While most people find satisfaction in action with fights and violence, many can only be satisfied with a good Psychological Thriller. In this article, we will look at a list of the best psychological thriller animes, suspense, and mysteries.
For those who don’t know, a psychological thriller anime fits into the suspense category, but most of the time action is present not only with fights but with battles of intelligence, mind, strategies, terror, and various points that drive you crazy.
Psychological thrillers or suspense animes address tension, excitement with climaxes created to keep you hooked from start to finish. Some you watch totally confused without understanding, but when you reach the end, it becomes your favorite anime (steins;gate).
In these stories, there are always threatening, mysterious situations with escapes and complicated and impossible situations. In this article, we have separated a list of the best psychological animes for you to watch without fail. In my opinion, this is one of the best genres of all time.
I don’t like to beat around the bush with synopses; I will briefly summarize a synopsis. If it’s on this list, it’s because it’s worth it! The best psychological animes are made by Mad House. Remembering that I do not organize them in a ranking from best to worst, but from the comments, you should know which are my favorites.
Psychological Animes with Mystery
It’s strange to separate animes in this category since all psychological animes usually have mysteries. Therefore, we will list here the animes with the best mysteries:
Boku dake ga Inai Machi / Erased – A young man has the power to travel back in time to prevent events. One day his mother is killed, and he goes back to his childhood to try to solve a mystery that is linked to his future. (12 episodes) BEST OF 2016!
Death Note – I don’t even need to talk about this anime; it’s a must-watch! It’s about a boy who finds a notebook that allows him to kill anyone whose name he writes in it. He wants to rid the world of evil, but the problem is that he is hunted by a detective. This anime is very intelligent and keeps you hooked from start to finish. (37 episodes) ESSENTIAL!
Zankyou no Terror – Tells the story of terrorist bombings happening in Japan, caused by just 2 boys. (11 episodes)
Now with mystery but a bit of action…
Another – Unexplained deaths happening in a terrible way, a great mystery surrounds students at a school, with scenes that traumatize your mind. (12 episodes)
Monster – Being old (2004), I ended up delaying watching it. However, it became one of the best animes I have ever seen in my life. It’s a great mystery, suspense, horror, and even action happening all the time. The anime tells the story of a doctor who ends up being accused of murdering people, but in reality, the culprit is a psychopath, sociopath, and serial killer whom he saved as a child. (74 episodes) PERFECT!
Detective Conan РAn anime for all ages with over 800 episodes. Although it seems clich̩d and somewhat childish, the anime is very intelligent, perhaps responsible for educating Japanese children to be so smart, as it addresses various complex subjects. Each episode features a different criminal case, always full of suspense, mystery, and intelligence.
It’s so good that even my mother watches it; it’s always at the top of the weekly ranking in Japan, but unfortunately, it is unknown in Brazil. Perhaps the fact that it was released in 1996 has discouraged people from watching it, but it’s worth it. The story shows a young detective who ends up becoming a child and solving cases using a failed detective. MY FAVORITE!
There are other psychological animes with mystery that deserve your attention, but to keep the list from getting too long, I will only mention the names below:
- Death Parade (sinister);
- Durarara!! (confusing);
- Mirai Nikki (famous);
- Hyouka;
- Baccano;
- Darker than Black;
- Gosick;
- Serial Experiments Lain;
- Boogiepop Phantom;
- Shiki;
- Paprika;
Psychological Animes with Action
Kiseijuu – One night alien creatures invade the earth and lodge in human brains. While trying to enter the brain of a young man, this parasite ends up failing and taking over the boy’s arm. Without the desire to eat humans and dominate his mind, the two join forces to eliminate these killer aliens. One of the best animes I have ever watched, with a lot of action, suspense, and horror. (25 episodes) WATCH!
Psycho-Pass – The story takes place in a future where it is possible to measure people’s criminal coefficient and determine whether they are necessary in society or not. The anime shows a government group that combats crimes using this system to measure the mental state and personality of a person. The main background story is very good and keeps you hooked; there are two seasons and a movie. WATCH!
Hunter x Hunter – Although it is not usually placed in rankings of psychological animes, but rather in action animes. This classic, which has had 2 anime adaptations and one by Mad House (2011), has various scenes that mess with our psychology with a lot of action, and it’s competing for my TOP 1 of favorite animes. The synopsis tells the story of a boy who goes to take an exam to become a Hunter, but the story extends much further with various arcs full of action, suspense, and adventure. (148 episodes) DO NOT MISS IT!!! PERFECT! THE BEST!
There are other psychological animes with action that deserve your attention, but to keep the list from getting too long, I will only mention the names below:
- Ergo Proxy;
- Elfen Lied (bloody);
- Re:Zero (worth it);
- Ajin (CG but it’s great);
- Texhnolyze;
- Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica (famous);
- Zetsuen no Tempest;
- Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (psychopath);
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (classic);
- Ghost in the Shell (classic);
- Perfect Blue;
Intelligent Psychological Animes
The animes below show that action is not necessary to captivate or mess with the mind. Of course, we have already talked about Death Note, Erased, and Conan, which also fit into this category.
Steins;Gate – Without a doubt, the best psychological mystery and intelligent anime I have ever watched, but you need to make an effort to get to the halfway point of the anime, because the first half can be confusing and boring for some, as every episode is linked to one another, and that is incredible. It tells the story of a group of young people who end up creating a time machine using a microwave; it seems confusing and crazy, but WATCH! Mysteries surround the entire anime! (25 episodes + 1 movie) WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST STORY! THE BEST ANIME I HAVE EVER WATCHED IN MY LIFE!
