Developed by Rafal Jaki, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a sci-fi action anime series from Netflix. Set in the corrupt and futuristic Night City, the story follows David Martinez, a straight-A student who discovers a military speedware called Sandevistan in his recently deceased mother’s belongings. Furious at the unfairness of his world, David has the powerful Speedware built into his body, developing an exceptional tolerance for it. In doing so, he attracts the attention of mercenaries, rival companies and a mysterious woman named Lucy. David soon realizes that if he is to survive, he must become part of an edgerunner or cyberpunk group led by a man named Maine.
‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ is a spin-off of the open-world role-playing game ‘Cyberpunk 2077’. If you’ve seen the anime and liked it, here’s a list of recommendations that might suit your tastes. You can watch most of these ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ like anime on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll or Funimation.
7. Gantz (2004)
Based on a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku, Gantz tells the story of two high school students, Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato. After dying trying to save a drunk homeless man from an approaching subway train, Kei and Masaru find themselves in a Tokyo apartment. In one corner of the room is a large, shiny sphere – that’s the eponymous Gantz. Kei and Masaru realize that they are dead and that Gantz is now in control of them. The being sends them on missions that almost always involve the elimination of aliens roaming the world. Like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Gantz has dark themes and complex sci-fi elements.
6. Akira (1988)
Like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Akira is a story of human endurance in a broken world. In 1988, the destruction of Tokyo sparked World War III. In 2019, Neo-Tokyo was built on the artificial islands in Tokyo Bay. New Tokyo has become the epicenter of crime and violence in the world. In this turbulent city, Shoutarou Kaneda is the leader of the infamous motorcycle gang The Capsules, which is in constant conflict with their rival gang, the Clowns. When Shoutarou’s friend Tetsuo Shima develops abilities that may be linked to the destruction of Tokyo over three decades ago, a new threat to humanity begins to emerge.
5.Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996)
‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ is a mecha anime. It is set 15 years after a worldwide catastrophe known as Second Impact. The protagonist, Shinji Ikari, is sent to war against the entities known as angels by his father as a pilot of the mecha machine Evangelion. Shinji joins Nerv, a special organization created to defeat the angels and protect humanity. Like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Neon Genesis Evangelion continues to build on the complexity of its protagonist, making it a better sci-fi series as a result.
4th 86 (2021-2022)
’86’ is set in an alternate world where the Republic of San Magnolia has been at war with the Empire of Giad for nine years. The Republic lost out until they introduced autonomous units, the Juggernauts, to fight against the Empire’s machines. While the people of the Republic believe that both sides use autonomous units, the reality is that the Juggernauts are piloted by members of the marginalized Colorata minority, or the 86. Things begin to change when Major Vladilena Lena Milizé, a noblewoman from Alba, assumes leadership of the spearhead of the 86 and begins working closely with the unit’s commander, Shinei Nouzen. Like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, 86 is set in a world of inequality, misuse of scientific achievements, and exploitation of class and race.
3. Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999)
Set in the year 2071, Cowboy Bebop centers on the bounty-hunting crew of the spaceship Bebop, which includes Spike Spiegel, a former assassin for the Red Dragon Syndicate and protagonist of the series. In the Cowboy Bebop universe, the earth has become uninhabitable due to an accident in the hyperspace gate, but mankind has managed to colonize almost all planets and moons with a rocky surface. Like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Cowboy Bebop is a sci-fi anime mostly about a bounty hunter/mercenary group.
2. Psycho Pass (2012-)
Psycho-Pass is a cyberpunk thriller series set in a futuristic Japan where a powerful biomechatronic computer network called the Sibyl System is used to control people. The system assesses people’s ability to commit crimes and issues psycho-passports based on the result. The story is told from the perspective of Akane Tsunemori, who and her team investigate the exploits of the cunning and ruthless criminal Shogo Makishima. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Psycho-Pass are set in a dystopian future where humanity’s relentless pursuit of progress has led to a catastrophic outcome.
1. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
One of the most influential anime films of all time, Ghost in the Shell is set in a futuristic world where humans are equipped with cybernetic implants, just like in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. The story centers on Major Motoko Kusanagi, a full-body prosthesis-equipped cybernetic human, and her Public Security Division 9 assault team, who deal with a mysterious hacker who calls himself the Puppeteer.
