The 14 Best Anime To Learn and Love Science

Science, whether you appreciated it in school or not, is undoubtedly fascinating.

But how much more interesting can it become when applied to anime, thus creating powers that characters use or sending out interesting plots with that touch of wit?

That’s exactly what today’s theme is all about, where we’ll take a very varied look at the best anime where science takes center stage.

And expect everything, from time and dream travel, science used as a special power or even simple biology.

Rankings are based on our experience and taste. Beware of spoilers, some of them are necessary to introduce some anime.

14. A Certain Scientific Railgun

A spin-off of A Certain Magical Index released in 2009 of 24 episodes, linked directly to the original work.

The story centers on Mikoto Misaka, a student at Tokiwadai Middle School but also a Level 5 Esper ranked third overall in the City Academy’s top ranking.

Although she tries not to get into trouble, she often ends up entangled in the activities of the Judgment, a volunteer student body deputed to keep order in the city, while also coming into contact with the darker side of the city.

An anime that sees its scientific side in the powers of the characters, all of who are very grounded in very interesting scientific explanations and believable within the limits of reality.

It does not justify the characters’ powers simply by relying on magic.

An interesting anime that mixes good action, comedy, and some fanservice with animations and a soundtrack not to be underestimated.

13. Paprika

This movie came out in 2006 and became a worldwide success. It’s now considered a classic by Satoshi Kon, one of the best anime directors ever.

The science this time will be the technology, which will also be the undiscussed protagonist of the events.

The story gravitates around the so-called DC Mini, an innovative tool that allows entering people’s dreams. Atsuko Chiba, the head researcher of the project, starts using this tool to help patients affected by psychiatric problems, even though this would break the rules.

Atsuko takes on the form of Paprika, her virtual alter ego to enter the dreams. The plot then thickens as more mysteries appear and dreams and reality merge.

It has cyberpunk elements in the sense that it features many transformations, starting from the main character, that is very important to the plot.

For the most expert, this movie can be tied in many aspects to Inception. A surreal, extremely mind-blowing movie, that merges the dream world with reality, using the perfect direction as the glue.

12. Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

An absolute masterpiece of the battle shonen and one of the best fighting anime of all time.

Based on the manga written in 2001 by Hiromu Arakawa, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is the animated series that most faithfully deals with the plot told in the original work.

Edward and Alphonse Elric are two brothers who live in a world where alchemy reigns and is used for a variety of purposes, whether war, medical, or even related to everyday life. The 2 brothers have a very specific purpose, which is to regain their lost bodies.

When they were young they tried to bring their late mother back to life using alchemy, and it went wrong, since as powerful as this magic is, it cannot go against the laws of nature.

Full Metal Alchemist isn’t directly related to science, but alchemy is very relatable to it.

The alchemy, the power system of this anime, is probably one of the most realistic and scientifically explainable in the entire landscape of the medium.

Often, indeed, the characters will get lost in scientific explanations of their power, making it very relatable.

And besides that Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is one of those must-see anime that no one can miss.

It is an incredibly complete story, with sad but also funny moments and among the best fight scenes ever. Not to mention the characters, one better written than the other.

11. Steamboy

From the genius of Katsuhiro Otomo came Steamboy in 2004, one of the best steampunk anime productions ever.

The plot is set in an alternate Victorian England of 1866 starring young Ray Steam, the son of a famous inventor. One day, Ray receives a metal orb from his grandfather of unspecified use, but with the incredible power of giving energy in an almost illimited way to every steam machine.

For that, he is pursued by the Ohara Foundation, which kidnaps him and takes him to London.

A movie that has a lot to offer, both visually and in terms of mystery and plot twists.

The steampunk London sceneries are amazing and represent quite well the contrasting themes of the movie, such as the conflict between science and soul.

But, mysteries apart, science and inventions are the real focus of the story. Progress, inventions and the will to make the world better are just a hint of the true face of this movie.

10. Tales of Agriculture

Another school comedy with fantastical and supernatural elements.

Sawaki can see viruses, bacteria, and fungi with the naked eye in the form of tiny caricatures that resemble their actual appearance.

For this reason, he decides to enroll in the agricultural faculty of the university, accompanied by his childhood friend Kei. Little do they know, however, that they will experience all kinds of things.

A deliberately wacky anime with strong comic and demented elements.

From a technical point of view, the anime is enjoyable and colorful thanks to the presence of these cute little beings, which at the end of the day are real scientific elements.

9. Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation

Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation is a mystery and detective anime that focuses on archaeology, a science in its own right.

Shotaro Tatewaki is a high school student who takes pride in his incredible girlfriend Sakurako Kujyo, a girl from a wealthy family with a passion for archaeology.

Little do the two of them know, however, that when Sakurako finds human bones during her studies, they will end up involved in a dark mystery.

This anime surprisingly goes a long way in combining an excellent crime component with the science of archaeology, allowing the two to coexist perfectly.

This is certainly also because of its excellent settings in Hokkaido, excellently realized by a very good technical compartment.

