Anime like Zegapain

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

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

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

Sousei no Aquarion

Also known as Aquarion.

Studio: Satelight , Touhouku Shinsha , Funimation , Media Factory , Ashi Productions , Bandai , Tohokushinsha Film Corporation
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Mecha , Romance , Sci-Fi , Supernatural

When the Shadow Angels invade after 12,000 years of slumber, humanity is held captive by fear and sheer alien dominance. Eleven years after the Great Catastrophe decimated the world, most of those left alive are scavengers, dirty and starving in the streets. There is hope, however: Mechanical Angel Aquarion!

Powered by three souls intertwined, a rare breed of pilot takes the controls. Known as Elements, one among them must rise if mankind is to survive. Prophecy is being fulfilled as the end of the world approaches... Through a swirling cloud of love, betrayal, loss and destiny, the last hope for the new century arrives and takes flight!



Tags: Super Robot , Super Power , Dissociative Identities , Reincarnation , Kaiju , Heterosexual , Bisexual , Orphan , War , Post-Apocalyptic , Aliens , Dystopian , Aviation , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Nudity , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Unrequited Love , Lost Civilization , Alternate Universe , CGI , Vampire , Boys' Love , Shounen

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 , Conspiracy

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

Rinne no Lagrange

Also known as Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne.

Studio: Production I.G , Bandai Visual , Xebec , Yomiuri TV , Viz Media , flying DOG , Dwango
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Mecha

Madoka Kyouno is an energetic girl who is full of passion. As the proud, and only, member of the Kamogawa Girls' High School Jersey Club, she goes around helping people in need.

Madoka's life is turned upside down when she is suddenly asked by a mysterious girl named Lan to pilot a robot. Motivated by her desire to protect the people and city of Kamogawa, Madoka agrees to pilot the resurrected Vox robot to fight against extraterrestrials that have come to attack Earth.



Tags: Primarily Female Cast , Aliens , School Club , Female Protagonist , Real Robot , CGI , Kuudere , Time Skip , Crossdressing

Betterman

Studio: Sunrise , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Drama , Horror , Mecha , Mystery , Sci-Fi

A deadly virus known as "Algernon" has attacked humanity with vicious meaning. At the forefront of the battle is the mystifying Akamatsu Industries - disguised as a heavy machine factory in Tokyo, this undercover organization uses neural enhanced weapons known as NeuroNoids to battle Algernon. Also helping with their secret efforts is the mysterious mutant who is only known as "Betterman".



Tags: Kaiju , Real Robot , Henshin , Cosmic Horror , Male Protagonist

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 , Tragedy , Robots , Heterosexual , Conspiracy , Found Family , Psychosexual , Femdom , Kaiju , Monster Girl , Lost Civilization , Memory Manipulation , Aliens , Politics , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , 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

Densetsu Kyojin Ideon

Also known as Space Runaway Ideon.

Studio: Sunrise , Aniplex , TV Tokyo , Tokyu Agency
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Mecha , Sci-Fi

From the continuing reclamation of the ruins of the planet Solo, mysterious mechas are excavated. But suddenly, an alien called Buff Clan attacks seeking the limitless energy “Ide.” The earthlings are backed into a corner, when the three mechas piloted by the earth boy Yuki Cosmo and others fuse together. Becoming the giant robot Ideon, they use their incredible power to fight back against Buff Clan.



Tags: Space Opera , War , Cosmic Horror , Military , Fugitive , Ensemble Cast , Super Robot , Aliens , Tragedy , Travel , Space , Lost Civilization , Guns , Real Robot , Heterosexual , Samurai , Nudity