We can see that nowadays, after the massive success of movies like Avengers Endgame or Avatar: The Way of Water, people’s interest is getting shifted towards Sci-fi movies. There could be many reasons for this shift; one is that the visual effects and graphics used in these movies are really good and are very attractive and appealing to the audience.
The second might be that people usually love to see their imagination coming to life through movies like in Avengers; we have a teenager with superpowers, a robotic suit that can make anybody a superhero, and gives the wearer awesome abilities just by using advanced technology, etc.
Now the same thing can also be applied to anime movies. As more and more people are getting introduced to and adopting anime all around the world, they also want to get more content related to science fiction.
Here you go if you need a list of sci-fi anime movies. Below is the list of the 30 most popular Sci-fi anime movies to watch in 2023:
1. Ghost in the Shell
This movie was released in 1995 and became one of the classics of the genre. The theme of the movie is set in a future world where robotics technology has become so advanced that a society of humans and cyborgs is now possible. It follows the story of Motoko Kusanagi, a human-cyborg police officer who is in search of a mysterious hacker known as Puppet Master.
Along with her investigation, she needs to discover many secrets about her own past. The film has been highly praised by fans for its amazing animation and gripping storyline. A lot of sequels, video games, and even live-action film has also been made by taking inspiration from the movie. This movie was even able to influence Hollywood to get inspiration for The Matrix.
Also Read: 45 Best Anime Series Where The Protagonist Is Female
2. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
This movie is based on the Final Fantasy franchise. The story follows scientists Aki Ross and Dr. Sid, who are trying their best efforts to save our planet from a mysterious alien race known as Phantoms. They have forced the remaining humanity to hide and live inside” barrier cities,” which are protected by energy shields. The scientists now have to figure out a way to defeat these creatures.
The studio that made this film used very advanced technology, which made its characters look very realistic, and the CGI and VFX looked really good. Due to the high quality of the animation, the budget of this film also got higher than they expected, and still, it didn’t perform well at the box office.
3. Macross: Do You Remember Love
This is a Japanese anime sci-fi movie that was released in 1984. The film is based on the anime series Super Dimension Fortress Macross and follows the original plot of the storyline. The film starts in a future timeline where humanity is under attack by an evil alien race Zentradi. During these fights, a young fighter named Hikaru is assigned to protect a giant transforming spaceship fortress.
The film shows the themes of love, war, and the consequences of human actions. This series is one of Japan’s original Mecha series, and it can often be seen cited as one of the top three alongside Gundam and Evangelion. Its animation style also became the inspiration for a lot of other works.
4. Short Peace
Short Peace is a Japanese compilation film, which is a collection of four short films that are made by four different directors. The theme of the movies keeps on changing, from the past to the future, and in those four different stories, they have managed to show us the history of Japan and its culture. About the history of Japan and its culture. The four films in the series are A Farewell to Weapons, Gambo, Combustible and Short Peace.
The final story is set in a future world where robots are living alongside human beings, and robots have become a dominant race. The movie has done a really good job of blending four distinct stories together like that. It becomes a visually stunning and emotionally powerful movie.
5. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
This movie is a 2003 science fiction romance film. It follows the story of Makoto, a high school teenage girl, as she somehow got the ability to time travel. As every normal person would do, she started using her powers to try to fix her day-to-day routine problems and any mistakes that she had made in the past.
As she uses her powers, she slowly starts to realize the importance of living in the present and cherishing every moment of her life. Along the way, she makes some important decisions that help in shaping her future and also those around her. This movie is based on a Japanese novel of the same name.
6. Steins Gate: The Movie- Load Region of Déjà Vu
This movie is a direct sequel to the 2011 classic sci-fi anime series Steins Gate. The film shows the main cast after the events that happened in the show, as Okabe Rintarou, the main protagonist, continues his journey through the new timeline that was created in the finale to save his friend, Kurisu Makise. He encounters many new challenges and also needs to face some old enemies again.
A new character is also introduced in this movie named Maho Hijayo, who soon becomes a crucial part of his mission. The movie has perfectly shown the consequences of tampering with time itself and how it could affect the past, present, and future of the entire world.
7. Silent Möbius
Silent Möbius takes place in the year 2028, and it follows Katsumi Liqueur, who has recently joined the Attacked Mystification Police (AMP), an organization made to give protection to people against mystical creatures known as Lucifer Hawks. After joining AMP, Katsumi starts fighting these Lucifer Hawks with her team to keep the city safe and also try to find the identity of their mysterious leader.
