Yes, we are kicking off this list with a classic, Akira. We feel we need to include an older title to emphasize why this list is important. Akira takes place in 2019 and it originally premiered towards the end of the eighties. Thankfully, World War III didn’t happen, but when you watch it now, it’s very surprising to see how it still relates to Japan now. For starters, Tokyo is getting the Olympics in 2020 like in the movie! But it goes beyond predicting the Olympics. In Akira, we see a fully militarized Japan and in recent years, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (despite the name, it’s a right-leaning party) and present Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have been pushing to militarize Japan and even consider abolishing Article 9 of their constitution, which denounces war and prevents them from officially having a military!

On paper, Japan doesn’t officially have a military, but what they presently have is something you can call a National Guard, or the Japanese Self Defense Forces. In Akira, we see what an officially militarized Japan could do to the nation, as it brings back an old Imperial Japan mentality. Many domestic and international critics of the LDP’s plans to militarize feel that’s exactly what it could lead to, and start a new war when you take into account present tensions with its neighboring Asian nations, who are still upset at Japan over World War II.

As we shared in previous articles in relation to Psycho-Pass, it can be called The Minority Report of anime. Instead of using psychics that can (almost) accurately predict a crime before it happens, what if the system in place is an AI that scans brain waves and depending on your emotions, it could predict that you have the intentions of committing a crime. Depending on the algorithm it could deem you dangerous and the police could be sent to execute you on the spot! OK, that’s a little extreme, but are you aware of China’s “social credit” system?

It is pretty much another pinko commie scheme of control in order to get people to obey! If for example, you don’t have enough social credit, then you are banned from traveling, staying at hotels, enrolling in certain schools, and get a slow internet connection! If you don’t comply with the so-called norm, then you’re subjected to such punishments. Of course, we want society to be safe and be kind to one another, but does it have to take a government program with severe punishments to get there? That’s not a free society, but one controlled by fear. Considering how many nations owe money to the Chinese, who’s to say that they won’t take advantage of that and implement it there?

We understand this is merely a comedy, spoof, and homage to older space opera anime, but Space Dandy does offer some unique insight to where our future could be headed. NASA, JAXA, SpaceX, and other universities and research facilities are investing so much into space research now more than ever, and there is still so much that we don’t know. There may come to a point that mankind has to migrate to space and we could come in contact with other lifeforms. Just like how Earth has its baddies and how you can collect bounties on them like Dog the Bounty Hunter, that’s what our titular Space Dandy does as well. Maybe one day, we may have to implement such a system.

Not only does it explore outer space, but it explores alternate realities as well. In recent years, some scientists have shared that the possibility of alternate universes in addition to our own can exist. So, is there an alternate universe like Space Dandy or any other anime out there? While it may seem ridiculous now, who’s to say in a few centuries or millenniums for now that we find a portal or gateway to such a place? What would our alternate selves be like? Could there be a version of us as Space Dandy in one universe, or as Dr. Gel, his arch-nemesis, in another? With the way the theory of the multiverse is now, that could be possible!

In the next coming decade, SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, wish to colonize Mars. However, if Mars is going to have some kind of presence for mankind’s future, we can learn something from Iron-Blooded Orphans, where Mars has numerous economic sanctions to the point that its children (with most of them being orphans needing to provide for themselves and their younger siblings) are forgoing an education to find employment as child soldiers for private security companies. When Elon Musk does get to Mars, where will it find itself politically and economically? If humanity’s presence on Mars does not find itself sanctioning itself independently or relying on Earth’s nations for economic prosperity, it could find itself in a world of trouble for its children.

In addition to aiming for Mars, Elon Musk has also announced that he wants to make mechs, or giant robots. Will his mechs be for military use? Or for building his Mars colonies? Or for making tunnels? Will they come with flamethrowers? With the way things are going now, Mars’ future in relation to humans and the Earth need to be taken into consideration as to how it can and must advance.

OK, we know what some of you are thinking: Is Attack on Titan really a futuristic anime? As you watch the anime, there are some clues to suggest that it could be, but when you take into account some recent events, it does justify the ambiguity. Since the rise of Donald Trump’s political career, his plans to build a wall along the US/Mexico border (and have Mexico pay for it? But spoilers, in a way, the Titans did pay for the wall) have been a great source of controversy to the point it shut down the government for a record period of time. Though Trump and his supporters aren’t exactly wanting to build the wall out of fear of Titans, but when you see this anime, you get an idea of what the walls truly represent and you can apply that to what a wall in real life could do.

If Trump does pursue building a wall, it could cause more harm than good to those near it, and have them exposed to the dangers of what is going on around that area (as it is seen with the people who live in the most outer section of the walls). Naturally, we don’t want to give a one sided view of the issue. We can agree that a wall could keep the nation safe (when you take into account how some of the border towns are legitimately dangerous) as it did for the people of Attack on Titan for over a century. But eventually, all walls are going to crumble whether it would take a day or a century. As the series progresses, you also see what incompetent leadership can do to the nation and it could serve as a warning for those that continue to follow such people.

While Psycho-Pass shows what too much government control can do, through Megalo Box, we see how a world controlled by corporations could potentially go. Those with money can live the city life as recognized citizens, but for those with no money, they live on the desert outskirts where they have no claims to not just citizenship, or the benefits that come with them. We see this with Junk Dog, who later takes the name Joe, to represent the everyday person after seeing it on a billboard. Due to Joe’s present situation, everyone keeps telling him he can’t get anywhere and that he needs to stay in his place. However, after taking abuse from both “the man” and even his own coach, he takes matters into his own hands to prove his own worth to the system and to himself.

