10 Greatest Cyberpunk Anime of All Time, Ranked

4 days ago 16

Published May 4, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT

Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts.

The future is a scary concept, and while some try to be optimistic about what it holds, others can't help but imagine the worst for society. And those thoughts birthed one of the greatest genres ever, cyberpunk. This genre is centred around a futuristic city overrun by chaos, capitalism, and villainy, creating a dark dystopia that is meant to predict the worst the future has in store, and anime excels at it.

There are many renowned cyberpunk anime films, such as Akira and Patlabor, as well as iconic short OVAs, including Battle Angel Alita. However, this list will rank the ten greatest cyberpunk anime series ever based on their worldbuilding, originality, depiction of the future, story, animation, fan opinion, critical acclaim, and overall quality. The future may be bleak, but there is no way it can get worse than these anime.

Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would Be
Your Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt

Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn't work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.

🎖️Rambo

🍸James Bond

🏺Indiana Jones

🔧John McClane

🎭Ethan Hunt

FIND YOUR PARTNER →

You're dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.

ASomeone who already has three contingency plans running and is calmly working through all of them. BSomeone who reads the terrain instinctively and knows exactly how to use it against the enemy. CSomeone who keeps their nerve and their sense of humour when everything is falling apart. DSomeone who knows the history of wherever we are and what we're walking into. ESomeone with the right contact, the right cover identity, and the right exit already arranged.

NEXT QUESTION →

You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.

AOn foot through terrain no one else would attempt — I move where vehicles can't follow. BOn a motorcycle, a cargo plane, or anything else that gets me there before I think too hard about it. CIn something that belongs to someone else — borrowed, stolen, or improvised under fire. DFirst class, with a cover identity and a gadget that does something I won't explain until it's needed. EBy whatever means are available — I've driven, flown, and once arrived by camel. The destination matters, not the method.

NEXT QUESTION →

You're pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.

ADisappears into the environment, flanks them silently, and ends it before I've reloaded. BCracks a one-liner, grabs a fire extinguisher or a chair, and improvises something that somehow works. CProduces a gadget specifically designed for this exact scenario and uses it with infuriating precision. DPulls out a whip, a pistol, and an archaeological insight that somehow gets us out alive. ENeutralises the threat with maximum efficiency and minimum words — they were already three moves ahead.

NEXT QUESTION →

The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.

AA bar with terrible lighting, cold beer, and absolutely no questions about feelings. BThe finest restaurant in the city, a bottle of something expensive, and a conversation that is equal parts brilliant and exhausting. CA local dig site, a museum after hours, or a long story about why that particular artefact matters to human civilisation. DPizza. Bad TV. Falling asleep halfway through a movie neither of you were watching anyway. EA debrief that turns into three hours of contingency planning that somehow becomes the most fun you've had all week.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.

APrecise and minimal — tell me what I need to know and nothing else. Every word has a cost. BDeadpan and dry — keeping it light keeps me sharp, even when everything is on fire. CEnthusiastic and slightly chaotic — but always with useful information buried somewhere in the noise. DCalm and controlled through an earpiece, with a plan that covers every variable I haven't thought of yet. EBarely at all — silence is a language and they speak it fluently.

NEXT QUESTION →

Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.

AInfiltrate their inner circle, learn everything, and dismantle them from inside out before they know we're there. BStudy the historical pattern — every villain of this type has a weakness written somewhere in the past. CGet them talking. The more they monologue, the more time I have to figure out how to beat them. DGo through them. Directly. With as much force as the terrain allows. EFind the one thing they haven't accounted for — there's always one thing — and make sure we're holding it.

NEXT QUESTION →

Things go badly wrong and you're captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.

ACome in alone, quietly, and get me out before anyone knows they were there. BHave already been working on the extraction since the moment I disappeared — the plan is already running. CCome in loud, come in fast, and worry about the collateral damage later — I'd do the same for them. DUse every resource, every contact, and bend every rule until I'm out — they don't leave people behind. ECharm their way in somehow, bluff through the hard part, and still manage to look good doing it.

NEXT QUESTION →

What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn't replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn't know you had.

