- Updated on: July 25, 2022
- by Ernie
Get ready to enter the dark and ruthless world of the best Psychological anime out there. These anime have been cherished for years now and have left a lasting impact on many anime fans. Some entries on this list will be familiar while some will be totally unknown to most.
Regardless, all these shows are top-notch and will make you question your thoughts and reality; that’s how great the stories and the execution in their anime are.
Table of Contents
Table of Content
26. Hell Girl
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
In a world where the internet is more prevalent than real-life experiences (huhu), many find themselves depressed. This is the world of Hell Girl. It’s not a lot different from what we have right now.
On the internet, people feel bad about themselves, and they want to kill people who make them feel bad. So at night at a particular time, a website becomes active, which helps you take revenge. The revenge is executed by the hell girl herself.
The show is pretty entertaining and also horrifying at the same time, be prepared to get your heart broken many times while watching it!
25. Bokura no
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
4 |
5 |
16 |
Bokura no is a classic mecha anime that has been on top of many people’s lists for a long time now. The show follows the story of 15 children who find themselves in a situation where they have to protect the earth from aliens using mechas.
Though the mecha genre is now flooded with generic anime, Bokura no is different. The show will compel you to watch the anime throughout; the story is just so good. It is the perfect mixture of a slice of life and depressing anime.
You’ll definitely cry many times while watching the show!
24. xxxHOLiC
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
6 |
7 |
4 |
17 |
xxxHolic is a weird show where you’ll be familiarised with the various Japanese Folk-Lore that the Japanese people grew up listening to. The show isn’t very episodic in nature, but that’s one of its strong points.
The show’s central character can see spirits and other such supernatural beings; he’s really desperate to get rid of this ability, so when a strange woman promises him to get rid of his power, he does whatever she wants.
And so begins the weird journey that the anime will take you on.
23. Devilman Crybaby
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
7 |
5 |
19 |
Devilman Crybaby isn’t for the weak-hearted, especially for young people; the show holds the potential to scar you for life. That’s how explicit and gory it gets at times. The world of Devilman Crybaby is infested with supernatural creatures that feats in humans.
Our main character somehow gains an ability to defeat these beats; he also becomes really agile and strong. The show is filled with people abusing drugs, rave parties where people literally die while high.
The show is available on Netflix and is considered to be the best one they produced.
22. Angel’s Egg
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
6 |
6 |
7 |
19 |
Tenshi no Tamago can be described as Vivid, Surreal, Explicit, Creepy, Beautiful, Dark, and an outstanding piece of art. Yes, the anime can be described using all these adjectives; such high is its glory. No wonder it is so highly rated by critics.
The show is set in a surreal world where anything happens, literally anything. There are no ordinary people; there is no religion, no nothing. The show makes you question the meaning of life, the meaning of your existence, and the meaning of the anime as well.
The anime definitely isn’t for everybody; some might love it, some might totally hate it. But you’ll have to watch it to decide.
21. Mirai Nikki/Future Diary
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
6 |
7 |
8 |
21 |
Mirai Nikki or Future diary is a battle royale-like anime where the only person standing last wins or lives to tell the tale; the rest, simply put, die. But a future diary comes with a twist, you can know the future.
The diary’s power leads to mind-bending and incredible battles between the 12 people who possess the journal. The diaries have been distributed by an entity that is the space god. Apparently, nothing else is known about it.
The show is filled with plot twists that’ll keep you hooked to the screen.
20. Serial Experiments Lain
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
7 |
7 |
21 |
Lain is a technophobe, not the music, the technology one. She hates technology, but her life is turned upside down when she gets a message from her deceased classmate. What follows is strange, to say the least.
She keeps seeing dressed in all black who knows everything about. What is this mystery that Lain has now become a part of? Even Lain doesn’t know, and it is having a terrible effect on her mental state.
The show is good at keeping the viewer hooked and a must-watch for sure.
19. Parasyte
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
7 |
7 |
22 |
Our main character is infected with an extraterrestrial parasite. Still, due to his quick thinking, he could stop the infection contained in his hand. What follows is a dark and gruesome tale of horrifying murders and, eventually, a worldwide war.
The virus that infected him is one of the many viruses that have come to earth to take on the humans as hosts and eventually kill them all. The story is really engaging and also has a live-action adaptation.
18. Mononoke
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
8 |
6 |
22 |
Mononoke follows the tale of a medicine seller or an exorcist, as some people like to call him. He travels to feudal Japan in hopes of finding supernatural spirits and exercising them.
