10 best anime with social commentary you should try

Anime goes beyond colorful graphics and fantastical stories, often tackling deep philosophical issues and real-world problems. Many series provide insightful social commentary, contributing to the medium's artistic growth. From exploring the human mind to critiquing political systems, these 10 thought-provoking anime challenge perspectives and beliefs.

Whether tackling issues of identity, privacy, corruption, or the human condition, all these series have an important message to share. Read on to discover anime that go beyond sheer entertainment into the realm of intellectual discourse.

10 best anime with social commentary you can't miss

1. Psycho-Pass

In a futuristic world where a citizen's mental state and likelihood of committing crimes can be quantified and preemptively measured, Psycho-Pass explores the ethical issues with a society that sacrifices civil liberties for the illusion of security and peace.

This anime with social commentary offers a stark warning about the dangers of unchecked surveillance. It's a critique of a surveillance state where the concept of "pre-crime" prevention has gone too far, creating a totalitarian system fueled by the self-preservation of those in power.

Over its arcs spanning technology-based morality policing, rehabilitation of latent criminals, and the virtues of the Sibyl System, it constantly challenges viewers to weigh grand ethical questions with no easy answers. Its gritty writing keeps viewers hooked while immersing you in its grim setting that eerily mirrors current realities.

2. Perfect Blue

A classic psychological thriller, Perfect Blue delves deep into themes of fractured identity and celebrity culture against an atmospheric backdrop of the entertainment industry's illusions. As an anime with social commentary, it provides a haunting look at the price of fame and the loss of self.

A pop idol turns to acting but is stalked by an obsessed fan, causing her to blur the line between her public and private life. This anime explores the pressures of fame through fragmented storytelling, highlighting the struggle between maintaining an image for audiences and staying true to oneself. It challenges viewers to reflect on their own social masks and inner identity.

3. Death Note

What happens when misguided individuals are handed god-like power over life and death? This moral dilemma lies at the crux of Death Note, which depicts how absolute power corrupts absolutely through its complex protagonist, Light Yagami.

With possession of the lethal Death Note, which grants him the ability to kill anyone by simply writing their name, the top student envisions creating a new, just world without criminals, using increasingly fanatical means that taint his soul.

His escalating descent into megalomania as a self-appointed judge carrying out extrajudicial executions poses philosophical questions about vigilantism, ethics of capital punishment, and playing God that haunt viewers long after the credits roll.

4. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Image via Production I.G)

This cyberpunk tour de force delves deep into transhumanist themes concerning the interplay between technology, humanity, and perceptions of self. As an anime with social commentary, it raises crucial questions about the future of human consciousness in an increasingly digital world.

Set in a futuristic world filled with cybernetically-enhanced cyborgs and artificial intelligence, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex centers around Public Security Section 9 tasked with stopping technologically-driven crimes.

Each case in this multifaceted series examines thought-provoking philosophical questions around relationships between cyberized humans, machines, information integrity, cyberterrorism, and technological influence on social progress. Despite its action, it focuses on the impact of technological change on the characters' identity.

5. Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Image via Gainax)

Few series match the psychological intensity of Neon Genesis Evangelion in exploring the human mind. This genre-defining mecha series explores the psychological struggles of its young pilots, who are forced into fighting mysterious beings called Angels that continually threaten the futuristic Tokyo-3 city.

Though Evangelion features intense robot battles, it focuses more on its psychologically damaged characters under constant pressure. The series compassionately explores their isolation and how it affects relationships, offering a raw portrayal of depression and identity struggles. It provides a thought-provoking look into the teenage psyche and existential themes.

6. Parasyte: the maxim

Parasyte: the maxim (Image via Madhouse)

What defines humanity—is it our physical form, intelligence, or emotional compassion? Parasyte's sci-fi horror premise tackles this question through the plight of Shinichi Izumi, who remains awake when an alien parasite fails to take over his brain and instead infects his right arm, taking control of his hand.

This alien invasion anime thus turns into a brilliant philosophical analysis on the cords binding humanity. Comparisons between the increasing empathetic changes in the originally cold, logical Migi against Shinichi's emotional regression showcase complex perspectives on the human condition.

Boldly morbid animation mirrors the unflinching portrayal of human darkness amid clashes between man and monster.

7. Code Geass

In an alternative world ruled by the Holy Britannian Empire through military might, Lelouch vi Britannia, living under a false identity, sets out to overturn this tyranny by donning a mask and leading Japanese resistance as Zero.

His methods in this tactical mecha anime escalate from only challenging government authority toward ultimately questioning the efficacy of political systems and flaws in human nature itself.

Through Lelouch's captivating antihero ideologies and strategic genius in waging war against his father's imperial rule, Code Geass provides an enthralling stage for debating moral relativism.

It provokes us to analyze concepts of societal justice, means versus ends, and necessary evil in systematically upending corrupt institutions—regardless of unintended consequences.

8. Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan (Image via Wit Studio / MAPPA)

Can genocide against an enemy intent on destroying your race be justified? This morally challenging question weighs at the heart of Attack on Titan, a dark fantasy epic centered around humanity hiding behind concentric walls from man-eating Titans.

As an anime with social commentary, it forces viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about cycles of violence and retribution. When the outermost wall falls, it sets in motion a chain of events that eventually reveals disturbing truths about Titan identity, complicating the mortal prejudice against them.

While integrating mysteries and thrilling action scenes contributes to its wide crossover appeal, elaborate world-building grounds its core premise in relatable sociopolitical commentary. Raw, uncompromising portrayals of war's devastating impact also spotlight ubiquitous cycles where hatred breeds more violence.

9. Kino's Journey

Kino’s Journey (Image via A.C.G.T / Lerche)

For an intensely thoughtful, philosophical anime experience, look no further than the underrated gem Kino's Journey and its observations on the beauty and ugliness inherent in human nature. This anime with social commentary offers a unique perspective on diverse societies and cultures.

This series follows introspective traveler Kino journeying across fictional lands, each representing a unique take on various societal customs, values, and governmental systems. Instead of passing any explicit judgment, Kino's outsider perspective allows curious immersion into examining different ideologies behind traditions other communities may consider bizarre or unethical.

Through this anthropological lens free of cultural bias, Kino's Journey intricately explores intricate concepts of morality and meaning with relatively little exposition. Every arthouse episode offers surprising wisdom earned through experience rather than mere book knowledge.

10. Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain (Image via Triangle Staff)

An artistic triumph in psychologically driven science fiction, Serial Experiments Lain delves deep into existential questions that disturb and awe in equal measure.

When a classmate's suicide leads withdrawn, socially isolated 14-year-old Lain Iwakura to investigate strange messages from her deceased classmate on a computer network called The Wired about godlike existence awaiting online, reality as she knows it starts unraveling.

Haunting surrealist visuals and fragmented narrative keep you as disoriented as Lain regarding the blurring boundaries between her physical shell and virtual spirit. Unflinching explorations of communication technology's psychological effects tackle increasingly relevant themes like Internet privacy, collective consciousness, and fatal risks in blindly embracing its creative destruction.

Conclusion

As highlighted by these 10 shows, anime with social commentary remains a vibrant medium for social discourse beyond sheer entertainment.

Whether delving deep into the intricacies of the human psyche like Neon Genesis Evangelion or examining complex political philosophies fueling war like Code Geass, impactful series can expand intellectual and emotional horizons.

Their contemplative nature opens our minds to question societal beliefs we subconsciously inherit. So expand your watch list to include these sergems that skillfully blend probing social commentary with their fantastical settings.