10 Anime to Watch If You Love Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell is a famous sci-fi anime. It talks about identity, technology, and what it means to be human. If you like its futuristic setting, well-thought-out story, or serious tone, there are other shows like it.

Some focus on cyberpunk. Others explore the mind or tackle profound questions. No matter what you liked most about this anime, this list has ten other shows that will keep you thinking after each episode.

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Anime like Ghost in the Shell

1. Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop is about bounty hunters traveling through space in an old ship called the Bebop. It's 2071, and crime still exists. Spike and Jet chase criminals in space to earn money. They’re joined by Faye, Edward, and a smart dog named Ein. Each has a hard past. But when an enemy from Spike’s dark past resurfaces, Spike has to choose between his new friends and settling an old score.

Cowboy Bebop is very interesting and has a different storyline every episode. Both focus on loss, identity, and right and wrong. If you admired the emotional heaviness and the pacing of Ghost in the Shell, then Cowboy Bebop is for you.

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2. Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain tells the story of Lain Iwakura. Lain is a shy 14-year-old girl who gets a strange email from a classmate who has just died. When she opens it, she enters the Wired, a world like the internet. Her life gets strange fast. Weird men follow her, and reality starts to change. Lain faces big questions about herself and what is real.

Like Ghost in the Shell, this anime looks at identity, the mind, and technology. It makes you think about what it might be like as a human in a digitized world. If you loved the deep thought of Ghost in the Shell, you will love Serial Experiments Lain.

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3. Psycho-Pass

Psycho-Pass is set in a future where people’s mental states are scanned to prevent crime. In the future, Japan uses the Sibyl System to judge people by their thoughts. If someone seems dangerous, they’re hunted down. Inspectors enforce the law, helped by Enforcers (former Inspectors now seen as criminals). Akane, a new Inspector, wants to do what’s right. But after working with Kougami, she wonders if the system is truly fair.

The show is similar to Ghost in the Shell. Especially how it shows technology’s role in society. The two anime have tough heroines and hard questions about justice and control, and freedom. If you enjoyed the way Ghost in the Shell balanced action and emotion, Psycho-Pass is an excellent choice.

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4. Ergo Proxy

Ergo Proxy takes place in the city of Romdo, one of Earth’s last safe places, where people rely on robot helpers called AutoReivs. But a strange virus is making these robots self-aware. Re-l, the ruler’s granddaughter, is sent to investigate. She joins others like Vincent and a child robot named Pino. Along the way, they find out Romdo’s darkest secrets and learn the truth about the Proxies.

Like Ghost in the Shell, it’s a psychological show. It talks about what it means to be human. It also mixes science fiction with deep ideas. It is an anime that poses some rather uncomfortable questions about identity, memory, and control. Ghost in the Shell fans will be served well by the dark, glacially paced Ergo Proxy and its world-building.

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5. Neon Genesis Evangelion

In Neon Genesis Evangelion, teens pilot giant robots to fight strange creatures called Angels. Only NERV, a group that controls the Evangelions, can stop them. His father insists that Shinji control one of the robots, although he is only 14. While fighting Angels, he fights his fear and physical pain while dealing with the truth of his father's plans and the burden placed on him.

If you liked Ghost in the Shell for its deep, emotional side, Evangelion takes it even further. It’s not just about cool fights. It looks at trauma, identity, and what it means to be human. If you want something deep and thought-provoking, give it a try.

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6. Legend of the Galactic Heroes

Legend of the Galactic Heroes tells the story of two great military minds. After 150 years of war, two space powers face change when new leaders rise: Reinhard, a brilliant Empire commander, and Yang, a quiet historian from the Free Planets Alliance. Reinhard wants to unite humanity, while Yang fights to protect democracy. As the war comes to an end, both must grapple with existential questions about power, freedom, and the actual price of the fight.

It doesn’t have the cyberpunk worldbuilding of Ghost in the Shell. But both shows treat their audience like they’re smart. They take on complicated ideas without dumbing them down. This anime will feel just as satisfying if you enjoyed the political and moral questions raised in Ghost in the Shell.

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7. Akira

A psychic boy causes a massive explosion in Tokyo in 1988 that starts the Third World War. He is taken prisoner, never to be heard from again. Neo-Tokyo had formed by 2019, teeming with crime and strife. A teen biker with a secret that may have cosmic implications gains strange powers after a metaphorical crash, and the government rushes to stop him before he wrecks the world again.

Fans of Ghost in the Shell will find a lot to like in Akira’s cyberpunk world. Both anime show how power can corrupt and how systems try to control individuals. They also share a dark tone and striking visuals. If you liked the tale of Major Motoko, Akira is a must-watch.

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8. Appleseed

After World War III, the city of Olympus was built as a perfect place run by a supercomputer and Bioroids (humans made to keep things in order). But even in this peaceful city, crime is rising. Deunan and her partner, Briareos, work with a special SWAT team that fights to defend Olympus from threats of terrorist attacks.

This anime is by the same author as Ghost in the Shell and has a lot of similar concepts. Both of them examine the tension between humans and machines. It also explains how technology transforms freedom and identity. Are the world-building and ethical quandaries of Ghost in the Shell up your alley? Then you should get a kick out of Appleseed.

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9. Bubblegum Crisis

Seven years after a devastating earthquake, Tokyo has been rebuilt into "MegaTokyo." An advanced robotic workforce called "Boomers" is used to carry out the restoration. Now these machines have now been turned into deadly weapons by a company called Genom. The AD Police can’t stop the threat. The Knight Sabers, four women wearing high-tech suits, come to the city’s rescue.

Much like Ghost in the Shell, this anime paints a future in which tech is the power and humans and machines mingle. It speeds up a bit, but even the ideas are the same. If you liked the world of Ghost in the Shell and the dystopian feel of the environment, you’ll love Bubblegum Crisis.

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10. Steins;Gate

Steins;Gate is the one about a group of friends who accidentally figure out time travel with a funky microwave. Rintarou Okabe is a silly scientist who operates a small lab with his friends. Once they crack the code for texting people in the past, all hell breaks loose. A cult is after them, and Okabe must put everything right to rescue his buddies.

It’s not cyberpunk like Ghost in the Shell. But this anime shows how science can change people’s lives in a scary way. If you liked the mix of sci-fi and emotion in Ghost in the Shell, you’ll be sold on Steins;Gate.

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Conclusion

There’s something to love in each of the anime on this list. They each deal with the dark, philosophical themes that have made Ghost in the Shell stand out. If you like grim stories or complicated characters, there’s something here for you.

These ten shows are not copies of Ghost in the Shell. They take similar ideas in new directions. If you're ready for another deep dive into science fiction and human nature, these anime are a perfect place to start.