ATechnology that shouldn't exist yet and the training to use it under any conditions. BSurvival instinct so refined it borders on supernatural — and the scars to prove it's been tested. CKnowledge of history, language, and culture that makes them invaluable in places where force is useless. DThe ability to walk into any room in the world and immediately become the most trusted person in it. EStubbornness that refuses to accept a situation is hopeless — and the improvisational skill to back it up.

NEXT QUESTION →

Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.

AA partner who never fully switches off — always watching exits, always calculating threats, even at dinner. BA partner who gets the job done brilliantly but has the emotional availability of a locked filing cabinet. CA partner who makes everything ten times more complicated than it needs to be — but who always comes through. DA partner who gets personally attached to every relic, ruin, and artefact we encounter, which slows everything down. EA partner who was not built for this and knows it — but shows up anyway, every time, without being asked.

NEXT QUESTION →

It's the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.

AOne line. Absolutely dry. Delivered like the world isn't ending. Then we move. BNothing said at all — just a look that means we both already know what has to happen. CA plan I don't fully understand that somehow accounts for everything, delivered in thirty seconds flat. DA piece of historical context that reframes the entire situation and tells us exactly what to do next. ESomeone who steps forward instead of back — because that's who they've always been.

REVEAL MY PARTNER →

Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…

Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.

Rambo

Your partner doesn't talk much, doesn't need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you've finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You'll never need to ask if he has your back. You'll just know.

James Bond

Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it'll take you a moment to remember what's actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You'll never be bored. You'll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.

Indiana Jones

Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar's eye and a brawler's instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn't matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you'll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.

John McClane

Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren't so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.

Ethan Hunt

Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you've finished reading the briefing, and the plan he's settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn't exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

10 'Bubblegum Crisis' (1987-1991)

Set in the reborn city of Mega Tokyo, Bubblegum Crisis is an action-packed series in which a group of heroes tries to save the day. A mysterious company has taken over the city, using advanced robots to completely overpower the police force. Now, only the Knight Sabers, a vigilante force, can stop them and free the city.

The 1980s had many forgotten anime, with a lot of those being cyberpunk series, proving this was around the time when the genre got really popular. However, among the ultra-serious and gritty adaptations, Bubblegum Crisis was a breath of fresh air. This charming series was entertaining from start to finish and pleasantly cheesy, but it also packed some serious heat with its fascinating side stories and mesmerizing action.

9 'Megalo Box' (2018-2021)

The cyberpunk genre comes in all shapes and sizes, and Megalo Box proves that. Just because it is in a cyberpunk world, doesn't mean the story needs to be centred around the political dismay. This anime follows Joe, a scrappy junk yard fighter who gets the chance of a lifetime when the world champion challenges him, taking him into the largest stage in the world to prove his talent.

The best part about Megalo Box is that the cyberpunk world is simply a background, with the meat of the story coming from the underdog plot. The first season is fun, but the second season takes fans for a depressing ride that explores heavy themes such as drug addiction. Megalo Box is a profound anime and a modern classic that many might not realize is actually a cyberpunk series.

8 'Dennou Coil' (2007)

Cyberpunk isn't just dark and gloomy stories; they can also be quirky and unique, as is the case with Dennou Coil. The world is embracing augmented reality, but when mysterious disappearances begin happening, a group of children creates the titular detective agency, where they investigate the corruption of the virtual world.

Dennou Coil isn't pure cyberpunk, but rather a soft post-cyberpunk anime that focuses on the societal integration of augmented reality. This intriguing premise, paired with a whimsical style and sense of adventure, creates one of the most distinct anime of the genre. Dennou Coil is an underrated anime and a daylight cyberpunk story full of charm and a childlike wonder that creates a magnificent coming-of-age story.

7 'Cyber City Oedo 808' (1990-1991)

Some anime on this list are less popular than others, such as Cyber City Oedo 808, which has mostly been forgotten over time. After their capture, three criminals are given a deal: work with the police as a separate task force or die. However, with each criminal they catch, their sentence is reduced, and there are measures to make sure they don't escape.

Cyber City Oedo 808 may only be a few episodes, but each one is around 40 minutes, and while that still isn't a lot, it is enough to establish itself as a legendary cyberpunk anime. This set-up is very reminiscent of the Suicide Squad and likely inspired another cyberpunk anime, Akudama Drive. With a proven impact and pure entertainment value, Cyber City Oedo 808 is an oldie, but a goodie.