At this time only, she discovers that she has some hidden powers, which she must learn to use properly. The amazing action scenes, stunning animation, and remarkable story make this movie a must-watch for everyone who loves to watch action and sci-fi and with some fantasy also included.
Also Read: 50 Best Fantasy Movies Of All Time
8. Wonderful Days
Also known as Sky Blue, Wonderful Days is set in the year 2142, when the Earth was nearly destroyed by environmental pollution. Most human life is extinct, and only a few are able to survive. In order to sustain life, a city named Ecoban was formed, which uses the very pollution to generate energy to run the city.
The story follows a young man named Shua, who lives in the wasteland outside Ecoban. He is on a mission to bring an end to the oppression of the people living in the city. This movie explores themes of oppression and the power of hope and determination. It shows us the reality that this could actually happen one day to us also if we don’t take care of our environment seriously.
9. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
This movie is a 2001 sci-fi action film based on the anime Cowboy Bebop, and it also serves as a longer episode, which is set between Episodes 22 and 23. In the movie, it’s the year 2071 now, where humans have left the planet Earth due to some catastrophe and now have made settlements on other planets and moons.
The movie follows the story of some bounty hunters who travel in a spaceship called Bebop. They are now chasing a terrorist responsible for spreading a deadly virus on a heavily populated colony, who also has the biggest bounty on his head. The crew now must travel through dangerous territories to capture that culprit and save the colony.
10. Children Who Chase Lost Voices
Children Who Chase Lost Voices, also known as Journey to Agartha, is a 2011 Japanese animated fantasy which is directed by Makoto Shinkai. A young elementary school girl named Asuna has been listening to the mysterious melody from the radio receiver given by her father for years now.
One day, she is attacked by a creature, and a boy named Shun saves her life. Together with him, the duo set off on a journey to find the source of the melody. In their journey to find the lost city, they have to face many difficulties and challenges. If you love to see the emotional journey of characters in a movie, then you shouldn’t miss this one.
11. Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
This movie is the finale or climax part of the story that began in 1979’s Mobile Suit Gundam and which continued through two more series. The movie is set in the Universal Century 0093, the main antagonist of the series, Char Aznable, plans to destroy the Earth with a giant asteroid to take revenge for his father’s death.
Now it’s up to the Earth Federation’s Londo Bell Unit to stop Char from fulfilling his evil plans. Captain Bright Noa and Amra Ray, with the latest Gundam suit, fight Char in an epic battle. The movie is a great conclusion to the original trilogy, with a perfect mix of drama, action, and emotion, which is sure to excite any anime fan.
Also Read: What Is The Gundam Series Viewing Order?
12. Paprika
The movie takes place in the near future, where a device called the “DC Mini” has been created, which allows its user to view people’s dreams. After using the device multiple times, the scientists find a mysterious dream world known as the Parade, where there is no boundary between Dreams and Reality.
Dr. Tokita, who created the machine, turns evil and decides to use the machine to manipulate people’s dreams. Now it’s up to Dr. Atsuko Chiba and her friends to stop Tokita from misusing the machine. After watching the movie, you will definitely feel like this movie is inspired by The Inception, but let me tell you, this movie came first.
13. Spriggan
The movie follows a young man, Yu Ominae, who is a member of ARCAM Corporation, an ancient and secret organization. They seek to seal away the relics that contain some hidden powers and also prevent the misuse of their powers. They have a paramilitary unit called the Spriggans, which uses advanced weapons and technology in order to keep the relics safe.
A rival organization is trying to steal those ancient items and use its powers to take control of the world. Yu now team up with fellow Spriggan Jean to stop their plans and keep the ancient ruins protected. The movie is full of fast-paced action, thrilling chase scenes, and a captivating storyline that will keep the attention of the viewers grabbed until the very end.
14. Summer Wars
The movie tells us about OZ, a virtual world connected to the Internet, where people can enjoy a lot of activities like playing sports, shopping, etc., by using the avatars created by them, and they can also be customized. The security system of OZ is really strong due to its encryption, ensuring that people’s personal data is safe in it.
The protagonist of the movie is a high school student, Kenji Koiso, who is a genius in maths and also a part-time OZ moderator. He is invited to attend the birthday party of the great-grandmother of his crush Natsuki Shinohara. However, he then receives a code from an unknown sender, which he cracks very easily, but he doesn’t know that his actions will have such bad consequences.
15. The End of Evangelion
This movie serves as a finale arc for the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. This makes it a very interesting story as it gives fans an alternate ending to the show. The movie follows the characters of Shinji and Asuka as they have to face now a shadow organization SEELE, who is planning to fuse human souls into an Evangelion unit and create a godlike being.
