Saagar Kote
Created by Rafal Jaki and Bartosz Sztybor, Netflix’s ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ is an anime series that serves as a tie-in to the video game ‘Cyberpunk 2077,’ and is part of Mike Pondsmith’s ‘Cyberpunk’ universe. Set in a futuristic world, the story follows David Martinez, a struggling teenager living in Night City, a place where crime, corporate greed, and cybernetic enhancements shape everyday life. Hoping to fulfill his mother’s dream of seeing him succeed, David attends the prestigious Arasaka Academy. However, a personal tragedy destroys his plans and pushes him toward a different future. After installing a cybernetic implant that grants him superhuman speed, he crosses paths with Lucyna Kushinada, AKA Lucy, a skilled hacker who introduces him to a group of outlaw mercenaries known as edgerunners.
Drawn into their dangerous world, David begins taking jobs against powerful corporations, including Arasaka. As he grows closer to his new companions, he pushes his body and mind to their limits, hoping to survive the city’s brutal underworld and make a name for himself. These anime on Netflix, similar to ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners,’ will keep you hooked with their exploration of advanced worlds, rebellious characters, and thrilling battles.
8. Ingress: The Animation (2018)
‘Ingress: The Animation’ centers on Makoto, a special police investigator who can read the memories of objects he touches. When he investigates a laboratory explosion involving a mysterious substance called Exotic Matter (XM), he touches a ring belonging to the sole survivor, Sarah Coppola, and experiences a disturbing vision. His discovery draws him into a conspiracy surrounding XM, which can interact with the human brain and influence it. While powerful corporations and rival factions known as the Enlightened and the Resistance compete to control the substance, Makoto and Sarah become caught in a struggle that could determine humanity’s future.
‘Ingress: The Animation’ examines the potential of Exotic Matter to influence humanity and alter its future, while ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ explores the physical and psychological costs of cybernetic enhancements in a society driven by corporate greed and technological ambition. Based on Niantic’s eponymous augmented reality mobile game, the sci-fi series, directed by Yûhei Sakuragi, is streaming here.
7. PLUTO (2023)
‘Pluto’ is set in a future where humanoid robots live alongside humans and explores the life of Gesicht. He is a Europol detective investigating a string of mysterious murders targeting humans and robots, including Montblanc, a retired war robot. The victims are linked by strange objects placed near their heads, resembling horns, while evidence suggests that a robot may be responsible, an unprecedented crime in eight years. Gesicht soon discovers a pattern connecting the victims to the seven most powerful robots ever created, all of whom are potential weapons of mass destruction. With his own life at risk, he seeks help from Atom, an advanced android resembling a young boy.
Together, they must uncover the killer’s identity and prevent further deaths that threaten the fragile balance between humans and robots. Gesicht in ‘Pluto’ and David Martinez in ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ both navigate worlds where advanced technology shapes human life. Gesicht is an android detective investigating a series of mysterious murders, while David’s cybernetic enhancements draw him into Night City’s dangerous criminal underworld. The Osamu Tezuka and Naoki Urasawa creation is accessible on Netflix.
6. Super Crooks (2021)
In ‘Super Crooks,’ Johnny Bolt comes up with a daring plan to help his idol, the legendary supercrook known as the Heat, settle a dangerous gambling debt. With the Heat facing the threat of being killed by the mob, Johnny assembles a team of fellow supervillains for one final heist that promises to make them all incredibly wealthy. However, the job comes with a major risk, which is that the crew must travel to Spain and rob the world’s most notorious supervillain. Although the group hopes to secure their fortunes and retire, their ambitious plan soon puts them in a situation far more complicated than they anticipate.
Shaped under Motonobu Hori’s direction, the superhero series is based on the eponymous comic book series by Mark Millar and Leinil Francis Yu. Along the lines of ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners,’ the show explores a world shaped by extraordinary abilities and power struggles. Johnny plans the heist to help the Heat escape a dangerous debt, while David grows close to his fellow edgerunners and becomes increasingly invested in their shared struggles. The show can be found here.
5. Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song (2021)
With Tappei Nagatsuki and Eiji Umehara providing the creative vision, ‘Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song’ is set in a future where AI is an integral part of human society. The story chronicles the experiences of Diva, the first autonomous AI, created with the singular mission of making people happy through her singing. While pursuing her dream of performing on the main stage at the theme park NiaLand, she encounters Matsumoto, an advanced AI from 100 years in the future. He warns her of a coming catastrophe in which evolved AIs attempt to eradicate humanity and asks for her help to prevent it.
