10 Best Thriller Anime That You Should Know Update 04/2024

Best Thriller Anime

Thrillers are a genre that is often overlooked, to the point where it is difficult to find an anime that solely falls under the thriller umbrella.

Thriller is an underappreciated genre, so much so that it’s nearly impossible to find an anime solely dedicated to the genre these days. You will find a wide variety of genres in thriller anime: shonen and comedy/parody are two examples of this. A business perspective makes this a logical choice, as the more mainstream an anime appears, the more likely it is to become popular.

Even yet, there are plenty great suspense anime for fans to enjoy. Some of the anime series featured below are well-known, while others are relatively unknown (but definitely worth the watch).

1. Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Keiichi Maebara begins to notice peculiarities in the lives of the people of Hinamizawa within a few days of his arrival. He subsequently discovers a link between inexplicable disappearances and deaths in the town, and the yearly village festival..

To get answers, he turns to his new pals, but for some reason, they always disregard his questions and shift the conversation to something else almost immediately. Keiichi, who is becoming increasingly suspicious, is determined to find out what’s going on.

2. Zankyou No Terror

When two adolescent lads claim responsibility for the multiple explosions that occurred across Japan six months ago, the Japanese authorities are immediately interested.

The only clue the authorities have on the boys, who go by the name Sphinx, is the word VON. In the ruins of a nuclear plant, this word was painted red and discovered. Who are these young men and what do they want to achieve?

3. The Promised Neverland

The Promised Neverland (2019)

The Grace Field House’s orphans are generally content. What no one can explain, however, is how a child is abducted and never seen again on a regular basis. Except for three siblings, every youngster ignores this occurrence.

They decide to investigate the strange events that have occurred in their orphanage of choice. None of them, however, is ready to confront the dark secret that lies within the four walls of the house they call their own.

4. Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica

Students Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki’s lives are forever altered when a feline familiar appears. To become magical girls, the creature gives each of the girls a single wish.

Magical girl Homura Akemi cautions the two against making this decision. Her message is clear: There is a price to pay for all the glitz and glamour in the world. Will the two gullible young ladies pay attention to her?

5. Death Parade

Death Parade

A bartender named Decim invites deceased people to play a variety of games at his establishment. The fate of the departed is decided by the results of these games, which appear innocent at first. For the winners, reincarnation awaits; for the losers, their souls are sent into the abyss.

The more time passes in a game, the more obvious it becomes who the real players are. At Quindecim, things don’t always go according to plan.

6. Another

Kouichi Sakakibara, a new transfer student, immediately notes how everyone at his school, including the teachers, ignores Mei Misaki’s basic existence. He befriends the lonely girl over the warnings of his buddies.

Soon after that, the pupils of Yomiyama North’s class 3-3 start dying in horrifying ways due to a murder that occurred about 50 years ago.

7. Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World

Subaru Natsuki wakes up to find himself in a world full of gangsters beating him up. Satella, a girl who saved his life, persuades him to help her find her missing insignia. The two are assassinated as soon as they’ve gotten their hands on what they’re looking for.

Subaru wakes up the next day to find that his day has been exactly the same as the day before. He soon discovers that he is trapped in a temporal loop with no way out.

8. Mirai Nikki

Mirai Nikki (Future Diary)

Deus Ex Machina, the deity of time and space, forces 15-year-old Yukiteru Amano to participate in a game of death. A Random Diary provides him a glimpse of the future, his only defense. A lovely young lady named Yuno Gasai comes to his aid, much to his surprise.

Yuki comes to understand that Yuno is not just insane, but she also knows a great deal more than a Random Diary could ever convey to her.

9. Steins;Gate

Rintarou Okabe, a self-described scientist, spends his days at his laboratory conducting pointless science projects. While experimenting with time travel, he discovers that one of his experiments can in fact send a message back in time.

Obviously, altering the past has long-term ramifications for the present. Rintarou and his ragtag band of pals had no idea what was going to happen. They soon find that time travel comes at a high price, as they get into more and more difficulty.

10. Death Note

Death Note

Light Yagami, a bored yet intelligent student, receives a Death Note from a bored shinigami. This notebook serves as a record of the names of the vile criminals who have been slain by Light.

L., a talented Japanese investigator, is called in to investigate the unexplained deaths of criminals in Tokyo. The question remains, however, whether or not a human being can defeat a boy endowed with the might of God?