Top 50 Thriller Anime of All Time

89%

1. Steins;Gate

Drama, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Self-proclaimed mad scientist Okabe Rintarou lives in a small room in Akihabara, where he invents "future gadgets" with fellow lab members Shiina Mayuri, his air-headed childhood friend, and Hashida Itaru, an otaku hacker. The three pass the time by tinkering with their latest creation, a "Phone Microwave" that can be controlled through text messages.

The lab members soon face a string of mysterious incidents that lead to a game-changing discovery: the Phone Microwave can send emails to the past and thus alter history. Adapted from the critically acclaimed visual novel by 5pb. and Nitroplus, Steins;Gate takes Okabe to the depths of scientific theory and human despair as he faces the dire consequences of changing the past.

88%

2. Monster

Drama, Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

Dr. Kenzo Tenma is a renowned Japanese brain surgeon working at a leading hospital in Germany. One night, Dr. Tenma risks his reputation and career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy over that of the town mayor who had been planning to support the hospital financially. A string of mysterious murders begin to occur soon after the operation, and Dr. Tenma emerges as the primary suspect despite no incriminating evidence.

A doctor is taught to believe that all life is equal; however, when another series of murders occur in the surgeon's vicinity, Dr. Tenma's beliefs are shaken as his actions that night are shown to have much broader consequences than he could have imagined. Leaving behind his life as a surgeon he embarks on a journey across the country to unravel the mystery of the boy he saved.

86%

3. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2

Action, Drama, Mecha, Sci-Fi, Thriller

A year has passed since "The Black Rebellion" and the remaining Black Knights have vanished into the shadows, their leader and figurehead, Zero, executed by the Britannian Empire. Area 11 is once more squirming under the Emperor's oppressive heel as the Britannian armies concentrate their attacks on the European front. But for the Britannians living in Area 11, life is back to normal. On one such normal day, a Britannian student, skipping his classes in the Ashford Academy, sneaks out to gamble on his chess play. But unknown to this young man, several forces are eying him from the shadows, for soon, he will experience a shocking encounter with his own obscured past, and the masked rebel mastermind Zero will return.

86%

4. Link Click

Drama, Mystery, Supernatural, Thriller

In a corner of a bustling city, there is a small shop called "Time Photo Studio" operating as usual. Although the entrance looks abandoned, it's actually run by two men with special abilities: Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang. In order to fulfil customers' requests, Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi work together and use their special abilities to enter photos. However, things don't go as planned...

(Source: bilibili, translated)

Note: The final episode aired with a runtime of ~31 minutes.

86%

5. Link Click Season 2

Drama, Mystery, Supernatural, Thriller

Cheng Xiaoshi by chance meets Lu Guang, a person possessing super powers, and awakens to his own special ability. In order to save the Time Photo Studio which is on the verge of closing down, the two of them start to cooperate in using their super powers to enter photos of customers to complete their commissions.

However, the appearance of a mysterious killer shatters the peace, Lu Guang's condition is still unknown and Qiao Ling has also become entangled in the conspiracy. Faced with all this, how will Cheng Xiaoshi solve the situation?

(Source: bilibili, translated)

85%

6. Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song

Action, Drama, Fantasy, Psychological, Supernatural, Thriller

The third film in a trilogy adaptation of the 3rd route of the popular visual novel: Fate/stay night.

To save the girl, to enact the justice he's chosen...The young man will no longer turn a blind eye to the truth. Mages (Masters) and Heroic Spirits (Servants) work together in the battles of the Holy Grail War, a fight for an omnipotent wish-granting container called the Holy Grail. However, this war has become horribly twisted.

A young woman named Sakura Matou, with the sins she has committed, drowns in the murky darkness. A young man named Shirou Emiya, who vowed to protect Sakura, works together with Rin Tohsaka and throws himself into the raging battle to put a stop to the Holy Grail War. Illyasviel von Einzbern, as one of the few who knows the truth behind the conflict, confronts her own fate, while Zouken Matou uses Sakura to try to fulfill his own desires.

Will the young man’s wish reach her even as he challenges fate itself, battling against the rising tide? The Holy Grail War is coming to an end... The final battle is about to begin.

(Source: Aniplex of America)

85%

7. ODDTAXI

Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

The taxi driver Odokawa lives a very mundane life. He has no family, doesn't really hang out with others, and he's an oddball who is narrow-minded and doesn't talk much. The only people he can call his friends are his doctor, Gouriki and his classmate from high school, Kakihana.

