Top 18 Best Post Apocalyptic Anime Ever Created
While we wait for the end of the world - which seems to be ever more approaching - post-apocalyptic anime provides us with a window into the possibilities the real apocalypse might adopt. From virus-ridden societies to civilizations ravaged by war, robots, aliens, or the death and mutations of ecosystems: here are the best 18 post-apocalyptic anime series ever created.
+Post Apocalyptic Manhwa/Webtoons+
1.7 Seeds
“THE ONLY WAY TO WASTE TIME IS BY THINKING OF IT AS A WASTE”
Synopsis: Discovering that a giant meteorite was set on a path to collide with the Earth and produce an extinction-level event, the Japanese government rushed to create a plan to ensure its survival. They came up with the '7SEEDS' project, which consisted in meticulously picking five sets of seven men and women and distributing each set in different parts of Japan. Each group would be put under cryogenic sleep, hoping that at least one of them would survive in the future. The story follows those men's and women's lives as they awaken in a new foreign world.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Gonzo
Trailer: Link
Genre: Adventure + Drama + Mystery + Romance + Sci-Fi + Psychological + Survival + Time Travel
Number of episodes: 24
Number of seasons: 2
2.Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
ヨコハマ買い出し紀行 -
“I only had a small errand, but the weather wasn’t going to play along.”
Synopsis: Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou proves that not all post-apocalyptical anime needs to involve violence, cruelty, and deep psyche analysis. Although environmental disasters and climate change are slowly leading to the disappearance of humanity, here, the slow end of the world does not trigger howls or cries. Instead, humans peacefully witness their declining golden age, accepting their fate, having gone through far too much in the past to feel the need to act out. This is a quiet and melancholic short work set in a rural settlement, whose art and characters reverberate with bittersweet nostalgia. As the sea slowly overtakes their lands, people commit themselves to enjoy the rest of their counted days.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Ajia-Do
Trailer: Here.
Genre: Sci-Fi + Slice of Life
Number of episodes: 2
Number of seasons: 1
3.Dr.Stone
ドクターストーン
“If you’re serious, you can accomplish anything through diligent application of science”
Synopsis: As Taiju Ooki is about to confess his love, a strange light immerses the Earth in brightness, and humans and animals exposed to it become petrified, trapped in stone for thousands of years. With time, thick vegetation overtakes fallen cities, and new species emerge, filling the places of old ones. One day, he breaks free from the stone prison that preserved his body. As he explores his new surrounding, he meets his old friend Senkuu: a genius high schooler who has been developing a plan to reawaken civilization. This post-apocalyptical anime mixes action, adventure, and accurate scientific tips for survival, making Dr.Stone a sort of guide on how to survive in the wilderness - and yes, watching this made me realize that I would probably die after a couple of days.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: TMS Entertainment
Trailer: Here.
Genre: Adventure + Comedy + Sci-Fi + Survival + Time Travel
Number of episodes: 35 [Ongoing]
Number of seasons: 3 [Ongoing]
4.Japan Sinks: 2020
日本沈没 - NIPPON CHINBOTSU
“Only a thin line separates life from death”
Synopsis: This post-apocalyptic anime begins with a devastating earthquake that triggers the sinking of Japan and showcases the reverberating effects it has on a crumbling society. The story follows siblings Ayumu and Gou and their devoted parents as they try to pave their way to freedom and safety. The story is highly depressing, tragic, and cruel yet very much enjoyable.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Science SARU
Trailer: Link.
Genre: Drama + Sci-Fi
Number of episodes: 10
Number of seasons: 1
List containing this anime: Top 13 Mind-Bending Anime By Masaaki Yuasa
5.Knights of Sidonia
シドニアの騎士 - SIDONIA NO KISHI
“A mere two days without eating and you passed out. It must be tough not being able to photosynthesize.”
