Crunchyroll provides a vast selection of post-apocalyptic and dystopian anime depicting compelling and immersive worlds. From classics such as “Akira” to contemporary blockbusters such as “Attack on Titan,” these anime explore intricate themes of human nature, society, and the consequences of our actions. Join us as we explore the intriguing worlds of some of the finest post-apocalyptic and dystopian anime available on Crunchyroll. All of these titles are rated 4 stars or higher out of 5.
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Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian Anime on Crunchyroll
As stated before, all of these titles are rated 4 stars and over on Crunchyroll, making them some of the best anime on Crunchyroll. Make sure to grab your free trial today! Click here to go on Crunchyroll and start browsing.
Akira
Arguably one of the best post-apocalyptic anime out there, this one is an oldie, but definitely a goodie!
A strange creature with tremendous psychic talents escapes jail and accidentally lures a violent motorbike gang into a horrible web of army experiments in war-torn Neo-Tokyo. As a consequence, a biker goes to battle to avenge society’s weakness.
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Chainsaw Man
We have covered Chainsaw Man in the past and we’re happy to have done so! What an amazing series that was for its first season. The anime is about Denji, a young kid who works for the “Chainsaw Devil” Pochita as a Devil Hunter. He was deceived and slain one day while living his sad life and attempting to pay off the debt he inherited from his parents. While losing consciousness, he struck a bargain with Pochita and was resurrected as the “Chainsaw Man”: the owner of the Devil’s heart.
Dallos
A 1990 anime, Dallos takes place in Monopolis, a vast lunar miner’s colony, which is home to young Shun Nonomura. His people mine Earth necessities. Earth’s resources are exhausted in the late 21st century, and the government uses authoritarian authority to acquire what they want. Alex Rigel, Earth’s new lunar commander, attacks the oppressed miners as they organize a revolution. Monopolis is shattered by Shun’s idealism and Alex’s cynicism. Dallos, a lunarian god-like extraterrestrial artefact, is the last, greatest chance for triumph.
Dr. STONE
Senku Ishigami, a brilliant, science-loving youngster, wakes many thousand years after a strange event converts mankind to stone. He uses science to reconstruct the planet when civilization collapses in a stone world. Starting with his super-strong boyhood buddy Taiju Oki, who awoke at the same moment, they will recreate society from scratch.
Ergo Proxy
Ergo Proxy is one of those anime that you’ve never heard of, but that should probably go on your priority of things to watch. With a 4.6 rating on Crunchyroll, you’ll probably be surprised by this one. The synopsis reads “Thousands of years after Earth’s atmosphere was destroyed, adventure blooms in the strangest of places. The domed city of Romdo is supposed to be perfect, but Re-l Mayer, a young female inspector from the Civilian Intelligence Office, knows better. In this place where humans and robots coexist, she receives a strange message: something is awakening!”
Fate/Grand Order ‐First Order‐
The Chaldea Security Organization was formed to preserve human history. To avoid humanity’s annihilation, they watch a world magecraft couldn’t see and science couldn’t quantify. Chaldea’s future vanishes, revealing humanity’s 2017 demise. Chaldea orders a search for the Grand Order, the Holy Grail, to explore, examine, and even destroy Fuyuki, a Japanese rural town.
Girls’ Frontline
The synopsis reads “Humanity survives with the help of androids known as Dolls. Built to serve, some fight in wars as Tactical Dolls or T-Dolls. Now, an elite team of T-Dolls and their newly assigned human commander M4A1 are sent to face a new rogue threat, Sangvis Ferri.”
God Eater
“Oracle cells” begin devouring all life on Earth in the early 2050s. They are feared, awed, and called “aragami” for their voracious hunger and incredible adaptability. Urban civilisation falls in the face of an opponent resistant to conventional weaponry, driving mankind closer to annihilation each day. Humanity has one hope. “God Arcs”—living weapons with Oracle cells—are used by an elite military.
Guilty Crown
In the not-too-distant future, a rock with an alien virus lands in Japan. This causes an outbreak that destroys the country and causes total chaos. Shu, a youngster whose latent abilities were woken up by the Apocalypse Virus, meets a strange woman who inspires him to join the fight against the robotic soldiers of a government organization and a secret hidden society.
Hundred
“Hundred”—the only weapon that can defeat the Savages, unknown life forms threatening Earth. Hayato attends Little Garden Battleship University to become a Slayer, but his roommate Emile Crossfode, who appears to know a lot about him, stirs up a strange nostalgia. After enrolling, Little Garden’s strongest Slayer, “Queen” Claire Harvey, challenges him to a battle!
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Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia
Another world attacked humans. After Other World War I, humanity switched to marine floats for emergency evacuation. Kizuna Hida’s older sister summons him to the Strategic Defense Academy Ataraxia, where he meets Aine Chidorigafuchi, a girl who fights otherworldly monsters using Heart Hybrid Gear Zeros. He struggles with her, but as her Gear runs out of juice, he must do something naughty to her to recharge it!
