10 best anime to watch if you like The Matrix

Fans of the groundbreaking 1999 sci-fi film The Matrix love its innovative mix of cyberpunk, martial arts, and philosophical themes that question the nature of reality. It depicts a future in which machines have enslaved humanity within an artificial reality known as the Matrix, with people oblivious to the fact that they are living in a simulation.

When computer programmer Neo learns the truth, he joins a resistance aimed at liberating humanity. By combining striking action, cyberpunk aesthetics, and existential questions around reality, this film has inspired a myriad of subsequent narratives that delve into similar themes.

Anime shares many core themes with The Matrix, such as technology gone awry, the fusion of humans and machines, the ambiguity of perceived reality, and the transcendence of the self. For fans of The Matrix eager to delve into similar concepts, here are 10 must-see anime films and series.

Ergo Proxy, Psycho-Pass, and 8 other anime fans of The Matrix must watch

1. Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell (Image via Production I.G)

Set in 2029, this 1995 anime film from director Mamoru Oshii follows Public Security Section 9 agent Major Motoko Kusanagi as she investigates cyber-crime committed by the enigmatic computer hacker known as The Puppet Master in a futuristic Japan.

Like Neo having his perceived world rewritten, the Major confronts difficult questions about her own identity and humanity as technology increasingly connects human consciousness with machines.

With its groundbreaking animation, thrilling action sequences, and philosophical themes exploring selfhood and existence amid rapid technological change, Ghost in the Shell was actually a significant influence on The Matrix. It helped bring cerebral sci-fi anime into mainstream Western consciousness.

2. Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain (Image via Triangle Staff)

This surreal 1998 anime series centers on Lain Iwakura, an isolated teenage girl who discovers powerful links between The Wired (similar to the internet) and reality, leading her to sinister conspiracies aimed at merging human consciousness with virtual spaces.

Echoing Neo’s pursuit of the secrets behind the Matrix, Lain descends down a rabbit hole that increasingly distorts the essence of her world. With an avant-garde visual style and an atmospheric, psychedelic soundtrack, Lain will appeal to Matrix fans who appreciate having their assumptions about reality challenged.

It’s a dark, philosophical science fiction narrative that delves into existential themes about memory and progress.

3. Ergo Proxy

In a post-environmental collapse future, humans now live in city-domes maintained by androids. Intelligence agent Re-l Mayer discovers a strange monster-like entity dubbed a "Proxy," whose very existence threatens to upend everything she knows in this acclaimed 2006 anime series.

Similar to Neo confronting the reality of machine domination and simulated worlds turned upside down, Re-l relentlessly investigates this Proxy not knowing how deep the truth goes. It's a world where technology, identity, and reality become increasingly unstable and intertwined, resulting in an engrossing, unsettling mystery.

For sci-fi fans who appreciated The Matrix's constricting systemic control and the political conspiracies lurking beneath the surface, Ergo Proxy presents a compelling future.

4. Texhnolyze

For Matrix fans who enjoyed its dystopian future settings, Texhnolyze offers a dark, cyberpunk atmosphere in abundance. Set in the underground city of Lux, this 22-episode series from 2003 follows Ichise, a prize fighter who loses his limbs but acquires powerful new texhnolyzed prosthetics at a great personal cost. He becomes unwillingly entangled in the power struggles among the factions that control Lux.

Just as Neo realizes the extent of the machines' control in the world of Matrix, Ichise uncovers the puppet masters manipulating Lux from behind the scenes. The series explores political intrigue and the relationship between flesh and technology, all within visually stunning, minimalist environments reminiscent of The Matrix.

5. Psycho-Pass

This popular 2012 cyberpunk anime shares The Matrix's concept of an ominous system controlling society. Set in a dystopian future where ubiquitous public sensors constantly scan citizens' biological data for signs of criminal intent, Psycho-Pass follows the Public Safety Bureau, which maintains peace through the "Sibyl" system.

