Wanting a break from the humdrum of mundane day-to-day life? Need something more than what modern-day society’s injustices have to offer? From perilous, anomic landscapes to an odd sense of liberation from typical civilization, the worlds of these dystopian anime settings will surely leave you wanting more of these enticingly decrepit societies. With the main conflicts typically surrounding man-versus-nature, the variety of clashes within the dystopian genre give a healthy dose of man-versus-man and man-versus-nature, too.
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Although these worlds are the outcomes of harsh realities like war, the destruction of nature, and the breakdown of society, it’s strangely comforting to see things from these different points of worldview. Because, in the end, even when the world itself seems to crumble around us, there still tends to be even the tiniest sense of hope left alive and thriving amidst the chaos. But what better way to experience a reprieve from our own conflict-wracked culture than binging alternative anime universes that may have it worse?
Attack on Titan
With humanity nearly slaughtered to extinction by towering humanoids called Titans, the remains of mankind hide in a walled city from the flesh-eating monsters. But after a century, they break through, setting off the events of Attack on Titan. Now humanity faces the threat of extinction once more. Having bore witness to his own mother succumbing to the Titans’ rampage, Eren Yeager devotes his life to eradicating the monsters. Followed by his adoptive sister Mikasa Akerman and childhood friend Armin Arlert, Eren enlists into the Survey Corps, a military unit that combats Titans outside the city walls. Unbeknownst to Eren, his future is about to change when he learns the secrets revolving around the Titans’ very existence.
Giant monsters threatening to wipe out humanity, the action and mystery Attack on Titan artistically conveys has led this intense anime series to become an instant classic. With an ample number of episodes, this suspenseful series is definitely binge-worthy.
Heavenly Delusion
In this dichotomic dystopian series, there are those who live in the man-eating monster-ravaged outside world and there are those who live in the utopian facility known as “Heaven”. Maru, a boy with the power to kill the Man-Eaters, and Kiruko, his bodyguard, journey through this hellish landscape on their way to this “Heaven” place to find answers to both their turmoiled pasts and questionable futures. Meanwhile, the children born in the facility begin questioning the facility’s function and what lies beyond the haven’s walls.
In a wasteland where the echoes of salvation in a world laden with tumultuous impediments carry malicious secrets of their own, the characters in Heavenly Delusion carry burdens far deeper than the monsters on its surface.
Girls’ Last Tour
Chito and Yuuri seem to only have each other in a desolate, war-torn wasteland. On their journey through the various ravaged landscapes, the two girls spend their time scavenging and speculating, stopping every so often to shoot the breeze or some tin cans. Even though the terrain may be devoid of much left including other people, the two show that all they really need is each other.
Girls’ Last Tour is a more chill and relaxed depiction of a dystopian anime world, its characters showing a slice of life side to the bleak backdrop. Nonetheless, whether a story within the genre depicts action-packed struggles or a simple snowball fight, this series creates a refreshing view of life after the apocalypse.
Akira
In 2019, years after a disaster launched World War III in the 80’s, Neo-Tokyo finds itself in constant turmoil as the streets are run amok with crime and insurrection against its oppressive government. Shoutarou Kaneda, leader of a rebellious motorcycle gang, finds himself caught in the middle of a government conspiracy when his friend, Tetsuo Shima, discovers his own psychic abilities upon encountering a government esper escapee.
As an absolute classic in the genre, Akira is a perfect watch for those interested in dystopias full of mystery, horror, and sci-fi. Government secrets and dangerous psychic powers are this film’s bread and butter, along with its truly timeless animation and mesmerizing soundtrack.
Berserk
As a lone traveling mercenary, Guts easily decimates anything he comes up against with the colossal great sword he wields. But upon encountering the mercenary group the Band of the Hawk, he meets his match when the group’s leader, a beautiful, commanding man named Griffith, duels him into submitting to join their ranks. Eventually, as one of the band’s commanders, Guts becomes attached to his newfound friend group, especially to his fellow commander Casca and Griffith himself. But when Griffith shows he’ll go to whatever lengths necessary to overcome obstacles and rise to power, Guts begins to understand how the attachments he’s created and nurtured are at stake, even with the man he’s come to admire.
While the true horrors really only begin after the 1997 original show, the rampant injustice even in Midland underscored a decaying society well before the Great Wave of the Astral World. One of the darkest anime in existence, Berserk shows a truly horrendous dystopia slipping further into ruin with each arc, not just full of monsters, but monstrous people. The sheer willpower to fight through the constant bombardment of horrors of this world is enough of a struggle for Guts, but when his allies are at stake from within their own ranks, it may be enough to bring this powerful swordsman to his knees.
