The Top 12 Anime A Pluto Fan Should Watch Now

Pluto was born as a manga in 2003 from the mind of the brilliant Naoki Urasawa, who is one of the greatest mangaka ever.

In 2023 it was finally adapted into an anime, which lived up to the high expectations and turned out to be an excellent product. We’ve included it in our list of the best anime of 2023.

We know that after watching it, you’re looking for other anime that give off the same vibes because we’ve done the same.

Here’s our list of the best anime like Pluto, that you must add to your watchlist.

12. Violet Evergarden

Violet Evergarden can be considered an anime like Pluto, but with a slower, more grounded, and chill tone.

Like Pluto, it includes themes of war and machines, but instead of focusing on action and mystery, it delves into emotions, personal discovery, and the coexistence between humans and machines.

This is the story of a former living weapon who now after the end of the war, finds herself listening to and relaying the stories of others in letter form.

Each episode shows a different story while telling the war-torn world in which the series takes place and delving deeper into its protagonist.

11. Master Keaton

Master Keaton has few similarities with Pluto in terms of plot and themes, but it has a key factor: the manga it’s based on was created again by Naoki Urasawa.

As a result, you’ll find incredibly similar vibes, along with the same character design.

Keaton Taichi is a man with a dream of uncovering an ancient civilization along the Danube River. After his marriage falls apart, he loses faith in his dream and enlists in the British Army.

But actually he plans to use the money he earns from this job to fund his dream in the future.

10. Casshern Sins

And what about Pluto but with a space opera twist? Sounds intriguing, right?

These are the characteristics of Casshern Sins, released in 2008 as a reboot of a beloved vintage series.

The story takes place in a world where humanity has been enslaved by robots, and the only glimmer of hope for the human race is a mysterious girl.

Briking, the ruler of the robots, learns about the threat posed by this girl and orders three robots Casshern, Dio, and Leda to kill her.

What follows is shrouded in mystery, as 100 years pass after this event, and Casshern awakens in a world now dead and destroyed…

9. Vivy: Fluorite Eye Song

Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song is an excellent anime to watch after Pluto because it centers around the theme of the conflict between humans and technology.

It’s also full of mystery and plot twists, with some action scenes included, making it a super solid pick.

Created to spread happiness by singing, Vivy is an android who travels the world singing in different shows. But when the situation requires it, she can also be a skilled fighter, despite being programmed to be nonviolent.

But when another android arrives one day from the future with terrible news, the plot begins to thicken.

8. Spriggan

Spriggan is a cult classic in Japanese animation that you might love if you’re a fan of Pluto.

It has all the perfect ingredients to make it a fantastic anime like Pluto, including mystery, plenty of action, and android characters, so add it to your watchlist ASAP.

The narrative kicks off with the discovery of an archaeological artifact, leading to the demise of its uncoverers due to an unidentified explosion.

The Spriggans, an elite cadre of fighters affiliated with Arcam, a Japanese multinational corporation, are tasked with the responsibility of either locating these artifacts or eliminating them.

At the forefront of the story is Yu Ominae, a high school student and Spriggan possessing extraordinary fighting abilities, assigned to confront the enigma surrounding the mysterious artifact.

7. Psycho-Pass

Psycho-Pass is another excellent detective/mystery anime with action and advanced technology set in a dystopian Sci-Fi world.

While its plot differs from “Pluto,” we think you’ll enjoy it.

Psycho-Pass is set in a futuristic society where it is possible to monitor and control an individual’s mental state and personality.

With those data, it can be assessed the probability of a person committing a crime or not, the so-called Crime Coefficient, and arrest the individual before the crime is even committed.

6. Metropolis

Metropolis is a great Sci-Fi movie featuring androids living together with humanity in the great city of Metropolis.

If you have loved Pluto, this movie will be a no-brainer if you like mystery stories in a futuristic setting.

The protagonist is private investigator Shunsaku Ban, who accompanied by his nephew Kenichi, travels to the city-state of Metropolis to investigate an alleged human organ trafficking operation.

But this is just the beginning of a complex web of mysteries that will soon unfold.

Even today, Metropolis is an excellent choice rich of amazing settings and with good direction.

5. No Guns Life

Man-machine characters, a lot of mystery and action, and the theme of coexistence between machines and humans are the key elements of No Guns Life, an incredible and underrated anime released in recent years.

Sound familiar? Except for the fact that these are the same things that you can find in Pluto, we mean.

The story unfolds in a world inhabited by Extends, humans with modified body parts turned into weapons.

The main character, Juuzou Inui, is one of them, with his head transformed into a gun, and he has no memories of his life before this modification.

The episodes follow Juuzou and Mary, a girl under his protection, as they tackle cases involving other Extends.

4. Kaiba

Kaiba is a fantastic Sci-Fi anime featuring android characters and a touch of mystery, with a strong focus on philosophical and existential themes.

If you enjoyed Pluto and are looking for something more introspective, give Kaiba a chance.

In this world, memories are stored in chips outside the body, and the show presents viewers with a range of scenarios showcasing the impact this technology could have on people’s lives.

From machines that allow interaction with a chip to shuffle multiple individuals into one body to save money, the creators deliver new and innovative ideas that will leave you captivated and engaged.

3. Ergo Proxy

Ergo Proxy is an incredible detective/mystery anime featuring action and androids set in a Sci-Fi world with a lot of dark moments.

This makes it a fantastic anime like Pluto that we highly recommend you don’t miss.

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future where survivors live under a dome city called Romdo, to get shelter from the lethal and toxic climate.

To help with mankind’s recovery, AutoReivs, humanoid-like robots, have been created to assist people in their day-to-day lives.

But these automatons have begun contracting an enigmatic disease called the Cogito Virus which grants them self-awareness.

2. Neon Genesis Evangelion

There are no official sources confirming this, but it’s possible that Naoki Urasawa drew inspiration from Evangelion when creating Pluto.

This is particularly noticeable in the similarities between the characters Tenma and Atom with Gendo and Rei.

If you look closely, Tenma and Gendo share remarkable similarities, as does the relationship between Tenma and Atom, which resembles that of Gendo and Rei.

Created by Hideaki Anno and the Gainax studio, the anime portrays a world under attack by mysterious cybernetic entities known as Angels that threaten the peace of humanity.

To fight them, the Special Agency Nerv uses special mechas called EVAs. The protagonist, Shinji Ikari, is hired by this group to pilot one of the robots, EVA 01, and attempt to end these attacks.

1. Monster

Among all the existing series, Monster is the one that absolutely had to be on this list.

This work is the ultimate masterpiece by Naoki Urasawa, the same author behind Pluto and as expected, it’s filled with mystery and suspense that unfolds slowly, featuring the distinct character design that defines Urasawa’s style.

The only difference is that Monster lacks Sci-Fi elements, but other than that, it’s a perfect recommendation.

The story follows Kenzo Tenma, a renowned surgeon. One day he decides to rebel against his boss, saving a child from a fatal wound instead of the mayor of Düsseldorf, the city where the hospital is located.

Time will prove Dr. Tenma wrong as he realizes that the child he saved, Johan Liebert, has become over time a serial killer who continues to claim lives.

It will then be up to him to investigate to get to the bottom of it and stop Johan, to make up for his mistake.