Top 26 Must-Watch Apocalyptic Anime

Blue Submarine No. 6 events are set in the future where Earth's oceans have risen and submerged the low-lying lands. Zorndyke, a mad scientist, caused this phenomenon that killed countless individuals. The last remaining humans rage a war against Zorndyke's half-animal hybrids. The submarine forces are the last best chance of the humanity to survive. 

Although the character design might look average, this anime is one of the underrated gems in the sci-fi genre. The underwater action sequences are jaw-dropping at times. Moreover, the characters have depth and the bad guy doesn't follow the usual tropes. However, the scientific concepts presented in this anime are fallacious at times. It is understandable since the source material was written on 1960's. 

If you're into some mecha action, then Gurren Laggan is definitely for you. The story follows two teenagers, Simon and Kamina, as they try to attempt to go to the surface of their subterranean villages. It takes place in a future where the world is ruled by the Spiral King, Lordgenome. Using a mecha called Laggan, Simon and Kamina reach the surface and fight Lorgenome's minions. 

There were no dull moments in this anime. Gurren Lagann's action scenes are magnificent and nail-biting. Despite all of that, the show didn't escape some of its glaring plotholes. That includes some weird placing of time skips and problematic physics. When the show explored some deep themes, it just falls out of place. The bottom line is that Gurren Lagann certainly revived the fun and adrenaline-inducing mecha sub-genre.

Wolf's Rain combines a well-crafted folklore and some elements of a typical dysfunctional society. Its story is centered on Kiba, a lone injured wolf, along with his companions as they searched for Paradise. According to legends, only wolves have the power to find it but most of them were hunted down to extinction. Few of them managed to survive only disguised as humans.

There strong fantasy elements that drive the plot forward. The general feel for the show is grim; as appeared on the background's earthy and grungy design. The characters are emotionally disconnected and seemingly distant. Three of the episodes featured are just past events told in a different character's perspective. Viewers can skip through that without missing much to the story. Wolf's Rain has a straightforward narrative and leaves some intriguing statements along the way.

Mankind had fled from Earth to escape the clutches of shapeshifting aliens– the Gauna. Hundreds of huge spaceships including Sidonia elude the looming extinction of the human race. The story revolved around Sidonia, which may or may not be the last remaining human settlement with 500,000 residents. The main plot features the adventures of a Garde pilot named Nagate Tanikaze as Sidonia faced the Gauna.

There are lots of social statements to ponder inside the Sidonia. Settlers have to adjust to the extreme conditions there. Aside from its fascinating setting, Knights of Sidonia also lets the viewers have a glimpse to a highly scientifically advanced society. The story can be a bit heavy-handed at times when someone was killed off for a shallow emotional effect.

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0's plot focuses on two young siblings, Mirai and Yūki, and a single mother named Mari as they meet after a powerful earthquake has stricken Japan. They embarked on a journey to find their way home safely.

Having a relatively low budget, the animation for this series is done well. The design for the setting is realistic and detailed. The characters have some derp faces that's a bit distracting at times. It may be short on its budget but Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 doesn't fall short when it comes to world-building and characterization. 

This anime is a sci-fi adventure set after Japan was hit by a nuclear catastrophe. The viewers are introduced to a wandering mercenary named Kanta Mizuno. He is known for his moniker as the Desert Punk (Sunabōzu) because of his unmatchable skills and feats. As we follow him, he met some allies but also a lot of enemies as well.

The beginning started on a very high note. The comedic punch often came from Desert Punk's fascination with ladies with amazing bodies. Particularly, ladies with big boobs. That humor can be annoying at times, especially if you're not into objectifying women. Desert Punk is a fun anime series with nice visuals, awesome actions, and a badass hero.

The story is basically Street Fighter meets Mad Max, mixed with ultra-violent gory scenes. Fist of the North Star is set in a post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear war. It centers on Kenshiro, a warrior who inherit the knowledge of a deadly martial art called the Hokuto Shinken. He vowed to fight against various ravagers who prey on the weak and innocent.

From start to finish, Fist of the North Star is action-packed and brutal. If you're into some crazy fight scenes, then this anime is for you. It moves at a breakneck pace, following Kenshiro as he beat up a lot of bad guys. It can sometimes seem like it's overly done depending on which type of audience member you are. I think this type of anime is polarizing. Some will view it as a huge pile of garbage while others will be hardcore fans to death.

