10 Anime About Mars

Anime about Mars turns the Red Planet into everything from a terraformed paradise to a war-torn frontier crawling with mutant bugs. These series and films dig into the mysteries of the Martian landscape, weaving together science fiction, fantasy, and some genuinely moving human drama.

You get a mesmerizing glimpse of what life on Mars might look like, and how humanity might deal with this distant yet eerily familiar world. Whether the story is about colonization, battles for resources, or quiet relationships in an alien setting, these ten anime explore Mars from wildly different angles.

Terra Formars

As Earth faces overpopulation, a centuries-long plan terraforms Mars using mold and cockroaches. Nearly 500 years later, the Annex 1 crew travels to Mars to research a deadly virus, injected with animal DNA so they can fight the Terraformars: giant, evolved humanoid cockroaches. Expect sharp pacing, revealing flashbacks, and plenty of plot twists.

Martian Successor Nadesico

Akito Tenkawa goes looking for answers about his parents’ deaths and ends up recruited onto the Nadesico as a cook, and a mecha pilot he never wanted to be. It packs plot twists, strong character growth, comedy, gripping action, and political intrigue, with a war where both sides have flaws and soldiers are shown as people, not villains.

▶ Watch Martian Successor Nadesico

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

After her journey to Earth, Kudelia founds the Admoss Company to push for Mars’ financial independence. At a half-metal mining site, Orga Itsuka of Tekkadan, hired as security, senses a new threat, and Mikazuki answers it in the Gundam Barbatos Lupus. This is not a clean hero-versus-villain story: it switches between factions, shows the full cost of war, and keeps its focus on the neglected and the expendable.

▶ Watch Mobile Suit Gundam

Metallic Rouge

In a society where humans and androids live side by side, the android girl Rouge and her ally Naomi take on a mission on Mars: hunt down nine rogue synthetic humans the government has branded as threats.

Mars Daybreak

In a future where Mars has vast oceans, struggling city kid Gram River is swept up when pirates raid his neighborhood. After accidentally donning an underwater mecha suit and landing on Aurar’s ship, he is given a choice: die, or join the crew. He picks the crew and sets off after Mars’ fabled treasure, with rival hunters close behind.

Space Battleship Yamato

Space Battleship Yamato (released internationally as Star Blazers) is one of the foundational space-opera anime, following the crew of a refitted battleship on a desperate voyage across the solar system to save Earth. Mars features as part of that journey rather than the main stage, but the show’s influence on everything that came after it is hard to overstate.

▶ Watch Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato

Armitage III

In 2179, humans and robots share Mars, and the advanced Third-Type androids pass undetected, until D’anclaude exposes them and launches a crusade to wipe them out. Armitage, a Third-Type herself, teams with her police partner Ross to stop him. It wears its Blade Runner influence openly but digs deeper, blending strong animation, action, and a touch of romance with real sensitivity. More for dedicated fans than casual viewers.

Carole & Tuesday

Fifty years into humanity’s migration to Mars, two girls bond over a shared passion for music. From the director of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, it is a slower, slice-of-life sci-fi with a gorgeous soundtrack (standouts: “Loneliest Girl” and “Lay It All On Me”). The narrative can feel disjointed and leaves threads unresolved, but the music and its uplifting message carry it.

Aria (Now Aqua)

Aria unfolds on a terraformed, ocean-covered Mars now called Aqua. It is famously slow, but its wholesome nature, lovely music, memorable characters, and gentle short stories make it a high point of the slice-of-life genre. Its Mars is peaceful and serene, basically the ideal vacation world.

Cowboy Bebop Universe

In Cowboy Bebop, a ruined Earth has scattered humanity across the solar system, and a ragtag crew of bounty hunters drifts between worlds. Mars looks a lot like Earth here, with cities, malls, and an abandoned theme park, and Cowboy Bebop: The Movie puts Mars front and center. If you love action, jazz, comedy, and character-driven noir, it is essential.

Anime About Mars at a Glance

From roach-infested terraforming to peaceful ocean worlds, anime keeps reinventing what Mars could be. Did I leave a Red Planet favorite off the list? Tell me in the comments.