Synopsis: After barely escaping total annihilation from an alien invasion, humanity has taken refuge in deep space, constructing a home out of a giant spaceship: Sidonia. With limited resources, the population has focused on genetic manipulation, enabling its people to photosynthesize and create third sex and new types of fuel. Above all else, warfare is given the highest budget in technological and human development, as the Gauna - a regenerating alien species - is capable of striking at any time. This anime is full of ingenious world-building, adrenaline-pumping action, and an intriguing post-apocalyptical history.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Polygon Pictures
Trailer: Here.
Genre: Action + Sci-Fi + Mecha + Space
Number of episodes: 24
Number of seasons: 2
6.Girls’ Last Tour
少女終末旅行 - SHOUJO SHUUMATSU RYOKOU
“Memories just get in the way of living.”
Synopsis: Chito and Yuuri travel across a desolate city with no final destination in mind on a post-war torn planet. Pushed forward by the need to stay alive, the girls roam around haunting yet serene towns, looking for food and supplies. Despite the bleak world they live in, they find ways to entertain themselves, engaging in cheerful conversations and remarks on the crumbling cities they explore. Although lighthearted, their discussions sometimes merge into the philosophical, leading to questions concerning their place in this bleak sphere. Girl's last tour does not include much action or gory scenes that apocalypse stories are known for; it is mostly bittersweet and melancholic.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: White Fox
Trailer: Link
Genre: Adventure + Mystery + Sci-Fi + Slice of Life
Number of episodes: 12
Number of seasons: 1
7.Ergo Proxy
エルゴプラクシー
“From the perspective of others I am part of the world, but when I observe the world from my perspective I am nowhere to be found. To observe is to create perspective. I can never cease to be the point of origin from my perspective. I observe that which is not myself.”
Synopsis: Set in a post-apocalyptic world shrouded in mystery, Ergo Proxy takes place in a society where inhabitants are not fully aware of the kind of lives they lead. After an ecological catastrophe, the last remnants of humankind took refuge in a domed city, closed off from the rest of the inhabitable and destroyed world. To help them recover and build, they designed and created humanoid-like robots called 'AuoReivs.' But one day, a virus infiltrated itself into some of these machines and enabled them to gain self-awareness. The story follows Re-l Mayer as she investigates the strange phenomenon that seems to threaten the last foundations of her kind.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Manglobe
Trailer: Link.
Genre: Mystery + Sci-Fi + Psychology
Number of episodes: 23
Number of seasons: 1
List containing this anime: TOP DARK PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER ANIME THAT WILL HAVE YOUR SKIN CRAWLING -[I]-
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</script>8.Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
古見さんは、コミュ症です。- KOMI-SAN WA, COMYUSHOU DESU.
“What do I want to become? I don’t have a single clue about my future.”
Synopsis: Natural catastrophes are a familiar subject in apocalyptic anime, but what makes this one enthralling to watch is the realism it is infused with and the fact that it is told through the solitary eyes of a middle school girl. Forced to take her younger brother to a robot exhibition on the outskirts of Tokyo, Mirai Onozawa lets him wander alone in the complex as she looks at the Tokyo skyline and wonders about her feeling of discontent with life. A moment later, a devastating earthquake shakes the region: buildings collapse, windows explode, and undulating bridges start to burn.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Bones + Kinema Citrus
Trailer: Link.
Genre: Drama
Number of episodes: 11
Number of seasons: 1
9.Attack on Titan
進撃の巨人 - SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN
“People who can’t throw something important away, can never hope to change anything”
Synopsis: Over a century ago, humanity was devoured by giant beings of unknown intelligence and origins known as Titans. The remaining population has managed to survive the last hundred years only by building a multi-walled city capable of keeping the Titans at bay, training military recruits to patrol the perimeter, and gather intelligence about their mysterious foe. Eren and Mikasa have lived a relatively peaceful life behind the city's walls, but when a massive Titan appears, smashing the outer barrier and unleashing a wave of terror, their lives are brutally changed forever.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Wit Studio + MAPPA
Trailer: Here.
