Psychological thriller animes are one of the strengths of the anime medium because it does it so well. There are things only anime can do, express, and get away with that most mediums can’t and psychological thriller animes make the best use of these benefits. Here’s our own personally curated list of what we believe to be the best psychological thriller animes on the market. It’s not ranked so don’t worry if your favorite is before or after another. We don’t judge. We love them all the same.
Ajin
Ajin is a 3D anime but despite that putting some people off, it’s one of the most engaging psychological thriller animes out there. Think of invisible monsters that some people can see, manifest, and use to do their bidding. That’s the bare-bones summary. The protagonist is someone who accidentally got these powers and is now targeted by those of his kind and the police. It’s dark, harrowing, and at moments even bone-chilling.
Death Note
A psychological thriller animes list wouldn’t be complete without the mention of Death Note. A gateway anime to most, the reason it shines is that it uses the benefits of the medium to its fullest to tell a mature, fun, and thrilling story full of mysteries, supernatural tug, and 4D-chess-level mind games. The rivalry between Light and L will go down in history as one of the best psychological showdowns in anime history.
Psycho-Pass
For those who are interested in the niche of psychological thriller animes, Psycho-Pass is a title they’ll come across early into their endeavor. It’s a sci-fi world and deals with themes of morality, justice, society, human nature, and psychology and how technology plays a part in all of this. As you would expect, nothing’s black and white- everything’s a bleak shade of grey.
Code Geass
If you’ve been singing high praises for Death Note then this should be your next watch. Code Geass is one of those psychological thriller animes that blends social, sci-fi, political, and historical themes all within a tightly packed series spanning 2 seasons and a total of 24 episodes each. Additionally, it is widely regarded that this anime has the greatest ending in all of anime history.
Terror in Resonance
Terror in Resonance is an underrated masterpiece of an anime. It’s also the shortest anime series as the entire story is complete within 12 episodes. If you’re dipping your toes into psychological thriller animes then this should be your go-to to test the waters. This anime, above all, manages to tell a very intimate, human story despite it mainly being all about the usual mind games, deceit, and ploy. The characters are what make this show a timeless gem.
Monster
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster is one the darkest psychological thriller animes out there- if not the darkest. And that’s true to this day. The anime feels unsettling, bleak, and full of despair all because of one character. Everybody else in this anime is mostly a good guy with a few jerks and opportunists sprinkled in. The story deals with themes of mortality, morality, and free will. Despite it being set in a realistic world, and even with a minimum use of blood and violence, this one’s not for the faint of heart.
Paranoia Agent
If you’ve heard of classics like Paprika (the anime film that inspired Nolan’s Inception) or Perfect Blue, then you’ve heard of their director Satoshi Kon. Paranoia Agent is Satoshi Kon’s only anime series and it gets creepier every episode. Of all the psychological thriller animes on this list, this is the most unpredictable and thus one of the most terrifying. Themes of depression, imposter syndrome, identity, and trauma all run rampant in this story and they’re all eerily juxtaposed with fantasy in a way you’d never expect.
Death Parade
It’s said that Death Parade and Death Note take place in the same universe and there are tons of theories in its favor. But apart from that this anime sets the stage in an afterlife bar. Let us explain. When two people die together, they are brought here to decide whose soul is worth a rebirth and who deserves to wilt away into the void for eternity. They play simple bar games- but oh they’re never that simple are they? This delves more into personal and relational psychology and just like another on this list, tells its story within 12 episodes.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Combine depression and anxiety with a crybaby whiny protagonist and you’ve got yourself a psychological thriller anime because in every episode everyone’s left worrying their heads off thinking about whether Shinji will get back into the robot and fight weird crazy aliens. And he does- at the end, he does because he’s the protagonist. But he doesn’t know that.
Re:Zero
The only isekai on this list, Re:Zero might also just be one of the darkest isekai animes out there. Re:Zero is one of the most memorable psychological thriller animes out there due to its disturbing premise. The protagonist Subaru makes friends and falls in love and every time he dies the story resets to a previous point. Here’s the catch, every time one or more of his loved ones dies, he kills himself to reset the story to get a more favorable outcome. And every death is very real and painful which of course takes a toll.
- Also Read: Top 10 Dark Anime Series
Hey, if you enjoyed that or are tending toward more general dark animes with elements of gore and horror maybe- then click on the above link as it boasts another delectable lineup of dark animes just for your tastes. Fair warning- some of them overlap- and some we couldn’t put on this list because we were spoiled for options.
