Top 10 Sci Fi Animated Series

You guys like what we did there? Kicking off our list is the series that made turning into a monster cool and exciting. Revolving around the eponymous Ben Tennyson, this franchise follows a boy armed with an out-of-this-world device known as the Omnitrix. Allowing its wearer to change into multiple alien creatures, this power-granting gadget is used by Ben to fight the evils of Earth and Space. Featuring the vocal talents of the prominent Tara Strong and Yuri Lowenthal in later incarnations, Ben 10 has spawned a total of four shows in its decade-long lifespan, with a reboot series currently in development.

An avant-garde wonderwork that began with the limited running time of two minutes an episode, “Æon Flux” was one of the handful of animated shorts from MTV’s Liquid Television that developed into a pop-culture giant. Cited as a show that validated cable television’s existence, its dystopian setting, eccentric characters, and ambiguous narrative were described as creepy, cool, and cryptic by most of its viewers. Though its film and video game adaptations didn’t quite live up to expectations, there’s no denying that the graphically violent and provocative show they stemmed from remains a colorful masterpiece in both science fiction and animation.

While the film that started this series made "The Phantom Menace" look like "A New Hope," there’s no question that the Force was strong with the expanded and bolder narrative of the television variant. Taking place during the titular galactic conflict, the show continues the story of Anakin Skywalker and his newly introduced apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, as they saber and fight their way to becoming Jedi masters. While we applaud the efforts of the "Star Wars Rebels," victory ultimately goes to the “The Clone Wars” for its success with characters, settings, and animation.

Some might consider this series part of the superhero genre, but it’s nonetheless a show about genetically mutated superhumans featuring state-of-the-art tech, scientific lingo, time-travel, giant robots, and aliens. In other words, it counts. Considered the show that brought the nominal heroes to their initial peak in popularity, “X-Men: The Animated Series” is considered one of Marvel’s finest achievements and remains a beloved classic. Spawning a new generation of mutant fans and films, there was no child of the ‘90s that wasn’t aware of this show’s existence or its equally epic opening theme.

As the most recent animated show on this list, "Rick and Morty,” has a distinct drawing and storytelling style that beautifully blends the weird, interesting, and cool. As an animated parody of a certain Doctor Emmett Brown and his drastically younger friend, Marty, this show follows the blundering interdimensional journeys of an alcoholic scientist and his impressionable grandson. Met with critical acclaim for its in-depth characters, this dark, twisted, not-for-kids show has been compared to Jackass’ "Bad Grandpa", with elements of "Futurama" - and don’t worry, we’ll get to the latter soon enough.

A direct sequel to the original cartoon, "Beast Wars" time warps the descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons to prehistoric Earth for a renewed conflict and high stakes G1 cross-over encounter. Though initially condemned by franchise fans for its massive re-invention of the series, "Beast Wars" quickly vindicated itself with mature themes, expert storytelling, well-crafted characters, and brutal bot confrontations. While “Transfomers: Generation 1” is classic, “Beasties” edged it out as the best overall incarnation. So Hasbro, try not to Michael Bay this one up if it ever gets the big screen treatment...

Sci-fi or not, no list of animated shows would be complete without mentioning this iconic family of the future. Brought to us by the equally prominent, Hanna-Barbera, “The Jetsons” can be viewed as the Space Age counterpart of the Flintstones, with its own family of whimsical characters set in an un-relatable and outlandish setting. Complete with its own futuristic city, robots, aliens, and flying cars, this show was one of the most important shows in sci-fi television during its run. Remembered and referenced to this day in various circles of pop culture, there’s no question that "The Jetsons" is a timeless relic of television entertainment.

Considered one of the greatest modern animated shows, "Samurai Jack" was a deep, action-packed, and ingeniously creative masterpiece with elements of cyberpunk and sci-fi-fantasy. With cinematic visuals that tell their own story, this show followed the adventures of the eponymous magic sword-wielding Samurai and his quest to return to the past and undo the dystopian world he traveled through. Though abruptly canceled, this renowned sci-fi cartoon retained a strong and massive die-hard fanbase, eventually leading to the announcement of a revival season and even a potential film adaptation from a certain Star Wars director.

Set inside a computer-generated metropolis, this sci-fi series followed the digital endeavors of anthropomorphic software programs tasked with defending the city from viruses, and winning deadly games initiated by the User. With a creative concept at its core as well as a pop-culture-referencing motif, "ReBoot" was the world’s first completely computer generated 30-minute series and featured a large cast of memorable and compelling characters. Yet another television tour-de-force unexpectedly canceled mid-narrative, "ReBoot" nevertheless remains a beloved franchise long overdo for a continuation, or perhaps...a reboot.

Before we blast off to our #1 pick, here are some honorable mentions:
“Shadow Raiders” (1998-99)
“Invader Zim” (2001-06)
“Inspector Gadget” (1983-86)
“Star Trek: The Animated Series” (1973-74)

Taking the top spot on our list is the one and only outlandish, oddball crew of the Planet Express. As its title suggests, this comic sci-fi sitcom takes place in the future, namely the turn of the 31st century, and follows the future misadventures of a dimwitted delivery boy, a walking eye-candy of a Cyclops, and a politically-incorrect-slash-alcoholic robot. Targeted towards adults, the show was originally presented on Fox alongside other certain other dubious cartoon characters from other shows... Picked up by Comedy Central for the second-half of its lifespan, the futuristic show continues to be appreciated by faithful fans for its beautifully rendered and creative animation, colorful in-depth characters, and clever satire.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite animated sci-fi show? For more out-of-this-world Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com!