Genre: Action + Drama + Gore + Military + Survival
Number of episodes: 87 [Ongoing]
Number of seasons: 7 [Ongoing, season 3 is divided into 2 parts, season 4 (the final season) is divided into 3 parts]
Lists containing this anime: Top 26 Action Anime With Epic Fights + Top 23 Most Violent And Gory Manga Ever Created + 15 Anime To Watch Similar To Attack On Titan + Top 16 Most Violent, Bloody and Gory Anime + Top 28 Most Terrifying Horror Manga Ever Created
10.DESERT PUNK
砂ぼうず - Sunabouzu
“There are people who can’t become strong even if they want to be”
Synopsis: Nothing is left of post-apocalyptic Japan but a vast Desert, a wasteland marked here and there by edifices of long abandoned and rusted buildings. In this world, people adhere to the laws of violence, killing for a living, and surviving through sheer brute force. Desert Punk follows the story of a masked mercenary, Subanbouzou, and the eccentric and slightly deranged characters that inhabit his world. Be warned: this anime is filled with ecchi.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Gonzo
Trailer: Link.
Genre: Action + Adventure + Comedy + Sci-Fi + Ecchi
Number of episodes: 24
Number of seasons: 1
11.Highschool of the Dead
学園黙示録 - GAKUEN MOKUSHIROKU
“Humans don’t see what they don’t want to see. No one wants to be put down. That’s why people do nothing even when they do know something is happening.”
Synopsis: This story has you covered if you're looking for a zombie ecchi bloodfest full of guns and non-stopping adrenaline-pumping action. As flesh-eating monsters emerge and ravage the world, a handful of high school students witness their teachers and friends dying around them but manage to escape on board their school bus. The escapees, composed of a school nurse, a kendo professional, a wealthy genius, a firearm-loving otaku, and two seemingly ordinary students, must try to survive in a new world ruled by the undead.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Madhouse
Trailer: Link.
Genre: Action + Horror + Supernatural + Ecchi + Gore + Survival
Number of episodes: 12
Number of seasons: 1
12.Wolf's Rain
ウルフズレイン
“Everyone’s gonna die. It’s a natural part of life. But if life has no purpose, you’re dead already.”
Synopsis: Wolf's rain takes place on a slowly decaying Earth, closer to death than life. The world of this anime possesses a rich history and tremendously clever building that slowly gets unveiled as it is initially shrouded in mystery. Strange creatures long thought to be extinct still inhabit this world along with humans: they are wolves who have learned how to disguise themselves in human-like illusions. As civilization takes its last breaths, humans find themselves as corrupt and thirsty for power as they once were. However, one hope still shines: an ancient legend tells the tale of paradise, ab unknown luscious land that will serve as humanity's salvation. But the myth dictates that only wolves can find the way that leads to this promised land.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Bones
Trailer: Link
Genre: Action + Adventure + Drama + Fantasy + Mystery + Sci-Fi
Number of episodes: 30
Number of seasons: 2
13.Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
月刊少女野崎くん - GEKKAN SHŌJO NOZAKI-KUN
“My sister and I need each other. And more than anything, I need myself. That’s why I’m alive.”
Synopsis: After a cataclysmic event left humans taking refuge in the stars, a new threat arose in the form of a strange alien species intent on eradicating humankind. New and complex hierarchical and social systems stemmed from the constant need for soldiers, many of which not considered 'full-fledged' humans before they reached certain battle conditions and input hours. As 16-year-old lieutenant Ledo joins yet another battle, horror shortly ensues, and loss is guaranteed, but instead of getting transported back into a familiar region of space, he finds himself crash-landing in a water world. To his dismay, he soon finds out that this is the birth-world of humankind: a long-ago forgotten and forsaken Earth whose coordinates are unknown to his people.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Production I.G
Trailer: Link
Genre: Action + Adventure + Sci-Fi + Mecha
Number of episodes: 15
Number of seasons: 2
14.shinsekai yori
新世界より - FROM THE NEW WORLD
“We ultimately fear what spawns from within us.”