All of his patrons seem to be slightly odd themselves. The college student who wants the world to notice him online, Kabasawa. A nurse with secrets named Shirakawa. A comedy duo that just can't catch a break named the Homosapiens. A local hoodlum named Dobu. An idol group that's just starting out named Mystery Kiss... All these mundane conversations somehow eventually lead to a girl who's gone missing.

(Source: Crunchyroll)

85%

8. Perfect Blue

Drama, Horror, Psychological, Thriller

Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go... Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows, in this iconic psychological thriller that has frequently been hailed as one of the most important animated films of all time.

(Source: Shout! Factory)

Note: The film received an early premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on August 5, 1997.

84%

9. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Action, Drama, Mecha, Sci-Fi, Thriller

On August 10th of the year 2010 the Holy Empire of Britannia began a campaign of conquest, its sights set on Japan. Operations were completed in one month thanks to Britannia's deployment of new mobile humanoid armor vehicles dubbed Knightmare Frames. Japan's rights and identity were stripped away, the once proud nation now referred to as Area 11. Its citizens, Elevens, are forced to scratch out a living while the Britannian aristocracy lives comfortably within their settlements. Pockets of resistance appear throughout Area 11, working towards independence for Japan.

Lelouch, an exiled Imperial Prince of Britannia posing as a student, finds himself in the heart of the ongoing conflict for the island nation. Through a chance meeting with a mysterious girl named C.C., Lelouch gains his Geass, the power of the king. Now endowed with absolute dominance over any person, Lelouch may finally realize his goal of bringing down Britannia from within!

(Source: Bandai Entertainment)

84%

10. Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2 Part 2

Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Psychological, Romance, Thriller

After learning more behind the Death Loop and Witches of Sin, Subaru vows to save Emilia and his friends from further doom.

(Source: Crunchyroll)

84%

11. Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel] II. lost butterfly

Action, Fantasy, Psychological, Romance, Supernatural, Thriller

The second film in a trilogy adaptation of the 3rd route of the popular visual novel: Fate/stay night.

Shirou Emiya made his choice: to keep fighting, and to protect Sakura Matou. Due to the participation of Zouken Matou in the Holy Grail War, and his summoning of the Servant True Assassin, things begin to distort, steadily worsening day by day. Resolved to protect Sakura and not betray her, Shirou refuses to leave the battle. While Sakura worries about Shirou, she also finds herself entangled in her own fate as a mage. However, their fervent wishes are about be crushed by the mysterious black shadow that covers the city, killing Masters and Servants one by one…

(Source: Aniplex of America)

84%

12. Death Note

Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural, Thriller

Light Yagami is a genius high school student who is about to learn about life through a book of death. When a bored shinigami, a God of Death, named Ryuk drops a black notepad called a Death Note, Light receives power over life and death with the stroke of a pen. Determined to use this dark gift for the best, Light sets out to rid the world of evil… namely, the people he believes to be evil. Should anyone hold such power?

The consequences of Light’s actions will set the world ablaze.

(Source: Viz Media)

84%

13. the Garden of sinners Chapter 5: Paradox Paradigm

Action, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural, Thriller

November, 1998: Shiki meets a boy named Tomoe Enjou, a runaway who claims to be a murderer. Shiki allows Tomoe to use her apartment as his hideout, but one day, Tomoe sees his mother whom he's sure he's killed.

(Source: Aniplex USA)

84%

14. Steins;Gate 0

Drama, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Thriller

The eccentric, self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintarou Okabe has become a shell of his former self. Depressed and traumatized after failing to rescue his friend, he has decided to forsake his mad scientist alter ego and live as an ordinary college student. Surrounded by friends who know little of his time travel experiences, Okabe spends his days trying to forget the horrors of his adventures alone.

While working as a receptionist at a college technology forum, Okabe meets the short, spunky Maho Hiyajo, who later turns out to be the interpreter at the forum's presentation, conducted by Professor Alexis Leskinen. In front of a stunned crowd, Alexis and Maho unveil Amadeus—a revolutionary AI capable of storing a person's memories and creating a perfect simulation of that person complete with their personality and quirks. Meeting with Maho and Alexis after the presentation, Okabe learns that the two were Kurisu's colleagues in university, and that they have simulated her in Amadeus. Hired by Alexis to research the simulation's behavior, Okabe is given the chance to interact with the shadow of a long-lost dear friend. Dangerously tangled in the past, Okabe must face the harsh reality and carefully maneuver around the disastrous consequences that come with disturbing the natural flow of time.

