A lot of anime set in the distant future doesn't specify the calendar year, so it ends up with something like "Before the..." or "XX years ago".

Some of the future themed anime such as Gundam and Dragon Ball has its own calendar era which is Universal Century and Age respectively. We can't convert or compare the alternate calendar of the Anime to our real life Gregorian calendar, so it might be helpful if the Anime has similar calendar to ours.

According to my research, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is the anime that is set in the most distant future as of today, in AD 2801.

  • Blame! is set in really distant future. Although, currently existing anime, based on this manga, can be barely called full-fledged adaptation, it is more of proof of concept. – lentinant Oct 12 '16 at 14:29
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    Space Pirate Captain Harlock, a 1978 anime TV series, is set in 2977 AD. Legend of the Galactic Heroes is actually set in 3596 AD, 2801 AD is a historical date when the "Space Era" replaced the Gregorian calendar. I don't think this question is going to have an easy and definitive answer. It's likely the correct answer is something like an obscure anime set in the year 234,567 AD, a fact which is only revealed by a calendar in the background art of an otherwise unremarkable scene. – Ross Ridge Oct 13 '16 at 22:46
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    I'm sure there are anime set way beyond a mere 2808, and this is becoming more like a list question now with the listing of series that do not occur in the most distant future. – Gao Oct 17 '16 at 15:19
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    What is interesting about this question? Perhaps there exists some little-known anime that is set in the year 109810712619675824, but, like, so what? (Also - this question is borderline an out-of-universe list question, which I think we're generally not fond of.) – senshin Oct 18 '16 at 2:52

Looks like Legend of the Galactic Heroes is the Anime that is set in the most distant future (AD 3596). You can squeeze it in or append the list if you found any Anime that is set in the era between the Anime(s) or further.

Blue Gender
Yuji wakes up from cryogenic sleep in 2031 and the story begins.

Evangelion 3.0
The events of Evangelion 3.0 occur in 2032, 14 years after Evangelion 2.0 (Assumed in 2018).

Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society
The most distant timeline in the series take place in year 2034.

Guilty Crown
The main story starts 10 years after the Lost Christmas incident on the Christmas eve in 2029. So it's 2039.

Voices of a Distant Star
The story begins in 2047.

In 2065, Earth is in the middle of a war with extra-dimensional aliens called Nova.

The main events of the first two seasons of Psycho-Pass span the years 2112-2114.

Infinite Ryvius
Set in the year 2225, mankind has spread from Earth to inhabit nearly all the planets or nearby moons in colonies and settlements.

Lily C.A.T.
The year is 2264 when the space exploration begins for the main cast.

Gundam 00
The series is set in 2307 AD. Gundam 00 is the only Gundam based in the AD/CE timeline.

Expelled from Paradise
Set in the year 2400 AD.

Cyber City Oedo 808
Set in the year 2808 in the city of Oedo (Tokyo).

Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Set in 3596, Space Era calendar replacing the Gregorian calendar, with 2801 AD now being SE 1.

  • Seems like Cyber city just added seven years to be further away than LoGH. – Jan Oct 17 '16 at 21:34

i got 3 records

  1. Top Wo Nerae series; gunbuster has started at the 2019 but in the end our characters jumped 12000 years later, which is mind blowing

  2. Eureka seven; the plot goes in an unfamiliar planet but the environment can fool anybody. this anime's story is goes on 10.000 years ahead of our time.

  3. Uchuu senkan Yamato; this one is relatively close; it starts at 2199. but again there is a mysterious place where time flows 10 times faster than usual.

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