The world is on the brink of destruction following the landing of the Angels, massive monsters that want nothing more than to kill and destroy. The only hope lies with the select few that can pilot government agency Nerv’s special Evangelion-type mechs. The pilot must be compatible in order to pilot the Evangelions, and for Nerv leader, Gendo Ikari, one of those compatible few is his son, Shinji. With the fate of mankind on his shoulders and fights that often mean death for the pilots, is 14-year-old Shinji up to the task?
Although anyone will tell you it is so much more than simple mecha anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a mecha classic. There isn’t much exactly like it, but you can find some anime series to fill the void. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Neon Genesis Evangelion, then head on down below.
Anime Like Neon Genesis Evangelion
For Fans of Psychological Food for Thought
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki are your typical middle school girls, but one day they encounter a cute creature named Kyuubey that offers to grant them one wish. In exchange for their wish, they must become magical girls and protect humanity from witches. While Sayaka accepts right away, Madoka is more hesitant, not knowing what she would wish for. However, her decision is even further delayed when the mysterious Homura Akemi, a transfer student, begs her not to accept.
In both anime series, young people fight beings they don’t understand, for reasons they don’t understand, and the suffering in the story progresses at a steady pace until things completely break and become a surreal mindfuck. Whereas Neon Genesis Evangelion maintains a certain steady darkness throughout, Madoka Magica gradually changes from its light-hearted moe to headache-inducing philosophy.
Serial Experiments Lain
Introverted Lain Iwakura finds herself one of many girls to receive an e-mail from classmate Chisa Yomoda, even though Chisa Yomoda recently committed suicide. Averse to technology, Lain soon finds herself able to enter the Wired, a network system similar to the internet. From there, her life gets turned upside down as she finds herself the target of mysterious men and mixed up in a series of cryptic mysteries.
Unlike Neon Genesis Evangelion, which doesn’t seem particularly deep at first, Serial Experiments Lain starts off deep and psychological and only gets more intricate as the plot unfolds. While Lain can be a bit slow and dry, if you want thought-provoking, you won’t find a better series for it.
Ergo Proxy
After the explosion of the methane hydrate layer, humanity was forced into a select few domed cities where society is strictly controlled. To assist humanity, autonomous robots called AutoReivs were spread throughout the cities. Enter Re-L Mayer, granddaughter of the regent, and charged with investigating a series of cases in which the AutoReivs have gone haywire. In her investigation she comes in contact with a mysterious monster called Proxy. After meeting a man called Vincent Law that was blamed for several of the incidents, the pair strike out across the wasteland to unravel the mysteries of the Cogito Virus.
Both series have an post-apocalyptic setting in which the main characters must fight something that threatens humanity. Both Shinji and Re-l explore existential conflicts in unique ways while maintaining a distinctly dark tone overall.
Mawaru Penguindrum
The Takakura family has always been dealt equal hands of joy and sorrow by fate. For the twin brothers Kanba and Shouma, they have had more than their share of sorrow with their parents dead and their sister critically ill. When their sister Himari is given temporary leave from the hospital, they take her to the aquarium where she collapses. However, Himari is inexplicably revived when a penguin hat from the souvenir shop is put on her head. Her revival comes at a cost, though. There is a new entity in her body that tasks the boys with finding the mysterious penguin drum.
Do you like symbolism stuffed into every corner? Do you like that half of it will probably go over your head because you are not Japanese enough? Mawaru Penguindrum seems like abstract comedy/mystery in the same way that Neon Genesis Evangelion seems like a normal mecha series. It is, but it also isn’t, and the longer you watch, the more ponderous it becomes.
From the New World
After a small portion of humanity suddenly developed psychokinetic powers, the world underwent a rapid transformation. After 1,000 years of turbulent history where regular humans struggled against those with powers, we focus in on Kamisu 66, a small town where 12-year-old Saki Watanabe finally awakened her powers. This awakening means she is finally able to join her friends at the Sage Academy. However, things in Saki’s life do not remain as simple as those precious days. With missing children in the village, rebellious rumblings, and a world steeped in myth and mystery, Saki and her friends are about to face the shocking truths of their peaceful society.
