List of SciFi Anime

[SilverWingedSeraph]

I'll check out some of the other suggestions posted, I did left out a few unintentionally like Crest/Banner of the Stars and Space Battleship Yamato. However, most of the replies are obviously not sci-fi. Maybe you guys have a more lenient interpretation, but for me sci-fi means primarily space opera. There are exceptions to the rule like Ghost in the Shell.

Wikipedia's list of sci-fi anime is most definitely crap. Here's my general rules of defining sci-fi:
1) Anything involving fantasy elements (magic, religion, mysticism, dragons, vampires, Pokemon, etc...) is NOT sci-fi. Ever. Period! The genre of "science fiction fantasy" as some would call it is an abomination. I have never seen any good come from that...
2) Anything that is classified as space opera is sci-fi, and most of the anime on the initial list fall under this category.
3) Anything that has a sufficiently futuristic setting (e.g. cyberpunk, mission to mars, etc.) may be considered as sci-fi. However, I do consider this sub-genre as "2nd-rate" sci-fi.
4) Anything that uses advanced technology but is not set primarily in a futuristic setting (e.g. time travel, parallel dimension) *might* be considered as sci-fi, but most of the time they do not make the cut.
5) Anything that has a modern world setting or near futuristic setting is not sci-fi.

So basically you arbitrarily rule out the majority of sci-fi as not being sci-fi. Space opera is one of many varieties/genres of sci-fi. Also you realise that you just said Star Wars isn't sci-fi, and is an abomination? Unless you're going to say the fucking Force isn't a "fantasy element".

[Stark]

Hahaha, what a fuckwit. Anything including <element I don't like> isn't sci-fi .... EVER! In fact, nothing is sci-fi unless I define it as a specific subset of sci-fi, or I like it!

No wonder he asked for a list! ITT we learn Sunshine, Solaris, and Captain Scarlet probably aren't sci-fi.

[The Yosemite Bear]

lets see of the ones I mentioned....

Appleseed: shirow's post atomic war robots build city of the future and the cops who protect it.
Black Magic M-66: Think the terminator on crack
Bubblegum Crisis: cool cyberpunk team of girls in battlesuits fight giant cyborgs
akira: punks on motorcyckes revolutionaries, cultists, drugs, military conspiracy, and a 50 year old little kid that's a psychic god....
The Dirty Pair: getically engineered giant cat, knife missile like bloody cards, spaceships, more artillery than one can shake a stick at, cyberpunk add ons, rock drops, warping starships into arcology computer controlls, etc, how can one not call that comedy series not sci-fi?

hell it's even in the same universe as the semi-serious moderate sci-fi crusher joe anime/mangas...

[Stark]

Yes, everyone knows about the famous anime you mentioned.

Sadly, Akira isn't scifi because it's near future and arguably contains magic. Bubblegum crisis is second rate science fiction.

Holy shit, this means Guyver isn't science fiction!

[Bluewolf]

Dr Who wouldn't be Sci Fi either by this.

[SilverWingedSeraph]

I consider giant robots being a legitimate military threat to anyone or anything to be fantastical, because there's no way that can happen without fucking magic. 2-6 on the initial list are not real sci-fi!

[SylasGaunt]

Young Wizards certainly is science fiction. It has space-ships, alien races, laser cannons, spaceports, strange new worlds...
It's fantasy as well, of course, but that fantasy is handled in a very science fictiony tone - at least after the first book, and there are hints of it even there.

It's just one of those fun settings with races of AI wizards and a teen from New York packing a spell that lets her summon a terawatt range particle beam weapon.

Though it is one of those 'you got your sci-fi in my fantasy' cases. Hell the 5th Doctor makes a stealth cameo in book 3.

[Bright]

There seems to be a tendency to "this anime I like is SF instead of F because they throw technobabble in with their magic" present. I like TTGL and Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (almost) as much as the next guy, but if those are Science Fiction than so are the Young Wizards books and X-men comics.

Um, yes? All of those are science fiction. Soft science fiction is still science fiction. Trying to narrow down SF to the realm of scientific plausibility would probably rule out a good 90% of the genre.

[The Yosemite Bear]

should we tell the OP about Armitage (based off Asimov & Heinline), Lensman (based off erm, an EE Doc Smith series of the same name), Geneshaft (based off Clarke and Heinline)?

[Molyneux]

Young Wizards certainly is science fiction. It has space-ships, alien races, laser cannons, spaceports, strange new worlds...
It's fantasy as well, of course, but that fantasy is handled in a very science fictiony tone - at least after the first book, and there are hints of it even there.

