3 Years Later, Netflix’s 100% Rated Sci-Fi Anime Remains Its Underrated Masterpiece

Some anime make a huge splash when they premiere, while others deserve far more attention than they receive. Netflix‘s Pluto anime falls firmly into the second category. The sci-fi thriller debuted on October 26, 2023, and three years later, it remains one of the most overlooked anime gems. With a perfect 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes (as of October 26, 2026), Naoki Urasawa’s take on Astro Boy has the reviews to back up its reputation.

Yet Pluto is more than a highly rated detective story about robots. It’s a haunting look at war, hatred, and what makes someone human, wrapped in a mystery that gets harder to forget with every episode.

Netflix’s Pluto Anime Turns 3 With a Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score

A promotional image of the Pluto anime series. | Credit: Netflix

Three years ago, the Pluto anime arrived on Netflix without the kind of fanfare that usually surrounds a major anime release. There were no endless power-scaling debates, no new transformation for fans to argue about, and no weekly cliffhangers keeping social media busy. Instead, the series quietly delivered eight feature-length episodes of gripping science fiction. Somehow, one of Netflix’s finest anime slipped under the radar.

It is frustrating given that Pluto has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. As of this writing, Pluto also has an 8.1/10 rating on IMDb (as of October 26, 2026) as well, which shows just how well-received the show really is. Based on the manga created by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki, Pluto was inspired by Osamu Tezuka‘s Astro Boy, specifically, the “The Greatest Robot on Earth” storyline.

This premise is intriguing since Tezuka’s universe is usually known for being vibrant and accessible with its take on science fiction. In Pluto, however, Urasawa uses that well-established world and examines it from the perspective of a murder detective in a society traumatized by war.

The result is a series that feels surprisingly fresh even three years later. And considering how often anime fans celebrate explosive fights and larger-than-life heroes, Pluto deserves far more conversation than it gets.

Pluto Is an Underrated Sci-Fi Anime Masterpiece Worth Your Time

The best thing about Pluto is that its murder mystery is only the beginning. Gesicht, a robot detective working for Europol, investigates a string of killings targeting the world’s most advanced robots and people who support robot rights. The victims are connected by more than their status, and every new clue pulls Gesicht deeper into a disturbing conspiracy.

But here’s what separates Pluto from an ordinary detective thriller: the robots aren’t just machines; they have lives worth caring about. Take Gesicht himself. He’s an investigator following evidence, yet his own memories and emotions become an important part of the story.

And then there’s the question the series refuses to let viewers escape: if a robot can grieve, love, and hate, what truly separates it from a human being? Pluto never treats that question as an excuse for easy philosophical speeches. Instead, it lets the characters’ choices make the argument. Some humans show extraordinary cruelty, while machines demonstrate compassion that their creators struggle to understand. The line between the two becomes increasingly difficult to defend.

The way in which the series tackles the topic of war makes this contradiction even stronger. This is a very heavy theme to touch upon, but Pluto does it beautifully and with such care. In terms of visuals, the anime also deserves a lot of compliments. Studio M2 creates a very grounded visual atmosphere for the anime.

So why hasn’t Pluto become a bigger talking point? Its all-at-once release made it easy to binge and move on from, while its slow-burning mystery demands more patience than many mainstream anime. It also lacks the constant spectacle that usually fuels online discussions. And these are precisely the reasons it deserves another look.

So, have you watched Pluto yet, or is this underrated Netflix anime still on your watchlist? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Pluto anime is currently available to watch on Netflix.