Knights of Sidonia
At a 4.7 star rating, be sure to watch this one! the synopsis reads “A thousand years after the alien Gauna destroyed the Earth, a small remnant of humanity still fights on to survive, fleeing on the gargantuan asteroid-based spaceship Sidonia.”
Magic User’s Club OVA
Aliens attacked Earth exactly one year ago. It wasn’t a typical invasion. The Bell, a massive starship, sat after killing all opposition. For a year, it’s floated peacefully above the ocean, watching Earthlings. It’s commonplace today. Except the Magic User’s Club. A group of misfits can do real magic!
Mobile Suit GUNDAM Iron Blooded Orphans
Another 4.8 rating! The Earth Sphere had lost its old way of running things, and a new world was made with new ways of running things. Even though there was a brief peace, the seeds of a new war were being planted in the Mars Sphere, which is far from Earth.
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Muv-Luv Alternative
We’ve covered Muv-Luv in the past and reviewed the show. You can read about it here if you’d like! Here’s the synopsis “A story of the bonds between those who fight, in a world pushed to its limits. On one of the countless parallel worlds that exist throughout spacetime, humanity has fought a decades long war against the BETA, hostile extraterrestrial invaders, using humanoid fighting machines called Tactical Surface Fighters. This is a story of how humanity lives and dies while on the brink of extinction…”
NieR:Automata Ver1.1a
The synopsis reads “The sudden aerial invasion of Earth by <Aliens> and their creations <Machine Lifeforms> led mankind to the brink of extinction. The surviving number of humans who took refuge on the moon to organize a counterattack using <android> soldiers to recapture Earth. However, the war reaches a stalemate as the <Machine Lifeforms> continue to multiply infinitely. In turn, humanity deploys a new unit of android soldiers as an ultimate weapon: YoRHa.”
Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don’t Believe in Humanity Will Save the World
Long title, great anime! Nick has bad luck when, on the same day, he gets fired from his explorer group and dumped. He goes to the local pub to forget his troubles because he needs new friends, but he sees treachery everywhere. He gets a break when he meets other cynical people who tell him their stories of betrayal. Wait! They can start a new party based on how much they hate people. All they have to do is trust each other.
Noein: To Your Other Self
“When summer break begins, Haruka is only thinking of hanging out with her friends—until one fateful night she learns that she’s the keystone in an interdimensional battle for not only the Earth’s future, but the very survival of all existence across the multiverse.”
Humanity’s only hope in a world full of terrible monsters out to kill and destroy is in the hands of strong Huntsmen and Huntresses. Four of these Huntresses are Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. Their trips will take them far away from their school, Beacon Academy. Even though each of these four girls is strong on her own, they will only become the next generation of Remnant’s guardians if they can defeat dark forces and work together.
Twenty-two years ago, a terrible earthquake wiped out Tokyo. This place became known as the Lost Ground, and it was here that the first Alter Users were born. These were people with special mental powers that let them change matter and make powerful Alters. To bring order back to the Lost Ground, the special police team HOLO and the Alter Users who made HOLY to catch and control the Native Alters who had gone rogue were created. One such rogue is Kazuma. When HOLY comes to his door, Kazuma must fight for his freedom and the safety of his friends. This puts the power of this Alter, Shell Bullet, to the test.
Samurai Troopers
A long time ago, there was an evil spirit that went to war to take over the world of people. He went back to the world of evil after losing, but not before he promised to come back and get his payback. After a thousand years, almost no one remembers who Arago, Emperor of Doom, was. When black clouds cover the bright city lights of Shinjuku and a sinister laugh drowns out the dying hum of electricity, people all over the world are terrified because they weren’t ready for the evil spirit’s return!
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Scarlet Nexus
In the year 2020, strange creatures called “Others” have started eating people. The Other Suppression Force is made to fight this new enemy. Yuito, a psychokinetic who was saved as a child by this special team, can handle the training to join. On the other hand, Kasane was picked out because of how good she was. But Kasane’s dreams show her strange things that lead the two of them to a fate they can’t escape.
Senyu
The synopsis reads “Long ago, there lived an evil being who reigned over the world through fear, called Satan Rchimedes. He invaded the human world with his many demon underlings, spreading madness and chaos everywhere. One thousand years ago, this menace was sealed by the hero Creation, and peace returned to the world.”
Stellvia
A neighboring supernova destroyed Earth in 2167. Electromagnetic radiation from the explosion covered the Earth. 186 years later, “The Second Wave”—a more catastrophic wave—is approaching Earth. 15-year-old computer whiz Shima Katase has always wanted to go to space. She leaps at the opportunity to attend space flight school. Piloting is far harder than computer programming.
Talentless Nana
The synopsis reads “In the future, Earth is attacked by extraterrestrial monsters known as the Enemies of Humanity. But fear not! A group of talented teenagers is being trained to deal with the alien menace. Among them is pink-haired Nana, who doesn’t seem to have any powers.”
