In recent times, Cyberpunk has been a lost genre in anime. Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction and is characterized by futuristic themes. They include AI technological advancements and futuristic cities in most situations.
However, its popularity has been dwindling in recent times. Some of the most popular Cyberpunk anime do not come from this era. Surprisingly, the Cyberpunk Anime genre is still going strong.
This is why we decided to list some of the most important Cyberpunk anime out there.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex was released in 2002 as a series of 26 episodes. Besides it, the original movie Anime and its sequels and spin-offs.
This series revolves around our main character Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9. Humanity has evolved to such an extent that we are now able to make full-body transplants into machines. But technology can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Hence the creation of Section 9 that deals with criminals trying to take advantage of it.
This one in particular is about a terrorist hacker called the Laughing Man, which they are trying to stop.
Psycho-Pass
Psycho-Pass is not only an important Anime for this genre but in the period. It was originally released in 2012 by Production I.G. studio and had 22 episodes that ran for three seasons.
The main protagonist is Akane Tsunemori, considered by many a model citizen. In fact, the world of Psycho-Pass is set in the 22nd century where a system called the Sybil System is enforced upon the public. The system can determine how large of a threat a person is for society. A group of inspectors is tasked that all of this stays intact while Akane joins the police force to investigate the system.
Akira
Akira is considered as one of the most important Anime ever created. It was one of the pioneers of the Cyberpunk genre as it was released way back in 1988.
The story of Akira starts exactly in 1988 as it depicts the events that lead to the outbreak of World War III. The event was triggered due to an explosion caused by a boy with psychic powers which also leveled Tokyo.
The story then shifts in 2019 where we meet our protagonist Shoutarou Kaneda, the leader of a biker gang called the Capsules. A boy called Tetsuo Shima is also the part of the gang and things start to pick up as Tetsuo starts to develop psychic powers of his own after an accident.
Blame!
Blame is one of the youngest Cyberpunk Anime on our list as it was released in 2017. The world of the Manga took a long time to transfer to Anime form and it is a movie which has been in the making for a long time.
The world of Blame is set in a distant future with technology much more advanced than the one that we have today. The entire world is now completely animated but an infection in the system has made it lose control. Installed within the city is a system called Safeguard which was designed as a defense system to protect the city. So if the Safeguard detects any human presence it will send out a Safeguard pack to destroy the target. But the only way to fix the city is by reaching the Safeguard.
Kill the Wanderer the main protagonist of the movie and is searching for the Net Terminal Genes which will help restore the city back to normal. The series also has a six-episode special if you are interested.