83%

15. The Promised Neverland

Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

Emma, Norman and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of the woman they refer to as “Mom,” all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes and the perfect environment to learn—what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark truth of the outside world they are forbidden from seeing.

(Source: Viz Media)

83%

16. Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion

Drama, Fantasy, Mahou Shoujo, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

Were all the magical girls truly saved from despair? Now, the great "Law of Cycles" leads the magical girls to their new fate. Madoka Kaname, a girl who once led an ordinary life, sacrificed her very existence to set every magical girl free from their cruel destiny. Homura Akemi, another magical girl who was unable to keep her promise with Madoka, continues to fight in the world in which Madoka left her behind.
"I dream of the day when I can finally see your dear smile again."
Madoka Kaname has changed the world. In this new world, is what the magical girls see a world of hope... or despair?

(Source: Madman)

83%

17. Summer Time Rendering

Action, Drama, Mystery, Supernatural, Thriller

A sci-fi, summer story filled with suspense set on a small island with Shinpei Aijiro, whose childhood friend Ushio Kofune died. He returns to his hometown for the first time in two years for the funeral. Sou Hishigata, his best friend, suspects something's off with Ushio's death, and that someone can die next.

A sinister omen is heard as an entire family next door suddenly disappears the following day. Furthermore, Mio implicates a "shadow" three days before Ushio's death.

(Source: Disney+)

83%

18. BANANA FISH

Action, Adventure, Drama, Psychological, Thriller

Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; nurture made him a cold ruthless killer. A runaway brought up as the adopted heir and sex toy of "Papa" Dino Golzine, Ash, now at the rebellious age of seventeen, forsakes the kingdom held out by the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash's older brother mad in Vietnam has suddenly fallen into Papa's insatiably ambitious hands—and it's exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to make Ash Lynx's acquaintance...

(Source: Viz Media)

82%

19. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Action, Drama, Fantasy, Mahou Shoujo, Psychological, Thriller

One night, 14-year-old Madoka Kaname has a terrible nightmare - against the backdrop of a devastated city, she witnesses a girl fight a losing battle against a dreadful being lingering above, while a cat-like magical creature tells Madoka the only way to change such tragic outcome is for her to make a contract with him and become a magical girl.

The next day, the teen's dream seemingly becomes reality as the girl she saw in her dream - Homura - arrives at Mitakihara Middle School as a transfer student, mysteriously warning Madoka to stay just the way she is; but when later on she and her best friend Sayaka encounter the same cat-like magical creature from her dream - who introduces himself as Kyubey - the pair discovers that magical girls are real, and what's more, they can choose to become one. All they must do is sign a contract with Kyubey and agree to take on the duty to fight abstract beings called 'witches' that spread despair to the human world, and in return, each one of them will be granted any single wish they desire. However, as Homura's omen suggests, there might be far more to becoming a magical girl than Madoka and Sayaka realize...

Notes:
- Due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the broadcasts of episodes 11 and 12 were delayed and were later aired as a double feature on April 21, 2011.

82%

20. Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 2

Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Psychological, Thriller

Even after dying countless times, Subaru finally ended the threat of the White Whale and defeated the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop representing sloth, Petelgeuse Romaneeconti. But only shortly after overcoming a tragic ending and reuniting with his beloved Emilia, Subaru learns that Rem has been erased from this world, having fallen victim to the White Whale's Fog of Elimination in the midst of Subaru's death loop. With the White Whale now gone, Subaru and Emilia are forced to confront a reality they never dreamed would happen.

(Source: Crunchyroll)

82%

21. Vivy -Fluorite Eye's Song-

Action, Drama, Music, Sci-Fi, Thriller

An AI named Matsumoto appears before Vivy, the world’s first autonomous humanoid AI. Matsumoto’s mission is to rewrite history together with Vivy, in order to stop the war between AI and humans that will happen one century later.

(Source: Funimation)

82%

22. Steins;Gate The Movie – Load Region of Déjà Vu

Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller

After a year in America, Kurisu Makise returns to Akihabara and reunites with Rintarou Okabe. However, their reunion is cut short when Okabe begins to experience recurring flashes of other timelines as the consequences of his time traveling start to manifest. These side effects eventually culminate in Okabe suddenly vanishing from the world, and only the startled Kurisu has any memory of his existence.