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Psycho-Pass
The future of the justice system strives to be objective, to be upheld by means that cannot be swayed by exceptions to the rules nor be clouded by imperfect human judgment. The Sibyl System, the law enforcement organization of this futuristic Japan, is comprised of Inspectors, officers tasked with determining citizens’ level of criminal intent, or “Psycho-Pass”, and Enforcers, latent criminals tasked with dealing out justice accordingly in exchange for not receiving the same. When Akane Tsunemori is paired up with Enforcer Shinya Kougami and is finally given the chance to make a change as a bright, aspiring new Inspector, doubts flood her previous trust in the Sibyl justice system.
An authority’s subordinate reevaluating what their job entailed and striving to correct a corrupt system – a tale as old as, well, corrupt government systems. While many dystopian media portray either the viewpoint of the rebellious citizen amidst the revolution or the aftermath of said upheaval, Psycho-Pass depicts the dystopian corrupt civil administration from within.
Terror in Resonance
While on a class field trip to the Tokyo Metropolitan office, Lisa Mishima gets caught up in the chaos when a terrorist accidentally marks her an accomplice while saving her from his and his fellow abettor’s bomb attack. Escaping with them, she learns that they’re the ones who had been wreaking havoc on Tokyo planting bombs, sending cryptic riddle videos en masse, and causing city-wide panic. They introduce themselves as Nine and Twelve, the two masked figures in the videos known as “Sphinx”. In challenging the police and government, the terrorist attacks and riddles are really created to send a message, one to expose the government’s shady secret: Nine and Twelve’s tragic origins.
Not all dystopias are about overtly blatant suffering and injustices nor do all of them depict overly futuristic or decrepit societies. Some dystopias hit a little closer to home when it comes to looking like an average, modern-day society with secretive seedy underbellies. While Terror in Resonance may be questioned at first as to why it would be considered within the dystopian genre, the answer quickly becomes clear when the veneer of a trustworthy government and society is stripped away.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
Akira Tendo, after graduating from university and going through all the hoops, had finally secured his dream job. But after the exploitative back-breaking labor, he comes to learn that the goal he strived so passionately to accomplish isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Fortunately for him, the zombie apocalypse has no need for the life of worker drones. Now, with his newfound freedom amidst the chaotic world dominated by the dead, Akira strives for a new goal: completing his bucket list of 100 things before becoming a zombie himself.
This series has a colorful take on the apocalyptic, zombified dystopia – literally. As much as Akira brings a bright, colorful resilience and positivity within what would otherwise be a bleak, gory backdrop, so too does the show’s depiction of blood, which is replaced with splatters of cheerfully hued paint.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
After a nuclear war called the “Seven Days of Fire” had laid waste to almost all life on Earth, an evolutionary phenomenon known as the Toxic Jungle began to spread, its poisonous spores and large, menacing insects engulfing everything in its wake. Away from the toxins and poisons the jungle produces, lies the Valley of the Wind, a sea coast kingdom that is spared from the spores thanks to the seafaring winds. Even so, Nausicaä, the princess of the valley, makes regular journeys to the Toxic Jungle in order to better understand its inhabitants and its functions. But when a neighboring kingdom’s airship crashes into the valley, Nausicaä must fight to prevent the ongoing war against the jungle and another disaster like the Seven Days of Fire from happening again.
At first glance, this film’s theme may seem like a man-vs-nature plot, but it’s quickly turned on its head to man-vs-man when Nausicaä fights for not just the survival of her people but for the misunderstood jungle. With Studio Ghibli always seeming to produce cult classic films, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is definitely a dystopian gem not to be missed.
Wolf’s Rain
The legend goes that when the end of the world is near, wolves, being the only beings to be able to find Paradise, will appear. In a post-apocalyptic wasteland world where wolves are thought to be extinct, the secret hope of finding Paradise also lies dormant. That is until a wolf named Kiba comes out of hiding to find such a place. Wolves, though thought to be gone for good, had actually just been disguising themselves to covertly coexist with humans. Following the scent of lunar flowers as a guide, Kiba finds other wolves, Hige, Tsume, and Toboe, who were also drawn to the city. With Cheza, the flower maiden, as their key to paradise, the wolves set out in search of their place of refuge in a dying world. But following closely behind are others who seek the same, and not entirely with good intentions.
Wolf’s Rain has a more mystical, legendary grasp of what the end of the world entails. While still bleak, the hope of finding salvation isn’t entirely lost. This series shows that, even when there’s not much left, there’s always hope for a better tomorrow, even if it means chasing it to the ends of the earth.
Have a favorite dystopian anime we forgot to mention? Let us know in the comments!
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Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