It's just one of those fun settings with races of AI wizards and a teen from New York packing a spell that lets her summon a terawatt range particle beam weapon.

Though it is one of those 'you got your sci-fi in my fantasy' cases. Hell the 5th Doctor makes a stealth cameo in book 3.

He certainly does, and I love the series all the more for it.
The Book of Night with Moon and its sequels fall more strongly onto the fantasy-side of things, but even they have a bit of sci-fi flavor - especially the bits dealing with gating mechanics.

[Shroom Man 777]

I'll check out some of the other suggestions posted, I did left out a few unintentionally like Crest/Banner of the Stars and Space Battleship Yamato. However, most of the replies are obviously not sci-fi. Maybe you guys have a more lenient interpretation, but for me sci-fi means primarily space opera. There are exceptions to the rule like Ghost in the Shell.

Wikipedia's list of sci-fi anime is most definitely crap. Here's my general rules of defining sci-fi:
1) Anything involving fantasy elements (magic, religion, mysticism, dragons, vampires, Pokemon, etc...) is NOT sci-fi. Ever. Period! The genre of "science fiction fantasy" as some would call it is an abomination. I have never seen any good come from that...

I agree. I mean, look at how stupid idiots fixate over some shitty 1970s science fiction fantasy movie and watch how shitty 1970s special effects vaporize dumb ass styrofoam meteorites to compute lame ass fattowatts and piggojoules or some other shits. And all those bozos filling the place up with spam about their lame steroidified space knights with chainsaw-swords stabbin lame as fuck space demons. What a bunch of shits. Nothing good totally came from both of these examples, trust you me.

3) Anything that has a sufficiently futuristic setting (e.g. cyberpunk, mission to mars, etc.) may be considered as sci-fi. However, I do consider this sub-genre as "2nd-rate" sci-fi.

I agree. Shitty Harrison Ford movies that have half-naked Rutger Hauers running around in the rain and crying like pussies instead of space opera pew-pew laser battles barely make the grade for sci-fi. Bunch of sub-sci-fi mongrels. And don't get me started about stories with Cases and cyberdicks and goddamn whores like Molly Millions and fucking neurosurgeon Necromancers straight out of fantasy. What the fuck kind of sci-fi is that? Snow Crash? More like Slow Cunt, am i rite?

4) Anything that uses advanced technology but is not set primarily in a futuristic setting (e.g. time travel, parallel dimension) *might* be considered as sci-fi, but most of the time they do not make the cut.

God yeah. I mean, shit, a lame ass robot comes to the 1980s (the lamest and worst-dressed time period of all time) and gets his metal ass blown into two by a pipe bomb that yields less than 1 megajoule? And gets crushed to death by a primitive 20th century pressing device? Hah, no wonder that state's gotten even more fucked up ever since they elected him for governor.

5) Anything that has a modern world setting or near futuristic setting is not sci-fi.

Thank god man. I hate it when those pretentious fucks like to call stupid books about stupid Martians (who get killed by the fucking flu) invading 19th century Earth sci-fi. And people going in giant cannons to go to the Moon? Give me a break!

You're right, and the genre is totally full of lame stuff liked only by pretentious dweebs who have no understanding of true sci fi. Like all those examples of animes I gave out.

[Formless]

At first I was going to mock AndroAsc for his narrow vision and misnamed thread-- I mean, he could have avoided looking like an idiot by saying from the beginning "recommend me some sci-fi anime, my preferences are XYZ"-- but then I realized his genius! His purpose wasn't just to get recommendations, he wanted to tell us our ideas of genre and sub-genre are wrong and that there is a better way. Sci-fi is Sci-fi is Sci-fi, Alt History is Alt History is Alt history, and we need not draw this pointless connection between such dissimilar titles as Lensman and Total Recall. Science Fiction should actually be about something-- and that something should be Science, Of Course! Firefly can finally take its rightful place among the greats of the Western genre, Chobits can go back to being a magical girlfriend romantic comedy (no matter what happens in the last third of the story), H.P Lovecraft's work can accept its status as Supernatural Horror, and X-Men, Fantastic Four, Batman, Iron Man and many other superhero comics can stop trying to make pretenses of being anything but superheros. The annals of Space Opera, in which rests such classics as Star Wars and Flash Gordon, can finally accept Spelljammer into the ranks (because, like, space is an Ocean anyway and Spelljammer has Sailing Ships In Space so why fight it? ).

