21 psychologically intense anime series that will leave you thinking
Most psychological anime television shows are among the best of all time because of the plot twists and turns they reveal, which frequently keep viewers of all ages hooked. Occasionally, these series can even mess with your emotions and make you feel made more than you ought to.
Despite not featuring terrifying monsters or ghosts, much psychological anime series fall neatly into the “horror” category.
Here are 21 of the best psychological thrillers you can watch on anime streaming websites right now, so let’s get started!
21. Re:Zero karajimeru Isekai Seikatsua H
Our psychological anime list will begin with the dark Isekai series “Re: Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu,” which follows Subaru Natsuki as his life is turned upside down when he finds himself in a different world.
It didn’t look bad at first until he was attacked by a group of thugs in an alley. He only had a single grocery bag and a cell phone as weapons, so he didn’t last long against the group.
Subaru is grateful and decides to assist Satella in her search for her stolen insignia because she came across the fight while pursuing a thief and helped him heal.
Later that day, he finds the insignia’s location, but things don’t go as planned, and a darker force emerges from the shadows, killing Subaru and Satella right then and there.
On the other hand, Subaru wakes up in the alley where he was attacked and where the criminals are standing trying to steal his valuables.
20. Ergo Proxy
Although Ergo Proxy is one of the greatest works of sci-fi and psychological anime ever made, it is regrettable that it has not received the recognition it deserves. This enigmatic anime tells the story of a mysterious explosion that forces people to live in isolated, dome-shaped cities.
In one of these cities, Romdo, Inspector Re-l Mayer, leads an investigation into AutoReivs that have gone insane after being infected with the Cogito virus. They live in a society that is controlled, and autonomous robots called AutoReivs to help them with their daily lives.
As a result, she meets a monster named Proxy. Meanwhile, Vincent Law, an immigrant, is on the run in the city after being framed for his involvement in a number of Cogito cases. Together, they travel to Moscow, the world’s largest city, to solve the mystery of the Proxies.
19. Death Parade
One of my all-time favorite psychological anime is Death Parade, a Japanese series about what happens after people die and arrive at the Quindecim, a bar run by the mysterious white-haired bartender named Decim. This series will teach you about the true nature of humans.
Humans go to heaven or hell after death, but for some, a bartender challenges them to random games that will ultimately determine their fate. During these games, the true nature of humans is revealed: whether you’re good or bad, you’re welcome to Quindecim, where Decim chooses your afterlife!
However, a strange, black-haired girl prompts Decim to begin questioning his own rulings during the death parade.
18. Future Diary
The show has romance, drama, and gory scenes. In this psychological anime, you’ll also meet Yuno Gasai, the queen and best yandere anime girl of all time!
In The Mirai Nikki’s Story, Yukitero Amano is a shy, average boy who used to write in a diary on his phone and occasionally talk to his imaginary friends Mur Mur and Deus Ex Machina.
Deus, on the other hand, turns out to be the master of time and space, and Mur Mur is his servant. As a result, he gives Yukitero a Random Diary, which allows him to record every moment of the day in great detail.
The last person standing becomes the new god of time and space, and Yukitero teams up with Yuno Gasai, an insane stalker who would do anything to ensure his survival. He is one of eleven people who are pinned against each other with different diaries.
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17. Perfect Blue
This is such a great psychological anime film from Japan that Hollywood even wanted to make a movie version of it.
Mima Kirigoe, a member of a J-pop group, decides to leave the group to pursue an acting career in the hopes that all of her fans will continue to support her. However, changing careers wasn’t as simple as she thought; the first thing she decided to do was appear in a crime drama series.
A fan who doesn’t believe Mima stopped being an idol starts talking to her and even setting up a detailed website to pretend to be her, and CHAM! Appears to be doing better without her instead of breaking up and dissolving.
16. Zankyou no Terror
This mystery animated television show, Zankyou no Terror, is another psychological anime series with villains as the main characters. The plot takes place in an alternate version of the present, where a shocking terrorist attack occurs in Tokyo. It will really hit you right in the feels.
The bizarre video uploaded to the internet is the only clue to the perpetrator’s identity, and the police are powerless to stop the paranoia from spreading throughout the population because of this cryptic clue.
Two enigmatic children masterfully carry out their heinous plan while the world looks for the criminal mastermind responsible for this tragedy.
The two are cursed to walk this world under the names Nine and Twelve, so they team up to form “Sphinx,” a shadowy entity that is determined to awaken the people from their slumber and take this world down.
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15. Shinsekai Yori
Shinsekai Yuri is a masterful psychological anime series that will blow your mind. It focuses on the theme of a massive ability that can manipulate matter remotely, which led many people in positions of power to act violently, which caused a long period of trouble. Finally, psychic humans could achieve fragile peace by isolating their society and creating a new world bound by complicated rules.
There, Saki Watanabe, who has just woken up to her powers, is relieved to be back with her friends at Sage Academy, a special school for psychics. However, there is a sense of unease as Saki begins to wonder what will happen to those who are unable to do so, and the children begin to be involved in enigmatic issues like the rumored Tainted Cats, which are said to kidnap children.
