Anime Like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man

20 anime similar to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man based on genre, format, studio, and popularity

Anime Like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man

Looking for anime similar to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man? Here are 10 anime recommendations that share similar themes, genres, or storytelling styles.

Why These Recommendations?

We selected these anime based on shared genres (Action, Mecha, Mystery), similar narrative structures, comparable art styles, and positive fan overlap. If you enjoyed Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man, these series should appeal to your taste.

Our Top Picks

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FLCL

6 eps⭐ 7.92000Score: 47.0

3 shared genres: Action, Mecha, Sci-FiSame format (OVA)Same studio: Production I.G

ActionComedyMechaSci-Fi

Naota is a detached sixth grader afflicted by the pangs of puberty. He's fooling around with his brother's ex-girlfriend when a crazed girl on a motor scooter runs him over, brains him with a bass guitar, and moves into his house. This pink-haired girl, Haruko - who claims she's an alien - hurls Naota into the middle of a mega-corporation's secret agenda. Oh, and now giant battling robots shoot from his skull. Mix in mind-bending animation and tunes that echo through your cerebellum to top off the trip that will have you falling hard for FLCL. (Source: Funimation)

3/5 genres match

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion

1 eps⭐ 8.51997Score: 39.4

4 shared genres: Action, Mecha, Psychological, Sci-FiSame studio: Production I.G

ActionDramaMechaPsychological

NERV faces a brutal attack from SEELE, but with Asuka in a coma, and Shinji in a nervous breakdown, things soon turn into the surreal. This movie provides a concurrent ending to the final two episodes of the show Neon Genesis Evangelion. (Source: IMDb)

4/5 genres match

Guilty Crown

22 eps⭐ 6.92011Score: 38.5

4 shared genres: Action, Mecha, Psychological, Sci-FiSame studio: Production I.G

ActionDramaMechaPsychological

Shuu's entire world was shattered after a meteorite crashed into Japan, unleashing the lethal Apocalypse Virus. The chaos and anarchy born of the outbreak cost Shuu his family and reduced him to a timid, fearful shell of the boy he'd once been. His life took another unexpected turn after a chance encounter with the stunning pop star, Inori. This mysterious beauty introduced Shuu to the King's Right Hand: a genetic mutation that allows him to reach into hearts of mortals and turn them into weapons. Shuu finds himself caught in the crossfire between those who desperately seek his newfound strength. On one side lurks a clandestine government agency, and on the other, Inori and the spirited band of rebels known as Funeral Parlor. The choice is Shuu's to make - and the world is his to change. (Source: Funimation)

4/5 genres match

PSYCHO-PASS

22 eps⭐ 8.12012Score: 36.4

3 shared genres: Action, Psychological, Sci-FiSame studio: Production I.G

ActionPsychologicalSci-FiThriller

Justice, and the enforcement of it, has changed. In the 22nd century, Japan enforces the Sibyl System, an objective means of determining the threat level of each citizen by examining their mental state for signs of criminal intent, known as their Psycho-Pass. Inspectors uphold the law by subjugating, often with lethal force, anyone harboring the slightest ill-will; alongside them are Enforcers, jaded Inspectors that have become latent criminals, granted relative freedom in exchange for carrying out the Inspectors' dirty work. Into this world steps Akane Tsunemori, a young woman with an honest desire to uphold justice. However, as she works alongside veteran Enforcer Shinya Kougami, she soon learns that the Sibyl System's judgments are not as perfect as her fellow Inspectors assume. With everything she has known turned on its head, Akane wrestles with the question of what justice truly is, and whether it can be upheld through the use of a system that may already be corrupt. (Source: MAL Rewrite) Note: In the Summer 2014 season, Psycho-Pass was rebroadcast and re-edited to fit into an hour time-slot, ending up in 11 one-hour episodes. This edit included added scenes at the beginning and middle of the episodes, as well as fixing and improving animation.

