Top 10 Post-Apocalyptic Anime

Top 10 Post-Apocalyptic Anime

It’s the end of the world as we know it. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we are counting down our picks for the top ten post-apocalyptic anime. For this list, we’ll be looking at the anime that are set after some catastrophic event that has drastically altered life as we know it. It doesn’t have to bleak per say, just as long as it’s pretty evident the world has been changed beyond repair. That said, be on the lookout for a few spoilers down the line!

“Seraph of the End” (2015)

As if having every adult in the world wiped out by a mysterious virus wasn’t bad enough, humanity gets knocked down a few pegs on the food chain as new tenants swoop in to occupy the Earth; vampires. With mankind reduced to second class citizens/walking blood-banks, its no surprise when resistance breaks out among the humans, leading to the formation of various vampire extermination units, one of which our main man Yuichiro ends up joining. Can you imagine living in a world where your only options are either servitude or get served up at a blood buffet?

“Expelled from Paradise” (2014)

Technology is always evolving, so it’s not all that shocking to think that in the far future humanity could end up as clusters of data who only use bodies as vessels. In order to find the enigmatic hacker known as Frontier Settler, an agent named Angela is sent to the now barren planet Earth to hunt him down. Her investigation soon gets turned on its head as she learns more of humanity’s past, gets used to her new organic body and learns that her agency may not have the best of intentions. If you’re looking for a fun, intergalactic romp that tackles human error, this is one you may want to check out.

“Wolf’s Rain” (2004)

Artistic, sorrowful and layered with intriguing philosophy, the journey of four wolves on the search for paradise is as thought-provoking as it is beautiful. Which is kind of ironic when the majority of humanity lives in poverty, our cast encounter every kind of hardship on the way, and by the time the series reaches its end you’ll be openly weeping. With clear allegories to the afterlife, Ragnorok and the rebirth of all creation, both the origins and conclusion of the wolves’ journey paint a very bleak picture for mankind. Thanks for messing everything up Darcia!

“Humanity Has Declined” (2012)

See? Not every post-apocalyptic story has to be desolate, heart-breaking and show off the worst of humanity. Sometimes it can be kind of cute! With the species nearing its end, we follow our unnamed heroine as she spends her days dealing with the mischief caused by both her crazy human companions as well as random fairies. There are good morals woven into each episode, but there are also robots, a village full of dogs, mass yaoi manga publication and again, those bloody fairies! It’s not the Armageddon we were expecting but it will do.

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

Humans becomes cattle once again as they find themselves struggling to survive behind giant walls, all the while hunted by monstrous beasts known as Titans. Following the death of his mother, a vengeful young man known as Eren joins the Survey Corp in the hopes of wiping out every Titan he finds. It just so happens things get a lot more complicated when he finds himself cursed with the ability to transform into a Titan himself, not to mention the fact that there are those lurking behind the walls who might be as deadly as the wandering giants beyond the walls. Yep, sucks to be Eren.

“Blame!” (2017)

Ever wondered what would happen if the Matrix and Skynet had a kid? The answer might look a little like The City; a techno-world that’s constantly expanding, and as a result is driving humans towards extinction. Though that’s mainly due to it creating the horrifying automatons. Amongst this chaos is one man, Killy and the most OP gun of all time. It didn’t quite qualify since the Earth meets it’s complete demise before the show even starts, but for those that enjoy Blame’s style of despair, you may want to check out the same author’s Knights of Sidonia.

“Trigun” (1998)

With sand and bullet-shell casings as far as the eye can see, it can be pretty tough just trying to find a way to survive in this dusty old world. This is made infinitely worse if your name happens to be Vash the Stampede and you just so happen to have a 60 billion double dollar bounty on your head. As bounty hunters and all other manner of lowlifes continually try to hunt down the Humanoid Typhoon, the unusually upbeat and cheerful Vash tries his best to help those in need, while also trying to dispatch his foes using non-lethal means. At least he’s chipper in the face of so many guns.

“Fist of the North Star” (1984-87)

Now here’s a world that has truly gone to shit. After nuclear war has devastated practically everything, the only survivors are either victims or the gruesome raiders who prey on the weak however they can. The downtrodden have only one champion, and his name is Kenshiro. Now normally just one man wouldn’t be much of a match for legions of musclebound freaks, but then again this is the guy who can literally make your face explode by poking you. With a strong sense of justice, a body with more muscles than thought possible, as well as an awesome catchphrase, Kenshiro makes being a shirtless nomad look badass!

“Akira” (1988)

Oh sure, Neo-Tokyo looks beyond stunning and we just can’t get enough of all those sci-fi motorcycles, but this is definitely not a future we would want to live in. Following World War III, corruption, gang violence and anarchy run amok, all leading to the fateful moment where friends Kaneda and Tetsuo’s lives are changed forever. After gaining immense psychic abilities, Tetsuo soon starts to go on an ungodly rampage, eventually bringing him into contact with his old biker pal. We can’t imagine being a Neo-Tokyo civilian is much fun with these two around.

“Neon Genesis Evangelion” (1995-96)

A cataclysmic event, humanity squashed into sprawling cities, giant robots, alien angels, one boy who has way too many daddy issues. Evangelion is this and so much more, but we’ll take any chance to include it as a post-apocalyptic anime. However, there might be times you forget, given how often it seems to focus on Shinji’s girl problems and the Eva-Units tearing apart Angels, but just to make sure you remember how all life is worthless and can easily be annihilated, the series gave us End of Evangelion. Nothing spells obliteration quote like seeing humanity reduced to orange soda.