”No matter where you are, everyone is always connected” Serial Experiments Lain and the digital identity
- Asya Chub
- Jan 25
- 5 min read
"Ok, let's see... I guess that I'm confused again. Am I here, or am I there? I don't know. Over there, I'm everywhere. I know that. But here is connected to over there. Is that right? But then, where is the real me after all is said and done. Oh! There is no real me. I guess that's it. I only exist inside those people aware of my existence. But what about this me that I can hear talking right here and now? It's me, isn't it? This me that's talking. Who is it? Who's me?"
Is the person who presents themselves on social media truly you? Are the people in your phone the same behind the screen? Why does it feel different to talk to people on the Internet? Although these questions may be topical for today’s world, such dilemmas have been worrying people from the early days of the Internet. Serial Experiments Lain is a series that tackles these problems in an experimental and avant-garde style.
Serial Experiments Lain (1998) is a sci-fi psychological horror anime series created and co-produced by Yasuyuki Ueda, written by Chiaki J. Konaka, directed by Ryūtarō Nakamura, animated by Triangle Staff and featuring original character designs by Yoshitoshi Abe. The series is an exploration of themes of identity, technology and human consciousness. The anime feels almost prophetic for its time, the way it portrays the influence of the Internet on people’s identity and consciousness. The predictions are uncanny, with the World Wide Web being publicly available only for a few years, Serial Experiments Lain capture the landscape of the Internet culture that we know of today.
The series follows a shy and unsocial teenage girl Lain Iwakura, who lives in suburban Japan, with her distant mother, indifferent sister and a tech-obsessed father. Lain becomes entangled in the world of the Wired after getting an email from her schoolmate who committed suicide, in which the girl says that she did not in fact die, but just has “abandoned the flesh”. In a series of events that utilise quite a surreal imagery the story uncovers Lain’s interactions between the Wired (the Internet equivalent) and the real world. As soon as Lain enters the digital space, the lines between reality and the Wired start to blur. In her obsession with the Wired, Lain isolates herself, consuming large amounts of information from the digital world. She investigates a hacker group called the Knights of the Eastern Calculus, who allegedly worship a digital god, that claims the Wired to be a higher layer of reality that must connect all people in a collective consciousness. In her journey Lain discovers the truths about the Wired, herself and her being and purpose.
Upon interacting with the Wired, Lain’s personality transforms in different ways. From a quiet and childish girl in bear pajamas, Lain becomes bold and assertive. In the Wired she talks freely, while not speaking unless spoken to in real life, even with a few of her friends. At some point, she starts to dissociate between the identities. Along with the dissociation, Lain’s presence diffuses between the Wired and real world. Multiple people claim to have met Lain in the digital and she becomes an Internet looming presence. The online presence inhabits Lain’s body in real life, complicating her relationships with people. Lain cares deeply about the people close to her, but fails to find meaningful connection. Lain’s memories become tangled with the memories of other people, as she starts questioning her own existence. Lain’s psychological tie with the Wired is accentuated by her visions of other people in real life. The blur of the digital world with the real one is closely tied with the diffusion of Lain’s personalities. The person who is or claims to be The Digital God tries to persuade Lain to become one with the Wired, to abandon her physical body, similarly to her schoolmate and other people. Without spoiling the ending of the series, Lain discovers a fundamental truth about herself and her place in the virtual and real world. Despite a quite morbid outlook on virtual technology, the series ultimately shows the importance of real human connection.
These themes show undoubted parallels to the real world. The way that the series depict people’s deep entanglement with the Web, the isolation and loneliness, the almost religious way people treat Internet celebrities. The sci-fi cyberhorror aspect of the anime walks a thin line with being painfully close to reality. The rise of AI, people being tied to technology to survive, the omnipresence of the Internet, Serial Experiments Lain encapsulated it all
back in 1998.
As an average young person raised hand in hand with the development of the Internet, the anime was a weirdly relatable experience, which is hard to put into words. Serial Experiments Lain is a highly recommended watch, although the imagery is often quite confusing and requires a focused approach, because of its metaphorical nature that moves on without explaining the events to the audience. Many scholars have analysed Lain in line with psychological and philosophical theories, and their works are a great addition to watching the anime:
Holmes, Steven. “Toward a General Theory of Digital Identities.” Science Fiction Film and Television, vol. 16, no. 1-2, Liverpool University Press, June 2023, pp. 51–74, https://doi.org/10.3828/sfftv.2023.4.
Jackson, Craig. “Topologies of Identity in Serial Experiments Lain.” Mechademia, vol. 7, no. 1, 2012, pp. 191–201, https://doi.org/10.1353/mec.2012.0013. Accessed 16 June 2020.\
Page design: Zofia Kitlas
Bibliography
Holmes, Steven. “Toward a General Theory of Digital Identities.” Science Fiction Film and Television, vol. 16, no. 1-2, Liverpool University Press, June 2023, pp. 51–74, https://doi.org/10.3828/sfftv.2023.4.
Jackson, Craig. “Topologies of Identity in Serial Experiments Lain.” Mechademia, vol. 7, no. 1, 2012, pp. 191–201, https://doi.org/10.1353/mec.2012.0013. Accessed 16 June 2020.
Rotten, Ruby. “Decoding Serial Experiments Lain: The Themes behind the Cult Classic Anime | GONKBONK.” Gonkbonk.com, 2024, gonkbonk.com/articles/decoding-serial-experiments-lain-themes-behind-cult-classic-anime. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
Serial Experiments Lain Wiki Contributors. “Serial Experiments Lain.” Serial Experiments Lain Wiki, Fandom, Inc., 2025, lain.fandom.com/wiki/Serial_Experiments_Lain. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Serial Experiments Lain.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Dec. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Serial_Experiments_Lain&oldid=1330341839. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
Photos:
FanCaps.net. “Image Gallery of Serial Experiments Lain.” Fancaps.net, 2026, fancaps.net/anime/showimages.php?4948-Serial_Experiments_Lain. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
IMDb. “Serial Experiments Lain (TV Mini Series 1998) - Photos - IMDb.” IMDb, 2025, www.imdb.com/title/tt0500092/mediaindex/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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