Think about it. A world where Sub-Genres can be freed of the lineage that binds them and holds them back. What a wonderful world that would be! *

But then I read the thread a second time, hoping to glean more wisdom, and I realized that there were still series I had not accounted for. Series which legitimately fit into multiple genres and were freer still. Cowboy Beebop, a favorite of mine, could be Film Noir, Comedy, Western, Cyberpunk, Crime Thriller, Yakuza, etc., and all depending solely on the episode you were watching. Yet the show managed to stay recognizable in every transformation. It seemed strange, like the Wise One had missed something. But certainly that couldn't be? He was awfully consistent, wasn't he? Or was he?

Then I realized my mistake. I was trying to glue together stories into Genre based on their thematic content. He was gluing them together based on their shallowest motifs and popular appeal.

And then I laughed. I fucking laughed.

Because nitrous oxide was leaking out of his posts and through my screen, forever answering the question of what the hell he was on when he made that post.





* and actually, before anyone asks I do kinda agree with this. But that's neither here nor there.

[Swindle1984]

I've always heard that TNG had numerous stealth references to Dirty Pair, but I never saw Dirty Pair so I never got any of them.

I am aware of the airplane and giant rubber ducky in the E-D schematics and the "don't step on Superman's cape" message that appeared on a couple of doors throughout the ship, amongst other jokes the production crew and writers did, but the Dirty Pair references... never got 'em.

[AndroAsc]

So basically you arbitrarily rule out the majority of sci-fi as not being sci-fi. Space opera is one of many varieties/genres of sci-fi. Also you realise that you just said Star Wars isn't sci-fi, and is an abomination? Unless you're going to say the fucking Force isn't a "fantasy element".

I'll just condense it to one statement, I define Sci-Fi as something like Star Wars and Star Trek. While SW has the mumbo-jumbo "force" crap, it was never elevated to fantasy levels of "magic" like you see in normal fantasy genre. They did push it again in the PT with the "chosen one" prophecy crap, but they did not harp on it so I could look in the other direction. Most importantly, SW is primarily space opera so it's still solidly sci-fi. Same arguments goes for Warhammer 40k, while there is seemingly "magic" component and "fantasy" elements like chaos gods, but it was also rationalized in-universe that the chaos gods were extradimensional aliens... so it's OK. As long as the genre does not push the fantasy elements too far (e.g. SW) or if they have strong fantasy elements but rationalize it in-universe with plausible science-based explanation (e.g. Warhammer 40k), I am fine with that. But note that the latter is very rare, when people inject fantasy with sci-fi it usually turns out to be utter crap, Warhammer 40k is the ONLY exception to the rule.

[AndroAsc]

At first I was going to mock AndroAsc for his narrow vision and misnamed thread-- I mean, he could have avoided looking like an idiot by saying from the beginning "recommend me some sci-fi anime, my preferences are XYZ"-- but then I realized his genius! His purpose wasn't just to get recommendations, he wanted to tell us our ideas of genre and sub-genre are wrong and that there is a better way. Sci-fi is Sci-fi is Sci-fi, Alt History is Alt History is Alt history, and we need not draw this pointless connection between such dissimilar titles as Lensman and Total Recall. Science Fiction should actually be about something-- and that something should be Science, Of Course! Firefly can finally take its rightful place among the greats of the Western genre, Chobits can go back to being a magical girlfriend romantic comedy (no matter what happens in the last third of the story), H.P Lovecraft's work can accept its status as Supernatural Horror, and X-Men, Fantastic Four, Batman, Iron Man and many other superhero comics can stop trying to make pretenses of being anything but superheros. The annals of Space Opera, in which rests such classics as Star Wars and Flash Gordon, can finally accept Spelljammer into the ranks (because, like, space is an Ocean anyway and Spelljammer has Sailing Ships In Space so why fight it? ).

Think about it. A world where Sub-Genres can be freed of the lineage that binds them and holds them back. What a wonderful world that would be! *

But then I read the thread a second time, hoping to glean more wisdom, and I realized that there were still series I had not accounted for. Series which legitimately fit into multiple genres and were freer still. Cowboy Beebop, a favorite of mine, could be Film Noir, Comedy, Western, Cyberpunk, Crime Thriller, Yakuza, etc., and all depending solely on the episode you were watching. Yet the show managed to stay recognizable in every transformation. It seemed strange, like the Wise One had missed something. But certainly that couldn't be? He was awfully consistent, wasn't he? Or was he?

Then I realized my mistake. I was trying to glue together stories into Genre based on their thematic content. He was gluing them together based on their shallowest motifs and popular appeal.

And then I laughed. I fucking laughed.

