The 15+ Anime Set In Space To Discover New Worlds

Space is a common setting for many mecha and Sci-Fi anime throughout all the animation eras.

It’s capable of making us dream and tickle our sense of the unknown and at the same time our nostalgia for our home planet.

This listicle provides a ranking of the best anime set in space, according to what we deem the best to capture this concept.

16. Voices of a Distant Star

A hidden gem set in space and in the future. The year is 2046 and two high school students are separated after the outburst of an alien attack.

Noboru Terao and Mikako Nagamine send emails to each other in the hope of meeting again soon, as the Noboru was selected for the UN to fight the newborn menace.

This story is a masterful example of how mecha and romance are perfect together and how space is an excellent setting for many of these stories.

15. Space Adventure Cobra

An action anime set in space about the adventures of Cobra and Lady Armaroid, an infamous duo feared by the authorities and feared by the Pirate Guild.

This series is episodic, although some episodes have a common thread, so don’t expect a linear and logical plot. Space Adventure Cobra is perfect if you want to relax and watch some guy smashing robots, aliens and pirates.

14. The Irresponsible Captain Tylor

The story of a lazy and greedy 20-year-old boy who joins the United Planets Space Force to get an easy job. After a hostage situation, he somehow manages to get through it and be awarded the command of a space battleship.

This lazy and lucky guy has the power to send troops and mercenaries against the Holy Raalgon Empire, the enemy army in this anime.

This is a Sci-Fi comedy set in space that is quite easy to watch and interesting to follow.

The main character is impassible and spreads his joy in a sad and cold world. The supporting cast is what makes this show good, as it counterbalances the presence of the funny captain.

13. Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut

In 2021, Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut was released in 12 episodes, and it’s an underrated anime that deserves more recognition for its unique blend of space exploration and supernatural vampire themes.

The story centers around a project to send humans into space, which is secretly using vampires as test subjects.

Irina Luminesque, our protagonist, is one of the vampires chosen for the mission, accompanied by Liev Lepus, a human assigned to oversee her.

This anime has some beautiful animations that perfectly complement the horror elements and the vastness of space.

The characters are well-developed, with excellent character designs, and the love story that blossoms between Irina and Liev is captivating and well-written.

12. Space Dandy

After delighting us with such gems as Cowboy Bebop, Shinichiro Watanabe returns in 2014 with a new series, Space Dandy. First created as an anime, it consists of 26 episodes and is animated by Bones studio.

The plot is not very linear. We are in a future where humanity has reached the edge of the universe. Dandy, the protagonist, is an alien hunter and self-proclaimed “first dandy of space.”

The anime consists of a series of self-contained episodes, with an apparent narrative discontinuity between them. It will not be uncommon to see our protagonists perish, only to see them intact in the next episode.

One of the other strong points is its comedy, which is very hyperbolic and devoted to quotations.

11. Outlaw Star

Outlaw Star is based on a famous seinen manga and the anime adaptation aired in 1998.

We are in the future called the “Towards Stars Era” in which many star systems have been opened to space traffic. Gene Starwind and James Hawking run a small, unassuming handyman agency to make a living.

One day they are hired to protect Captain Hilda, who is piloting a spaceship, the XGP-15A II, also nicknamed “Outlaw Star,” in search of a legendary location that holds immense treasure.

The lighthearted and unpretentious air will hold sway while watching this anime, making it an ideal product if you are looking for a light anime.

10. Knights of Sidonia

A Sci-Fi anime based on the famous seinen mecha manga by Nihei. It’s set in 1000 years in the future after planet Earth was destroyed by Gauna, a hideous alien race.

Humanity is still surviving and fighting back with mechs called Gardes, as they defend their last hope of survival.

The only choice they have is to attack Gauna by destroying their cores, the weak point. Knights of Sidonia shows a futuristic society where humans live in space vessels and get by how they can.

The main character Nagate Tanikaze will prove essential in this war against the aliens.

9. Astra Lost in Space

A good mix of survival and Sci-Fi with a space setting. The story assumes that space is commercially feasible and available.

The main character Aries Spring gets her purse snatched by a thief and Kanata Hoshijima manages to stop him and give it back to her.

This will be the beginning of a tragedy, as later on the two and a group of other people will be teleported into outer space.

Stranded and with no means of returning home, they find an abandoned ship called Astra that they can use to survive.

This small group of 9 people will have to find a way to come back home and of course, survive all the traps that await them.

The character drama is the keyword for this show, as you will get plenty.

