Summary
Just like in Hollywood,anime also has its fair share of great directors,such as Hayao Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai. One of those directors isShinichiro Watanabe, the mastermind behind iconic series likeCowboy BebopandSamurai Champloo. For the Spring 2025 season, this legendary director has launched a new series calledLazarus.
InLazarus,a squad of highly skilled criminals is tasked with finding the person who is responsible for poisoning the entire world with a revolutionary drug. At the time of writing,Lazarushas only aired two out of the planned 13 episodes. That might not seem like much, but it’s more than enough for viewers to understand what the story is about, and whether they will like it or not. If they like what t hey’ve seen thus far, here are sevensimilar anime series that viewers can watch while waiting for new episodes ofLazarus.
In a world where robots and bright neon holograms fill every corner of the city,a group of high-ranking criminalsknown as the “Akudama” is tricked into doing a dangerous task for a mysterious entity. Accept, and they will receive a handsome reward. Refuse, and their heads will be blown to bits. Will this task turn them into the biggest villains known to mankind? Or will they end up as the saviors of humanity?
Similar toLazarus,the story ofAkudama Driverevolves around a group of unlikely individuals who are forced to take action in exchange for their lives and freedom. But that’s pretty much where the similarities stop, since everything else—from the visuals to the animation to the character personalities to the action sequences—is vastly different.
Terror in Resonanceis another splendid seriesfrom Shinichiro Watanabe. It tells the story of a pair of teenagers who stole a prototype atomic bomb and made a video about how they would detonate the bomb in Tokyo unless somebody solved their riddles.
Similar toLazarus,Terror in Resonanceis also a story revolving around people who threaten to end the lives of many innocents unless their unique demands are met. The biggest difference between the two is the fact that the story ofTerror in Resonanceunfolds from the perspective of the perpetrators, instead of the hero.
Major Motoko Kusanagi is the leader of the Public Security Section 9, a special task force consisting of former military personnel that focuses on dealing with the ever-growing threats of cybercrime.InGhostin the Shell:Stand Alone Complex,the target is a cyberterrorist named The Laughing Man, who has been infiltrating the Japanese Government’s servers and major pharmaceutical and military-industrial companies.
The story of bothLazarusandGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complexrevolves around a specialized task force with a mission that will affect the fate of many innocent lives. The main differences between the two are the atmosphere and the technology.Ghost in the Shellis somber, whileLazarusis much more laid-back. Furthermore,Ghost in the Shellalso leans heavily on the technological aspect of its world, with its use of autonomous robots, cybernetic prostheses, and brain hacking.Lazarus,on the other hand, feels like a compelling detective story that just happens to be set in a futuristic world.
InPluto,a mysterious entity is destroyingthe seven most advanced robots in the worldone by one. One of the seven robots, a detective robot from Germany named Gesicht, is tasked to find out the identity of the one who is powerful enough to destroy his peers and the motive behind it before he himself inevitably becomes the target.
Plutotakes place in a futuristic world where humanity is living side by side with robots. This future is a bit more advanced than the world ofLazarus.However, Gesicht’s struggle to find the evil mastermind with little to no clues whatsoever is very similar to the main objective of the special squad inLazarus.So if viewers like the investigative aspect ofLazarus,they’ll lovePluto.
Unlike most titles on this list that use a futuristic world as the main setting for their stories,Banana Fishis set in modern-day New York City.Not just any part of New York City either, it takes place in the dark underbelly of this metropolis; the back alleys, gang-run neighborhoods, shady docks, and run-down warehouses. It’s about drugs, youth, friendship, trauma, violence, corruption, and manipulation.
BothLazarusandBanana Fishexplore the dangers of drugs and how irresponsible people in power contribute to their spread among the public. However, they do have different ways of telling the story.Lazarusdoes it in a much more composed manner, whileBanana Fishfeels a lot more intense and emotional.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunnerstakes place in a futuristic worldwhere people walk around with modified cybernetic prosthetics that can do anything from lifting heavy objects to turning their arm into a cannon. Unfortunately, as this technology gets more advanced, humanity devolves into a dystopian society where violent crime rates are sky high. There’s also the rampant usage of enhancement and recreational drugs making things worse.
Much likeLazarus, Cyberpunk: Edgerunnerscenters on a ragtag group of outlaws brought together by a shared purpose. The difference is that the people inLazarustry their best to stay on the right side of the law while doing all they can to save a dying humanity. The folks inCyberpunk: Edgerunners,on the other hand, are mercenaries willing to do anything for the highest bidder.
As mentioned earlier,Cowboy BebopandLazaruscome from the mind of legendary director Shinichiro Watanabe. As such, there are tons of similarities between the two. The most obvious ones are a chill atmosphere, a story revolving around a ragtag group of quirky and highly skilled individuals, a laid-back main character, and most importantly, a mesmerizing jazz soundtrack.
Cowboy Bebopis the story of a group of space bounty hunterswho travel from planet to planet in pursuit of high-value targets. It is fun, intense, funny, emotional, and quite philosophical as well. This is a cult classic that everybody who claims to be an avid anime fan should watch at least once in their lives. So if there’s only one title from this list that gets watched, make itCowboy Bebop.