Because nitrous oxide was leaking out of his posts and through my screen, forever answering the question of what the hell he was on when he made that post.

* and actually, before anyone asks I do kinda agree with this. But that's neither here nor there.

I am a sci-fi "purist" in the sense that I only accept sci-fi in the form of Star Wars and Star Trek, where space opera (basically stuff like SW and ST) makes up >50% of the content. "Multi-genre" stuff do not make the cut because it is not pure sci-fi. If my "purists" definition is too offensive, then kindly fuck off.

[Formless]

What are you, 13 years old? Go masturbate to your Janway porn collection you vapid fanwhore. You aren't even a purist, you're an insignificant wanker who thinks his frankly inconsistent definition of sci-fi takes precedence over absolutely everyone else's to the point I question whether you know anything at all about the history of the genre. You asked for sci-fi, people gave you sci-fi. If you only want to see more of the same, and the VAST MAJORITY of the genre is something else, tough shit. No one wants to waste their time on a thread the OP created already prejudged against almost everything anyone could present.

ITT we learn that sci-fi was invented in the sixties and seventies by Gene Roddenberry and Goerge Lucas. Oh wait, that's fucking retarded, and so are you. End thread.

[Kingmaker]

I'll just condense it to one statement, I define Sci-Fi as something like Star Wars and Star Trek. While SW has the mumbo-jumbo "force" crap, it was never elevated to fantasy levels of "magic" like you see in normal fantasy genre. They did push it again in the PT with the "chosen one" prophecy crap, but they did not harp on it so I could look in the other direction. Most importantly, SW is primarily space opera so it's still solidly sci-fi. Same arguments goes for Warhammer 40k, while there is seemingly "magic" component and "fantasy" elements like chaos gods, but it was also rationalized in-universe that the chaos gods were extradimensional aliens... so it's OK. As long as the genre does not push the fantasy elements too far (e.g. SW) or if they have strong fantasy elements but rationalize it in-universe with plausible science-based explanation (e.g. Warhammer 40k), I am fine with that. But note that the latter is very rare, when people inject fantasy with sci-fi it usually turns out to be utter crap, Warhammer 40k is the ONLY exception to the rule.

Are you shitting me? Not only do you dismiss works like Neuromancer, War of the Worlds, Lord of Light, and Stand on Zanzibar(to name a few) as second rate, you also put up absolutely farcical rationalizations for why space fantasy you like isn't space fantasy. Star Wars? The head bad guy is an evil space wizard. That the protagonist has literally magic abilities is integral to the plot. 40k? The chaos gods aren't extradimensional aliens. They're malevolent gods, born from the emotions of sentient beings. Literally. As in, without the bloodlust and hatred of humanity and other races, Khorne would cease to exist. There is no scientific rationalization. Just admit you like space fantasy. There's nothing wrong with that.

And let's face it, Space Opera is probably the subgenre home to more "second-rate" SF than any other, save perhaps alt-history.

[HeadCreeps]

IIRC, "... of the Stars" is a space opera pure sci-fi anime series in the vein of Star Trek. I have no idea if it's any good or not because I only saw the first parts of it. The series starts with Crest of the Stars and/or the novel.

[Ford Prefect]

I don't mean to dis space opera here because it's plenty neat, but seriously defining 'science fiction' only as those stories where the technology has almost literally no basis in reality is astonishing. There's more outright fucking magic in the opening scene of A New Hope than Lord of the Rings.

[AndroAsc]

I'll just condense it to one statement, I define Sci-Fi as something like Star Wars and Star Trek. While SW has the mumbo-jumbo "force" crap, it was never elevated to fantasy levels of "magic" like you see in normal fantasy genre. They did push it again in the PT with the "chosen one" prophecy crap, but they did not harp on it so I could look in the other direction. Most importantly, SW is primarily space opera so it's still solidly sci-fi. Same arguments goes for Warhammer 40k, while there is seemingly "magic" component and "fantasy" elements like chaos gods, but it was also rationalized in-universe that the chaos gods were extradimensional aliens... so it's OK. As long as the genre does not push the fantasy elements too far (e.g. SW) or if they have strong fantasy elements but rationalize it in-universe with plausible science-based explanation (e.g. Warhammer 40k), I am fine with that. But note that the latter is very rare, when people inject fantasy with sci-fi it usually turns out to be utter crap, Warhammer 40k is the ONLY exception to the rule.