3/5 genres match

Neon Genesis Evangelion

26 eps⭐ 8.31995Score: 29.7

5 shared genres: Action, Mecha, Mystery, Psychological, Sci-Fi

ActionDramaMechaMystery

In the year 2015, the Angels, huge, tremendously powerful, alien war machines, appear in Tokyo for the second time. The only hope for Mankind's survival lies in the Evangelion, a humanoid fighting machine developed by NERV, a special United Nations agency. Capable of withstanding anything the Angels can dish out, the Evangelion's one drawback lies in the limited number of people able to pilot them. Only a handful of teenagers, all born fourteen years ago, nine months after the Angels first appeared, are able to interface with the Evangelion. One such teenager is Shinji Ikari, whose father heads the NERV team that developed and maintains the Evangelion. Thrust into a maelstrom of battle and events that he does not understand, Shinji is forced to plumb the depths of his own inner resources for the courage and strength to not only fight, but to survive, or risk losing everything. (Source: AniDB) Note: Later releases include edited versions of Episodes 21-24 called the "Director's Cut" with some visual editing and adding extra scenes that appeared in the theatrical recap 'Death'.

5/5 genres match

Kaiju No. 8

12 eps⭐ 8.12024Score: 29.6

2 shared genres: Action, Sci-FiSame studio: Production I.G

ActionSci-Fi

With the highest kaiju-emergence rates in the world, Japan is no stranger to attack by deadly monsters. Enter the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with the neutralization of kaiju. Kafka Hibino, a kaiju-corpse cleanup man, has always dreamed of joining the force. But when he gets another shot at achieving his childhood dream, he undergoes an unexpected transformation. How can he fight kaiju now that he’s become one himself?! (Source: VIZ Media)

2/5 genres match

Death Note

37 eps⭐ 8.42006Score: 26.7

2 shared genres: Mystery, PsychologicalSimilar era (2006)

MysteryPsychologicalSupernaturalThriller

Light Yagami is a genius high school student who is about to learn about life through a book of death. When a bored shinigami, a God of Death, named Ryuk drops a black notepad called a Death Note, Light receives power over life and death with the stroke of a pen. Determined to use this dark gift for the best, Light sets out to rid the world of evil… namely, the people he believes to be evil. Should anyone hold such power? The consequences of Light’s actions will set the world ablaze. (Source: VIZ Media)

2/5 genres match

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

25 eps⭐ 8.52006Score: 26.6

3 shared genres: Action, Mecha, Sci-FiSimilar era (2006)

ActionDramaMechaSci-Fi

On August 10th of the year 2010 the Holy Empire of Britannia began a campaign of conquest, its sights set on Japan. Operations were completed in one month thanks to Britannia's deployment of new mobile humanoid armor vehicles dubbed Knightmare Frames. Japan's rights and identity were stripped away, the once proud nation now referred to as Area 11. Its citizens, Elevens, are forced to scratch out a living while the Britannian aristocracy lives comfortably within their settlements. Pockets of resistance appear throughout Area 11, working towards independence for Japan. Lelouch, an exiled Imperial Prince of Britannia posing as a student, finds himself in the heart of the ongoing conflict for the island nation. Through a chance meeting with a mysterious girl named C.C., Lelouch gains his Geass, the power of the king. Now endowed with absolute dominance over any person, Lelouch may finally realize his goal of bringing down Britannia from within! (Source: Bandai Entertainment)

3/5 genres match

Tengoku Daimakyo

13 eps⭐ 8.12023Score: 25.6

2 shared genres: Mystery, Sci-FiSame studio: Production I.G

AdventureMysterySci-FiThriller

In the year 2024, the world has collapsed. Grotesque monsters lurk amongst the ruins of Japan, while remaining people scrape together what they can to survive. Kiruko, an odd-job girl in Nakano, accepts a mysterious woman's dying wish to take a boy named Maru to a place called Heaven. (Source: Disney+, edited)

2/5 genres match

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2

25 eps⭐ 8.72008Score: 23.3

3 shared genres: Action, Mecha, Sci-FiSimilar era (2008)