Kaiji – An intelligent psychological anime involving gambling. After watching the dorama Liar Game, I got excited about this genre of gambling games and highly recommend it. This anime has 2 seasons and tells the story of a young man who got scammed, ended up in immense debt, and found himself in a place of games that could be deadly! Don’t be fooled by the art style; the anime is great! VERY GOOD! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
NHK ni Youkoso! – This anime addresses social themes and problems. It tells the story of a hikikomori trying to heal, very good! This anime is proof that action is not necessary to captivate and mess with psychology and make us reflect on life. ESSENTIAL!
We cannot forget this one…
Code Geass – This anime has a lot of action, mystery, and involves a lot of intelligence and strategy. Lelouch, the protagonist, is considered one of the smartest characters in anime; with the help of a mysterious power and his intelligence, he will try to free the world from the Britannian Empire! There are 2 seasons totaling 50 episodes that I watched in one day because it hooked me from start to finish and became one of my favorites. WATCH WITHOUT FAIL!
Below we will leave a list of more intelligent and psychological animes for you to watch:
- No Game, No Life;
- Akagi;
- To Aru Majutsu no Index;
- Mushishi;
- Higashi no Eden;
- Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin;
- Oreigaru;
List of TOP 100 Psychological Thriller Animes
Suspense is characterized by tension. These animes generally create a complex story with a variety of dangerous elements, plot twists, and possible outcomes, and try to resolve it in a way that keeps the suspense level high, keeping you guessing what might come next.
Responsive Table: Scroll the table sideways with your finger >>
| Anime Name | Type | Date |
| Steins;Gate | TV | 2011 |
| The Promised Neverland | TV | 2019 |
| ERASED | TV | 2016 |
| Steins;Gate Movie: Load Region of Deja Vu | Movie | 2013 |
| Death Note | TV | 2006 |
| Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2 | TV | 2020 |
| Monster | TV | 2004 |
| Psycho-Pass | TV | 2012 |
| When They Cry: Kai | TV | 2007 |
| Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- | TV | 2016 |
| Puella Magi Madoka Magica | TV | 2011 |
| Detective Conan Movie 20: The Darkest Nightmare | Movie | 2016 |
| Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 2: Eternal | Movie | 2012 |
| Death Parade | TV | 2015 |
| Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 3: Rebellion | Movie | 2013 |
| Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector | Movie | 2020 |
| Detective Conan Movie 13: The Raven Chaser | Movie | 2009 |
| Detective Conan Movie 15: Quarter of Silence | Movie | 2011 |
| Kaiji – Against All Rules | TV | 2011 |
| Steins;Gate: Kyoukaimenjou no Missing Link – Divide By Zero | DVD Special | 2015 |
| Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part 1: Beginnings | Movie | 2012 |
| From the New World | TV | 2012 |
| Terror in Resonance | TV | 2014 |
| Tokyo Ghoul | TV | 2014 |
| Kaiji – Ultimate Survivor | TV | 2007 |
| Detective Conan Movie 10: The Private Eyes’ Requiem | Movie | 2006 |
| Death Billiards | Movie | 2013 |
| When They Cry: Higurashi | TV | 2006 |
| Detective Conan Movie 16: The Eleventh Striker | Movie | 2012 |
| Psycho-Pass: The Movie | Movie | 2015 |
| Perfect Blue | Movie | 1998 |
| Detective Conan Movie 1: The Time Bombed Skyscraper | Movie | 1997 |
| Detective Conan Movie 17: Zekkai no Private Eye | Movie | 2013 |
| 91 Days | TV | 2016 |
| ID:INVADED | TV | 2020 |
| Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo | TV | 2004 |
| Psycho-Pass 3 | TV | 2019 |
| Psycho-Pass 2 | TV | 2014 |
| Akagi | TV | 2005 |
| Aoi Bungaku Series | TV | 2009 |
| Tokyo Ghoul √A | TV | 2015 |
| Ling Long: Incarnation | Web | 2019 |
| Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade | Movie | 2000 |
| Tokyo Ghoul: Pinto | OVA | 2015 |
| Paranoia Agent | TV | 2004 |
| Angels of Death (Web) | Web | 2018 |
| Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku Outbreak | OVA | 2013 |
| Duan Nao | Web | 2014 |
| Angels of Death | TV | 2018 |
| The Empire of Corpses | Movie | 2015 |
| The King of Pigs | Movie | 2011 |
| Yugo the Negotiator | TV | 2004 |
| The Fake | Movie | 2013 |
| Babylon | TV | 2019 |
| Japan Sinks 2020 | Web | 2020 |
| 91 Days Special | DVD Special | 2017 |
| Chaos;HEAd | TV | 2008 |
| Under the Dog | OVA | 2016 |
| Loups=Garous | Movie | 2010 |
| Okamikakushi: Masque of the Wolf | TV | 2010 |
| Sanctuary | Movie | 1996 |
| Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die | Web | 2011 |
| Dorei-ku The Animation | TV | 2018 |
| Baton | Movie | 2009 |
| Ling Long: Incarnation Part 2 | Web | 2020 |
| Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2: Part II | TV | 2021 |
| Talentless Nana | TV | 2020 |
| The Window (2012) | Movie | 2012 |
| Timing | Movie | 2015 |
Community
Comments
0 comments
There are no published comments in this language yet.
Send comment