Anime like Appleseed

GHOST IN THE SHELL: Koukaku Kidoutai

Also known as Ghost in the Shell.

Studio: Production I.G , Bandai Visual , Kodansha , Manga Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Psychological , Sci-Fi

2029: A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of “The Puppet Master,” a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together with her fellow agents from Section 9, Kusanagi embarks on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity.



Tags: Cyberpunk , Artificial Intelligence , Philosophy , Urban , Robots , Cyborg , Police , Primarily Male Cast , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Seinen , Noir , Dystopian , Crime , Guns , Espionage , Nudity , Gore , CGI

GUNNM

Also known as Battle Angel Alita.

Studio: MADHOUSE , Animate , Movic , KSS
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Sci-Fi

Doc Ido, a doctor and mechanic who lives and works in the hellish, postapocalyptic "Scrapyard", finds the—miraculously preserved—remains of a female cyborg in a junk heap. After he revives and rebuilds her, the preternaturally strong, amnesiac "Gally" begins to forge a life for herself in a world where every day can bring a fight for life. Adapts the first two volumes of the "Battle Angel Alita" manga.

Tags: Cyberpunk , Dystopian , Cyborg , Tragedy , Robots , Urban , Gore , Post-Apocalyptic , Amnesia , Female Protagonist , Guns , Fugitive , Body Horror , Nudity , Crime , Shounen

Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor

Also known as Mobile Police Patlabor.

Studio: Studio DEEN , Touhouku Shinsha , Maiden Japan
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In the future, rapidly advancing technology gives birth to giant robots known as "Labors," so named for their usefulness in heavy industry. However, this also gives rise to "Labor crimes," resulting the need for a new branch of law enforcement equipped with and dedicated to the policing of Labors. When Izumi Noa, a female police officer, becomes the newest recruit of Special Vehicles Division 2, she and her top of the line "Patrol Labor" (or "Patlabor") Alphonse are swept into a series of adventures featuring crazed construction workers, eco-terrorists, and sea monsters.



Tags: Police , Episodic , Real Robot , Primarily Adult Cast , Work , Terrorism , Ensemble Cast , Conspiracy , Kaiju , Satire , Female Protagonist , Shounen

Tokusou Sensha-tai Dominion

Also known as New Dominion Tank Police.

Studio: J.C. Staff , Maiden Japan , Selecta Visión , Bandai Visual
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In the follow up to Shirows classic anime, Al, Leona and their trusty steed, Bonaparte, continue to fight crime in New Port City, alongside the rest of the Tank Police. But a new threat appears in the form of a series of terrorist attacks, using the latest weapons technology. The Tank Police are out-numbered and out-gunned, but Al and Leona set out to discover who or what is behind these attacks. With massive explosions and high-speed chases, Leona often causes more damage than the criminals she pursues.



Tags: Police , Cyberpunk , Dystopian , Guns , Terrorism , Urban , Tanks , Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Crime , Motorcycles , Nekomimi , Shounen , Politics

AD Police

Also known as A.D. Police Files.

Studio: AIC , Artmic , Youmex , AnimEigo , Manga Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Horror , Mecha , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi , Thriller

The year is 2027 in MegaTokyo, six years before the Knight Sabers will make their debut. Boomers (artificial humans) are still a relatively new advancement, and the implementation and integration of boomers into society is still a bit buggy -- sometimes fatally so. Whenever a boomer incident occurs, though, there is the Advanced Police, a special force trained to deal with boomer crimes.

Leon McNichol is a rookie in the AD Police, and is just starting to become exposed to the horrors and tragedies one finds every day in MegaTokyo. He and his veteran partner, Gina Marceau, slowly learn about the ever-fading line that separates man from machine.

Tags: Cyberpunk , Police , Robots , Urban , Dystopian , Gore , Military , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Cyborg , Drugs , Guns , Body Horror , Nudity

Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor 2: the Movie

Also known as Mobile Police Patlabor 2: The Movie.

Studio: Production I.G , Bandai Visual , VAP , Touhouku Shinsha , Shouchiku , Ashi Productions , Maiden Japan
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mecha , Mystery , Sci-Fi

The date is 2002, three years after the events of PATLABOR 1 – Mobile Police. The destruction of a United Nations Labor team in South East Asia begins the build-up to a deadly terrorist plan that threatens to send shockwaves throughout Japan's military. With evidence of an impending military takeover, the scattered members of the original SVD (Special Vehicle Division) must gather to defend the city against danger. To make matters worse, the mastermind behind the operation is none other than Nagumo's former teacher and ex-lover Tsuge.