ActionDramaMechaSci-Fi

A year has passed since "The Black Rebellion" and the remaining Black Knights have vanished into the shadows, their leader and figurehead, Zero, executed by the Britannian Empire. Area 11 is once more squirming under the Emperor's oppressive heel as the Britannian armies concentrate their attacks on the European front. But for the Britannians living in Area 11, life is back to normal. On one such normal day, a Britannian student, skipping his classes in the Ashford Academy, sneaks out to gamble on his chess play. But unknown to this young man, several forces are eying him from the shadows, for soon, he will experience a shocking encounter with his own obscured past, and the masked rebel mastermind Zero will return.

3/5 genres match

Gurren Lagann

27 eps⭐ 8.52007Score: 22.8

3 shared genres: Action, Mecha, Sci-FiSimilar era (2007)

ActionComedyDramaMecha

In a far away future, mankind lives underground in huge caves, unknowing of a world above with a sky and stars. In the small village of Jiha, Simon, a shy boy who works as a digger discovers a strange glowing object during excavation. The enterprising Kamina, a young man with a pair of rakish sunglasses and the passion of a firey sun, befriends Simon and forms a small band of brothers, the Gurren Brigade, to escape the village and break through the ceiling of the cave to reach the surface, which few believe exist. The village elder won't hear of such foolishness and punishes the Brigade. However, when disaster strikes from the world above and the entire village is in jeopardy, it's up to Simon, Kamina, a girl with a big gun named Yoko, and the small yet sturdy robot, Lagann, to save the day. The new friends journey to the world above and find that the surface is a harsh battlefield, and it's up to them to fight back against the rampaging Beastmen to turn the tide in the humans' favor! Pierce the heavens, Gurren Lagann!

3/5 genres match

DARLING in the FRANXX

24 eps⭐ 6.92018Score: 21.9

4 shared genres: Action, Mecha, Psychological, Sci-Fi

ActionDramaMechaPsychological

The distant future: Humanity established the mobile fort city, Plantation, upon the ruined wasteland. Within the city were pilot quarters, Mistilteinn, otherwise known as the “Birdcage.” That is where the children live... Their only mission in life was the fight. Their enemies are the mysterious giant organisms known as Kyoryu. The children operate robots known as FRANXX in order to face these still unseen enemies. Among them was a boy who was once called a child prodigy: Code number 016, Hiro. One day, a mysterious girl called Zero Two appears in front of Hiro. “I’ve found you, my Darling.” (Source: Crunchyroll)

4/5 genres match

Attack on Titan

25 eps⭐ 8.52013Score: 20.6

2 shared genres: Action, Mystery

ActionDramaFantasyMystery

Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by titans. Titans are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest of titans. Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a titan in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a colossal titan that appears out of thin air. As the smaller titans flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single titan and take revenge for all of mankind. (Source: MangaHelpers)

2/5 genres match

Gintama

201 eps⭐ 8.52006Score: 20.4

2 shared genres: Action, Sci-FiSimilar era (2006)

ActionComedyDramaSci-Fi

Life isn't easy in feudal Japan... especially since the aliens landed and conquered everything! Oh sure, the new health care is great, but the public ban on the use of swords has left a lot of defeated samurai with a difficult decision to make concerning their future career paths! This is especially true if, as in the case of Gintoki Sakata, they're not particularly inclined towards holding a day job, which is why Gintoki's opted for the freelance route, taking any job that's offered to him as long as the financial remuneration sounds right. Unfortunately, in a brave new world filled with stray bug-eyed monsters, upwardly mobile Yakuza and overly ambitious E.T. entrepreneurs, those jobs usually don't pay as well as they should for the pain, suffering and indignities endured! (Source: Sentai Filmworks)

2/5 genres match

Monster

74 eps⭐ 8.82004Score: 19.7

2 shared genres: Mystery, PsychologicalSimilar era (2004)