6 'Texhnolyze' (2003)

If fans were wanting something more along the lines of the typical dark, gritty, and philosophical cyberpunk, then Texhnolyze is the anime for them. Gangs fight for power in the dim city of Lux, with cybernetic body enhancements being their main form of business. But when a mysterious figure pits the gangs against each other, the balance is thrown off, descending the city into chaos.

Texhnolyze is a masterclass of atmospheric storytelling that uses its bleak world to display a philosophical, yet nihilistic, story. With little dialogue and a focus on visual storytelling, this anime instills a vehement sense of dread in the viewers. Exploring the bounds of cyberpunk ethos and questioning human evolution, Texhnolyze is a slow-burning yet engaging psychological masterpiece.

5 'Serial Experiments Lain' (1998)

Mika reaching for something on the edge of a building in Serial Experiments Lain

The 1990s were an interesting decade where the internet really took off, and with it, plenty of unknown dangers. Serial Experiments Lain follows the titular character and her descent into the dark web. After receiving an email from her deceased classmate, Lain delves deeper into the dark side of the internet, becoming a god of the digital realm.

Serial Experiments Lain is a fantastic avant-garde anime that isn't a pure cyberpunk story, but features its themes, such as digital alienation, loss of physical reality, and the omniscient presence of the internet. This anime is staggeringly prophetic, predicting the way humanity consumes the internet with terrifying accuracy, highlighting the dangers and horrors that come with it.

4 'Psycho-Pass' (2012-2020)

The main characters from PSYCHO-PASS-Providence

It isn't easy for a show to remain perfect from start to finish, and this was unfortunately the case with Psycho-Pass, yet it is still a legendary series. The Sibyl System governs Japan, analyzing the people and determining who will commit crimes before they even take place. Following the task force that deals with people whose numbers are too high, a rookie begins to question the ethics and flaws of the system.

If it weren't for the later disappointing seasons, Psycho-Pass could have been in the top two, but even with those episodes holding it down, this anime is an all-time classic just because of the first season. As one of the greatest anime series ever, this show is a thematic heavyweight that discusses philosophy, psychology, ethics, and the daunting future. Discussing the struggle between freedom and security, Psycho-Pass is a thought-provoking cyberpunk masterclass.

3 'Ergo Proxy' (2006)

Set within a devastated post-apocalyptic city named Rombo, Ergo Proxy follows the remnants of humanity living underneath the domed city. Androids and robots take care of all human needs, but when a virus makes them sentient, they start rebelling against humanity. Now, a group of investigators must learn the source of the virus and how to stop it while also solving the murders because of it.

Leaning into a darker, more gothic style, Ergo Proxy is a fascinating cyberpunk that blends mystery with action, drama, and philosophical weight. Tackling themes such as consciousness and existentialism, this anime is set in a post-cyberpunk world, which we do not often see in the genre. The decaying world and philosophical questions create a magnificent cyberpunk experience, highlighting Ergo Proxy's excellence.

2 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' (2022-present)

Set in the world of the critically acclaimed video game and tabletop experience Cyberpunk 2077, this anime was the most surprising success of the 2020s. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners follows David joining a gang with a cybernetically advanced spine after his mother dies because of the corruption in the city. However, all David experiences is more pain, suffering, and trauma.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a modern sensation, and therefore, it is most likely the most popular series on this list, and with a new season announced, it is one of the most anticipated must-watch anime shows. Displaying excellent worldbuilding and magnificent character development, this anime treats the city and a character and uses it to shape the protagonist. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a high-octane burst of exhilaration and vibrance, creating a distinct yet captivating cyberpunk show.

1 'Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex' (2002-2005)

Remakes and reboots are more and more common in the anime industry, and the next one is The Ghost in the Shell, which will be a more faithful adaptation of its manga than the critically acclaimed movie. But as fans wait for that, they can watch Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Cybernetic body enhancements are the norm, but this presents a plethora of crimes that Motoko and her squad are dedicated to stopping.

Ghost in the Shell is one of the most critically acclaimed pieces of cyberpunk, and Stand Alone Complex further delves into the world and its philosophical questions. This gritty police procedural is profound and intriguing, handling the core of cyberpunk themes with nuance. Stand Alone Complex is a complex story with new questions each episode, wrapped in a detailed world that proves to be a landmark of the cyberpunk genre.