Summary
Space is the final frontier, and no medium gets creative with it likeanime. There are infinite possibilities out in the stars, from busy new planets to creative alien species. As for humans, they go out there for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps it is to find riches beyond their dreams or to explore the vast unknown.
While we may be far from experiencing life on other planets or even being able to colonize a different solar system, the dream of exploring the stars is still out there and anime gives us a taste of that freedom. From giant mechs to space musicians, these are the ten best space anime.
10Space Dandy
Campy Adventures In Space
For silly adventures in space, look no further than Space Dandy. If you love the Sci-fi genre and the campness of space media, then you’ll love how the series squeezes in nods to the classics. The premise is simple: Dandy is a dandy guy in space who often gets into trouble during his search for aliens.
As a bounty hunter, his role is to bring back unregistered species of aliens, though often he gets sidetracked. He is accompanied by his companions, Meow and QT, and together they face zombies, doppelgängers, and old human space programs.
9Astra Lost In Space
A Long Trip Home
Getting lost in space might not be such a bad thing, though you might crave setting foot on Earth once more. In Astra Lost In Space, a high school class is able to attend a planetary camp on a nearby planet called McPa.
This trip does not go as planned as the entire class is warped thousands of light years from home. Now, the class must band together and get a ship working to make it back. Along the way, they stop on various planets and encounter different species of aliens.
8Star Wars: Visions
Star Wars Becomes An Anime
One of the greatest sci-fi franchises makes its dive into anime with Star Wars: Visions. The anime consists of separatetales taking place in the Star Wars universe. Each story also has unique visuals and animation to set the tone.
Some episodes might even have familiar animation, such as The Twins, which is done by Studio Trigger. The series is riddled with unique ideas and familiar faces that push the medium and the franchise in new directions while still keeping that classic space setting alive and well.
7Space Patrol Luluco
Well Animated, Silly Fun
Luluco is a normal girl living in a futuristic world where space colonization has allowed humans to reach different planets. Everything changes when a piece of contraband freezes her father. With no other solution, Luluco decides to work for Space Patrol in the hopes of raising the funds to unfreeze him.
This new role gives her the ability to transform into a gun and hunt down space criminals. However, sometimes it just goes off when someone is cheating on an exam, threatening her dreams of a normal high school life.
6Carole And Tuesday
Music Brings Humans Together
When keyboardist Carole and guitarist Tuesday meet on the streets, their music combines and starts spreading like wildfire. This catches the attention of other musicians, including a supermodel who is being artificially enhanced to become the number one performer.
Taking place on a terraformed Mars, Carole and Tuesday shows that even in the future, music still needs a soul to truly reach the audience. As both women quickly rise in fame, their backstories and reasons for ending up on Mars are revealed.
5Orbital Children
Trapped Inside A Damaged Space Station
When a group of children finds themselves cut off from the adults on a space station, they have limited resources to get to safety. Orbital Children follows these young people as they navigate through the damaged space station and use their individual skills to face the challenges along the way.
These children include the hacker Touya Sagami and Konoha Nanase, two children who were born on the Moon and have never seen Earth. This leads to new dynamics as they try to bridge the gap far bigger than being from different nations, but different worlds.
4Planetes
A Deeper Look At Space Tech
Planetes is a sci-fi anime set in the late 21st century, where space travel poses new challenges. This includes getting rid of space debris to make flight easier. Planetes follows a team of debris collectors who clear the way for satellites, ships, and space stations.
If you enjoy the technology aspect of space stories, then Planetes has realistic space advances that can keep any tech nerd happy. The series also explores the long-term effects that might arise if humanity does decide to spend extended periods of time in space.
3Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
When Earth Becomes The Opressors
Gundam is one of the most iconic mech series of all time. With anime, manga, and figures galore, it is impossible to dive into the space genre without touching Gundam. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans follows a group of child soldiers that rise up against their oppressors.
At this point, Mars has been colonized, and the new Mars nations wish to be independent of Earth. However, due to Earth holding the key to their economy, it becomes doomed to be connected for the time being.
2Gurren Lagann
Studio Trigger’s Defining Anime
One ofStudio Trigger’s best animeis Gurren Lagann. When the Spiral King forces humanity to live underground, humans only dream of rising far beyond the underground caverns and to the stars above. What makes Gurren Lagann such a good space anime is that it feels like a second space race.
The anime starts off underground and, as time goes on, humans are able to reclaim the surface. The second half of the anime has aliens invading before the finale finally gives humans their reward. Long freed from their underground confines, they are allowed to travel into the distant stars.
1Cowboy Bebop
Bounty Hunting In Space
Cowboy Bebop is considered one ofthe greatest dubbed anime of all time. With cool jazz and charismatic characters that remain memorable years after the show’s conclusion. It is also one of the best space anime, as Spike Spiegel travels through space to collect bounties.
As a space western, Cowboy Bebop knows when to have quiet moments and when to go guns blazing. Character motivations play a major part in the final conflict, despite most of the show being episodic. As Spike and Vicious go head to head, it provides one out-of-this-world conclusion fans still debate about today.
