Anime is often able to tell challenging and unbelievable stories that feel like they’d be impossible to explore anywhere else—and Darling in the FranXX is an especially unique case. The 2018 anime is set in a future dystopian world where humanity is at the brink of extinction and the only chance of survival comes down to a new generation of child mech pilots who were born specifically for this purpose.

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Darling in the FranXX is a stunning dissection of the giant mecha genre and it pushes a powerful message. Darling in the FranXX is often included with some of the best anime series of its decade, but there are many other series that conjure similar energy—some of which do a better job with these complex themes.

10 Star Driver Pairs Special Youth With Dangerous Machines That Can Change The World

Star Driver

Star Driver is a 25-episode mech series that bears a lot in common with Darling in the FranXX. Both anime look at a select group of teenagers that have the ability to control powerful robots as well as hint at a sinister undertone around the free world.

Star Driver's version of this involves Cybodies, robotic giants that are restricted to an alternate dimension. The goal becomes to liberate the Cybodies from their alternate dimension and use them in the real world. Both of these anime ultimately end up in very different places despite starting with similar ideas.

9 RahXephon Pairs Robot Combat With The Unbearable Pain Of Existence

Characters stare at RahXephon mecha in awe in RahXephon.

Giant fighting robots were a fascinating concept when they first debuted, but audiences have grown savvier and many of the best mecha series will use their giant robots as an allegory for something more poignant. RahXephon empowers 17-year-old Ayato with the ability to control the anime's titular mecha.

Ayato's connection with the RahXephon is crucial, but the anime is just as interested in Ayato's malaise regarding his purpose in life. There's heavy destruction and enigmatic conspiracies that drive RahXephon forward, but it's at its best when it uses these extreme methods to articulate something so natural.

8 Guilty Crown Attempts To Liberate Japan With A Group Of Unlikely Heroes

Shu and Inori from Guilty Crown

Guilty Crown is a perfect example of just how versatile a mecha series can be. Much like Darling in the FranXX, Guilty Crown excels with action, drama, romance, and even mystery. Guilty Crown is also interested in a world that's controlled by a corrupt organization and willing individuals that can be turned into weapons.

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Shu is a normal teenager who thinks he's befriended a pop idol, but he's actually become an important member of a resistance group that wants to return Japan to the people. Guilty Crown's story is excellent and full of twists, but the action also doesn't disappoint.

7 Parasyte -The Maxim- Explores The Blurred Lines Between Weapon And Ally

Anime parasyte (1)

Parasyte -the maxim- focuses on an alien invasion and there isn't a robot in sight. This may not initially feel like a comparable anime to Darling in the FranXX, but Shinichi Izumi's plight turns out to be a close match for the strange ambivalence that fills the pilots in Darling in the FranXX.

Shinichi becomes an unlikely player in a war between extraterrestrial forces after his hand gets possessed by one of these aliens, Migi. Migi educates Shinichi on the dangers that are coming to Earth and Shinichi doesn't just grow invested, but he begins to genuinely care for his alien parasite friend.

6 Gunbuster Is Also A Story About The Expectations And Destiny Of Mech Pilots

Anime 2 Gunbuster

Gunbuster is a six-episode OVA series from Hideaki Anno and Studio Gainax that’s notable since it’s a precursor to their Evangelion work. Gunbuster’s Noriko Takaya strives to follow in her father’s footsteps as a mech pilot, but this is a direction that Noriko isn’t forced into and her struggle to get through training is a major aspect of the OVA.

Noriko grows into a formative pilot, but Gunbuster examines her entire journey. Noriko feels sadness as she reflects on how much of her life she's sacrificed for this career path, but it's still framed as her decision and an accomplishment.

5 Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt Embraces The Pain And Horrors Of Mech Combat

Daryl Lorenz staring at a purple glow in Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (2015–2017).

Mobile Suit Gundam is largely viewed as the dominant mecha franchise in the field. Gundam series can be radically diverse and some aren't afraid to explore the darker material that surrounds these mech suits.

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Set within the Universal Century timeline, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt focuses on Io Fleming and Daryl Lorenz, skilled mobile snipers and pilots who have fully felt the casualties of war. These two are so committed to their cause that they literally lose more of themselves with each battle, but can't quit. The depressing story, inventive use of music, and vibrant colors all bring Darling in the FranXX to mind.

4 Kill La Kill Delivers The Same Bombastic Level Of Action As Darling In The FranXX

Anime Kill La Kill Ryuko Transformation Finished

Kill la Kill follows Ryuko as she infiltrates the Honnoji Academy to figure out who murdered her father. Kill la Kill features murderous high school students, sentient clothing, and deadly scissor blades, and yet it still feels like it shares DNA with the mech series, Darling in the FranXX.

Both anime are very different in story and tone, but they also embrace the same style of exaggerated action sequences. These anime feel comparable when chaos is at its peak and the same artistic flourishes are present since they’re both Studio TRIGGER productions.

3 Mecha Are Feared Tools Of Revolution In Eureka Seven

Eureka Seven

Eureka Seven is another mech series that puts the power in the hands of the youth. Eureka Seven is set in a corrupt world where mechs are essential tools for change. It differs from Darling in the FranXX in the sense that Renton Thurston isn't forced into the role of a pilot, but he fights to prove that he's worthy.

Eureka Seven turns Renton and company into rebels that need to break the law and become vilified in order to produce lasting change in the world.

2 Neon Genesis Evangelion Is A More Depressing Darling In The Franxx With No Filter

Evangelion Main Pilots

Darling in the FranXX is a mecha series that focuses on the despondency of children pilots who often feel like they’re tools of destruction more than they’re humans, but it shies away from answering some of the harder questions that the anime poses.

Neon Genesis Evangelion wallows in the same territory, but doesn’t hold back and adds in religious symbolism, surreal existentialism, and a challenging narrative on the nature of birth and destruction. Anyone that’s attracted to Darling in the FranXX’s themes will adore Neon Genesis Evangelion and how it evolves these ideas even further.

1 Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Embarks Into A Brave New World

Anime Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Much like Darling in the FranXX, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is also set in a dystopian world where mecha are viewed as a vital tool to help humanity and save the future. Kamina and Simon live in an underground colony and their ignorance towards the outside world feels comparable to the characters in Darling in the FranXX.

Kamina and Simon meet Yoko and embark on a radical mission where these three unlikely adolescents and a powerful robot are the keys to changing years of pain and dissolution. It also doesn't hurt that Gurren Lagann is another Studio TRIGGER production.

NEXT: Mobile Suit Gundam: 5 Reasons Why It's The Definitive Mecha Anime Franchise (& 5 Better Alternatives)