Attack on Titan is perhaps the one anime that fans credit the most for popularizing the “near-extinction of humanity” trope. Many other anime tried to ride on the popularity of that anime, with one of the best examples being WIT studio’s Seraph of the End, which did not collect as much money as the studio had hoped.
A successful example of this genre is the immensely popular Dr. Stone, where the brilliant Senku keeps on inventing fantastic creations, not just to sustain his Kingdom of Science, but to also bring back all of humanity. Luckily for fans, these aren’t the only 3 anime that explore this fascinating trope.
10 Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress: Humanity Lives Behind Walls In Fear Of The Kabane
Young Ikoma builds a weapon he believes can pierce the heart of kabane, zombie-like creatures that are near impossible to kill. When a train infected with kabane manages to breach through his city’s barriers, he finds the perfect chance to use his gun.
However, while Ikoma killed his first kabane, he also becomes a half-kabane himself. In a world where fear and hatred of these creatures reign supreme, how long will the young boy be able to hide his true identity?
9 Black Bullet: Most Of Humanity Was Infected By A Virus & Turned Into Monsters
The virus Gastrea attacks humans in the year 2021, and within a short period of time, turns a majority of infected humans into monsters. Humanity creates walls of Varanium, the only known material that repels the virus, and lives behind them.
Children who have traces of the virus in their blood are found to be the only effective weapon against these monsters. Known as Cursed Children, their only job is to kill as many of the monsters, as possible.
8 God Eater: Human-Made Creatures Turned On Humans & Hunted Them To Near Extinction
By the year 2071, the Aragami have slaughtered most of humanity. The reason humanity was unable to push back was that these creatures were completely immune to traditional human weapons.
As a desperate last-ditch effort, the Fenrir Organization experimented on humans and created God Eaters. These are the only humans on the planet that can wield the God Arc – the only known weapon in all of humanity that has the ability to kill these creatures.
7 Girls' Last Tour: Two Girls Survive A Massive War That Destroyed Everybody They Knew
Two young girls, Yuuri and Chito, appear to be the only human survivors of a war that had devastating effects on humans. Free from all restrictions and laws of the human world, these two spend most of their time ravaging through debris for food and items of the old world.
They sit and reminisce about the good old days, but no amount of communication and soul searching can take away from them an increasingly crushing realization – that they’re the last of their kind on an empty planet.
6 Guilty Crown: The Apocalypse Virus Outbreak Changes The Face Of Humanity Forever
The virus swept over the planet in 2029, and after nearly a decade, the proud nation of Japan is ruled by the evil military organization GHQ.
A weak young boy, Shuu Ouma, suddenly finds himself possessing the Power of Kings, making him an important weapon against the the GHQ. With the help of the rebel group Funeral Parlor, Shuu must not only learn to control his power but also use it to bring freedom to Japan.
5 Wonderful Days: The Earth’s Ecosystem Collapses Due To Environmental Pollution By Humans
By the year 2142, humanity has done irreparable damage to the Earth’s ecosystem, due to which a majority of the human population simply perished. Those who survived, created the Ecoban city, which runs on the very pollution that caused the destruction of humanity.
However, the creation of this city also produced a new world order among humans, where young Shua starts his life at the bottom of the ladder. However, nothing in the world has prepared him for all the hardships and difficulties he must face in order to get everything he desires.
4 Darling In The FranXX: The Giant Beasts Klaxosaurs Have Hunted Humans To Extinction
The Klaxosaurs forced humans to live behind Plantations, massive fortified cities that can hold off these beasts. Humans then create the only known weapon that can harm these Klaxosaurs, called FranXX.
Children are raised from birth to pilot these mechas, and young Hiro loses his will to fight after he fails his aptitude test. However, his life completely turns around with an invitation from a mysterious two-horned girl to join her mecha and beat the Klaxosaurs.
3 Expelled From Paradise: Humanity Survives The Nano Hazard & Relocates Digitally To A Space Station
Aboard the space station DEVA, human exist only digitally, via the memories they carried from their human forms. Everything seems to be going peacefully, when suddenly, repeated attacks by a hacker named Frontier Setter start creating disturbance among the inhabitants of DEVA.
Shocked at tracing the signal back to earth, young law enforcer Angela Balzac uses a clone’s body to follow the signal to its exact location. What she sees there shocks her to her core.
2 Blame!: Machines Are The Apex Predators In This Post-Apocalyptic World, & Humans Are Their Preys
The Safeguard is an AI system that eliminates humans on sight, due to which the remainder of humanity is forced to live underground. Young Zuru is saved by the mysterious Killy from one such attack by the machines.
Initially hesitant of Killy’s motives, Zuru soon trusts him and accompanies him on his mission to procure humans with the Net Terminal Genes – the only ones who can bring humanity back to its pre-extinction days.
1 Godzilla: Planet Of The Monsters: The Last Surviving Humans Return To Earth, Prepared To Fight Humanity’s Destructor, Godzilla
After Godzilla attacked earth and decimated humanity, 4,000 humans decide to return to earth after floating in space for many years. However, there remains one big problem – their planet is still inhabited by Godzilla.
These people only have Haruo Sakaki’s essay on Godzilla as their only hope for winning against the monster. This essay mentions Godzilla’s weakness, and eventually, Haruo becomes the face of the fight against the King of Monsters.