DramaHorrorMysteryPsychological

Dr. Kenzo Tenma is a renowned Japanese brain surgeon working at a leading hospital in Germany. One night, Dr. Tenma risks his reputation and career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy over that of the town mayor who had been planning to support the hospital financially. A string of mysterious murders begin to occur soon after the operation, and Dr. Tenma emerges as the primary suspect despite no incriminating evidence. A doctor is taught to believe that all life is equal; however, when another series of murders occur in the surgeon's vicinity, Dr. Tenma's beliefs are shaken as his actions that night are shown to have much broader consequences than he could have imagined. Leaving behind his life as a surgeon he embarks on a journey across the country to unravel the mystery of the boy he saved.

2/5 genres match

The Future Diary

26 eps⭐ 6.92011Score: 19.4

3 shared genres: Action, Mystery, Psychological

ActionHorrorMysteryPsychological

This psychological thriller, based on the manga written and illustrated by Sakae Esuno, is about Yuki, a loner who's not very good with people. He prefers to write a diary on his cell phone and talk to his imaginary friend, Deus Ex Machina – The God of Time and Space. However, Yuki soon learns that Deus is more than a figment of his imagination when he makes Yuki participate in a battle royale with eleven others. The contestants are given special diaries that can predict the future, each diary possessing unique features that give it both advantages and disadvantages. Within the next 90 days, the contestants must try to survive until there is only one left standing. The winner will become the new God of Time and Space. (Source: FUNimation)

3/5 genres match

Tokyo Ghoul

12 eps⭐ 7.62014Score: 19.3

3 shared genres: Action, Mystery, Psychological

ActionDramaHorrorMystery

The suspense horror/dark fantasy story is set in Tokyo, which is haunted by mysterious "ghouls" who are devouring humans. People are gripped by the fear of these ghouls whose identities are masked in mystery. An ordinary college student named Kaneki encounters Rize, a girl who is an avid reader like him, at the café he frequents. Little does he realize that his fate will change overnight. (Source: Anime News Network)

3/5 genres match

Parasyte -the maxim-

24 eps⭐ 8.12014Score: 18.7

3 shared genres: Action, Psychological, Sci-Fi

ActionDramaHorrorPsychological

They arrive in silence and darkness. They descend from the skies. They have a hunger for human flesh. They are everywhere. They are parasites, alien creatures who must invade–and take control of–a human host to survive. And once they have infected their victims, they can assume any deadly form they choose: monsters with giant teeth, winged demons, creatures with blades for hands. But most have chosen to conceal their lethal purpose behind ordinary human faces. So no one knows their secret–except an ordinary high school student. Shin is battling for control of his own body against an alien parasite, but can he find a way to warn humanity of the horrors to come? (Source: Del Rey)

3/5 genres match

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

10 eps⭐ 8.52022Score: 18.5

3 shared genres: Action, Psychological, Sci-Fi

ActionDramaPsychologicalSci-Fi

An original anime series set in in the universe of Cyberpunk 2077. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners tells a standalone, 10-episode story about a street kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an edgerunner—a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk. (Source: CD PROJEKT RED) Note: The first episode received a pre-screening at Anime Expo on July 2, 2022. The first 3 dubbed episodes were streamed on Twitch as part of a co-stream promotion on September 12, a day before the show’s premiere.

3/5 genres match

Serial Experiments Lain

13 eps⭐ 8.01998Score: 18.2

3 shared genres: Mystery, Psychological, Sci-Fi

DramaMysteryPsychologicalSci-Fi

We're all connected... There is the world around us, a world of people, tactile sensation, and culture. There is the wired world, inside the computer, of images, personalities, virtual experiences, and a culture all of its own. The day after a classmate commits suicide, Lain, a 14-year-old girl, discovers how closely the two worlds are linked when she receives an e-mail from the dead girl: I just abandoned my body. I still live here... Has the line between the real world and the wired world begun to blur? (Source: Geneon Entertainment)

3/5 genres match

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