Anime like Sousei no Aquarion

RahXephon

Also known as RahXephon.

Studio: bones , ADV Films , Asatsu DK , Madman Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mecha , Music , Mystery , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi

In the year 2012 Japan was invaded by the Mu. Human-like beings from another dimension with blue blood.

In the year 2015 Tokyo is attacked by invaders, who are repelled by a humanoid weapon called a Dolem. During the chaos, Ayato Kamina meets Reika Mishima, a classmate.

During that same day, he is attacked by government officials but a woman named Haruka comes to his rescue, informing him that she was sent to get him by the Organization TERRA, and that Tokyo had been sealed in a time rift where time flows one third as fast as the outside world.

He flees from Haruka onto a train where he sees Reika once more. Arriving at the Room of Rah, he follows her to a tremendous egg where the Dolem RahXephon is hatched from, and upon her singing his mother appears atop the Dolem that had stopped the TERRA Invasion. In the battle Ayato's mother is injured, and Ayato flees Tokyo Jupiter with Haruka upon seeing his mother's blue blood.

Tags: Coming of Age , Memory Manipulation , Mythology , Philosophy , Time Manipulation , Post-Apocalyptic , Military , War , Super Robot , Female Protagonist , Aliens , Amnesia , Primarily Female Cast , Male Protagonist , Age Gap

Shin Seiki Evangelion

Also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Studio: Gainax , TV Tokyo , ADV Films , Kadokawa Shoten , NAS , Tatsunoko Production , GKids , Madman Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Mystery , Psychological , Sci-Fi

In the year 2015, the Angels, huge, tremendously powerful, alien war machines, appear in Tokyo for the second time. The only hope for Mankind's survival lies in the Evangelion, a humanoid fighting machine developed by NERV, a special United Nations agency. Capable of withstanding anything the Angels can dish out, the Evangelion's one drawback lies in the limited number of people able to pilot them. Only a handful of teenagers, all born fourteen years ago, nine months after the Angels first appeared, are able to interface with the Evangelion. One such teenager is Shinji Ikari, whose father heads the NERV team that developed and maintains the Evangelion. Thrust into a maelstrom of battle and events that he does not understand, Shinji is forced to plumb the depths of his own inner resources for the courage and strength to not only fight, but to survive, or risk losing everything.



Note: Later releases include edited versions of Episodes 21-24 called the "Director's Cut" with some visual editing and adding extra scenes that appeared in the theatrical recap 'Death'.

Tags: Philosophy , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Psychosexual , Super Robot , Denpa , Dystopian , Post-Apocalyptic , Angels , Suicide , Kaiju , Conspiracy , Primarily Teen Cast , Male Protagonist , Aliens , Cosmic Horror , Body Horror , Mythology , Religion , Military , Clone , Kuudere , Tsundere , Tokusatsu , Politics , Bisexual , Gore , Trains , Espionage , Nudity , LGBTQ+ Themes , Boys' Love , Episodic

Zegapain

Also known as Zegapain.

Studio: Sunrise , TV Tokyo , Dentsu , Bandai Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Mecha , Romance , Sci-Fi

Kyo, an avid swimmer tries his best to keep the high school swimming club going, which is pretty hard when he's the only member. Facing the prospect of the club being closed by the student council, he tries to enlist beautiful Misaki to act in a promo video, shot by his good friend Ryoko, in a bid to start a recruitment drive. She agrees but only if he pilots a mecha under the wing of Celebrum, a resistance organisation fighting to destroy Deutera Areas formed on Earth by the aliens Gards-orm. He agrees but finds it all strangely familiar as if he's done it before...



Tags: Isekai , Artificial Intelligence , Post-Apocalyptic , Time Manipulation , Dystopian , Virtual World , Real Robot , Super Robot , Swimming , CGI , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Aliens , Reincarnation , LGBTQ+ Themes

Heroic Age

Also known as Heroic Age.

Studio: Xebec , Starchild Records , Funimation
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Mecha , Sci-Fi

When the Golden Race invited other races to join them in the stars, three sentient races answered their call. The Goldens called them the Bronze, Silver and Heroic Tribes. Just before the Gold Tribe left to travel to another Universe, a fourth race appeared, traveling to the stars on their own accomplishments. The Golds named the human race the Iron Tribe. During the passing of time, humanity suffers at the hands of the more dominant races and is now facing extinction. Following a prophecy left by the Gold Tribe, Princess Deianeira sets out to search for the powerful being who might be able to save humankind. She meets a wild haired boy on an abandoned planet - a fateful encounter that will not only change the fortunes of Humanity, but also the fate of the universe.



Tags: Military , Aliens , Space , Super Robot , Time Manipulation , Space Opera , Male Protagonist

Koukyoushihen Eureka Seven

Also known as Eureka Seven.

Studio: bones , Mainichi Broadcasting System , Ashi Productions , Bandai Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Mecha , Romance , Sci-Fi

Renton is a teenager trapped working as a mechanic in a backwater town. He dreams of joining up with a daredevil group of pilots known as Gekkostate and following in his father's heroic footsteps.

When a mysterious beauty named Eureka shows up asking for a tune-up, Renton soon finds himself drawn into a high-flying mecha dogfight that makes him a target of the military. When the dust settles on the spectacular battle, Renton is invited to join Gekkostate, but he soon discovers that even a dream come true has a dark side.