Synopsis: Shinsekai Yori is set in a paradise-like world where the young 12-year-old Saki Watanabe finally awakens to her psychic power. While happy to rejoin her friends to learn more about her abilities, Saki is still curious about the children who were unable to awaken to these powers and starts investigating the rumors about cats abducting them. As she looks into the mystery, she starts to uncover the truth about the society she lives in, which seems to be the last one on Earth.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: A-1 Pictures
Trailer: Link.
Genre: Drama + Horror + Mystery + Psychological + Sci-Fi + Supernatural
Number of episodes: 1
Number of seasons: 25
15.Black Bullet
ブラック・ブレット
“Humans tend to think logically, but their actions are driven by emotions”
Synopsis: In 2021, a parasitic virus, ‘Gastrea,’ starts infecting humans and turns them into monsters. As humanity succumbs to the disease, monolith walls are erected across cities to protect their inhabitants. Among the sick emerge infected children who remain human and gain special abilities. They get enlisted by civil security and assigned to partners who guide and use them. The plot of Black Bullet follows one such team: Enju Aihara and Satomi Rentaro, as they go on missions to fight and try to eliminate the evergrowing threat of monsters destroying what is left of Tokyo.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Kinema Citrus + Orange
Trailer: Link.
Genre: Action + Mystery + Sci-Fi
Number of episodes: 13
List containing this anime: 15 Anime To Watch Similar To Attack On Titan
16.Neon Genesis Evangelion
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン
“Whether I live or die makes no great difference. In truth, death may be the only absolute freedom there is”
Synopsis: Neon Genesis Evangelion is set in futuristic Tokyo, 15 years after a cataclysmic event known as 'the Second Impact' occurred. There, an organization called NERV has been formed to develop bio machines named 'Evangelion' and train their pilots to combat monstrous celestial beings known as 'Angels' who keep trying to destroy the capital. The plot centers around Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy recruited by this organization, and two other teenage girls. The main story explores pseudo-religious and philosophical concepts and dives deeply into the characters' psyche and the dark truth of the origin of 'Angels.'
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Gainax + Tatsunoko Productions
Trailer: Link.
Genre: Action + Sci-Fi + Psychological + Drama + Mecha + Military
Average episode length: 24m
Number of episodes: 26
Number of seasons: 1
Lists containing this anime: Top 26 Action Anime With Epic Fights + Top 15 Anime Movies To Watch During The Coronavirus Quarantine + Top 11 Anime You Should Watch At Some Point In Your Life
17.Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
甲鉄城のカバネリ - KOUTETSUJOU NO KABANERI
“We humans are miserable creatures. We reject what we fear. We attack because we don’ t understand. Human cowardice… breeds war.”
Synopsis: A mysterious virus suddenly infects the world, ripping through human beings and turning them into flesh-eating monstrosities. The infected's hearts are coated with steel, and the only way to kill them is by piercing through it. Civilization survives, taking refuge behind fortified walls whose only access is via heavily-armored trains. One day, monsters infiltrate one of these trains, which slams against the fortress's walls, penetrating the land and wreaking havoc.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Wit Studio
Trailer: Link.
Genre: Action + Drama + Fantasy + Horror + Supernatural
Number of episodes: 12
Number of seasons: 1
List containing this anime: 15 Anime To Watch Similar To Attack On Titan
18.Seraph of the end
終わりのセラフ - OWARI NO SERAPH
“I need power to get revenge. As long as it’s within my reach, I don’t care if it’s from a demon or a devil.”
Synopsis: One day, a mysterious virus appears and kills an enormous portion of the human population, enabling vampires to emerge from the shadows and subjugate society to their will. In exchange for protection, they treat the remaining survivors as blood banks. Yuuichirou and Mikaela Hyakuya are two young boys treated like livestock under the vampire's reign who still dream about freedom.
Studio + Other Works by Studio: Wit Studio
Trailer: Link.
Genre: Action + Drama + Supernatural + Military + Vampire
Number of episodes: 24
Number of seasons: 2
List containing this anime: 15 Anime To Watch Similar To Attack On Titan
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