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Many anime have higher themes or morals that make people want to aspire to them. Sometimes it's about accepting people's feelings as valid, sometimes it's about trying hard and succeeding or knowing when to call it quits.
Then there are anime that just make people question their very existence. What, exactly, are people put on this Earth for? Is it just to suffer, to make friends, to constantly fight and perish? While this article may not have the answers to those burning existential questions, it will showcase 10 anime that allows people to ask those questions and may provide answers as well.
Disclaimer: As there are heavy topics on this list, a spoiler warning is included for all the anime involved. Likewise topics of depression, self harm, and others are included with content warnings. The opinions stated are only those of the author.
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From Ergo Proxy to Psycho-Pass: 10 anime that question the very meaning of existence
1) Neon Genesis Evangelion
Depression and trauma, thy name is Shinji Ikari. Neon Genesis Evangelion has a ton of themes revolving around depression, isolation, the nature of humanity in a time of crisis, and other things that people love to see inflicted on teenagers. Sarcasm aside, whether in the original anime, the Rebuild film series, or the manga, the series has a lot to say.
This might have something to do with the fact that series creator Hideki Anno was suffering from major chronic depression at the time of the series' production. This led to multiple controversial elements being added in, including the "Hospital Scene" in The End of Evangelion, the series finale, and the infamous "Congratulations" scene. It does have a hopeful message of making connections in all forms, at least.
2) Ergo Proxy
Robot slavery and the right to self-determination and body antonomy dominate Ergo Proxy. As a cyberpunk and dystopian anime, dealing with these issues isn't much of a surprise given how prevalent they are in science fiction. The series is split between two protagonists: the implied Android Detective Re-l Mayer, who investigates into a mysterious virus turning androids murderous, and an immigrant named Vincent Law, who works for Romdeau's AutoReiv Control Division.
The two of them stumble into mystery after mystery, initially thinking that the self-aware androids called are nothing but murderous weapons to be brought in. Things spiral, however, when it's revealed that the government are working on Android/Human hybrids called "Proxies" and that the Cogito virus is intertwined with them. It may just get the two thinking twice about the power structures they serve.
3) .hack//Sign
What does it mean to be human when all is plugged into the internet? A prototype of the now popular isekai genre, .hack//Sign focuses arounde a magic user named Tsukasa who is trapped in a video game called "the World" and cannot escape or log out. Unlike typical isekai, however, .hack//Sign focuses on the psychological toll of neglect, anxiety, detatchment, and escapism through it's fantasy world.
In other words, it follows in Neon Genesis Evangelion's footsteps by drawing the viewer in with the fantastical world and slowly unraveling it as it goes along. The theme of withdrawing from the real world and anxiety screwing over reality and rewriting it is also explored. It's a fairly heavy anime to watch given everything revolves around mental health issues.
4) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
What differentiates a man from a machine when the world is increasingly cybernetic? That's one question among many that Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex asks throughout its runtime. The plot goes as follows: the series takes place in 2030, in the fictional Japanese city of Niihama and follows the operations of Public Security Section 9 as they investigate incidents that reveal corruption in the Japanese government.
The first season is arguably considered the most iconic, dealing with a hacktivist called The Laughing Man. The entire season goes into the idea of breaking the law to protect society, but likewise goes into the problems that come with a more cybernetic society like hackers hacking into people and using them as puppets.
5) Serial Experiments Lain
As an accompanying anime to Ghost in the Shell, Serial Experiments Lain can both be seen as existential and so surreal it's like a fever dream. With a dark depiction of a world overrun by paranoia, alienation, and an overreliance on technology, it's likely to leave more than a few viewers spooked by how uncannily accurate it is with how technology overtakes life in the 21st century.
With themes of communication, mental illness especially concerning dissociative identity disorder combined with loneliness, reality, and theology, Serial Experiments Lain will have more than a few relatable aspects to anyone that grew up when computers and the internet were just being adopted by the public. It certainly has more than enough 90s references to be nostalgic, yet also prophetic.
6) Angel's Egg
Here's an odd anime science fantasy film from 1980s that's sure to be more than a little on the weird side, so perfect for a list like this. It has very little written dialog, and sparse plotting, but it is enough to highlight here. The anime film is about an unnamed girl keeping a large egg safe, and a militant boy pursuing her for it.
While director Mamoru Oshii himself stated that he didn't intend to make Christian metaphors, as he himself wasn't a Christian, many publications took that theory and ran with it. It's likewise considered Oshii's magnum opus, and frankly the most artistic film he's produced. It has themes of coming back to nature and militarism as a bad thing, making it generally worth a watch.
7) Psycho-Pass
How much control is too much and how much security is too much? Psycho-Pass asks those questions and more, considering its dystopic view of a Japan governed by the Sibyl System. The obvious Blade Runner references are clear, with everything and everyone being tightly monitored and even slight deviations being punished by the Enforcers and Inspectors.
Naturally, things aren't sunny for the Ministry of Welfare Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Department and their newest inspector Akane Tsunemori at the start of the series.
Their guns, the Dominators, are locked until the Crime Coefficient is at a high level and this tends to cause problems like when victims act out of trauma and are suddenly deemed threats. It brings up the idea of control over one's fate, under a system that can deem even thoughts a threat and where "innocent until proven guilty" doesn't exist.
8) Steins;Gate
Time travel and its unintended consequences are the main essence of Steins;Gate. A lot of problems occur when "mad scientist" Okabe Rintaru manages to prove time travel, or at least the idea of sending messages back in time. One of the first problems is memory alteration, and the idea that time travel actually makes things worse sometimes.
There are plenty of rewatch opportunities as seemingly innocuous lines and actions all pay off. It's also a surprisingly tragic anime, as time travel can have plenty of unintended side effects like the death of a loved one or a job never being gotten or anything else relating to castastrophe or disaster. Couple that with remembering what happened each time, and it's a killer time travel thriller.
9) Mawaru Penguindrum
Don't let the cutesy look of this anime fool you. Mawaru Penguindrum has plenty to work with in terms of giving many people an existential crisis, which isn't so surprising, given that it's from the same director as Revolutionary Girl Utena. The story follows three siblings of the Takakura family -- the twin brothers Kanaba and Shouma and their ill sister Himari.
Following Himari's sudden demise, the two would suddenly be approached by a mysterious entity and three penguins. Their goal -- to extend Himari's life. This isn't easy, as the weirdness continues to increase around them and culminates in a battle to stop a terrorist attack which directly parallels the infamous sarin subway gas attacks. It deals with time travel, assault on a physical and se*ual scale with love potions, and mass hallucinations.
10) Perfect Blue
An anime film that deals with the negatives of idol culture -- stalking, paparazzi, and all the negative effects of maintaining an image at the expense of the self -- is covered in Perfect Blue. Things turn sour for idol Mima Kirigoe when a rabid fan resists her change to an actress via doxxing her, that is releasing all her private information onto the Internet so she no longer has any privacy.
Another anime that's seen as oddly prophetic about celebrity culture, the invasiveness of the internet and stalkers, Perfect Blue is an existential and dark psychological thriller. Watching Kirkigoe struggle against the ever mounting pressure of being an actress, her stalker, and plenty of other elements laying waste to her life is sure to make some people think twice about their social media and thoughts of idol culture and fame.
While these aforementioned anime are all memorable in certain ways, they all also speak to certain facets of the human condition like loneliness, faith, or anxiety.
Many of these are heavy watches, so another heavy warning for subjects of se*ual assault, reality warping, and other such topics. If readers have any other anime to recommend, please feel free to list down in the comments.