8. Comical Psychosomatic Medicine

A 2015 anime that in its comic and demented tones hides a very important and significant scientific and didactic side.

In fact, in each episode, all one-shots and self-contained, psychosomatic illnesses such as depression, adjustment disorders, and Asperger’s syndrome are explained through narrative devices.

All this is done through psychiatrist Ryō and his assistant, nurse Asuna.

An exciting anime that succeeds in showing in a funny way what scientific and medical research has uncovered about the world of psychiatry.

We loved the idea because it’s an invitation for everyone to take care of their mental health. A great way to talk about a very serious topic without coming across as heavy-handed, this should be more common in anime.

7. Silver Spoon

Winner of several awards, Silver Spoon is a slice-of-life and comedy genre anime released in 2013.

Young Yugo Hachiken is a city boy who desires to be independent of his family and, as soon as he can, he enrolls in an agricultural school, where he has to live in a dormitory.

Convinced of his abilities in the study, he thinks he can manage here as well, but he will often be proved wrong.

Country life is not for him, and it will prove to be a real challenge, because whether it’s about how to cure animals, grow crops, or else, the techniques are based on scientifically verified methods.

An excellent anime that is very enjoyable, thanks partly to the excellently characterized protagonist that will have an outstanding development.

Agriculture then is seen from a strictly scientific and realistic, nonfictional point of view, and as many of you will know, it’s a science by all means.

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.

And that is precisely its strength. Space Brothers like much other anime shows us space travel, but it does so humanly and realistically without getting lost in science fiction.

It gives us scientific and rational explanations that could be implemented in reality as well, and this gives it tremendous realism and depth.

5. Steins;Gate

Steins;Gate is an animated adaptation of the visual novel of the same name, which is part of the Science Adventure universe.

The plot follows Rintaro Okabe, a boy who with his two childhood friends runs the so-called Futuristic Gadget Laboratory.

Okabe, who is also a big fan of time travel, happens to be at a conference on it one day. It is here that he will find the dead body of Makise Kurisu, and from which everything will begin.

This series will captivate you from the very first episode thanks to a plot full of mysteries, which are directly related to time travel and its very concept.

The only con is the slow start if you ignore the scientific part, as it takes around 10 episodes to see some action. You won’t notice the slow pacing if you just focus on science and the bizarre inventions of the Lab.

Without any doubt one of the best anime regarding science ever, where the discipline is heavily rooted in the plot. While time travel is not an actual science, the explanations and the theories used are scientific.

The fact that Makise Kurisu and Okabe Rintaro are both scientists makes Steins;Gate even more realistic and natural.

4. Planetes

The year is 2075, and man has succeeded in colonizing the Moon. With these discoveries, he can proceed to the future colonization of Mars and the Solar System.

The problem is that as space activities advance, a large amount of waste accumulates near Earth, potentially fatal to any operation.

For this reason, the Space Debris Division was created, whose job is to prevent the damage the waste could cause.

Another pro of this anime is that, unlike other science-fiction productions, Planetes uses very realistic depictions of space and space travel, creating believable worldbuilding despite being purely science-themed.

The likelihood of humans colonizing outer space is quite high, and for this reason, we think it’s one of the best anime set in the future.

3. Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It

From a seinen manga comes the 2020 anime Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It, an excellent college and student-oriented romantic comedy.

Yukimura Shinya and Himuro Ayame are two scientists who want to find out if love can be explained through a scientific theory.

The two have feelings for each other and know it, but they want to get to the bottom of it by explaining them rationally as one would for many other things.

If you want to laugh and see the awkward love between the 2 grow and get stronger and stronger, start it without ifs and buts.

Undoubtedly the best purely romance anime that goes to combine science with its central themes.

The presence of high school Mathematics to prove love is one of the reasons why we love this show. It’s wholesome and the 2 main characters try to rationalize something that defies logic.

2. Cells at Work

A 2-sided anime, showing the human body as a vital and carefree city, and as a dark environment when affected by traumas and illnesses.

Cells at Work!!! is an interesting understatement of the cellular life of our organism.

You will see cheerful and hard-working red blood cells accompanied by white blood cells, fierce and merciless towards bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

The whole show is a pretext to explain in an alternative and animated way what happens in our body when it’s disrupted.

A very effective way to understand how the human body works and how perhaps we should learn to care more carefully.

1. Dr. Stone

In year 5738, all of humanity finds itself turned to stone due to a natural disaster, leaving the world in a wild state. Ooki Taiju manages to awaken, being confronted with a completely different reality than he remembered.

After reuniting with his brilliant scientist friend Senku, he will begin the story, trying to understand why this apocalypse occurred.

This implies doing a lot of scientific experiments to solve the mystery. Dr. Stone features the typical science-fiction plot with a post-apocalyptic setting marked by bleak and sad moors.

The great thing about Dr. Stone isn’t only the attention dedicated to Chemistry but its action scenes. This isn’t your usual boring anime, but rather an action-packed surprise that can also spark interest in science.