While distinctly different in setting and begins different in tone, From the New World enjoy waxing philosophical as the dark reality of their world is increasingly unveiled. If you enjoyed Evangelion as an art form, From the New World is cut of the same cloth.
For Fans of Angst
Knights of Sidonia
After Earth was destroyed by an alien race known as the Gauna, humanity fled across the galaxy in giant seed ships looking for a new home. In the year 3394, a mysterious man named Nagate Tanikaze surfaced from the bowels of the ship Sidonia and breaks his lifelong seclusion in search of food. After being discovered, he finds himself dragged into the military just in time for a Gauna attack and discovers that he may just be the hero that the Sidonia needs.
Like Neon Genesis Evangelion, the focus of Knights of Sidonia is on character development rather than mech battles. That being said, when mechs do battle, they are both fighting an enemy that they don’t understand, but is gradually unraveled throughout the series.
Guilty Crown
After being ravaged by the Apocalypse Virus, Japan has fallen under control of the GHQ, an independent military force dedicated to the restoration of order. However, a guerrilla group called Funeral Parlor seeks to put an end to their despotism. After a fateful run in with a key member of Funeral Parlor, weak and anti-social Shuu Ouma finds himself with a powerful new weapon, the ability to pull out manifestations of a person’s personality to wield as weapons. Now he must make use of it in order to free Japan once and for all.
While Guilty Crown does not feature mechs, the voids are essentially little more than tools. Like with pilots and their Evangelions, the voids will feel the pain of battle, which essentially lends to much of Guilty Crown’s innate angst.
Attack on Titan
Facing imminent extinction, humanity retreated behind a series of tall, thick walls to escape their most dangerous threat – massive human-like Titans with a taste for human flesh. With an enemy that eats humanity for fun rather than food, they are constantly threatened. As such, it is the duty of every human to defend the species. Enter Eren Yegaer who, after his village was destroyed by Titans breaching the outer wall, he and his adopted sister Mikasa join the Survey Corps. They are one of three factions of the military that scouts and combats Titans outside the walls. After joining in the brutal war, Eren discovers a secret about himself that could unravel what the world thinks they know about Titans.
What is Attack on Titan if not fighting in flesh mechs? That was a bit of a joke, but as Attack on Titan goes on, the more similar it becomes to Evangelion. Secrets about the world are revealed and extreme angst in the main character ensues.
Devilman Crybaby
Akira has always been a little weak and blends into the background, so when his childhood friend asks for help uncovering devils, he agrees. The pair head to Sabbath where many gather for debauchery and to be possessed by devils. When the devils begin to wreck havoc in their new living hosts, Akira agrees to merge bodies with a devil in order to save his friend. Though he now has a voracious devil inside him, he still has the heart of a crybaby.
While not inspired by this particular Devilman series, Hideki Anno did take a lot of inspiration from Devilman as a whole. While Devilman Crybaby isn’t a mecha series, it does capture a distinct sense of angst and suffering, as well as enjoy its philosophy and religious symbolism.
For Fans of Mecha Action
Code Geass
The Holy Empire of Britannia has established itself as the dominant military nation, starting after their conquest of Japan, now named Area 11. Under Britannia’s tyranny, a number of resistance groups rose up to fight for their freedom. Enter Lelouch Lamperouge, the exiled prince of Britannia who has been sent to live in Japan. One day, after finding himself caught in the crossfire in a battle between Britannia and insurgents, Lelouch is able to escape with his life after meeting C.C., a mysterious girl who grants him the power of absolute obedience.
At a glance, Code Geass and Neon Genesis Evangelion seem to have nothing in common other than mechs. Particularly when it comes to the main characters, Shinji being weak and irritating, Lelouch being strong and slightly crazy highly intelligent. However, both anime series are deep, but differ in philosophy. By exploring the psychology behind the users and philosophy of the world, both anime series elevated the mecha genre.