Shinsekai Yori is a great psychological anime series about Saki and her friends as they try to figure out their roles in the supposed utopia. Accepting these roles might not be easy when they have to deal with society’s dark and shocking truths and the impending chaos that will come from the new world.
14. Parasyte -the maxim-
Parasyte is one of the best horror and psychological anime series I’ve ever seen. You should watch it because it’s so awesome and you’ll be glad I gave it to you.
Shinichi is the protagonist of the story, and because he was able to stop Migi, the parasyte that bit him, from getting any further into his brain, both beings keep their own minds and personalities.
Shinichi feels compelled to fight other Parasytes, who devour humans, and the two take advantage of their strange situation to develop a strong bond and work together to survive. This gives them an advantage when fighting other Parasytes, who frequently attack the pair when they realize Shinichi’s human brain is still intact.
13. Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Madoka Magica is one of the best magic anime shows ever! This Japanese psychological animated series is about Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki, two normal middle school girls with normal lives who meet Kyuubey, a magical familiar who looks like a cat, and Homura Akemi, the new transfer student. All of that changes when they meet Kyuubey.
However, Homura Akemi, a magical girl herself, urges them not to accept Kyuubey’s proposal, stating that everything is not as it seems and that he will grant any of their wishes in exchange for each becoming a magical girl.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica is a tale of friendship, hope, and despair about the difficulties of being a magical girl and the cost of achieving a dream.
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12. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
If you’re a fan of horror anime, this is the best anime recommendation you’ll ever get. It’s true that this one will scare the crap out of you, so buckle up and get your adrenaline ready to move.
In the summer of 1983, Keiichi Maebara moves to the quiet little village of Hinamizawa and quickly makes friends with Rena Ryuuguu, Mion Sonozaki, Satoko Houjou, and Rika Furude.
However, beneath their seemingly idyllic lifestyle, he discovers that there have been a number of murders and disappearances over the past few years. These incidents appear to be connected to the festival, but Keiichi asks his friends about them and gets no response. As a result, this and other incidents cause Keiichi to become irrational and paranoid, and he will come across numerous dark mysteries.
11. Danganronpa
Despite its popularity as a video game series, Danganronpa has an anime adaptation that you’ll probably enjoy. The story follows Makoto Naegi after he is accepted into Hope’s Peak Academy, a school that only accepts the best students.
As a result, Makoto and his classmates are initially overjoyed to be accepted into this school because it guarantees a job after graduation. Once accepted, each student is given a title that corresponds to their primary skill or ability. In Makoto’s case, that title is Ultimate Luck.
However, that feeling of contentment did not last long because their principal Monokuma showed up and told them that they were to spend the rest of their lives at the school, with only one exception: if a student killed a classmate and got away with it, they could graduate.
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10. Welcome to the N.H.K.
The story of Tatsuhiro Satou, a college dropout who isolated himself for close to four years, is told in this good psychological anime series. While he rarely or never leaves his house, he is limited in his knowledge because of this.
Will Tatsuhiro finally be able to leave his apartment and find work? He believes that he is being caused to be a NEET by a group known as Nihon Hikikomori Kyoukai (NHK), which he believes is trying to spread the NEET culture.
9. Ayashi no Ceres
This underrated psychological Japanese series follows Ceres, a tennyo (celestial maiden) who visited Earth to bathe. For a celestial maiden to return to the heavens, they must possess their robe; however, a man stole her robe and forced her to become his wife, resulting in children with a mix of human and tennyo blood. Although this is an old anime series, believe me when I say that it is a Goldie.
In addition, Aya Mikage was a descendant of Ceres and was about to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. As a result, she and her twin brother, Aki, were sent to their grandfather’s house to celebrate. While they were there, they discovered that Aya had tennyo blood in her and tried to kill her. As a result, Aya learned that she was able to transform into Ceres herself and that she needed to learn how to control the transformation if she
8. Gakkou Gurashi
Another good psychological anime that takes place at school is Gakkou Gurashi. The story centers on Yuki Takeya, a high school student who just happens to love it so much that she and a group of friends started the School Living Club, in which they live at school rather than returning home. This is probably what a good anime must deal with.
Gakkou Gurashi! is a psychological anime that follows a group of girls who are obligated to adapt to a post-apocalyptic life by themselves. The club is all an illusion because the girls have actually barricaded themselves in school to protect themselves from the zombie apocalypse.
The girls must face not only the challenge of surviving but also the challenge of trying to appear normal in Yuki’s presence, as they have no means of communication with the outside world and are surrounded by hostile undead ready to devour them.
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7. xHOLIC
Kimihiro Watanuki, the protagonist of this supernatural and psychological anime television series, has an ability that he detests: the ability to see spirits and creatures, which can be quite annoying when no one else is able to see them.