8. Mobile Battleship Nadesico

Mobile Battleship Nadesico is an anime produced in 1996 and divided into 26 episodes.

The story takes place in 2196, in an alternate future where Earth is threatened by the Jupiter Lizards of the menacing unmanned machines that have already brought devastation to the universe.

To foil the threat and attempt to rescue survivors on the planet Mars, a private company has designed and built a powerful space combat battleship, the ND-001 Nadesico.

This anime is a satiric take on the mecha genre, as it’s filled with references to the most important mecha anime throughout the story.

The depiction of space is quite interesting and focused on Earth and Mars, with the nice addition of a love triangle to spice things up.

7. Space Battleship Yamato

It’s 2199 and Earth has suffered a massive bombardment by radioactive asteroids. Soon, the entire planet becomes inhospitable and humans are forced to take refuge underground.

The only hope will be provided by the planet Iskandar, which offers to donate a mechanism that can help them.

A World War II warship, the Yamato, is then exhumed from a dried-up seabed. It will be converted into a spaceship and crewed with 117 men, who must make this journey within a year, or it will be too late.

Yamato at the time was a real revolution. Indeed, the writers decided to abandon the usual stereotype of the all-hero and embrace personalities closer to the audience.

This, combined with Matsumoto’s great setting and direction, laid the groundwork for what later came to be known as Space Opera.

6. Space Brothers

As the name suggests, this is the story of two brothers willing to go to space after seeing a UFO heading towards the Moon as children.

Hibito Nanba, the older brother, will be the first man to go to the Moon, whereas Mutta is a salaryman. Fate blesses Mutta as he has the opportunity to go to space and catch up with his younger brother.

This story is not just about space, it’s about promises and dreams. Everything is so realistic and relatable, unlike many other shows which represent exaggerated representations.

The ideal show if you look for an anime that blends space and psychology with a good dose of realism.

5. Super Dimensional Fortress Macross

A cult mecha anime from 1982 with a love triangle and strong romance elements.

Some of you may recall Macross as part of Robotech, an 85-episode mix of 3 different anime. The story starts with the human race finishing a space airship based on an alien wreck.

When they try to launch the ship, they get attacked by the alien race Zentradi and the remnants of humanity embark on it to escape planet Earth.

This marks the beginning of a war against this unknown race of warriors, which takes place in space.

Macross shows how hard is life living in a space colony and far from home.

4. Planetes

It’s 2075 and man has now succeeded in colonizing the Moon. Thanks to these breakthroughs, they can proceed to the future colonization of Mars and the solar system.

The problem is that as space activities advance, a great deal of waste accumulates near Earth, potentially fatal to any operation. That is why the Space Debris Division is created, whose job is to prevent the damage that the waste could cause.

Another plus point of this anime is that, unlike other sci-fi productions, Planetes uses very realistic depictions of space and space travel.

This also applies to life in space and in the enclosed environments of spacecraft. Space is not a suitable place for human beings, and astronauts constantly suffer from illnesses due to being in it.

3. Mobile Suit Gundam

The Gundam series is immense, featuring 11 timelines and a lot of movies/OVAs. The majority of the stories are set in space and have political intrigues, as well as romance elements and our beloved mechs.

The most important timeline is Universal Century (UC) which makes the entire universe alive and not focused on the main cast.

The use of technology and the realistic scenarios are relatable and it’s not an unlikely possibility for humanity’s future.

You can watch the beauty of the stars and space-based battles even without going down the rabbit hole of the spinoffs and OVAs.

2. Legend of the Galactic Heroes

An OAV series about the devastating and interminable war that has raged now for 150 years between the Galactic Empire led by the Goldenbaum dynasty and the Alliance of Free Planets.

Set in the distant future when humanity has now colonized and made the entire cosmos its own, we see two protagonists pop up in the great turmoil of the war: Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-li.

This is an anime that sees war and political entanglements as its main themes but also dwells on side stories designed to illustrate the different lives of the social classes in the world in which it is set.

We also consider this series as one of the best anime set in the future that you can’t miss if you like the subgenre.

1. Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop shows a not-too-distant-future world where interspatial travel is the norm and Mars represents one of the cornerstones of humanity.

It’s set in a post-apocalyptic setting world where Earth is uninhabitable and follows the story of some bounty hunters aboard a spaceship called Bebop.

Worldbuilding encompasses almost all of the solar system, making it one of the best choices out there.

The adventures of Spike Spiegel and his fellow bounty hunters will show us what we can only dream of, in one of the best Sci-Fi anime ever made, if not the best.