But there is more to it; before exorcism, he must know the origins and struggle of the spirit, which are sad and depressing most of the time. The show’s central theme is the human psyche or the psyche of the spirit and what it goes through.
17. Re: Zero
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
8 |
7 |
22 |
Re: Zero is an isekai, but don’t let that tag fool you; it is way more than that; it is considered to be the best isekai ever made, and rightfully so. The concept of starting from zero isn’t very new or revolutionary in anime. Still, Re: Zero somehow manages to make it fresh.
Our protagonist dies and is transported to a fantasy world wherein he must survive. As the story progresses, you get to understand more about how cruel this world is. The anime gets really dark after a couple of episodes.
16. The Tatami Galaxy
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
6 |
8 |
8 |
22 |
Every single moment of your life, every decision you make right now, totally changes your future outcomes. And that’s the message the anime is trying to convey to the viewer.
The story is about a boy who loves to explore his fantasies. They can be anything, from prank wars to having a high school romance, but his main goals are really messed up.
On the surface, he seems like someone who’s living his life to the fullest, but he’s just a punk who goes on terrorizing everyone on his campus. But one day it all changes, and we won’t reveal what happens because it is a significant spoiler.
15. Elfen Lied
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
9 |
7 |
23 |
Elfen Lied follows the story of a girl named Lucy who’s been the subject of cruel government experiments that have turned her into a different being that possesses strange and supernatural powers.
Elfen lied has a lot of gore and nudity, and it doesn’t shy away from embracing it. The gory aspects of the show are well suited for the story the anime tries to convey, and for that reason, it is on the list.
14. Shiki
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
9 |
7 |
24 |
Shiki isn’t your typical horror anime. It does a lot of things differently, which makes an impact on the viewer. The village where the anime story takes solace is plagued with a strange disease, and a doctor is trying to take care of it.
Many people die due to this strange disease every year, and our main character knows about the reality of the condition. Without spoiling much, we’d like to say that the story is one you should watch at least once.
13. Ergo Proxy
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
9 |
6 |
25 |
Set in a dystopian future where humans are forced to live within domes, the human experience is different from what we have. The disaster which caused this happened a long time ago, and life outside the domes is practically impossible.
To serve the basic needs of humans, robots are built. Still, soon they start to get infected with a virus that makes them self-aware, and when they become self-aware, they don’t feel so good about humans.
Ergo Proxy explores themes of depression and the human experience unlike any other anime out there.
12. Paprika
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
9 |
8 |
25 |
A duo of scientists works their ass off to conjure a device that’ll help them dive deep into a person’s psyche, which in turn will help them treat the person’s mental disorders. But they don’t understand the full extent of the device’s power, and unfortunately, it falls into the wrong hands.
People start acting strange as the device explores their brains and their deepest desires. Simply put, the people who use the device use it for psychological terrorism. A person can feel trapped even when he has the entire world to himself.
The device makes humans look like fragile beings.
11. Terror in Resonance
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
9 |
7 |
25 |
Zankyou No Terror/Terror in Resonance is about two boys who make the entire country of Japan and its police system bend to their knees in desperation; such immense is their terror amongst the people.
These boys, who look and act just like any other ordinary school kids, for some reason, decided to do bomb blasts in the city; the goal is unknown, and stopping them is the main priority. The ending is really fantastic, and we don’t want to spoil it for you.
10. Death Parade
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
7 |
9 |
25 |
What happens after death has been a source of debate for millennia, but Death Parade has a unique spin on it. After death, there’s no heaven nor hell in the world of Death Parade; there is only reincarnation or the endless oblivion.
The anime shows us people being judged based on their lives, and just to be clear, it isn’t good at all. People commit some heinous crime in their lifetime, and the show doesn’t shy away from showing us the dark side of humans. That’s the reason why Death Parade is on the list.
9. Tokyo Ghoul
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
10 |
7 |
25 |
Kanakei Ken, a shy school-going boy, tries going on a date with a girl he met at a cafe. But this girl turns out to be a ghoul who tries eating him, but for some reason, she ends up in an accident with him. To save Kaneki’s life, the Ghoul’s organs are transferred to him.
Kaneki is now half-ghoul and half-human; he now has to eat humans to survive. Kaneki has a hard time processing this information, and seeing his misery will surely make you shed a tear. The show is considered one of the greatest, so make sure you give it a try.
