Deep anime that keep fans thinking long after their end are now more popular than ever. Newcomers may find this surprising, as anime can look like a lighthearted form of entertainment on a surface level. Dig a little deeper, however, and one will find plenty of shows with surreal, existentialist, and highly elaborate themes.

The topics anime can cover are seemingly endless. Modern psychology, gender, and the role of technology are just few of the many challenging subjects that become more accessible when filtered through an anime lens. That's not to say that any of these series are straightforward viewing experiences: they open viewers up to new ideas that keep them thinking long after the credits roll.

10 Terror in Resonance

Terror in Resonance has been ranked one of the best Studio MAPPA anime for its explorations of terrorism and violence. In an alternative modern-day Japan, two teens steal an atomic bomb in what appears to be a terrorist attack. It is later revealed that the boys were involved with a school that turned orphaned children into human weapons. Clocking in at a mere 11 episodes, the anime is a quick watch but not a breezy one. Not only is Resonance beautifully animated with complex characters, it also feels more prescient than ever in the current political zeitgeist. Fans of Monster will recognize similarities between Kinderheim 511 and Resonance's Rising Peace Academy.

9 Roujin Z

Roujin Z is a science-fiction anime movie that is a satirical take on both elderly care and technology. Written by Katsuhiro Otomo of Akira's fame, set in 21st-century Japan, it details the creation of a robotic hospital bed known as the Z-001, designed to feed, bathe, and dispense medicine to its s. An 87-year-old patient is "volunteered" to test the product in a sequence that is both funny and horrific. When the bed turns out to be a weapon created by the government, the film devolves into pure action, but questions posed about the inhumane treatment of the elderly still linger. For those interested in history, the film also tackles themes of traditional vs. modern technology and the militarization of Japan.

8 Welcome to the NHK

Welcome to the NHK explores the phenomenon known as hikikomori, or extreme social withdrawal, that affects a staggering 1.5 million people in Japan today. It follows the reclusive Tatsuhiro Sato and a mysterious girl who seems to know a lot about him despite their never having met before. Over the course of 24 episodes, audiences learn more about Sato and what may have encouraged him to live in such isolation in the first place. Loneliness, mental health, and existentialism are all prominent themes that NHK examines in a realistic and nuanced way. Ultimately, Welcome to the NHK is an underrated psychological anime worth watching.

7 Grave of the Fireflies

Any seasoned anime fan has probably heard of Grave of the Fireflies and how emotionally devastating the viewing experience was. One of the best Studio Ghibli films, it tells the story of siblings Seita and Setsuko, who struggle to survive the last few months of World War II in Japan. The children experience starvation, loneliness, and tragedy as their lives are ravaged by the brutal war. Viewers will be forced to reckon with a terrible period in history, but that is what makes Grave of the Fireflies such an important and necessary watch.

6 Monster

One of the top anime of the early 2000s, Monster revolves around Dr. Kenzo Tenma and his pursuit of the serial killer Johan Liebert. Tenma, who saved Johan's life as a child before realizing his monstrous nature, has the ultimate motivation for getting Johan behind bars. Johan, however, is more mysterious, and the way his backstory is revealed over 70+ episodes is a delightfully slow burn. Monster tackles the uncomfortable truth that even the most well-intended actions can have disastrous consequences, as well as the murky line between good and evil. This anime is a must-watch for fans of Death Note and relationship-driven series like Banana Fish.

5 Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell set a new standard for neo-noir and cyberpunk when it was released in 1995. It chronicles a cyborg public security officer named Motoko Kusanagi as she tracks down an elusive hacker known as the Puppet Master. The film asks urgent questions about technology and how one can carve out an identity amidst it, which feels especially eerie in the modern day with our dependence on AI. Not only does Ghost ask important questions, but it is also gorgeously animated with a haunting choral soundtrack. In other words, it's no surprise that the film has become a modern-day cult classic.

4 Revolutionary Girl Utena

Utena Tenjou isn't your typical high school student. She's drawn into a sword dueling tournament to save her mysterious classmate, Anthy Himemiya, who has the ability to "revolutionize the world." Revolutionary Girl Utena is a deconstruction of gender, fairy tales, shoujo manga, and courtly love tropes. As ambitious as that sounds, however, the allegorical series sticks the landing at every turn. With Utena and Anthy's love story at center stage, Utena has been heralded as one of the best LGBTQ+ anime series. While the immense amount of symbolism hardly makes for a casual watch, the show will have fans thinking deeply long after the final episode.

3 Perfect Blue

The brainchild of legendary director Satoshi Kon, Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller similar to Black Swan or an Alfred Hitchcock film. J-Pop idol Mima Kirigoe leaves her girl group, CHAM!, to pursue life as a full-time actress, but things quickly take a turn for the worse. Mima becomes a victim of stalking and slowly begins to disconnect from reality as people she knows are killed off one by one. Released in 1997, Perfect Blue poses questions about stardom, internet privacy, and voyeurism in relation to women that are still extremely relevant today. It's no wonder Perfect Blue frequently ranks on lists of the best anime movies of all time.

2 Psycho-

A cyberpunk series reminiscent of Blade Runner and 1984, Psycho- is not afraid to ask thought-provoking questions about morality. The protagonist, Akane Tsunemori, must navigate a computer network known as the Sibyl System, in which a civilian's potential to commit crimes is factored into whether they should be apprehended. Akane, an idealistic officer, is forced to reckon with the flawed system when a serial killer emerges that the Sibyl System cannot detect. Not only does everyone in the series have a subtly different morality, two of the main cast have one of the deepest anime rivalries that make both characters more interesting.

1 Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a mecha anime with depth. Set in the futuristic city Tokyo-3 fifteen years after a disaster known as the Second Impact, it follows Shinji Ikari as he learns to pilot a mecha called an Evangelion. The show features heavy Judeo-Christian imagery and utilizes the psychological theories of Jung and Freud. Shinji is also far from a typical male protagonist, he's much more soft-spoken and reluctant to pilot his Eva than the average action hero. Overall, any fan who has watched the original series or any of the remake movies will have spent at least a few hours trying to grasp the complexity of the story and its symbolism. An incredibly ambitious series, Evangelion changed anime forever and is a lot more than a powerful deconstruction of the mecha genre.

Clearly, anime is a much more complex medium than first impressions would suggest. Watching it does not have to be a ive viewing experience: deep anime challenges its viewers, and that's exactly its appeal. The deepest anime that kept fans thinking long after their end are guaranteed to rewire perspectives and get viewers thinking about their own lives through multiple lenses.