In the midst of despair, Kurisu is faced with a truly arduous choice that will test both her duty as a scientist and her loyalty as a friend: follow Okabe's advice and stay away from traveling through time to avoid the potential consequences it may have on the world lines, or ignore it to rescue the person that she cherishes most. Regardless of her decision, the path she chooses is one that will affect the past, the present, and the future.

82%

23. Great Pretender

Action, Comedy, Drama, Thriller

Self-styled “Japan's greatest swindler” Makoto Edamura is mainly targeting elder people and occasional foreign travelers. But when he tries to scam an apparently clueless French tourist in Tokyo, he can't possibly imagine that what looked like just another ordinary job is going to take him all the way to Los Angeles, tied upside-down on the famous Hollywood sign… And he is yet to find out what fate awaits him!

(Source: Crunchyroll)

82%

24. Kaiji - Ultimate Survivor

Psychological, Thriller

Itou Kaiji is a bum who steals car emblems and slashes tires on what seems to be a regular basis. This routine changes one day when he is paid a visit by a man in a trench-coat. Once the two get talking, it seems that the visitor (Calling himself Endou) is a debt collector. The reason for his visit is an unpaid loan which Kaiji had previously co-signed for a work-mate (Furuhata Takeshi). The original loan was 300,000 yen and once Takeshi had disappeared, the loan then fell on Kaiji.

Kaiji is then told of a way to clear the interest compounded debt (which stood at 3,850,000 yen), which involved getting on a boat with others in his position. Once on the boat the debtors would then have to gamble with loaned money, which would end with a few winning, and others getting into deeper debt and having to work to pay off their debts. After some coercion Kaiji accepts a position on the boat, in order to clear his debt and make a bit of money as well...

82%

25. Kaiji - Against All Rules

Psychological, Thriller

Several months after the events of the first season, Kaiji, with his appendages reattached and his debt now run up to 9.5 million yen, is still desperately seeking the elusive big score that will cancel all of his markers. Unbeknownst to him, Hyodo’s company, the Teiai Corporation, is actively searching for Kaiji, and have sent Kaiji’s old “friend” Endoh, who entered him in the high stakes games in the past, to find him.

The two meet when Kaiji chances to walk in front of Endoh’s car at a stop light, and thinking that he has found the answer to his prayers, Kaiji gets in the car with him. While Kaiji and Endoh are “happy” to see one another, and both want to see Kaiji’s debt repaid, their means to that goal couldn’t be more different.

Instead of leading Kaiji to the big score, Endoh delivers him drugged and docile to the Teiai Corporation’s secret underground labor camp where Kaiji will have an opportunity to repay his debt… with 15 years of hard labor.

(Source: Sea Slugs)

82%

26. Tengoku Daimakyo

Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

In the year 2024, the world has collapsed. Grotesque monsters lurk amongst the ruins of Japan, while remaining people scrape together what they can to survive. Kiruko, an odd-job girl in Nakano, accepts a mysterious woman's dying wish to take a boy named Maru to a place called Heaven.

(Source: Disney+, edited)

81%

27. Moriarty the Patriot Part 2

Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

The second cour of Yuukoku no Moriarty.

In the late 19th century, the British Empire nobility reigns while its working class suffers at their hands. Sympathetic to their plight, William James Moriarty wants to topple it all. Frustrated by the systemic inequity, Moriarty strategizes to fix the entire nation. Not even consulting detective Sherlock Holmes can stand in his way. It’s time for crime to revolutionize the world!

(Source: Funimation)

Note: The anime received a special premiere on Funimation on March 28, 2021.

81%

28. PSYCHO-PASS

Action, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Justice, and the enforcement of it, has changed. In the 22nd century, Japan enforces the Sibyl System, an objective means of determining the threat level of each citizen by examining their mental state for signs of criminal intent, known as their Psycho-Pass. Inspectors uphold the law by subjugating, often with lethal force, anyone harboring the slightest ill-will; alongside them are Enforcers, jaded Inspectors that have become latent criminals, granted relative freedom in exchange for carrying out the Inspectors' dirty work.

Into this world steps Akane Tsunemori, a young woman with an honest desire to uphold justice. However, as she works alongside veteran Enforcer Shinya Kougami, she soon learns that the Sibyl System's judgments are not as perfect as her fellow Inspectors assume. With everything she has known turned on its head, Akane wrestles with the question of what justice truly is, and whether it can be upheld through the use of a system that may already be corrupt.

