Updated August 12, 2021 1.3K votes 637 voters 80.1K views
Over 600 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The 13 Best Anime Like Akira
Voting Rules
Vote up the anime you want to watch after seeing 'Akira.'
Where do you go after watching Akira? It's not an easy question to answer, as even many anime similar toAkira likely fail to live up to the animated masterpiece. Akira redefined animated movies in more than just Japan with its amazing and innovating animation. Aside from becoming a hit in Japan, it served as a gateway for future anime fans the world over.
After you finish both of Akira's anime and manga versions, you probably want to find other anime like Akira. Though they may not measure up to Katsuhiro Otomo's opus, plenty of similar titlesexist out there for fans to devour. Cyberpunk elements, philosophical conundrums, and slick animation all mark the signs of an anime with a similar vein to the 1989 classic. Akira may occupy a class all its own, but its influence presented a chance for these titles and series to shine in their own ways.
From one anime masterpiece to another, the 1995 Ghost in the Shell movie might stand as the best recommendation for anyone who loved Akira. Both of these cyberpunk movies explore the themes of humanity and the questionable advancements of technology. Major Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell lives in a technological world where hacking a human's brain for political warfare is just another day at the job.
Psycho-Pass tells the story of a futuristic police force known as the Criminal Investigation Department, tasked with maintaining order in a dystopian world. Just like in Akira, the evil government of Psycho-Pass holds an authoritarian grip over its people. Willing to kill anyone they deem unstable, the Department chooses targets based on the negative signals an individuals gives out through their scanners. Psycho-Pass follows two members of the force as they go about their jobs and the toll it takes on them as arbiters of judgment.
If you're in the mood for another beautifully animated movie like Akira, then Metropolis lies right up your alley. Like Akira, Metropolis deals with heavy political themes that arise as technology advances faster than humans can regulate it. The discrimination and scapegoating of the movie's robotic characters, such as humans blaming them for "taking their jobs," hits too close to home.
If Akira surprisingly enough felt too "normal" for you, then Serial Experiment Lain might provide the oddities you seek. The 1998 anime series explores many of the same philosophical themes of Akira, through a visually striking and surreal narrative. Akira and Serial Experiment Lain also feature two young protagonists with godlike powers, but who are polar opposites in personality.
Any fan of Akira interested in more of Katsuhiro Otomo's work will definitely want to check out Memories. The anthology movie not only includes three of Otomo's manga short stories, he also directed the final short of the film. Each of the stories delves into equally bizarre scenarios ranging from biological warfare to space exploration, presenting Outer Limits/Black Mirror-esque stories where the action is only part of the story.
If you ever wondered what Akira would be like if it took place on the Moon, than Freedom is the anime for you. In the year 2267, a young hovercraft street racer named Takeru unravels the mystery surrounding the destruction of Eden, the first space colony on the Moon. Freedom not only features similar story beats as Akira, it also has its creator, Katsuhiro Otomo, serving as character and mecha designer for the series.