Protagonist Akane Tsunemori questions Sibyl's objectivity, much like Neo questions the motives behind the Matrix. Both stories delve into political commentary on mass surveillance and the use of police force, wrapped in tense sci-fi crime drama perfect for fans.

6. Akira

This 1988 anime classic, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, helped popularize cyberpunk anime around the world, paving the way for The Matrix over a decade later.

Set in the neon-lit futuristic Neo Tokyo, which was rebuilt after World War III, teen bikers Kaneda and Tetsuo become entangled with the government, terrorists, psychics, and the secrets surrounding strange experiments involving a being called "Akira."

The striking cel animation visuals of Neo Tokyo's anti-utopian urban sprawl resemble those in The Matrix, sharing similar themes of political strife, revolution, mind-expanding supernatural powers, and transcendence of the self, making Akira essential viewing for all Matrix fans.

7. Blame!

Blame!'s sci-fi action takes place in a "Megastructure" — a vast, artificially constructed city spanning an entire planet.

In this 2017 Netflix film based on the cyberpunk manga by Tsutomu Nihei, Killy, a silent wanderer, searches this strange dystopian landscape in search of human life, only to encounter bizarre robots known as Safeguards, who are intent on eradicating humans.

The Megastructure's endless machine-filled labyrinth traps humans like bio-batteries reminiscent of fields of humans plugged into the Matrix. Its AI-ruled setting explores a machine-dominated post-human world that any fan would enjoy.

8. Paprika

Fans of reality-bending narratives will adore Satoshi Kon's 2006 anime film, Paprika. The film centers on a device known as the "DC Mini," which enables people to record and enter their dreams. However, when an unauthorized prototype is stolen, the thief gains the ability to hack and manipulate people's dreams and subconscious.

Only one woman, Dr. Atsuko Chiba, code-named Paprika, can stop them. Much like Neo plunging into the Matrix or following the white rabbit down the hole, much of the movie unfolds within the subconscious dream world. Its stunning array of surreal dream sequences and exploration of the connection between dreams and reality make it a must-see.

9. Cyber City Oedo 808

Cyber City Oedo 808 (Image via Madhouse)

Directed by Ninja Scroll's Yoshiaki Kawajiri, this 1990 OVA series is set in a gritty dystopian future city set in 2808 AD, where three cyberneticallyenhanced criminals undertake secret missions for officials, kept in check by bombs implanted in their bodies that threaten to detonate if orders aren't followed.

Echoing The Matrix's noir fusion of sci-fi and crime drama, Cyber City Oedo 808 captivates with its rain-slicked neon cityscapes inhabited by hackers, psychics, corrupt officials, and deadly androids as its desperate anti-heroes plunge deeper into shadowy conflicts far beyond their control.

10. Megazone 23

This influential cyberpunk anime franchise features many key Matrix-like elements that fans would appreciate. The original 1985 film follows a rebellious teenager who accidentally discovers that the seemingly idyllic, 1980s-style Tokyo he inhabits is actually an illusion inside a giant spaceship in the distant future.

Like Neo, the protagonist Shogo questions his reality and becomes entangled in political intrigue surrounding the true nature of their artificial world. With its themes of identity, virtual computer worlds, and artificial intelligence systems manipulating reality, Megazone 23 offers classic cyberpunk aligned with many essential Matrix concepts, securing its spot among anime recommendations for fans of The Matrix.

Conclusion

Beyond anime's dazzling visual feasts are insightful philosophical themes regarding self, reality, consciousness, and humanity's relationship with technology that any fan of The Matrix can appreciate.

From the identity-questioning cyberpunk futures found in Ghost in the Shell and Serial Experiments Lain to dystopian systems run amok in Psycho-Pass and Ergo Proxy, fans have plenty of thought-provoking anime to enjoy and draw inspiration from, much like The Matrix. So, take the red pill and immerse yourself in these anime worlds.