10 best anime series to watch if you like Pluto

Pluto, the dramatic sci-fi mystery anime by Naoki Urasawa, has garnered much critical acclaim for its cerebral plotline exploring identity and humanity. With its dark ambience, morally complex characters, and thought-provoking themes, Pluto has left many fans longing for more anime like it.

If you're looking for anime series that deliver profoundly moving stories questioning what it means to be human, here are anime like Pluto. Featuring dystopian futures, complex mysteries and a deep focus on technology’s threat to identity, these anime explore the fine line between man and machine.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion and is not ranked in any order.

10 best anime for fans of Pluto

1. Psycho-Pass

Set in a dystopian future where your criminal tendencies are quantified into a "Psycho-Pass", Psycho-Pass explores the dark side of a "perfect" society. When rookie inspector Akane Tsunemori discovers the shocking truth about the Sibyl system that determines criminals, she begins questioning the nature of justice.

With its gritty visuals, cerebral plot and thought-provoking themes, Psycho-Pass is a must-watch for fans. Both anime analyse society’s expectations of behaviour and what truly defines humanity. If you loved Pluto’s take on moral ambiguity, you will be riveted by the ethical dilemmas faced by Psycho-Pass’ characters.

2. Texhnolyze

In the underground city of Lux, Ichise, a prize fighter, gets an artificial limb to replace his amputated arm and leg. This cyberization sets him on the path to discover Lux’s various warring factions and the true purpose of the emerging new breed of Texhnolyzed humans.

With its gritty dystopian setting, minimalist style and brooding pace, Texhnolyze is often compared to iconic sci-fi films like Blade Runner. Like Pluto, Texhnolyze delves deep into subjects like transhumanism and technology’s impact on humanity.

Both anime leave you questioning the dividing line between man and machine.

3. Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain (Image via Triangle Staff)

When a schoolgirl commits suicide, her classmates receive an eerie email from her, sparking rumors that she has been reborn inside the virtual reality world of the Wired. Serial Experiments Lain follows introverted Lain as she delves deep into the network where she finally meets her elusive doppelganger.

With references to philosophy, psychology, and computer history, Lain can be seen as anime's answer to The Matrix. Using an avant-garde animation style, it builds an escalating sense of paranoia, as technology threatens to subsume Lain’s identity.

Like Pluto, Lain will leave you pondering existential dilemmas about reality, identity, communication, and human connection.

4. Ergo Proxy

In a futuristic domed city governed by artificial intelligence after the apocalypse, humans and androids known as "autoreivs" coexist under a strict social hierarchy. When a wave of autoreiv murders occurs, it leads a young inspector to question the system and search for the mysterious "awakened ones" outside the city.

Styled with a cyberpunk aesthetic and dark, Ergo Proxy evokes a haunting, gothic atmosphere in its visually stunning post-apocalyptic setting. Like Pluto, its main appeal lies in how it uses sci-fi elements to dissect philosophical concepts like self-identity and humanity’s self-destructive tendencies.

Both anime leave you analyzing human nature at its best and worst.

5. Ghost in the Shell

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

Set in a cyberpunk future, elite cybernetic government agent Motoko Kusanagi tracks an elusive master hacker known as the Puppet Master in Ghost in the Shell. Blending hand-drawn animation with CGI, this movie is considered a pioneer in the melding of digital and cell animation.

With its cerebral plot, tech noir aesthetic, and themes of transhumanism, Ghost in the Shell is an influential anime classic. Like Pluto, its strength lies in using sci-fi tropes to probe existential questions on human identity and consciousness.

Both anime feature vividly realized dystopian settings that amplify the examination of technology’s increasing role in society.

6. Monster

Renowned Japanese neurosurgeon Kenzo Tenma puts his career on the line when he saves the life of a young boy instead of the town’s mayor at a hospital. Years later a string of mysterious murders occur with evidence pointing to the very same boy Tenma saved.

With its gritty realism, great character writing, and intricate plotting, Monster is a gripping psychological thriller masterpiece. Though vastly different in animation style, Monster themes greatly resonate with Pluto fans.

At their hearts, both anime explore morality and reprisal through the relationship between a creator and his creation.

7. Wolf's Rain

In a post-apocalyptic world where humans assume wolves to be extinct, Wolf’s Rain follows four wolves who assume human form in search of a mythical paradise. They eventually get embroiled in an intricate plot involving the Nobles who rule humanity from the shadows.

Wolf’s Rain also features poetic storytelling elevated by a melancholic soundtrack. Though not similar in plot or animation style, Wolf's Rain shares Pluto's deft handling of heavy themes regarding environment conservation and self-discovery.

Both anime leave an emotional impact by analyzing identity in societies facing an impending downfall of humanity.

8. Paranoia Agent

When people start getting clubbed by an elementary school boy with a baseball bat, two detectives try tracking down the mysterious assailant dubbed Lil “Slugger” in Satoshi Kon’s Paranoia Agent.

Featuring Kon’s trademark atmospheric realism and reality-bending narrative, Paranoia Agent psychologically analyzes social pressure and escapism in modern-day Japan. Like Pluto, Paranoia Agent intricately builds a sense of impending doom as the line between fantasy and reality increasingly blurs.

Both anime unravel complex mysteries that will keep you on edge and leave you disturbed long after the credits roll.

9. Dorohedoro

In a dystopian realm of magic and chaos, amnesiac Caiman hunts sorcerers in hopes they can undo his head’s reptilian transformation by a sadistic sorcerer. He eventually escapes with his friend Nikaido to the Hole, a place where magic doesn’t work, and gets embroiled in its fight against Wizards who frequently test illegal magic there.

With its quirky panache and visceral action sequences contrasting solemn themes on identity and humanity, Dorohedoro makes for a highly entertaining yet thoughtful watch.

Though vastly different in style and plotlines, Dorohedoro shares Pluto’s ability to deliver profound messages while not compromising on entertainment value.

10. Casshern Sins

Casshern Sins (Image via Tatsunoko Production)

In a post-apocalyptic world where robots rule after humanity ruined the planet, the android Casshern awakens with no memory but the knowledge that he caused the world's destruction.

In a quest to understand his past and humanity's downfall, Casshern journeys through the desolate wasteland where he encounters malfunctioning robots known as Ruin and confronts his own role in the apocalypse.

With its bleak, melancholic atmosphere and heavy philosophical themes like mortality and purpose, Casshern Sins echoes many core strengths of Pluto. Both anime deliver profound messages on human nature's capriciousness through their broken yet hopeful protagonists, struggling to make sense of the meaning of their existence in a doomed world.

Conclusion

The complex, thoughtful narratives of the anime mentioned above are bound to appeal to Pluto fans looking for similarly styled cerebral and philosophical plots to sink their teeth into.

If you’re hunting for more anime like Pluto that analyze human identity and morality with riveting science-fiction backdrops, be sure to add these compelling titles to your watch list! Their intricate narratives centered around technology’s threat to humanity will fascinate any viewer looking for thought-provoking anime.