In the never-ending cycle of the anime world, getting lost is the most certain possibility a fan can go through. Sometimes it excites you and sometimes it makes you wonder what to watch. And, because of a variety of different genres, people get confused amid their favorite show and one such genre is psychological anime.

The theme of psychology is indeed a very difficult subject to ponder over and to understand an anime based on this topic is almost a very challenging task. But, still, people like such types of shows and they love the crime, thriller & suspense elements combined with it.

So, to not disappoint such types of fans, we’ve come up with some of the best psychological anime from the past few years that will totally blow up your mind, meanwhile keeping you at the tip of your toes at each episode.

Without any further delay, let’s get started then.

Ghost In The Shell

Ghost In The Shell is a well-known action drama sci-fi anime show featuring a bit of dark and psychological themes that makes the series more interesting. A Hollywood movie with the same name was also premiered in 2017 featuring Scarlett Johansson in the lead role.

The movie is set in the post-apocalyptic dystopian Japan of 2029 and follows the story of a Cyborg public agent security, Motoko Kusanagi. One day, she comes to know about a mysterious guy named ‘The Puppet Master’, who illegally hacks into the programmed minds of cyborg-human hybrids.

Out of curiosity, Makoto & her partner chase him down to know the truth about the cyborg-human minds and their main purpose in society so that she can discover about his own identity as well.

Terror In Resonance

One of the renowned animation studios MAPPA is best-known for its fine music & visuals which makes it special from others and Terror in Resonance is one such anime having these two qualities.

Being a psychological thriller anime it dives deeper into the problems faced by modern society and the consequences caused by a terror attack on a child’s mentality. And, as a fan of psychological anime, you should definitely check out this series.

Terror in Resonance is a story about two brothers, Nine and Twelve who are the survivors of a secret experiment that turns orphan children into a human weapon. In a terror attack, they get their hands on a very deadly prototype atomic bomb. Disguising themselves as “Sphinx” they threaten to destroy Tokyo city unless a cryptic riddle can be solved.

Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain is an advanced psychological mystery anime series that follows the story of Lain as she makes crucial choices that will affect both the real world and the Wired. In closing one world and opening another, only Lain will realize the significance of their presence.

Written by Chiaki J. Konaka, the series explores philosophical topics such as reality, identity and communication. The anime was praised by the critics for its originality, visuals, and insightful depiction of a frightful world full of paranoia, social alienation and extra dependence on technology that can be the biggest threat to humanity in the 21st century.

The Tatami Galaxy

Tatami Galaxy is a dark comedy psychological campus novel written by Tomihiko Morimi and published by Ohta Publishing. In 2010, the novel was adapted into an 11-episode anime television series produced by Studio Madhouse.

The story of Tatami Galaxy is kind of narration by an unnamed upperclassman at a Kyoto university who recalls the misadventures of his campus life on using parallel universes as a plot device to explore how his life would have differed had he joined a particular campus club, also called a “circle” in the anime.

Surreal, artistic, and mind-bending themes of this series beautifully describe the life of a young man who sets on a journey to make friends, find love and experience the rose-colored campus life he always dreamed of.

Ergo Proxy

Ergo Proxy is a 2006 cyberpunk anime television series, produced by Manglobe, directed by Shūkō Murase and written by Dai Satō. It is set in a post-apocalyptic utopian future where humans and androids coexist peacefully until a virus gives the androids self-awareness, causing them to commit a series of murders.

Inspector Re-L Mayer is assigned to investigate the case where she discovers a more complicated plot behind it that involves a humanoid species known as “Proxy” who are the subject of secret government experiments.

Ergo Proxy received positive critics for its intricate visuals, cyberpunk aesthetic and intellectual themes. The fans loved the premise of the show, which features complex drama surrounding the strikingly beautiful crime investigator Re-L Mayer, and an intricate sci-fi setting, incorporating robots, living in human society and a distorted array of unique monsters.

Elfen Lied

Elfen Lied is a dark fantasy anime series based on the interaction between human beings and mutant species. It is a critically hit series for its edging storyline and ruthless action.

This is a must-watch anime for the fans who like thrilling beginnings as only the first ten minutes of this series will give you goosebumps as some fans admit that these few minutes are the most violent in all of mainstream anime.