Tags: Terrorism , Noir , Conspiracy , Police , Philosophy , Military , Politics , Urban , Primarily Adult Cast , Real Robot , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist

Dallos

Also known as Dallos.

Studio: Studio Pierrot , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi

At the end of the 21st century, Earth had to confront the problem of population increases combined with shortages in resources. Development of the Moon was seen as the way to solve the situation. The Moon's mineral resources reinvigorated the Earth and brought prosperity. However, the achievement of that vision proved painful for those who'd left their home world to settle on the Moon.

One of Man's greatest dreams has become a nightmare for those who have been forced to live it out. Shun Nonomura doesn't realize it, but he's about to discover a weapon - one that can overthrow the oppressive Monopolice and bring freedom to the lunar colonists. The growing resistance movement is quick to adopt it, along with its creator, into their ranks as they rally around the mysterious alien monument known as Dallos...

Dallos was made in 1983 by Studio Pierrot, becoming world's first OVA series. It was also the directorial debut of Mamoru Oshii, who would later go on to direct such films as Angel's Egg, the first two Urusei Yatsura movies, and Ghost in the Shell.



Tags: Real Robot , Space , Ensemble Cast , Dystopian , War , Guns , Politics , Male Protagonist , Terrorism , Love Triangle , Heterosexual

Armitage III

Also known as Armitage III.

Studio: AIC , Pioneer LDC
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Mecha , Romance , Sci-Fi

The year is 2046. Detective Ross Sylibus is transferred to Mars when a country singer on his flight is murdered. Making matters more complicated is that the singer is a "Third"—a robot that looks and feels like a human. Sylibus is partnered with Armitage—a beautiful female cop with a bad attitude. As they investigate the murder of the singer and other women on Mars, they uncover a conspiracy that can have them both killed by the Martian government.



Tags: Cyberpunk , Detective , Artificial Intelligence , Robots , Crime , Cyborg , Police , Conspiracy , Space , Real Robot , Terrorism , Philosophy , Fugitive , Survival , Female Protagonist , Urban , Politics , Guns , Primarily Adult Cast , Nudity , Tanned Skin , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual

Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor ON TELEVISION

Also known as Patlabor the Mobile Police.

Studio: Touhouku Shinsha , Maiden Japan , Sunrise
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In the future, advanced robotics has created heavy robots ("labors") for use in a variety of functions: construction, fire-fighting, military, and more. However, though the robots are only machines, their operators are also only human - and humans sometimes turn to crime. Since a heavy labor unit can be a dangerous weapon, the police of the future are set to fight fire with fire, using advanced patrol labor units, "patlabors". This is the story of the Second Special Vehicles Division, a motley crew of patlabor policemen and -women doing their best to fight crime and live a normal life.



Tags: Police , Work , Episodic , Female Protagonist , Crime , Real Robot , Primarily Adult Cast , Ensemble Cast

Bubblegum Crisis

Also known as Bubblegum Crisis.

Studio: AIC , Artmic , Youmex , AnimEigo
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In the near future, Tokyo was left flattened as a result from a great earthquake. A new city, MegaTokyo, was then recreated due in no small part from the aid of a multi-million dollar company, Genom Corp. Genom created and mass-produced biomechanical creatures called Boomers to aid in the restoration of MegaTokyo. When the Boomers began to run out of control, the ADPolice at first tried to stop them, but they proved to be far more difficult to deal with than was first imagined. Under the ever looming Boomer threat, a group of four girls from varying degrees of society banded together. Calling themselves The Knight Sabers, they were the only ones with enough firepower and resourcefulness to defend the fledgling MegaTokyo from Genom and it's berserk Boomers.



Tags: Cyberpunk , Robots , Police , Female Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Tokusatsu , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Adult Cast , Motorcycles , Episodic , Tragedy , Tanned Skin , Guns , Revenge , Idol , Orphan , Cars , Nudity , Gore , Band , Super Power , Unrequited Love , LGBTQ+ Themes