8. Ghost in the shell
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
9 |
7 |
25 |
Ghost in a shell is one of the best sci-fi anime ever made, and it even got a live-action reboot starring Scarlet Johanson. It is set in a dystopian future where people fuse their bodies with computers to modify their abilities to a greater extent.
These modifications are being hacked by a hacker, and people are being controlled remotely by this hacker called ‘Puppet master.’ So basically, the show is about cyborg police fighting a god-level hacker.
The show will make you question your existence and what it is that makes us human?
7. Psycho-Pass
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
10 |
7 |
25 |
In a dystopian world, the sibyl system detects the mental state of the citizens. It apprehends those who are on the verge of committing a crime. But aren’t you guilty if you haven’t committed one? Isn’t a person free to think anything he wants?
All these questions are answered in Psycho-Pass. Though the system seems fair to most, the system can become a tool for an authoritarian power really quickly, And our main character learns this the hard way.
Psycho pass is compared to death note by many, that alone is enough to recommend it.
6. Perfect Blue
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
9 |
8 |
26 |
At the peak of her career as a J-pop idol, Mima decided to equity and pursued newer avenues; acting is one. But some people don’t like it, some fans of hers don’t like it and make unreasonable demands. But Mima doesn’t owe anything to anyone, but her stans say otherwise.
One of them goes crazy and stalks her. Already the growing pressure of acting in a movie was driving Mima crazy. When the stalker starts to interfere in her life, everything goes downhill really fast.
The anime is not for those with a faint heart, as the visuals get really explicit and grotesque as the story progresses. If you’re looking for a psychological thriller, you won’t find anything better than Perfect Blue.
5. The Promised Neverland
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
10 |
8 |
27 |
The Promised Neverland starts off as a friendly, heart-warming slice of life anime that makes you feel nice and warm. But every soon, we understand the dark reality behind the happy faces, and we’re left in dismay.
The Promised Neverland is about an orphanage where kids live happily until one of them discovers the secret. After that, it’s all downhill for the kids of the orphanage. The people they trusted are the worst and vilest creatures, and now they’ll have to battle for life.
4. Death Note
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
10 |
10 |
27 |
What would you do if you got the power to kill off anyone instantly, without any consequences? We know what Light Yagami did; he tried to play God and succeeded in it.
Death Note is the quintessential piece of Japanese media that almost everyone has watched; its far-reaching influence is seen in every psychological anime out there and rightfully so.
Every episode of the show is excellent, and every plot twist leaves the viewer in dismay.
The duel between Light Yagami and L is one of the best anime I have ever seen, and it is a show that every anime enthusiast should watch.
3. Steins Gate
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
9 |
9 |
27 |
“No one knows what the future holds. That’s why its potential is infinite.”
Okabe Rintarou (Steins;Gate)
Steins Gate is one of the best sci-fi anime of all time. Though the concept of time travel has been used by many, viewers just don’t care about it. But Steins Gate is one of those shows which executes everything perfectly,
The show dives deep into what it means to travel in time and what the consequences are. The episodic nature of the show leaves you wondering every time the episode ends.
There are a lot of plot twists sprinkled throughout its run, which are enough to keep anyone entertained.
2. Monster
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
10 |
9 |
28 |
In the wretched world of Monster, the difference between good and evil isn’t too distinct. The show takes you on a gruesome adventure where you take a peek at how evil humans can be.
The story follows a Doctor who has to choose between a rich and poor man, the one he chooses, lives, the one he doesn’t, dies. After making a choice, the Doctor is haunted by his conscience for a long time, and we see him getting worse and worse.
It is a masterpiece, and every anime fan should experience it.
1. Neon Genesis Evangelion
| Storyline | Psychological | Twists | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
|
10 |
10 |
10 |
30 |
Neon Genesis Evangelion is probably the best mecha anime of all time. The show is set in a dystopian version of Tokyo, where the world has been hit by impacts one after the other. And this has taken a toll on the human psyche.
The characters are depressed, and the show’s visuals do a great job of depicting their misery. The show is filled with agony and constantly flirts with concepts like suicide, detachment from self, existentialism way too many times.
The sound, the art direction, the style are all handled very well. Also, the show director went on to direct the latest Shin Godzilla movie, which was critically acclaimed, so you know you’re in for a treat.
Which one are you watching next? 🤔
We hope that you like the list mentioned above. Psychological anime is one of the best anime; they try to be more than just meaningless fights and unrealistic romances.
Most of the time, Psychological thrillers tend to be grounded in reality. Still, anime is a medium that allows creativity, and hence most of the shows on this list are sci-fi and shounen.