(Source: MAL Rewrite)

Note: In the Summer 2014 season, Psycho-Pass was rebroadcast and re-edited to fit into an hour time-slot, ending up in 11 one-hour episodes. This edit included added scenes at the beginning and middle of the episodes, as well as fixing and improving animation.

81%

29. Rainbow

Drama, Psychological, Thriller

Seven teenagers in 1955 have to learn to live together in the same hold in the reformatory of Shounan. Confined in a hall where suffering and humiliation are daily, they are waiting for a ray of hope in a dark, incarcerating world. The story follows their life together and how they move on afterwards.

81%

30. the Garden of sinners Chapter 7: ……not nothing heart. (Murder Speculation Part B)

Action, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural, Thriller

In February 1999, a string of murders has Shiki Ryougi and Mikiya Kokutou on edge. These crimes share a disturbing resemblance to a similar set of homicides from 1995, when Shiki and Mikiya first met, and awaken a dark, murderous desire that has laid dormant within Shiki's soul ever since then.

With Shiki under suspicion due to her involvement in the past killings and supposed resemblance to the killer, she and Mikiya set out to find the true perpetrator. In the midst of their separate investigations, Mikiya grows increasingly concerned with Shiki's well-being and hurries to find the one responsible in order to protect Shiki from her own impulses. With the lead he receives from his cousin, police investigator Daisuke Akimi, Mikiya is led into the underbelly of Mifune City, as the salvation of Shiki's soul lies in his determination to prove her innocence once and for all.

81%

31. Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part II: Eternal

Action, Drama, Fantasy, Mahou Shoujo, Psychological, Thriller

The second movie in the Madoka trilogy. It is a recap of the last four episodes of the series.

81%

32. ERASED

Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural, Thriller

Satoru Fujinuma is a 29 year old manga artist struggling to make a name for himself following his debut. But, that was not the only thing in his life that Satoru was feeling frustrated about… He has a unique supernatural ability of being forced to prevent deaths and catastrophes by being sent back in time before the incident occurred, repeating time until the accident is prevented. One day, he gets involved in an accident that has him framed as a murderer. Desperate to save the victim, he sends himself back in time only to find himself as a grade-schooler one month before fellow classmate Kayo Hinazuki went missing. Satoru now embarks on a new quest: to save Kayo and solve the mystery behind her disappearance.

81%

33. Steins;Gate 0: 23β -Divide by Zero-

Drama, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Alternate 23rd episode of Steins;Gate, which leads into the story of Steins;Gate 0. Included with the Steins;Gate Complete Blu-ray Box.

The main difference between this episode and the original episode 23 is that Okabe does not receive the Movie Mail from his future self, due to Mayuri begging Suzuha to stop relying on Okabe to prevent World War Three. By not opening the Movie Mail Okabe does not find out about Operation Skuld and is unsuccessful in averting both Kurisu's death and World War Three, thereby leading into the story of Steins;Gate 0

80%

34. Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-

Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Psychological, Romance, Thriller

In the story, Subaru Natsuki is an ordinary high school student who is lost in an alternate world, where he is rescued by a beautiful, silver-haired girl. He stays near her to return the favor, but the destiny she is burdened with is more than Subaru can imagine. Enemies attack one by one, and both of them are killed. He then finds out he has the power to rewind death, back to the time he first came to this world. But only he remembers what has happened since.

(Source: Anime News Network)

Notes:
- The first episode aired with a runtime of ~50 minutes as opposed to the standard 25 minute long episode.
- In the Winter 2020 season, Re:ZERO was rebroadcast and re-edited to fit into an hour time-slot. This edit included the first OVA and added slight modifications to certain scenes throughout. It also added an additional scene at the end of the final episode.

80%

35. Death Parade

Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural, Thriller

When two people die at the same time, they’re sent to a place that’s neither heaven nor hell—a lavish bar between worlds where the stakes are high and the rules are simple: if you win you live again, if you die… you’re gone for good.

Decim is the bartender charged with serving the souls who enter Quindecim. He may make a mean cocktail, but his true profession is to play the role of arbiter—a judge who determines whether or not a soul is worthy of reincarnation. To aid in his judgment, the bar’s patrons are forced to play simple games laced with sadistic twists designed to bring their true natures to light. To Decim, judgment has always been black and white—that is—until he meets a mysterious young woman whose fate seems impossible to decide. His indecision shakes the very foundation of the games and raises the biggest question of all: Who is fit to judge the dead?