So, if you thought a lack of government oversight was bad, just imagine what happens to boxing when you don’t have a state run commission . As it turns out, the corporate sponsored Megalonia boxing tournament has no weight classes, no age limits, no other medical requirements, and 3-minute rounds until the last man standing. Plus, contestants wear augmented gear to enhance their performance, so we’re guessing there’s no drug testing either. The only requirement to enter is that you have ID, which Joe doesn’t have but he gets it through illegal means. Through this anime, it shows that if self-interest corporations run things, then people of different classes will be severely segregated. However, it still shows if you work hard and make sacrifices, you can still make it no matter what your background is and it’s on you to make that change for yourself and society.

Without a doubt, when it comes to futuristic anime, Ghost in the Shell is a necessary inclusion. Though we previously covered ARISE, we felt it was best to include its first TV adaptation, Stand Alone Complex. As to how it relates to the future (and the present), you see how technology is abused by the government and how ordinary people can be consumed by it, which is a contemporary topic now more than ever since we are connected to the net 24/7 thanks to cell phones and tablets. What makes it distinctive is to how it parallels with modern day issues, some before they became significant, and they could be a bigger issue in the not too distant future. For the first season, it largely covers The Laughing Man case, which took inspiration from a 1984 kidnapping/extortion case involving Katsuhisa Ezaki, the president of Glico, the confectionary company known for making Pocky. As to how The Laughing Man relates to the future and real life, it paved way for how someone who was trying to help the people of a nation expose government (and corporate) corruption, but ends up as the villain due to their manipulation.

Sometime after the broadcasting of Stand Alone Complex, Wikileaks and Edward Snowden exposed corruption within the US government and they both became enemies of the state. However, considering that they were trying to share information with the American people as to what the government was, does that really make them a bad guy? They leaked that info for the American people, and not to an enemy of the state. Of course, it all comes back to manipulation of information/facts by those in power. In the end, The Laughing Man was really a good guy and his true motivations are a very excellent indicator of many realistic issues in regards to modern technology, lobbying, corporate/government corruption, and so on to the point that it qualifies as its own article.

Donald Trump’s idea for a wall is one thing, but what about his idea for a Space Force? If so, such military might is portrayed in Space Battleship Yamato 2202, the re-make to season 2 of the original series. In maybe less than 200 years, we may encounter life on other planets. Some will be friendly, and there are others that will be hostile, and we may have to agree with The Donald that a Space Force is going to be necessary in such an instance. As a matter of fact, even astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson agrees with the idea!

Tyson happened to previously share that the US kind of already has a Space Force with the United States Space Command, which is presently under the authority of the US Air Force. Just like how the Air Force branched off from the Army Air Corps after World War II, there may be a time when the United States Space Command may require to be recognized as its own separate branch as space exploration (slowly) expands in the coming centuries thanks to the efforts of SpaceX and NASA. But if there is an intergalactic threat, the next question is, how do we make space battleships? Just like how the Yamato is a sunken WWII ship retrofitted for space travel, will Trump’s Space Force use old Navy ships and subs as spaceships as well? And will there be another life form benevolent enough to share us their technology?

What if the Britannia Empire (which we are to assume was based on the old British Empire?) never lost the US War of Independence? This is what Code Geass partially explores as we see an alternate future of what would happen if that Empire never dissolved. So, we got mechs, bizarre powers of the eye called geass, and other super power nations (like the European Union and The Chinese Federation), but eventually, all empires crumble either by their own flaws or rebellions of its oppressed, which is what Code Geass portrays. Ironically, Lelouch, an exiled prince of the Britannia Empire, assumes the moniker of Zero, who uses his natural tactical genius to lead the Japanese into a rebellion. Beyond all of its crazy future tech, what it ultimately teaches us is what it means to have quality leadership.

As the series progresses, Lelouch makes some serious sacrifices as to how he can make his plan work 100%. In a way, with how the ending to the second season is executed, you can somehow reasonably equate it to the crucification of Jesus. He was willing to carry the weight of man’s sins and sacrifice himself for them. This anime shows that in the future, we as a race, can one day unite if we are willing to make sacrifices and take responsibility for our sins. Perhaps it’s going to take the example of just one man, or a savior, who is willing to sacrifice himself for the good of all, and it could happen if we’re still going to fight one another for senseless reasons.

Like Code Geass, Legend of the Galactic Heroes does explore old school imperialism but in a very different sense. Through this series, you see how mankind is still at war over differing philosophies, but explores it in a very different way. Though both history and pop culture as a whole have portrayed empires as evil, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is willing to play devil’s advocate. As you watch this series, you do see that democracy is ideal, but it is imperfect if and when we elect the wrong people, but as long as we keep having elections, the change we seek can come. But in an empire ruled by an undisputed leader, with the proper leader who genuinely cares for the people, that change and progress for the lower class can come at a faster pace as opposed to going through checks and balances.

No matter how far we advance into space or with technology, this anime masterfully shows human nature may never change in relation to conflict and search for power. It does a great job of balancing as to how both a monarchy/dictatorship and democracy can be used for good and bad. Will humans be out of control to the point that we need one guy to keep everything in check? For all we know, that guy could be the second coming of Jesus. Or, will we always need to use a system of representatives elected by the people for the people? Either way, people are taking big chances with both systems and that abuse of power will always be there. The ultimate question is, do you want a dictator that actually helps the people (and allows free speech such as people protesting against him without the fear of being executed)? Or an elected government by the people who end up abusing their power? There is no definitive good or evil in this series but it all depends on not just the what in terms of leadership, but ultimately, The Who.