Artificial intelligence consists of a computer program designed to perform certain actions that are considered human. This theme has been widely used over the years in movies, series … and of course, in anime!
There are numerous stories in which a character who is an artificial intelligence appears, whether it is a protagonist or a secondary character, and always being a very important part of the story,
since artificial intelligence can perform operations that a human is not capable of, Therefore, the appearance of this type of character in an anime is a very important fact.
This time at Honey’s Anime we bring you the 10 best artificial intelligence in anime, so… let’s go!
#10 Candy from Psycho-Pass
- Episodes: 22
- Issuance: October 2012 to March 2013
Psycho-Pass takes us into the future, more specifically in the XXII century, in which it is possible to instantly measure a person’s mental state and personality. This information is recorded and processed, and this is called Psycho-Pass.
The protagonist of this story is Shinya Kougami, a law enforcement officer whose task is to fight crime.
Candy is a hologram in the shape of a pink jellyfish, being the house servant of Inspector Akane Tsunemori. Candy performs all the duties of a servant,
such as waking up Tsunemori, cooking nutritious meals, and even changing the décor of the apartment! In addition, Candy has a cheerful and obedient personality.
#9 Iona from Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova
- Episodes: 12
- Issuance: October 2013 to December 2013
In the year 2039, global warming causes a high sea level to rise, disappearing a large amount of land territory. As a consequence, a mysterious group of ships called “the Fleet of the Mist” appears, attacking humans.
Years later, a submarine from the Mist Fleet appears before Gunzou Chihaya, and although it should be his enemy, she is willing to offer her services to humanity.
Iona is the anthropomorphic form of the said submarine, being a calm and quiet artificial intelligence, but this does not mean that she is not willing to help her friends.
This shows that it is not a simple robot and that it feels concerned and affection for others, although its main function is to be a powerful weapon.
#8 Ritsu by Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
English: Assassination Classroom
- Episodes: 22
- Issuance: January 2015 to June 2015
An alien creature shatters a part of the moon, making it permanently waxen. The students of class 3-E of Kunugigaoka High School will have to perform an important task … trying to assassinate their teacher Koro-sensei,
the culprit of the state of the moon, before the end of the course. To do this, Koro-sensei will teach them everything related to the world of murder.
Ritsu is artificial intelligence and the first student transferred to class 3-E. Although his body is a robotic shell with a screen, so only his head is visible. At first,
Ritsu did not show a personality, but after a while, Ritsu becomes cheerful and happy, feeling great affection for her classmates.
#7 Nano Shinonome de Nichijou
English: Nichijou – My Ordinary Life
- Episodes: 26
- Issuance: April 2011 to September 2011
In Nichijou we find the simple and daily life in the school of Yuuko Aioi, Mio Naganohara, and Mai Minakami, where you will be able to know their day-to-day and the most comical moments of which they will be protagonists.
In addition, there are more characters, such as the little scientist Hakase Shinonome and her robot Nano, accompanied by her talkative cat and curmudgeon Sakamoto. Nano will start attending school and there he will meet Yuuko, Mio, and Mai.
The android Nano has a typical personality of teenage high school girls, with insecurities, fears, curiosity, etc. Nano always tries to hide her robotic identity as she wishes she was an ordinary human girl.
This shows how human the thoughts of artificial intelligence can become.
#6 Yui from Sword Art Online
- Episodes: 25
- Issuance: July 2012 to December 2012
Kazuto Kirigaya is one of the first to take over the virtual reality multiplayer online role-playing game Sword Art Online, where he acts under the name Kirito.
Despite everything going well at first, Kirito discovers that the disconnect button is disabled, making it impossible to exit the game. But there is a way back to your world: reach level 100 and beat the dungeon boss!
Yui is an artificial intelligence within the SAO world, being a navigation pixie to support the players. Yui has the appearance of a girl and has emotions typical of a human being.
At first, she is insecure, but thanks to Kirito and Asuna, she regains her joy and feels great affection for them.
