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Neon Genesis Evangelion is a deep anime that mixes robot fights with strong feelings and big ideas. Many fans love it for its story, characters, and dark tone. But once you finish it, you might want more anime like it. Luckily, other anime hit similar notes.
Some focus on sci-fi, some on the human mind, and others on the end of the world. Here are ten anime to watch if Neon Genesis Evangelion left a mark on you.
Similar anime to Neon Genesis Evangelion
1. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
The story is about Major Motoko Kusanagi, an officer living in a future where people’s minds can connect with machines. This gives them more power and hacking abilities and creates new types of crime. To fight this, Japan creates Section 9, a special police group led by Aramaki and Kusanagi. Their mettle is tested when a powerful hacker called “The Laughing Man” disrupts the status quo.
Like Neon Genesis Evangelion, this show shows what it means to be human. It asks deep questions about life and the mind. Both shows take their time and let you think about the story. The tone is serious, and the pacing often lets you sit with big ideas.
2. Serial Experiments Lain
Serial Experiments Lain is a science fiction anime about where real life and the internet start to mix. It follows Lain, a quiet 14-year-old, who receives a weird email from a classmate who has already passed away. Opening it pulls her into the Wired, a virtual world like the internet. As reality and the Wired mix, Lain meets strange people and uncovers deep secrets. She must face big questions about who she is and what’s real.
If you liked the mind-bending side of Neon Genesis Evangelion, this anime should be your next stop. Both shows sink deep into the human mind and portray how it might snap under pressure. Like Shinji, though, Serial Experiments Lain grapples with her own identity. The two anime illustrate how difficult it is to truly connect with others.
3. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
On the surface, Gurren Lagann seems to be a lot of wild, over-the-top shonen fun. And it is. It is about two guys, Simon and Kamina, who struggle to break free of an underground world to battle the universe. They live in an underground village with no knowledge of the world above them. They find a mech called Lagann and fight with the aid of Yoko, a gun-toting surface dweller. They journey to the surface to battle Beastmen in giant robots.
The same studio produced Gurren Lagann and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Both are about what it takes to make your way in the world. And if Evangelion is darker, they’re both constructed around finding your way to who you’re supposed to be, no matter how excruciating that process may be.
4. Ergo Proxy
Ergo Proxy is set in a bleak, futuristic world where humans live in domed cities ruled by strict systems. In the city of Romdo, humans live safely under a dome after Earth was ruined. Robots called AutoReivs help people, but some gain self-awareness through a virus. Re-l Mayer investigates this with her robot partner Iggy. She soon uncovers dark secrets. Together with Vincent, Pino, and others, she seeks to uncover the truth of their world and the entities known as Proxies.
If you were hooked by the slow timing and gloomy climate of Neon Genesis Evangelion, you will find Ergo Proxy right up your alley. Both shows deploy science fiction as a vehicle to plumb deep emotional pain. Re-l and the other characters try to understand themselves, just like Shinji. And both series are full of moments that make you stop and think.
5. Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop is about a group of bounty hunters cruising space in their ship, the Bebop. By 2071, humanity has populated the solar system, and crime still exists. Spike and Jet are bounty hunters chasing criminals to earn a living. They’re later joined by Faye, Ed, and a smart dog named Ein. As bonds are forged, Spike’s dark past comes back to haunt him. He must choose between the crew and revenge.
Cowboy Bebop doesn’t have giant robots (like Neon Genesis Evangelion), but it is extremely emotional. Both series are driven by characters adrift. Spike is running from his past much like Shinji. And while the plots are distinct, both series employ the quiet, intimate moment of despair to convey how difficult it is to keep moving.
6. Akira
Akira is a landmark anime film set in a future Tokyo destroyed by war and chaos. It’s 2019, Neo-Tokyo has arisen, and it is teeming with gangs and violence. Kaneda leads a biker gang. His friend Tetsuo gets strange powers after an accident. Now, the military is afraid that Tetsuo may also become a problem. It’s a movie that was made decades ago but still looks awesome.
If what you adored most about Neon Genesis Evangelion was the power and emotional aspect, then Akira is for you. Both are tales of shattered young people bargaining with powers beyond their control. In the same way Evangelion does, Akira mixes action with deeper questions on the future and what’s rattling around in the human mind. It is a painful watch, but a punchy one too.
7. FLCL
FLCL is a short and chaotic anime that follows Naota. Naota is a quiet sixth grader who leads a boring life. When Haruko, a girl on a scooter, speeds by and collides with him, things start to get strange. After that, weird things start happening — like a horn growing from his head. Naota is soon pulled into a crazy fight that spans the universe. It’s confusing but also full of heart.
FLCL is way goofier and weirder than Neon Genesis Evangelion, but the two have the same creator and many similar themes. They both concern young people searching for meaning and a place in the world. Like Shinji, Naota is bewildered, angry, and uncertain. FLCL just chooses to show that through chaos instead of sadness.
8. Gunbuster
Gunbuster is a classic mecha anime from the same studio behind Neon Genesis Evangelion. Soon, humans find alien bugs called Space Monsters who want to destroy Earth. To fight back, young pilots are trained to use giant robots. Noriko, the daughter of a lost space captain, joins despite lacking skill. She’s paired with top student Kazumi. Together, they battle through war, fear, and their demons to save humanity.
If you like Neon Genesis Evangelion, you’ll spot many ideas that grow in Gunbuster later. They both have young robot pilots and deal with sad feelings. Noriko is scared and unsure, just like Shinji. If you want another emotional robot story, this is a great pick. The concoction of sci-fi with personal struggle is awfully familiar.
9. RahXephon
Ayato Kamina’s life changes when a strange event separates him from the girl he likes. One day, he meets a woman named Haruka. She tells him that they’ve been living in a fake city called Tokyo Jupiter, created by aliens known as the Mulians. After that, Ayato follows a mysterious girl and discovers a giant egg. The egg hatches into a powerful robot called RahXephon. Now, Ayato has to fight in a war, find out the truth, and learn who he really is.
RahXephon and Neon Genesis Evangelion are similar in a couple of ways. The two anime have interesting storylines, strong emotional parts, and weird scenes. Ayato is a lot like Shinji. They both get pulled into war without knowing why. If you liked Neon Genesis Evangelion, try RahXephon.
10. Perfect Blue
Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller about a pop idol named Mima. Mima leaves her J-pop group CHAM! to become an actress, hoping fans will still support her. But things get dark fast. Her new role is tough, her manager is stressed, and a creepy fan starts stalking her. A strange website copies her life, and CHAM! does better without her. Reality slips away from Mima in slow drops as her world disintegrates.
The movie is positively severe, sinister, and filled with mind games. It’s brief, but it lingers. If you were into Neon Genesis Evangelion’s mind breakdowns and swirling boundaries of what is and isn’t real, Perfect Blue goes much further. Both demonstrate how trauma can wrench your identity out of shape. Mima, like Shinji, starts to fall apart under pressure. The film doesn’t have mechas, but it has the same focus on a fragile mind in crisis.
Conclusion
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Neon Genesis Evangelion is a rare mix of action, emotion, and thought. It changed what anime could be. However, the adventure can continue beyond that point. If you're looking for epic robot battles or exploring complex thoughts, these shows have much to give you.
They look into fear, identity, and what it really means to be human, similar to Neon Genesis Evangelion. If you want more stories that really stick with you, check out these ten.
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