(Source: Funimation)

80%

36. Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage

Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller

Okajima Rokuro - now known almost exclusively as 'Rock' - was once a typical, put-upon Japanese businessman. Then, on a routine business trip, he was kidnapped and ransomed by the Lagoon Company: a band of mercenary pirates operating out of the crime-riddled city of Roanapur. Abandoned by his bosses, he joined the Lagoon Company. Now he must try and stay afloat amongst the ever-shifting politics of the criminal underworld, while simultaneously avoiding death at the hands of his quick-tempered, gun-toting co-worker, 'Two Hand' Revy.

(Source: Anime News Network)

79%

37. When They Cry Kai

Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural, Thriller

Continuing from the first series, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai begins to shed some light on the dark mysteries prevalent in the preceding season. The young group of friends in the town of Hinamizawa continue to enter terrible conflicts with one another in their never ending summer of 1983, often ending with the brutal murder of one of their numbers. Furude Rika, with the help of her spiritual friend Hanyuu, tackles challenges over and over, trying her best to keep their lives from coming to a tragic end. With no end to the torture in sight, Rika must call upon the bonds of friendship and trust among her friends to discover the true villain of this eternal June.

79%

38. Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings

Action, Drama, Fantasy, Mahou Shoujo, Psychological, Thriller

The first movie in the Madoka trilogy; a recap of the first eight episodes of the series.

79%

39. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Thriller

Gankutsuou is an anime loosely based on the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It tells the story of Albert Morcerf, a young aristocrat who happens to befriend a wealthy nobleman, The Count of Monte Cristo, through a series of bizarre events. Fascinated by the Count's charm, Albert invites him to meet his friends and family, all of whom happen to be part of the upper class society of Paris, France. Unfortunately, little does Albert realize that the Count has ulterior motives in mind.

(Source: MAL Rewrite)

78%

40. Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail

Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller

Roberta, the terrorist-turned-maid that made her appearence in the first season of 'Black Lagoon', returns in this five-episode OVA series - and this time, all bets are off!

Roberta's benefactor, the patriarch of the Lovelace clan, is murdered during a political rally. The assassin's trail soon leads back to Roanapur - so now she has returned on a mission of vengeance! However, close behind her is the new patriarch, Garcia, as well as Roberta's apprentice (and maid), Fabiola Iglesias. As the body count of Roberta's bloody rampage mounts, forces from within the corrupt island (which includes the Lagoon Company), as well as overseas converge on what threatens to escalate into all-out war!

78%

41. Paprika

Fantasy, Mystery, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Prepare to enter the realm of fantasy and imagination where reality and dreams collide in a kaleidoscopic mindscape of sheer visual genius. The magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject's dream. After being stolen, a fearless detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device before it falls into the hands of a dream terrorist.

(Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

Note: The film received an early premiere at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2006.

78%

42. Black Lagoon

Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller

Okajima Rokuro is a Japanese businessman in a town full of Japanese businessmen. His normal day consists of social drinking with clients and being kicked around by his bosses. He finally gets a break though, as he's sent by his company to the tropical seas of Eastern China to deliver a disc. But his boat gets hijacked by a band of mercenaries hired to retrieve the disc. Rock (as he is newly dubbed by his captors) catches the interest of the only female merc Revy as she thinks he's worth a ransom, taking him hostage. However, the disc that was stolen has a terrible secret that's unknown to Rock, which causes massive confusion and chaos for both him and his kidnappers.

78%

43. Terror in Resonance

Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

Painted in red, the word "VON" is all that is left behind after a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility in Japan. The government is shattered by their inability to act, and the police are left frantically searching for ways to crack down the perpetrators. The public are clueless—until, six months later, a strange video makes its way onto the internet. In it, two teenage boys who identify themselves only as "Sphinx" directly challenge the police, threatening to cause destruction and mayhem across Tokyo. Unable to stop the mass panic quickly spreading through the city and desperate for any leads in their investigation, the police struggle to act effectively against these terrorists, with Detective Kenjirou Shibazaki caught in the middle of it all.

Zankyou no Terror tells the story of Nine and Twelve, the two boys behind the masked figures of Sphinx. They should not exist, yet they stand strong in a world of deception and secrets while they make the city fall around them, all in the hopes of burying their own tragic truth.