Tokyo Majin
The city of Tokyo is shaken by a wave of strange deaths. Corpses of the living dead are led by monsters through the urban underground by their dark master. They are looking for a power that could bring about the end of the world. Since the cops can’t stop these unnameable horrors, the fate of the world depends on five unusual heroes: the students of Tokyo Majin.
World Trigger
The synopsis of this anime is “One day, a gate to another world opened in Mikado City. Invaders from another dimension, referred to thereafter as Neighbors, overran the area around the gate, leaving the city gripped by fear. However, a mysterious group suddenly appeared and repelled the Neighbors. This Border Defense Agency independently researches Neighbor technology and fights to protect this world. In a short time, they managed to build an enormous base and prepare a defensive system against the Neighbors. it’s been four years since then.”
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ZOMBIE LAND SAGA
An everyday morning. Normal sounds. Their everyday life. The peace that these seven girls are feeling will all of a sudden end. By the living dead, also called zombies. A scary and amazing zombie world that they never wanted to be a part of. All of them want the same thing: “We want to live.” In this story, these girls will have to work hard to make a miracle happen. Together, MAPPA, Avex Pictures, and Cygames bring you a tasty cartoon that is 100% unique. A brand-new style of zombie anime will soon come out, and it will be a shocker that will never get old.
Anime-Gataris
As soon as Asagaya Minoa starts at Sakaneko Private High School, her friend Kamiigusa Alice drags her into the anime club, even though she doesn’t know much about anime. Kouenji Miko, a friend, and other senpais who like anime quickly turned her into an anime fan. The student council keeps threatening to shut down the anime club, but the anime club keeps talking about anime in the club, at Akihabara, at anime Meccas, and at hot springs.
AFTERLOST
This synopsis reads “The entire population of a city disappeared—vanished without a trace. Yuki, the sole survivor, joins Takuya, a contract courier, on a perilous journey to find answers within the newly named ghost town “Lost”. With a letter from Yuki’s father as the pair’s only lead, a secretive organization refuses to let Yuki and Takuya’s meddling go unchecked.”
ALDNOAH.ZERO
Humanity has clearly split in two, and there is no way that these two groups will come back together at this point. Humanity is enjoying this short period of peace while slowly forgetting the scars their ancestors had to bear. No one knew that with just a little push, their world could fall apart.
Arpeggio of Blue Steel
The synopsis reads “In the year 2039, global warming has caused a sudden rise in sea level, leading mankind to lose a great deal of land territory. At the same time, a fleet of mysterious warships clad in mist, known as the “Fleet of Fog,” begin to appear throughout the world’s seas, attacking humanity’s warships with their powerful superweapons. Humanity threw all the military strength it possessed at the Fleet of Fog in a decisive battle, but was crushed by the fleet’s overwhelming might…”
Attack on Titan
Of course, Attack on Titan has a whopping 4.9 rating on Crunchyroll. This is not surprising at all! If you haven’t watched this one, you need to, pronto!
In Shingeki no Kyojin, the last humans were forced to hide behind the tall walls of a walled city to avoid the gigantic, man-eating Titans who roamed the country. Only the daring Scouting Legion members ventured beyond the fortifications, but even they seldom survived. The city’s residents clung to the fantasy of a tranquil life until the day their small chance of survival was down to one horrible choice: murder or be eaten!
Blade Runner Black Out 2022
“In 2022, an EMP detonation has caused a global blackout that has massive, destructive implications all over the world. Directed by Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo’s Shinichiro Watanabe, Blade Runner Black Out 2022 is a new and highly-anticipated animated short which serves as a prologue for the upcoming feature film Blade Runner 2049.”
Blade Runner: Black Lotus
2032 LA. A young lady awakens with lethal powers and no memory. Only a locked data device and a black lotus tattoo reveal her mystery. To discover her true identity, she must track down the perpetrators of her violent past.
Blue Seed
“The countdown to extinction begins when the evil shape-shifting monsters known as the Aragami make their grand play to gain control of the earth. Humanity’s only chance for survival rests on the shoulders of Momiji, a young girl carrying an unborn Aragami in her chest and Kusanagi, a servant of the Aragami rebelling against his masters in order to ensure mankind’s survival.”
86 EIGHTY-SIX
86 Eighty-six has been on our website quite a few times in forms of reviews, and for a good reason! This one also has a 4.9 rating on Crunchyroll. The synopsis reads “Called “Juggernaut,” these are the unmanned combat drones developed by the Republic of San Magnolia in answer to the attacks by the autonomous unmanned drones of the neighboring Empire of Giad, the “Legion”. But they’re only unmanned in name. In reality, they are piloted by the Eighty-sixers—those considered to be less than human and treated as mere tools. Determined to achieve his own mysterious ends, Shin, the captain of Spearhead Squadron, which is comprised of Eighty-sixers, continues to fight a hopeless war on a battlefield where only death awaits him.”
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I’m so excited for the new post-apocalyptic and dystopian anime on Crunchyroll in 2023!