The events of s-CRY-ed happen in an alternative time in Kanagawa Prefecture. The Alters are the 1% of the population that gained supernatural abilities after a certain phenomenon.s-CRY-ed follows the story of both Kazuma, a young Alter mercenary, and Ryuho, a man working for HOLY, the Alter special forces.

This anime's strongest point is its unpredictable plot that is full of twists and turns. The sequences are stringed together in one coherent flow with nice pacing. Though the themes are painfully recurring at times, s-CRY-ed can please both who just want some mindless entertainment and someone wants to ponder on what he just watched.

In a not-so-distant future set in 2021, an epidemic called Gastrea forced to live within the bounds of the Monolith walls. These barriers were made from Varanium, a kind of metal that subdue this disease. Soon, the children who were infected by Gastrea obtained superhuman abilities. It's up to Rentarō Satomi and his friends to conduct missions to save Tokyo and the rest of the world.

Black Bullet capitalizes on its intriguing concept. Most especially, the idea of the agents coming in pairs, one normal and the other with superpowers, is really interesting. However, this anime loses its focus many times by trying to become a lot of things. The results are mixed tones and plot inconsistencies.

Paranormal and political genres may be a weird mix for some, but Trinity Blood delivers the best of both worlds. The story kicked off 900 years after an apocalyptic war between humans and vampires. It centers around the cold war between the human government, Vatican, and and the "New Human Empire" led by the vampires. 

Trinity Blood's world-building is just amazing. It combines the elements of a futuristic techy world with Renaissance aesthetic that makes the visuals really appealing and sexy. The overall graphics and sound design are gorgeous when combined. However, it didn't maximize its potential story-wise and the ending might leave you unsatisfied and bothered.

Guilty Crown follows Shu Ouma, a high school boy that suddenly got the "Power of the King". It allows him to draw out the item called Voids from other people that lead him in between the conflict of the two associations: GHQ and Funeral Parlor.

That's all you need to know. Guilty Crown has some really excellent moments that were packaged in a gritty dystopian world. It builds the tension into a supernova that explodes at the right time. Despite that, be warned that this series can be REALLY depressing. So, better be prepared.

Are you finding some great Zombie-pocalypse shows but got tired of the usual Hollywood stereotypes? Then, try Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. The plot is set in an island country called Hinomoto. It is filled with fortress-like "stations" to protect the human settlers from the Kabane,  the undead monsters that are hunting down humans since the Industrial Revolution. Ikoma, a young engineer, tested his anti-Kabane weapon but became infected in the process. However, he managed to prevent the virus from spreading further and becomes a Kabaneri, a Kabane and a human hybrid. He then fights the hordes of Kabane to save the day.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is a breath of fresh air to the overused what-if-the-zombies-take-over concept. The director, Tetsuro Araki, gave the audiences some great visuals and a compelling plot. As the story progressed, the characters fight stronger Kabane, which is so great to watch.

To become a true-blue otaku, you must be familiar with Akira (or heard it, at least). This film is one of the pioneers of post-apocalyptic science fiction anime sub-genre that we all come to love. The story focuses on Shōtarō Kaneda, a leader of a certain biker gang. His friend Tetsuo gained powerful psychic abilities after being experimented on. 

Despite what Steven Spielberg said about this film being unmarketable for US audiences, Akira left a lasting impact decades after its first release. The whole movie is held together by expressionism of its own ambitions. Filled with violence, Akira sets the bar high for the newer cyber-punk anime.

Chrome Shelled Regios takes place in an alternate reality earth where the nano-machine-beasts called Filth Monsters. Mankind has no choice but to live in large mobile cities called Regios. Little that the people know that they are stuck in an alternative reality and the only way it can revert back to the real world is through its destruction. 

This series succeeded in presenting its lead characters and its minor storylines. Viewers may enjoy the fun and lengthy action sequences. However, this anime has its own share of flaws, especially in its plot execution. Sometimes, it is caught up with the usual romantic comedy tropes. The biggest problem is compressing the 25-volume novel into a 24-episode anime. Although most of the major problems were resolved, this adaptation seems like its unfinished. Too bad.

Highschool of the Dead is set in present-day Japan as a deadly pandemic turns everyone into a zombie. Highschool students, along with the school's nurse, are trying to survive massive zombie attacks as well as living in the society on the verge of collapse.