With the future of humankind at stake, Diva embarks on a century-long mission to change the course of history and stop the devastating conflict before it begins. Diva in ‘Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song’ and David Martinez in ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ both experience life-changing encounters that set them on unexpected paths. Diva’s meeting with Matsumoto draws her into a mission to save humanity, while David’s personal tragedy leads him into Night City’s dangerous criminal underworld. Enjoy the show on Netflix.
4. Terminator Zero (2024)
‘Terminator Zero,’ from the creative mind of Mattson Tomlin, is a sci-fi series that takes place in the ‘Terminator’ universe. In August 1997, scientist Malcolm Lee develops Kokoro, an AI system designed to counter Skynet, the AI responsible for humanity’s impending destruction. However, as Judgment Day approaches, a Terminator arrives to hunt Malcolm and his three children. Eiko, a resistance soldier sent back from 2022, attempts to protect the family and change humanity’s future. Meanwhile, Malcolm faces difficult questions about his creation, particularly whether Kokoro might follow the footsteps of Skynet and turn against humanity.
The threat grows, and the fate of Malcolm’s family and the future of humankind become increasingly intertwined. ‘Terminator Zero’ and ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ follow characters whose lives change as they become involved with advanced technology. Malcolm Lee develops an AI system that could determine humanity’s future, while David Martinez receives a cybernetic implant that draws him into Night City’s dangerous underworld. It is available here.
3. Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix (2023)
‘Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix’ unfolds in an alternate 1992 and takes place in Eden, a dystopian technocracy controlled by a powerful corporation that rules through propaganda and corruption. Dolph Laserhawk, a supersoldier modified by Eden’s military, becomes a fugitive after his boyfriend, Alex Taylor, betrays him during a heist. Imprisoned in the high-security facility Supermaxx, Laserhawk is forced to lead a team of rebel prisoners known as the Ghosts on covert missions. With an explosive device implanted inside him to ensure his obedience, he must work alongside fellow outcasts to undermine Taylor’s plans.
As the team navigates Eden’s oppressive system, their survival depends on completing dangerous assignments that have their own twists and turns. Adi Shankar is the creative voice behind this sci-fi series, which is inspired by the video game ‘Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.’ Much like ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners,’ the story examines the human cost of technological control in oppressive societies. Laserhawk is a supersoldier modified by Eden’s military, while David’s cybernetic implant helps him enter Night City’s criminal underworld. It can be streamed on Netflix.
2. Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 (2020-2022)
‘Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045’ or ‘Kôkaku Kidôtai SAC_2045’ is set in 2045, following a global economic collapse that renders paper and electronic currencies worthless. To sustain their economies, the world’s four major powers engage in perpetual warfare. Major Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, and other former members of Public Security Section 9 work as mercenaries under the name GHOST, using their cybernetic enhancements and combat skills to handle conflicts worldwide. However, a routine operation leads them toward a new threat involving Post Humans, individuals with extraordinary intelligence and physical abilities. As a conspiracy surrounding these cybernetically enhanced individuals unfolds, former Chief Aramaki’s revelations prompt Section 9 to reunite.
With global stability at risk, Kusanagi and her team must confront the emerging danger before it plunges the world into further chaos. The series is based on the manga series ‘Ghost in the Shell’ by Masamune Shirow, who is also the show’s creator. ‘Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045’ presents a world where nations sustain their economies through perpetual warfare, while ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ portrays a city dominated by corporate greed and cybernetic enhancements. Both series depict societies in which advanced technology and powerful institutions shape everyday life. Access it here.
1. Tokyo Override (2024-)
Set in a technologically advanced Tokyo 100 years in the future, ‘Tokyo Override’ follows Kai Koguma, a gifted teenage orphan whose hacking skills and attempts to help her only friend land her in trouble with the law. While evading the police, she encounters Suma Garage, a group of outcast bikers and hackers who take her in and involve her in their missions. Through her work with the group, Kai discovers the darker side of a city that appears perfectly optimized by artificial intelligence. When a murder investigation leads to a drug syndicate, she and her new companions uncover a web of crime and corruption beneath Tokyo’s polished exterior, threatening the image of a supposedly ideal society.
Kai Koguma in ‘Tokyo Override’ and David Martinez in ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ are both young people whose technological abilities draw them into dangerous worlds. Kai uses her hacking skills to navigate trouble with the law, while David’s cybernetic implant leads him into Night City’s criminal underworld. Created by Dai Sato, the show is available on Netflix.
Read More: Best Action Anime on Netflix
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