After SEELE attacks the base of NERV headquarters and destroys their scientists and security system, Shinji decides to fight his army by using the Evangelion Unit-02. Now the fate of the world rests upon his shoulders. The movie has shown themes about human relationships, trauma, and the power of redemption.
Also Read: Neon Genesis Evangelion Watch Order & Guide
16. Akira
In 1988, a huge explosion in the city of Tokyo resulted in igniting the fuse that led to World War III. This destruction was caused by an Esper named Takashi. After the incident, he was taken into custody, and he was never seen again.
Now it’s the year 2019, and Tokyo has now become Neo-Tokyo, which is full of corruption, terrorism, and anti-government protests. Here, a group of bikers riding custom motorcycles called The Capsules is led by Shoutarou.
During a conflict, Shoutarou’s best friend, Tetsuo, acquires psychic powers after a mysterious accident. Now he is being chased down by the government. This movie is one of the classics of anime and science fiction.
Also Read: 45 Anime Like Akira: Best Sci-Fi Anime Recommendation
17. Harlock: Space Pirate
In the distant future, mankind has become so much more advanced and reached its apex, which also resulted in the depletion of most of the universe’s resources. Now around 500 billion human beings are returning to their home planet Earth. A war broke out to decide who would take control of the planet. An authoritarian govt. Named The Gala Sanction prevents any colonization on Earth.
The protagonist, Captain Harlock, has four highly advanced ships under his command, using which he is not allowing anybody to enter, even the Earth’s atmosphere. But when the Gala Sanction allows a ship to pass, Harlock becomes very angry, and he takes off his ship and releases the dark matter inside it, which makes him immortal and the Earth unhabitable. Hundred years have passed, and Harlock is still guarding the planet.
18. Voices of a Distant Star
The movie is set in the year 2046 and focuses on the story of two best friends, Noboru and Mikato, who get separated after Mikato is recruited in the military and sent to outer space, where she has to fight extra-terrestrials creatures that are a threat for our planet.
They both are forced to communicate via text messages, video calls, and emails despite the long distances between them. As the mission started to go deeper into space, the time between their messages increased. Mikato is starting to get further away from her loved ones. The film has a very tragic ending and has shown a beautiful theme of love and loss, as how they both are separated by time and space but still want to hold on to their relationship.
19. Appleseed
The film starts in a city in the future world called Olympus. The society inside this city consists of humans, and those living alongside them have genetically mutated humans called Bioroids. The whole city is managed and maintained by an AI called Gaia. The main protagonist of the movie, Denuan Knute, is assigned the duty of keeping the city protected from terrorists and internal political turmoil.
Along with her responsibilities, Denuan, with her cyborg friend Briareos is also on a mission to search for a formula that can restore the reproductive capabilities of bioroids. With thrilling, action-packed adventure, stunning animation, and a captivating storyline, you should definitely check this movie out.
20. Origin: Spirits of the Past
Around three centuries ago, humans tried to do a genetic experiment to produce trees that would grow in harsh conditions, which went wrong and caused the mutation of each and every forest. This experiment literally turned the whole planet into a wasteland.
In the present time, the main protagonist of the story, Agito, his father Agashi, and some of his friends live in Neutral City. This city acts as a buffer and bridge between the Forest and the nation of Ragna. One day, while playing, Agito finds a large machine, and then a girl named Toola awakens, asleep since plants arrived on Earth. Now together, they embark on a journey to restore the earth to its earlier state.
21. Patema Inverted
The movie takes place in a world where the gravity of the Earth has altered very badly. This is because of an experiment where scientists were trying to channel energy from Earth’s gravity, which failed, and everything started flying away from the planet.
After some years, two societies have formed, where the people of the underground kingdom get pulled toward the sky, and the surface society gets pulled toward the earth, just like it was back in time.
A young girl named Patema, who is a resident of the underground society, one day falls into a tunnel and finds herself saved by a teenager named Eiji. Her gravity is inverted from his. She then discovers a new world living above them. After knowing each other stories, they both decide to unravel the truth about their societies.
Also Read: 22 Anime Movies Like Patema Inverted That You Should Watch
22. Expelled from Paradise
This movie takes place in the distant future, where humans have left the earth due to some massive disaster. Most of them left their physical bodies and transformed themselves into a digital form in a virtual world known as DEVA. They all are living peaceful life until a mysterious hacker attacks their security system multiple times.
Unable to capture him, Angela Balzac, a member of DEVA’s law enforcement, is ordered to visit the Earth and trace him. She takes on a physical form by using a cloned body and travels to an abandoned Earth. Using the help of a human named Dingo, she sets on a journey to find out about this hacker, but what she finds out is not what she was expecting.
23. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
It’s been about a thousand years since an apocalyptic event known as The Seven Days of Fire happened, which destroyed most of the civilization and created a big toxic jungle full of giant insects and bugs, which is also slowly expanding and trying to cover the whole planet.
A young princess of the Valley of the Wind, Nausicaä, has the ability to communicate with the creatures of the jungle in the hope of finding a way for humans to co-exist with the jungle. One day, a giant ship crashed in her kingdom, which contains one of the weapons in a dormant state that caused the calamity thousands of years ago. Now she has to find a way to destroy that weapon before it becomes mature and fully functional.
24. The Empire of Corpses
The movie is set in a world where humans have finally found the technology to reanimate dead bodies. These corpses don’t have any emotions or thoughts and are just used as workers or laborers. Even though the technology works perfectly, it still is not able to restore the very essence of a living body, its soul.
A medical student named John Watson is pursuing the knowledge of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who had a major role in making this technology. John thinks that after the disappearance of the doctor, he needs to find his research papers because they have some secret information about the secrets of the soul. The Empire of Corpses gives its viewers a thrilling ride filled with action, mystery, and suspense.
25. Galaxy Express 999
The film opens in the distant future, where humans have discovered a way to freely travel in space to the planets and stars. They have also developed the technology to transfer their consciousness into a robotic body, which will literally make them immortal, and they don’t have to worry about things like hunger, sleep, tiredness, etc.
However, this process costs a lot of money, so only a few upperclassmen are able to afford this. The main character, Tetsuro, is a young boy who wants to receive a robot body but can’t afford it, so he decides to go on a journey to reach the last stop of the Galaxy Express 999 because whoever is able to do it can get a robotic body for free.
26. King of Thorn
The story of the movie takes place in the near future when a virus known as Medusa has spread all across the globe. To save humanity, a group of people is selected to put in a cold sleep or hibernation in a capsule, hoping to be able to find the cure in the future. But when some of those humans started to wake up from their pods, things were totally different then.
Among the group is a young girl named Kasumi. After they woke up, they saw that the whole facility was now run over by big trees and strange vines covered in thorns. The place is filled with big dinosaur-like monsters and other creatures. Now they all have to find a way to survive in this place and also find out what exactly happened here.
27. Psycho-Pass: The Movie
The movie is a sequel to the anime series Psycho-Pass. Now that the Sibyl system has proven to work perfectly in Japan, they are now planning to export it to other countries so that they can also use it to maintain peace and balance in their region. They are sending this to SEAUn or the South East Union because this country has been torn apart by constant wars.
The story follows Akane Tsunemor, an inspector in the Bureau’s Criminal Investigation, who is tasked to conduct an investigation with her team about some terrorists sent by SEAUn that are able to infiltrate Japan. Now she has to capture those rebels at all costs before they are able to make their move.
Also Read: Top 10 Anime Similar To Psycho-Pass That You Should Watch!
28. Metropolis
In this world, humans and robots co-exist with each other and live together in a society. The robots here are treated very badly, and most humans in the city blame them for unemployment and poverty because many jobs now are done by robots only.
Private detective Shunsaku Ban and his nephew Kenichi arrive in Metropolis from Tokyo in search of a scientist named Dr. Laughton, who is charged with illegal trafficking of human organs. When they found his lab, they discover a girl with no memories of her life. Now they have to protect the girl from the scientist and other mysterious groups while trying to find her true identity.
29. Castle in the Sky
The movie starts with an orphan girl Sheeta, who gets kidnapped by a government agent. Soon after that, they are under attack by Captain Dola and her sons, and they all are after the blue crystal that Sheeta owns. In all this confusion, she tries to escape but falls from the airship, and when she wakes up, she is on the ground without any scratches or injuries.
She is found by a boy named Pazu, who takes her to his village. There he shows her a picture of a legendary floating city taken by his father. They both now embark on a journey to find this mysterious floating city and also to unravel the secret behind the blue crystal and why those pirates and agents wants it so badly.
30. Gantz: O
The story starts with the main protagonist, Masaru Katou, who is returning home for his brother’s birthday but gets stabbed while he is trying to save someone from an attack in a subway. He then wakes up in a small room with him many other people. An old man explained to him that they all had died and woken in this room and were then forced to fight some waves of monsters ever since.
Before he could even get some time to understand all this, the game started, and they all had to kill all monsters in the city. Throughout the film, Masaru and his team need to face difficult challenges as they all try to collect as many points as possible to win the game.
