13
    Tsuritama

    Yuki Sanada wants a quiet life to fight his anxiety. An eccentric transfer student claiming to be an alien shows this is impossible.

    Haru immediately befriends Yuki and another student. Haru enlists them to fight an underwater threat.

  • 14
    Planet With

    Souya Kuroi, left an orphaned amnesiac by a mysterious event, relies on a giant cat and an odd maid who know more than he does.

    Aliens invade his city. Superheroes try to stop them. Souya expects help but is furious; these heroes destroyed his home. He now seeks revenge.

    Television
    🔥 43 up · 23 down
  • 15
    Kaiba

    What if memories and personality could upload to computer chips and reform elsewhere? This anime's world explores this possibility.,This is possible, but only for the rich. In this world, the wealthy are functionally immortal. The poor must sell their bodies as containers for rich people's minds.

    Kaiba wakes up with no memories, chest pain, and a locket with a woman's photo he doesn't know. His search for his identity takes him across this strange world and reveals unsettling secrets.

  • 16
    Harmony

    After the Maelström nuclear disaster, the World Health Organization controls global humans to save the species. Medicine, nanomachine tech, and augmented reality ensure humanity stays healthy and happy. People follow the WatchMe surveillance system to boost their physical well-being.

    This intrusion hurt high school students Miach Mihie, Tuan Kirie, and Cian Reikadou's humanity. They tried to take their lives. Cian and Tuan lived; Miach was declared dead. Years later, Tuan works for the military organization Helix. Her job involves investigating mass suicides linked to her old friend.

    Television
    🔥 42 up · 23 down▼ 1 below editor

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