Anime reaches out toward the edge of creation to bring new and exciting stories to life in multiple different genres and themes. Fans can go back in time, travel to a fantasy world, head into the future, or even venture out into the stars where intergalactic pioneers explore. For science fiction and space opera fans, there are numerous series available to discover. Space operas are a sub-genre of science fiction that feature futuristic, intergalactic societies and political melodrama, and deal with a much broader scope than a handful of main characters. They often involve adventures that deal with cosmic consequences.
While sci-fi anime that occur in space often have multiple civilizations, the space opera scale constantly expands and evolves as the story progresses, sometimes with an entirely different roster of characters in each episode. Space opera anime are still relatively rare because they have a hard time growing popular. However, there are several series available to fans looking to dive head-first into a complicated setting of interplanetary relations and cataclysmic war. These are genuinely phenomenal stories that take viewers on mind-blowing trips between the stars.
7 Vandread
This series is set in a distant future where human beings have populated most of the galaxy, and multiple civilizations thrive on multiple different planets. Vandread's story follows a violent war between two planets that each have a singular population, one being completely male and the other being completely female.
A male would-be pirate infiltrates a female battleship in an attempt to sabotage their defenses. Unfortunately for Hibiki, he finds himself captured and winds up joining the women on a cosmic adventure that explores the root cause of the conflict between men and women. His experiences broaden Hibiki's horizons, allowing him to see past his own issues.
6 Macross Frontier
Macross has a successful and lengthy history as one of the best mecha anime franchises to come from Japan. There have been several interactions of Macross, with the world ever expanding further and further. Macross Frontier is the third anime in the franchise, and takes place as a large migration of humans and alien race travel together toward a new beginning.
Many Macross anime have focused on the action and war aspects that the series based itself on. While, those themes are still present, Macross Frontier focuses heavily on the socio-political climate of multiple races attempting to thrive and the difficulties that come with it.
5 Space Battleship Yamato
Space Battleship Yamato is a veteran anime series created by Leiji Matsumoto, Yoshinobu Nishizaki, and Eiichi Yamamoto. It has had an extensive history of sequels, spin-offs, and remakes that have expanded on the story and core concept of the series.
The original installment of Space Battleship Yamato follows the human race as they are attacked by an alien race who attempt to radiate the panel in order to migrate. A sunken battleship from a previous war is retro-fitted into a deep space vessel and sets out to find a way to remove the radiation. Its goal is to prevent the invasion, and discover entire new worlds and entities along the way.
4 Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
The Gundam franchise is filled with multiple timelines and stories that take viewers on a journey of freedom, war, and ideals. Over the course of more than forty years, Gundam has delivered over fifteen anime that follow the horrors of wars, the consequences of both sides, and even the possibility of a universe free of conflict.
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is the second anime in the franchise, taking place after the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime and on the heels of the one-year war. Kamile Bidan becomes the ace pilot of a small war group whose mission is to exterminate the remnants of Zeon. However, the lines on the battlefield become blurred as Kamile questions the horrors he has to commit in order to protect the things he holds dear. A new future is forged that shapes the entirety of the Gundam Universal Century timeline forever.
3 Space Pirate Captain Harlock
This is another classic space opera by Leiji Matsumoto, a highly celebrated author for his universe filled with intergalactic drama. Space Pirate Captain Harlock is the original series that aired in 1978, and follows a grizzled space pirate who comes into possession of a powerful intergalactic battleship.
The anime follows Harlock's adventures through the cosmic oceans of space and introduces numerous characters that explore deep concepts of creation and humanity. The Harlock franchise has several films and spin-off series that expand the universe created by Leiji Matsumoto. They have been highly celebrated as some of the best science fiction of its time and for the future.
2 Heroic Age
In this anime, humankind is elevated to a higher level of existence when a mysterious "Golden Race" arrives and lifts them up with superior capabilities and technology. Humankind is one of three races that become dominant forces in the universe, but are constantly oppressed by the more powerful races that serve under the Golden Race.
In an attempt to free humanity from its burden, a princess set out to find a being of prophecy that will save them from their oppressors. When the princess meets a young boy, the course of history sets out on an unpredictable change as humanity's fate hangs in the balance.
1 Legend Of The Galactic Heroes
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is one of the most recent additions to the space opera genre in the anime medium. Created by Yoshiki Tanaka and Naoyuki Kato, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a large-scale story that covers multiple space civilizations that are in constant battle and clawing for political gain.
Yang and his best friend Reinhard set out to take on all sides and root out the corruption and greed within the most powerful factions and finally create peace among the endless reaches of space. Legend of the Galactic Heroes has recently ended its fourth season and can be viewed on Crunchyroll.