#5 Maid-chan from Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
English: The Pet Girl of Sakurasou
- Episodes: 24
- Issuance: October 2012 to March 2013
Sorata Kanda lives in the Sakurasou, the dormitory for troubled boys at the institute. One day, Mashiro Shiina goes to live in a said dormitory.
Sorata decides that he must protect the frail Mashiro from Sakurasou’s troublesome people, and they regard Sorata as Mashiro’s owner. Both will live by the idea that everyone sees them as owners and pets!
Maid-chan is the artificial intelligence of Ryuunosuke Akasaka, a resident of one of Sakurasou’s rooms. Maid chan was created by Ryuunosuke to automatically reply to messages and emails.
Maid chan expands her abilities and is able to respond or block what she wishes of her own free will, using words that she learns from messages, as well as having a cheerful and fun personality.
#4 Island of Plastic Memories
- Episodes: 13
- Issuance: April 2015 to June 2015
Tsukasa Mizugaki works at the Sion artificial intelligence corporation. This place is responsible for the creation of giftias, highly advanced androids, almost indistinguishable from humans.
These Giftias have a life span of nine years and four months, so Tsukasa’s task is to collect the Giftias before they lose their memories and turn hostile. In this job, he is accompanied by the giftia Isla, who is already a veteran in the company.
Isla is a calm and quiet Giftia, and shows a very shy personality since it is difficult for her to engage in conversation with others. This makes us see her more human side, with a great personality,
but she insists on living like the robot that she is since she knows that soon her useful life will end and she does not want to create memories with others.
#3 Sammy from Eve no Jikan
English: Time of Eve
- Episodes: 6
- Issuance: August 2008 to September 2009
In the future, in Japan, android robots are very common in society, so laws have been created to govern their actions. Although they appear human, they are treated as if they were minor technology like an alarm clock or a microwave.
However, not all these androids feel that way, so they are considered a problem for society …
The protagonist, Rikuo, has an android named Sammy, who has the appearance of a girl. Sammy doesn’t show a personality, since he just obeys orders without showing any emotion.
In Eve no Jikan, the bar where robots and humans come together without any discrimination, Sammy is a shy and worried girl who wants to make her family members happy. Furthermore, she is well aware that her developing independent character is alarming to humans.
#2 Cortana from Halo Legends
- Episodes: 9
- Issuance: November 2009 to February 2010
In Halo Legends we have seven different stories set in the Halo universe. One of these stories, Origins, is narrated by Cortana and tells beginning with the Forerunner-Flood War and ending after the end of Halo 3.
Cortana is a very important artificial intelligence in the world of Halo, being a protagonist who happens to be the main antagonist in one of the sagas of this franchise.
Cortana is very intelligent and has a great sense of humor, accompanied by a great loyalty to humans … And not only that, Cortana is able to learn and adapt without any difficulty.
As if that were not enough, Windows has been based on it to create its personal assistant, leaving it the same name and making it have several functions, including making Cortana remind you of anything.
The Halo anime and video game have gone beyond fiction to take a giant leap into reality!
#1 Atom by Tetsuwan Atom (1980)
English: Astro Boy
- Episodes: 52
- Issuance: October 1980 to December 1981
There is a future where machines have advanced to the point of autonomy. A young robot named Atom after being adopted by Dr. Ochanomizu will fight crime.
In his quest for justice, Atom will have numerous confrontations against crime and will discover the harsh realities of the world.
Atom is the first representation of artificial intelligence in anime, making it one of the most popular characters in and outside of Japan.
Atom has an identity crisis throughout history that brings with it the acceptance of himself and the awareness of the reality in which he lives. In addition to that,
her great sense of justice and honor make it clear that she is an artificial intelligence with thoughts of a human being, showing her feelings and emotions, typical of a child.
Final words
As you have seen, these characters, despite being computer systems, obtain human qualities such as feelings and emotions, perceiving their environment and carrying out actions that allow them to achieve their objectives.
This is what makes them not simple machines and that they are considered advanced artificial intelligence. At present, they are already experimenting with this type of system, but … will artificial intelligence ever come to our world as shown in anime and other fictional stories?