(Source: MAL Rewrite)

77%

44. Moriarty the Patriot OVA

Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

An Anime-original OVA with 2 episodes.

1: Reminiscence of Lilies
The paintings of white lilies painted by a popular noble painter get damaged at Bath, a famous hot spring in England. Feeling that he's seen the painting before, William goes to Bath, where he is reunited with Sherlock, who happened to be there to investigate the case.

2: Moriaty Family's Day Off
The Moriarty family is faced with the biggest crisis in its history: They have to host a tea party! Will they successfully complete the mission of entertaining the ladies while protecting the family secrets?

Note: The episodes were pre-screened at a special event on March 5, 2022

77%

45. the Garden of sinners Chapter 3: ever cry, never life. (Remaining Sense of Pain)

Action, Drama, Mystery, Supernatural, Thriller

July, 1998: One night, Mikiya helps a girl lying doubled over with stomach pains. Around that time, a number of dismembered bodies are found throughout the city. The murder victims are torn apart so badly that they don't seem like the work of a human.

(Source: Aniplex USA)

77%

46. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion III - Glorification

Action, Drama, Mecha, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Third and final part of the three part theatrical film remake of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2.

77%

47. Akagi

Psychological, Sports, Thriller

While mahjong is a game that is often played with family and friends, it is also a game that is played in the darkest corners of society. Nangou is a compulsive gambler who has accumulated a debt of over three million yen. In a last-ditch attempt to clear his record, he decides to wager his life on a game of mahjong with the mafia. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, Nangou only moves further from the prize and closer to death.

When all hope seems lost, the game parlor is suddenly intruded upon by Shigeru Akagi, a young boy on the run from the police. Desperate to turn the game around, Nangou hands the game over to Akagi after teaching him a few of the rules. The mafia can only smirk as Akagi sits down to play. However, they soon come to learn that Akagi is a natural-born gambler. An imposing figure who does not fear death. One who is destined to become a legend.

(Source: MAL Rewrite)

77%

48. ID: INVADED

Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Welcome to Kura, an organization that investigates crime using the Mizuhanome system which senses the drive to kill. Sakaido is a brilliant detective and pilot of the Mizuhanome. To solve a case, he enters the world of the killer's unconscious mind: the id well. In the shadows of brutal and puzzling cases lurks John Walker, the Serial Killer Creator. Where will Sakaido's pursuit lead?

(Source: Funimation)

76%

49. Death Billiards

Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

Two men have just arrived at a location known as Quindecim and are unable to remember how they got there. They are immediately greeted by a young woman who escorts them to a small bar, where a bartender awaits them. They are told that they will have to participate in a game, randomly chosen by roulette, and will be unable to leave until its completion; if they refuse, the consequences will be dire. In addition to the rules of the game, the two men are told to play as if their lives are at stake.

The game that has been chosen is billiards. But there's more to it than just pocketing pool balls, as the two are about to find out the outcome could mean life or death.

Death Billiards is one of the four anime works that each received 38 million yen (about US$480,000) from the "2012 Young Animator Training Project." Just like in 2010 and 2011, the animation labor group received 214.5 million yen (US$2.65 million) from the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and it distributed most of those funds to studios who train young animators on-the-job.

76%

50. Kubikiri Cycle: The Blue Savant and the Nonsense User

Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

It's the vacation of a lifetime, a trip to a remote island filled with geniuses–and murder.

On Wet Crow's Feather Island, a tiny speck in the Sea of Japan, lives Akagami Iria, the exiled daughter of a powerful family. Born into great wealth, she was a princess of the highest pedigree–until she was cut off by the leader of the Akagami Foundation. For the last five years, she's lived on Feather Island with her maids. But she hasn't been alone. She has invited the best minds Japan has to offer to come and stay with her.

And so nineteen-year-old college student Ii-chan and his best friend, computer genius Kunagisa Tomo, find themselves as Iria’s guests at her elaborate mansion. Surrounded by fascinating women – a chef, a fortune-teller, a scholar, and an artist, not to mention his own friend Tomo – Ii-chan is feeling a little overmatched intellectually. But the sudden discovery of a grisly murder sends the island into shock. And Ii-chan discovers that he does possess a bit of genius: the ability to discover what is real and what is fake, who is who they claim to be and who is a killer.

(Source: Del Rey Manga)

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