Tags: Environmental , Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Politics , Super Robot , Philosophy , Surfing , Found Family , Tragedy , Real Robot , War , Military , Ensemble Cast , Terrorism , Kuudere , Aviation , Anti-Hero , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Aliens , Guns , Bullying , Clone , Ships , Tanned Skin , Unrequited Love , Parenthood , Football , Nudity , Episodic , Suicide

Kannazuki no Miko

Also known as Destiny of the Shrine Maiden.

Studio: Studio Fantasia , NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan , Remic , Front Line , TNK , Kodansha , Rondo Robe , Sentai Filmworks , Memory-Tech , Toshiba Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mecha , Romance

The highborn Himemiya Chikane is cool and aloof, the perfect young lady of good breeding. Kurusegawa Himeko is devoted to her, and secretly her friend. Their lives are undisturbed in their school, until an ancient evil suddenly rears its head. To combat it, Chikane and Himeko must take on the roles of shrine maidens of the Moon and Sun.

Tags: Yuri , Super Robot , Shrine Maiden , Love Triangle , Magic , Mythology , Gods , Female Protagonist , Yandere , LGBTQ+ Themes , Shounen , Primarily Female Cast , Alternate Universe , Swordplay , Nudity , Nun , Bisexual

Argento Soma

Studio: Sunrise , Victor Entertainment , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi

In the year 2059, the earth has been plagued by aliens for several years. In an effort to learn more about these aliens, Dr. Noguchi and his assistants Maki Agata and Takuto Kenishiro try to revive the professor's experiment, a large Bio-Mechanical alien named Frank. During this process the alien comes to 'life' and the lab is subsequently destroyed leaving Takuto the only survivor and the alien disappearing into the wilderness. While Frank roams the wilderness he meets Hattie, an emotionally distressed young girl whose parents are killed in the first 'close encounter' war. Oddly enough she is able to communicate with Frank and soon after they are taken into custody by a secret agency known only as 'Funeral'. Meanwhile, Takuto wakes up in a hospital bed with his life in shambles, and his face disfigured. Motivated by vengeance and heart break, Takuto accepts an offer from the mysterious 'Mr. X' and receives a new identity as a ranking Funeral officer named Ryu Soma.



Tags: Military , Aliens , Revenge , Aviation , Robots , Foreign , Philosophy , Time Skip , Real Robot

Darling in the Franxx

Also known as DARLING in the FRANXX.

Studio: Trigger , Aniplex , CloverWorks , A-1 Pictures , Movic , Ultra Super Pictures , Crunchyroll , Funimation
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Romance , Sci-Fi

The distant future: Humanity established the mobile fort city, Plantation, upon the ruined wasteland. Within the city were pilot quarters, Mistilteinn, otherwise known as the “Birdcage.” That is where the children live... Their only mission in life was the fight. Their enemies are the mysterious giant organisms known as Kyoryu. The children operate robots known as FRANXX in order to face these still unseen enemies. Among them was a boy who was once called a child prodigy: Code number 016, Hiro. One day, a mysterious girl called Zero Two appears in front of Hiro. “I’ve found you, my Darling.”



Tags: Orphan , Super Robot , Post-Apocalyptic , Dystopian , Coming of Age , Primarily Teen Cast , Robots , Tragedy , Heterosexual , Conspiracy , Found Family , Psychosexual , Femdom , Kaiju , Monster Girl , Lost Civilization , Memory Manipulation , Aliens , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Politics , Demons , Environmental , Love Triangle , Military , Clone , Monster Boy , Travel , Family Life , Virginity , Unrequited Love , Space , Nudity , Body Horror , Netorare , Survival , Yandere , Time Skip , Marriage , Tsundere , Drawing , Medicine , Reincarnation , Aviation , Agriculture , Fishing , Gore , Pandemic

Bokurano

Also known as Bokurano.

Studio: GONZO , diomedéa
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mecha , Psychological , Sci-Fi

During a summer camp, 15 children, 8 males and 7 females, find a grotto by the sea. Deep within they discover working computers and some electronic equipment, and later the owner, a man called Kokopelli. Kokopelli claimed to be a programmer working on a brand new game, in which a large robot has to defend the Earth against alien invasions. He persuades the children to test the game and sign a contract. All but one of them signs, barely a moment later they mysteriously awaken on the shore believing what happened was just a dream.



Tags: Tragedy , Ensemble Cast , Super Robot , Alternate Universe , Philosophy , Denpa , Military , Death Game , Aliens , Politics , Seinen , Yakuza , Heterosexual , Age Gap , Tomboy , Nudity , Love Triangle

Soukyuu no Fafner

Also known as Fafner.

Studio: Xebec , NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan , Funimation , TV Tokyo Music
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi

Tatsumiyajima is the central island in the middle of a small cluster of islands, in a sleepy backwater of the Japanese isles. Not much happens there, and the island's young people go to school knowing that their lives are likely to remain peaceful and undisturbed. Or so they have been taught... but the truth is different. The fate of mankind is on the line, and Tatsumiyajima is the last line of defense against a hostile and incomprehensible enemy. At the center of it all, fighting for Humanity's continued existence, is the giant robot Fafner, the dragon that guards this final treasure of mankind.



Note: The last episode aired with a runtime of ~48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode. In the DVD release and subsequent home video releases of the series, the final episode was split into two separate ~24 minute long episodes.

Tags: Philosophy , Ensemble Cast , Post-Apocalyptic , Real Robot , Tragedy , Aliens , War , Male Protagonist , Robots , Cosmic Horror , Military , Kuudere , Dystopian