It is noticeable that the Highschool of the Dead sometimes follows the same formula as 28 days later and The Walking Dead. It is a fun and violent sexually-tensed anime with some unique twists to the zombie-virus drama. Despite its title, this anime contains some mature and graphic contents. This a very entertaining anime riddled with a bit vapidity and sexism at times.

What happens if a virus killed off everyone older than 12? We get a dark fantasy where children can be the heroes of their own story. Seraph of the End is about children trying to survive vampiric attacks. A young man named Yūichirō Hyakuya joined a vampire extermination unit in order to avenge the deaths of his orphaned family and save his best friend. 

Although some characters may do idiotic things, remember that they are still immature kids just trying to live another day. The fight scenes are consistent and robust. Talk about "Kid Power." Seraph of the End is an action-packed dark tale that depicts its promising concept with much-deserved justice.

 Now we move on to the post-apocalyptic series that are the best of the best. 

Trigun centers on the amnesiac protagonist, Vash the Stampede. The viewers follow him along with his two buddies as he hides his deadly skills, learns about his past, and fight some bad guys.

Many avid anime fans consider Trigun one of THE classics. Mostly because of its uber-likable complex protagonist in Vash the Stampede as he plows his way through a lawless world. This anime combines action, comedy, and a bit of drama really well. After years of its released, the animation still holds up pretty nicely. Plus, the score is just awesome.

Yet, another anime that most people considered as a classic is Cowboy Bebop.

This award-winning anime's plot begins in 2071, roughly 50 years after the Earth had an accident with a hyperspace that made it almost uninhabitable. The world is plagued with record-high crime rates paving the way for the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP) to grant bounty hunters (knows as Cowboys) a license. The series follows the adventures of the Cowboys in the spaceship Bebop.

The action sequences in Cowboy Bebop are arguably one of the best from the sci-fi anime genre. Gunfights, space battles, and some occasional showcase of kung fu made this anime exciting to watch. Of course, every great anime has an awesome soundtrack. Cowboy Bebop is no different with the great Kanno Yoko composing its music. 

Ergo Proxy put together a sleek-looking animation, badass heroine, and a philosophically-heavy storyline into a whole series that is greater than the sum of its parts. The story is set in Romdeau, a futuristic domed city that shields its citizen after an ecological threat swept the world. Humans and androids called as AutoReivs co-exist in harmony until the robots and AutoReivs infected with the Cogito virus committed series of murders. It's up to Re-L Mayer to investigate these crimes. Along with her AutoReiv partner, Iggy, she discovered some dark truths about Romdeau including the human-like creature called a Proxy.

The animation for both the characters and settings suit the tone of the story well. Moreover, all the major characters have their arc, resulting from some great character development. Although the pacing is a slow-burn, the series didn't fail to deliver its messages. Thus, making it really poignant and worth for the audience to invest not only their attention but also their feelings.

Attack on Titan definitely wins the award for most hyped apocalyptic anime. Thankfully, it deserves all the attention it is getting. Set in an alternate world, giant humanoid creatures called the Titans nearly wiped out all humans by feeding on them without remorse. Years later, the remaining people lived in peace within three enormous curtain walls until a 60-foot Titan unexpectedly penetrated on their boundaries. Attack on Titan follows Eren Yeager and his childhood friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert as they join the military forces to save their land from the hungry Titans.

This is a treat for anime lovers who look for amazing characterization, emotional impact, high stakes, and excellent climax. This is due to the fact of exploring a great concept with the feeling of claustrophobia. Moreover, the world is constantly expanding as the viewer watch the later episodes. Friendly tip: Prepare tissues. A lot of them.

I know that some of you might hate me for putting this on top of the list but hear me out.

After its release in 1995, Evangelion became the measuring stick for mecha-type post-apocalyptic anime. The story focuses on the events in Tokyo-3 set fifteen years after a global cataclysm hit. We are introduced to Shinji, a teenage boy who is tasked to pilot a giant bio-machine mecha called an "Evangelion" to fight the aliens coined as the "Angels." Evangelion explored deep character emotions, political statements by exposing its shady organization's secrets, and religious imagery derived from Judaism and Christianity.

Most of the characters are dealing with mental distress and trauma that stemmed from living in a post-apocalyptic world. Evangelion uncover the harsh truth that real life isn't always 'raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.' Its theme is discussed well though symbolism and allegory that encourages a lot of intellectual discussions. Beyond its philosophical elements, Evangelion is a dark and violent mecha anime. Therefore, I rest my case.