Are you shitting me? Not only do you dismiss works like Neuromancer, War of the Worlds, Lord of Light, and Stand on Zanzibar(to name a few) as second rate, you also put up absolutely farcical rationalizations for why space fantasy you like isn't space fantasy. Star Wars? The head bad guy is an evil space wizard. That the protagonist has literally magic abilities is integral to the plot. 40k? The chaos gods aren't extradimensional aliens. They're malevolent gods, born from the emotions of sentient beings. Literally. As in, without the bloodlust and hatred of humanity and other races, Khorne would cease to exist. There is no scientific rationalization. Just admit you like space fantasy. There's nothing wrong with that.

And let's face it, Space Opera is probably the subgenre home to more "second-rate" SF than any other, save perhaps alt-history.

Feel like I'm talking to bunch of trolls and fucktards here, with you being the biggest ass.

There's a reason why Star Wars and Star Trek have their own sub-forums. There's a reason why this forum was founded on Wars vs Trek. Those are the staple examples of sci-fi. I'm sorry, but no where in the movie was Palps referred to an evil space wizard. If that's your masturbatory fantasy lenses coloring your view of SW, kindly shove it up your ass and keep it there. Chaos gods live in the warp, and warp is hyperspace (another dimension), so they are extradimensional aliens.

[AndroAsc]

I don't mean to dis space opera here because it's plenty neat, but seriously defining 'science fiction' only as those stories where the technology has almost literally no basis in reality is astonishing. There's more outright fucking magic in the opening scene of A New Hope than Lord of the Rings.

Which edition of Star Wars have you been seeing? There is no fucking magic in the opening scene of A New Hope, just two spaceships slugging it out.

[AndroAsc]

What are you, 13 years old? Go masturbate to your Janway porn collection you vapid fanwhore. You aren't even a purist, you're an insignificant wanker who thinks his frankly inconsistent definition of sci-fi takes precedence over absolutely everyone else's to the point I question whether you know anything at all about the history of the genre. You asked for sci-fi, people gave you sci-fi. If you only want to see more of the same, and the VAST MAJORITY of the genre is something else, tough shit. No one wants to waste their time on a thread the OP created already prejudged against almost everything anyone could present.

ITT we learn that sci-fi was invented in the sixties and seventies by Gene Roddenberry and Goerge Lucas. Oh wait, that's fucking retarded, and so are you. End thread.

So who the fuck is this "everyone else" huh? Sci-fi is invented and founded by Wars and Trek. I'm sorry, but Jules Vernes 20k Leagues Under the Sea it's past its time... keep up with the times idiot.

[Simon_Jester]

I don't mean to dis space opera here because it's plenty neat, but seriously defining 'science fiction' only as those stories where the technology has almost literally no basis in reality is astonishing. There's more outright fucking magic in the opening scene of A New Hope than Lord of the Rings.

Which edition of Star Wars have you been seeing? There is no fucking magic in the opening scene of A New Hope, just two spaceships slugging it out.

Magic- as in, violations of the laws of physics. Tractor beams, hyperspace, desert planets with oxygen atmospheres... and that's before we get into Darth Vader choking shit.

There's no basis for any of this in reality; the only reason you don't call it magic is because if I glue some blinky lights to a piece of magic and wave my hands very fast, you won't notice that it's magic.

[Stark]

So who the fuck is this "everyone else" huh? Sci-fi is invented and founded by Wars and Trek. I'm sorry, but Jules Vernes 20k Leagues Under the Sea it's past its time... keep up with the times idiot.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a novel about an electric submarine with oxygen scrubbers from the 19th century used by a victim of imperialism to strike back at Europeans. Saying it isn't early scifi because it's 'past its time' is like saying Alice in Wonderland isn't fantasy because the Mad Hatter isn't in a DnD sourcebook.

Of course, when it was written it was 'near future' so it's 'second rate scifi'. Endless reams of technobabble explaining how shit works for no real plot reason? It'd fit right in with modern fattynerd science fiction!

[Swindle1984]

The emperor wears cowled robes, is a wizened old man, shoots lightning out of his fingertips, predicts the future, uses telekinesis, and he's not an evil space wizard because nobody in the film specifically references him as such.


Pictured above: SCIENCE!

Meanwhile, highly-evolved beings from Mars invade the earth by launching themselves through space, fight in giant mechanical machines, use guns that fire beams of intense heat at targets, and use chemical weapons before the first large-scale use of them in WWI, and that is NOT science because it takes place in the late 19th century and is outdated.


Pictured: fucking MAGIC!




The absurdity is delicious. This thread is the result of one of two things:

1) A 13 year old with a vastly over-inflated sense of self-importance and the opinion that true sci-fi consists solely of his favorite stuff.

2) A troll.

So which is it?