9 Best Sci-Fi Anime Of 2023

Highlights

• 2023 brought some of the best sci-fi anime, featuring mind-bending technology and dystopian worlds.
• “The Marginal Service” follows a detective recruited by a secret organization to take down alien invaders.
• “Technoroid Overmind” and “Nier Automata Ver1.1a” explore post-apocalyptic worlds with sentient robots and human interactions.

Science Fiction is one of the main staples of entertainment genres, as many people are fans of its imaginative stories, futuristic worlds, and thought-provoking themes. Like all years, 2023 was been no different when it comes to the anime industry, as they constantly pushed the boundaries of creativity and delivered a host of captivating sci-fi series that accurately depict the genre.

From mind-bending technological advancements to dystopian post-apocalyptic worlds that would leave fans guessing what comes next, this year’s lineup has been one of the best ever. Without further ado, here are some of the best sci-fi anime from 2023.

9 The Marginal Service

• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll
• Studio: Studio 3Hz
• Number of Episodes:12

The Marginal Service follows the adventures of American-born Brian Nightraider, a police detective with an attitude that makes him unlikeable to his superiors. He eventually lost his job after a show of recklessness cost the life of his partner.

During his lowest time, he suddenly receives an invitation from the United Nations, telling him he has been recruited to join The Marginal Service. This secret organization monitors Borderlanders, alien invaders that live among humans, intending to take down the ones who do not mean well.

8 Technoroid Overmind

• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll
• Studio: Doga Kobo
• Number of Episodes:12

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the effects of an ever-growing sun have caused climate change and environmental degradation on an unimaginable scale. Human activity has been restricted to an all-time low, with the world government introducing the use of robotics and androids to carry out human labor.

Like the popular Pluto series, it features interactions between sentient robots and humans in a world with many secrets. It is mainly centered around the adventures of four masterless robots, and a human boy as they challenge an unknown past.

7 Nier Automata Ver1.1a

• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll
• Studio: A-1 Pictures
• Number of Episodes: 12

Nier Automata Ver1.1a is based on the popular RPG game of the same name. It is set in a futuristic world where there is a war between Machine life forms created by aliens and Androids created by humans.

The story follows Androids 2B and 9S, members of the elite YoRHa fighting force, who are sent to aid humanity’s forces and investigate the behavior of Machines on Earth. In their journey, they discover a host of characters, including a rogue member of the YoRHa force.

6 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury

• Where To Watch: Crunchyroll
• Studio: Sunrise
• Number of Episodes: 24

Like the name sounds, Mobile Suit Gundam is a mecha sci-fi anime that features a unique premise where humanity has advanced and major companies have created a huge economic zone in space.

As a result, humanity had to create health technology to mitigate the adverse health effects of living in space. This technology eventually evolved into mecha suit weapons which the story is mostly based on. In this installment, Sutella Mercury must prove her worth as she enrolls in the Asticassia School of Technology.

5 Psycho-Pass: Providence

• Where To Watch: N/A
• Studio: Production I.G
• Number of Episodes: N/A

Fans of science fiction crime series like Cyberpunk Edgerunners will love the Psycho-Pass series. Pyscho-Pass Providence is the latest installment from the series animated by Production I.G. but in the form of a film. This movie continues to expand the story set in a world where all humans are fit with a psycho-pass that estimates their potential to commit a crime. Akane Tsunemori, a Tokyo inspector, learns the true nature behind the sigyl system which controls society and aims to oppose it.

4 Dr. STONE New World

The latest season of Dr. Stone aired alongside many great anime in the summer 2023 lineup, focusing primarily on the New World arc of the smash hit series. It continues the story of Ishigami Senku, the genius who aims to restore his world to a technologically advanced civilization after a mysterious incident caused all living things in the world to be petrified.

This arc focuses on the altercations between the Kingdom of Science and the Island’s strongest warrior, Moz, where Ishigami Senku aims to flip Moz and gain a powerful ally.

3 Trigun Stampede

Similar to Technoroid Overmind, humanity in this series has been victims of environmental disasters, and as a result, they have been forced to evacuate the planet in colony fleets looking for planets that support life. Humanity also created plants, artificial organisms that can produce renewable energy.

The story follows the brothers Vash and Nai who follow different paths, with Nai seeking to kill all humans who exploit the plants and Vash doing his all to stop his brother and resolve the conflict between humans and plants.

2 PLUTO

• Where To Watch: Netflix
• Studio: Studio M2
• Number of Episodes: 8

Naoki Urasawa’s reimagination of “The Greatest Robot on Earth” arc from Astro Boy took the world by storm during its debut on Netflix. It features the story of Gesicht, a Europol detective tasked with finding the serial killer behind the deaths of a few influential characters backing the International Robot Laws which aim to promote equality between human and robot-kind.

The story gets even more confusing when he starts to uncover the mysteries behind the event, and unveils one of the biggest hate crime plots ever seen.

1 Heavenly Delusion

This features a unique premise of a postapocalyptic world overrun by man-eating monsters after an unprecedented disaster rocks the earth. It follows two sets of stories, with one centered around special children in an isolated facility, who yearn to see what the outside world looks like.

The other follows Kiruko, an odd jobs woman, as she protects Maru on his journey across the treacherous landscape in search of “Heaven” in their hell-like world. It features some themes that might not be suitable for children and is regarded as Seinen.

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