One day, he feels that he has to go into a house, where he meets Yuuko. Yuuko says she can get rid of his ability, but there is a price: she wants him to work at her “store” that grants wishes to people. With his ability and a store that grants wishes, Kimihiro begins his strange adventure.
6. Serial Experiments Lain
The story of this psychological anime series follows Lain Iwakura, who also receives an email from Chisa Yomoda. Serial Experiment Lain is one of the best psychological anime of all time. It is a masterpiece that you should probably check out immediately!
Ordinarily, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary, but Chisa recently took her own life, and Lain was also uninterested in technology, so she decided to follow the email into Wired. She finds herself surrounded by men in black who appear to know more about her than she does.
Serial Experiments Lain is a psychological mystery anime series that tells the story of Lain as she makes crucial choices that will have an impact on both the real world and the Wired. As a result, only Lain will realize the significance of their presence when she closes one world and opens another. It is becoming harder to tell the difference between what is real and what is in cyberspace, and the bizarre events all started with a simple email.
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5. Erased
Satoru Fujinuma, the protagonist of this time travel anime series, is sent back in time 18 years to prevent the events that led to the death of his mother, which began with a series of kidnappings in his fifth grade year. What if you had the power to go back in time and fix what’s wrong?
Satoru Fujinuma, a mangaka, is sent back in time before an accident when tragedy is about to happen, and he uses this powerful but mysterious experience, which he calls “Revival,” to try to save a lot of people’s lives.
Boku Dake ga Inai Machi focuses on Satoru, who wants to right the wrongs of 18 years ago while saving those he cares about in the present. However, when he is wrongfully accused of killing his mother, Satoru is transported back 18 years in time. Soon, he realizes that his mother’s murder is somehow linked to the abduction and killing of his childhood friend Kayo Hinazuki. Now he wants to right everything.
4. Psycho-Pass
Warning: This anime’s concluding episode features the best hand-to-hand fight I’ve ever seen!
Watch Psycho-Pass, a psychological mystery anime that follows The Sibyl System, which examines a person’s mental state to look for signs of criminal intent, called their Psycho-Pass. Inspectors are the ones who enforce the law (sometimes using lethal force), and Enforcers are inspectors who have become latent criminals and use their freedom to hunt down other criminals. If you love badass anime characters and most evil anime villains, watch Psycho-Pass.
Akane Tsunemori, who has a strong sense of justice, joins the Inspectors. However, after working with Shinya Kougami for a short time, she discovers that the Sibyl System is not as perfect as they believe it to be. As Akane learns more information, she finds herself debating the true meaning of justice and whether their current system can support it.
3. Monster
This is one of the best psychological thriller anime I’ve ever seen, and it’s an old classic masterpiece from Madhouse Studios!
The hospital director orders Dr. Kenzou Tenma to switch patients and instead perform life-saving brain surgery on a famous performer. His fellow doctors, fiancée, and the hospital director applaud his accomplishment; however, due to what he did, a poor immigrant worker is killed, causing Dr. Tenma to have a crisis of conscience. This will change Dr. Tenma’s life forever.
Additionally, nine years later, Dr. Tenma saves the life of a criminal, but his past comes back to haunt him because, once again, he encounters the monster he operated on. Now, he must embark on a quest of pursuit to make amends for the havoc that was spread by the one he saved. Later, a similar circumstance occurs, and Dr. Tenma chooses to save the life of a young boy named Johan Liebert rather than the mayor of the town.
2. Yakusoku no Neverland
The Promised Neverland is a horror-pseudo-thriller anime series that may be the next best you’ll ever watch. It takes place in a forest with a big gate that leads to a family of orphans living happily together with “Mama.”
The orphans are permitted to play outside as long as they do not venture too far from the orphanage, and they should adhere to the rules no matter what. The children are free to play as they please despite the fact that they are required to take tests on a daily basis.
However, good times must come to an end as a child is adopted by a new family every few months, never to be seen or heard from again. The three oldest siblings are concerned about what is actually going on at the orphanage.
As a result, they are about to learn about the cruel fate that the children at Grace Field face, as well as the twisted nature of their Mama.
1. Death Note
Death Note is not only an excellent psychological anime that will mess with your head, but it is also a one-of-a-kind anime that you should only watch once in your life. You will never see another show like this, which is a masterpiece of Japanese television.
One day, Ryuk, bored by the shinigami lifestyle and curious to see how a human would use a Death Note, drops one into the human realm. The shinigami can kill anyone by seeing their victim’s face and writing their names in a notebook called a Death Note.
Light Yagami, a gifted high school student, discovers the Death Note and, because he is unhappy with the state of the world, tests the deadly notebook by writing the name of a criminal in it. As a result, the criminal dies immediately following his experiment with the Death Note.
So, Light quickly realizes how devastating the power that has been given to him could be, and using his divine power, he decides to wipe out all criminals to build a new world where people worship him as a god and crime is nonexistent.
However, the Japanese investigators rely on the assistance of the best detective in the world, a young and eccentric man named L, as the police quickly discover that a serial killer is targeting criminals and attempt to apprehend the perpetrator.
