Summary
- Lazarus by Shinichiro Watanabe follows a squad hunting down a global poisoner, similar to - but different from - Akudama Drive.
- Terror in Resonance, another Watanabe series, focuses on sinister teens with destructive demands from their perspective.
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, like Lazarus, features a specialized task force in a technological world of cyberterrorists.
Just like in Hollywood, anime also has its fair share of great directors, such as Hayao Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai. One of those directors is Shinichiro Watanabe, the mastermind behind iconic series like Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. For the Spring 2025 season, this legendary director has launched a new series called Lazarus.
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In Lazarus, 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, Lazarus has 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 seven similar anime series that viewers can watch while waiting for new episodes of Lazarus.
7 Akudama Drive
Criminals In A Neon-Filled Cyberpunk World
Akudama Drive
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2020 - 2020-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 1
In a world where robots and bright neon holograms fill every corner of the city, a group of high-ranking criminals known 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 to Lazarus, the story of Akudama Drive revolves 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.
6 Terror In Resonance
Terror From The Eyes Of The Perpetrators
Terror in Resonance
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2014 - 2014
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Creator
- Shinichirō Watanabe
- Number of Episodes
- 11
Terror in Resonance is another splendid series from 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 to Lazarus, Terror in Resonance is 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 of Terror in Resonance unfolds from the perspective of the perpetrators, instead of the hero.
5 Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Cybernetic Soldiers Vs Cyberterrorists
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2002 - 2005
- Seasons
- 2
- Studio
- Production I.G
- Creator(s)
- Shirow Masamune
- Number of Episodes
- 52
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. In Ghost in 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.
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The story of both Lazarus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex revolves 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 Shell is somber, while Lazarus is much more laid-back. Furthermore, Ghost in the Shell also 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.
4 Pluto
The Hunt To Find A Murderous Robot
Pluto
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2023 - 2023-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Naoki Urasawa
- Number of Episodes
- 10
In Pluto, a mysterious entity is destroying the seven most advanced robots in the world one 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.
Pluto takes place in a futuristic world where humanity is living side by side with robots. This future is a bit more advanced than the world of Lazarus. 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 in Lazarus. So if viewers like the investigative aspect of Lazarus, they'll love Pluto.
3 Banana Fish
A Story Of Drugs And Violence In New York City’s Shady Underbelly
Banana Fish
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2018 - 2018
- Directors
- Hiroko Utsumi
- Writers
- Hiroshi Seko
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Creator
- Akimi Yoshida
- Number of Episodes
- 24
Unlike most titles on this list that use a futuristic world as the main setting for their stories, Banana Fish is 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.
Both Lazarus and Banana Fish explore 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. Lazarus does it in a much more composed manner, while Banana Fish feels a lot more intense and emotional.
2 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
A Dystopian Cyberpunk Future Fueled By Drugs And Violence
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2022 - 2022
- Network
- Netflix
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Trigger
- Story By
- yoshiki usa
- Number of Episodes
- 10
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners takes place in a futuristic world where 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.
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Much like Lazarus, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners centers on a ragtag group of outlaws brought together by a shared purpose. The difference is that the people in Lazarus try their best to stay on the right side of the law while doing all they can to save a dying humanity. The folks in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, on the other hand, are mercenaries willing to do anything for the highest bidder.
1 Cowboy Bebop
The Story Of Charismatic Space Bounty Hunters
Cowboy Bebop
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1998 - 1999
- Network
- TV Tokyo, WOWOW Prime
- Showrunner
- Shinichirô Watanabe
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Sunrise
- Creator
- Hajime Yatate
- Number of Episodes
- 26
As mentioned earlier, Cowboy Bebop and Lazarus come 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 Bebop is the story of a group of space bounty hunters who 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 it Cowboy Bebop.
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