Eureka Seven
Renton seeks a life of adventure, but his grandfather’s insistence that he becomes a mechanic keeps him firmly planted at home. His only escape is a pastime that rides Trapar wave particles in the air akin to surfing. One day, adventure literally crashes into his house in the form of a Light Finding Operation piloted by a mysterious girl named Eureka. As a member of the mercenary group Gekkostate, Renton suddenly finds himself intertwined in a whole new life.
Eureka Seven shows a lot of influence from Neon Genesis Evangelion, but the story and characters make it feel different enough. Both series feature main characters that are forced to grow up and develop, for good or bad, by the circumstances they are put in. While Eureka Seven has its moments, it is typically a little on the lighter side.
Gunbuster
In the distance future, huge, insect-like aliens have swarmed the galaxy. Not long after the first battles, the young Noriko Takaya enters training to become a space pilot after her father’s fleet was destroyed with no survivors. Although her skills as a pilot are questionable, Noriko persists, fighting to overcome trauma, the doubts of her peers, and her own lack of confidence.
Gunbuster was Hideki Anno’s masterpiece before he made Neon Genesis Evangelion, so naturally viewers can see a lot of similarities. While Shinji and Noriko couldn’t be more different in every aspect, they are both put into progressively dark circumstances throughout the series. Gunbuster is actually made more devastating by how happy it starts out.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
After finding an object that turns out to be the ignition key for an artifact of war, reckless Kamina and timid Simon fend off an attack on their underground village. Getting their first glimpses of the world above, the duo set off on a journey fighting enemies and unraveling a galaxy-sized mystery.
Imagine Neon Genesis Evangelion if Shinji manned up and got in the robot, beat every enemy in his path, and handled emotional situations like a well-adjusted person. That would be Gurren Lagann.
RahXephon
After aliens invaded the earth, the residents of Tokyo thought their city was the only one left. However, when forces from outside the city attack, the citizens, including Kamina Ayato, realize how wrong they were. With help from his mysterious friend Mishima Reika, Ayato awakens RahXephon, a giant mecha with awe-inspiring abilities and breaks through the dome that covers Tokyo. Outside, he discovers that the world is very much alive, and needs his help.
RahXephon does have its deep moments of philosophy, but it falls into similar tropes of the mecha genre which can lead to genric moments. However, like Neon Genesis Evangelion, it really does shine through its characters.
Bokurano
During their summer vacation, 15 children are enjoying summer camp together. One day, they decide to go explore a cave by the sea, inside they meet a mysterious man named Kokopelli who is surrounded by high-tech equipment. Kokopelli claims to be a game developer and asks if the children would help him test it. Each child signs a contract, but instead of playing a game, they are actually piloting a giant mech to defend the earth from 15 different alien invasions.
If you enjoyed how Evangelion made children undergo traumatic events and kind of tortured them for the fun of it sometimes, then Bokurano is definitely for you. It is mecha, but the real focus is on the mental toll that takes on children doomed to death.
Darling in the Franxx
In the distant future, the land is ruined and humanity now lives in the mobile city, Plantation. Inside, they are defended from massive life forms by children raised from birth to pilot robots called Franxx in boy-girl pairs. This story follows Hiro, once a prodigy, and now a failure. However, just as he was about to be cast aside, he meets a mysterious girl with horns that is a Franxx pilot dubbed The Partner Killer.
The fact that neither could be called traditional mecha series ties Darling in the Franxx and Neon Genesis Evangelion to each other all on its own. However, as both series start off pretty standard, you discover more about the world in which the characters inhabit, and then things kind of go off the deep end by the end.
Fafner of the Blue Sky
The children on the sleepy backwater island of Tatsuyajima all go to school thinking their lives will always be peaceful. However, little do they know that their island is the last line of defense against a hostile alien enemy. When the enemy finally attacks, the island’s defense systems fail, and their last hope rests on the robot Fafner. With the real pilot killed en route to the hangar, the young Kazuki Makabe is forced to take his place.
While Fafner follows your more traditional mecha plot, it does follow young pilots forced to battle horrific creatures. As such, it also has a strong focus on conflicting inner thoughts and leans towards the philosophical.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Neon Genesis Evangelion? Let fans know in the comments section below.