The show is filled with extreme violence, nudity and gore scenes that are not suitable for a child and it tends to get more and more serious as the series progresses. So, anybody can watch it depending on if they’ve got the guts to do so.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most-watched 90s show and surprisingly, this anime doesn’t have any source material. And, it’s quite true to some extent because there was already a manga version of this series before its anime release. But, in reality, the storyline of manga & the anime counterpart differs drastically.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is set fifteen years after the worldwide cataclysm, particularly in the futuristic fortified city of Tokyo-3. Shinji, the main protagonist, is recruited by his father to a shadowy organization ‘Nerv’ to pilot a giant bio-machine mecha named “Evangelion”.

He prepares him for the combat against beings called “Angels”. The series explores the experiences and emotions of Evangelion pilots and members of Nerv as they try to prevent Angels from causing more cataclysms.

Death Note

One of the most popular crime thriller psychological anime Death Note is a top-tier show. There will not be a single fan who would have disliked this series. And, once you start this anime then leaving it in the middle is almost impossible!

Death Note began with a very fascinating story of a student who gets a notebook that grants him the power to exterminate anyone. In the beginning, Light used it in a very effective way and for a positive purpose.

But, as the show moved forward the killings became a challenge for Kira and his good looking motive turned into a race of becoming the supreme. With each episode, the series turned into a do or die game, which was a real shock for the fans. And, that’s the biggest reason why viewers never forget about the iconic Death Note.

Parasyte: The Maxim

The popular seinen anime series, Parasyte: The Maxim is well-known for its body horror theme and sci-fi elements. It features some abhor scenes that can be disturbing for anyone and because of this China banned this anime for the public.

Parasyte is considered to be dark from the very beginning and it is not meant for the delicate heart people. The good thing about Parasyte is, it never downgraded because of its storyline moreover, it evolved further with more intense and tense situations.

Produced by Studio Madhouse, Parasyte is a story of a 17-year-old Shinichi Izumi who is partially infected by a space Parasyte that butcher and consume humans. In order to survive, he must learn to co-exist with the creature and live the life of both a Parasyte and a human.

Welcome To The NHK

Welcome To The NHK is a very interesting series that highlights the lives of young adults living in depression and anxiety. Tatsuhiro Sato, a university dropout lives a miserable life being a Hikikomori (a person who tends to avoid people and live being isolated).

Being concerned about his recluse behaviour a friend of his tries to get him out of this misery and make him a socially interactive person so that Sato can enjoy his life to the fullest and experience the unseemingly beautiful world with his own eyes.

Welcome To The NHK is a true story based on a conspiracy theory about a real-life Japanese TV Network, NHK who was suspected to be the main cause behind making more and more people like Sato. Even the creator of this series revealed that the story is an actual account of himself being a Hikikomori fighting against depression and the royalties, as shown in the anime.

Death Parade

Unlike other anime in this list, Death Parade is neither an anime without source material nor an original anime series. The story of Death Parade spawned from a short film titled “Death Billiards” which was originally produced by Madhouse Studio.

The concept of Death Parade is very simple and it’s based on the afterworld. After death, people are sent to either heaven or hell. A bar named ‘Quendecim’ exists to preside over the judgement whether their soul will be reincarnated or be sent to void.

An arbiter & bartender named Decim judge the people based on the outcome of the result of different games played by them and then send them to their designated place.

Paprika

Paprika is a wonderful psychological anime being known for its amazing visuals and awesome transitions between dream and reality which is seen rarely in anime movies.

It’s just like the famous Christopher Nolan’s film ‘Inception’ and tells a similar story like travelling through someone’s dream, but on a different level. The film was produced by Studio Madhouse and is popular for its mesmerizing art and hallucinating soundtrack.

Dr. Atsuko Chiba, with a dual character personality, operates as a scientist named ‘Paprika’ in daylight and as a dream detective at night. Along with her colleagues, she works on a device termed DC Mini that can turn out to be a great invention for psychiatric patients. But, in the wrong hands, it can turn into a disaster as it could destroy people’s minds.

And the same thing happens when a prototype of this device gets stolen. To prevent something terrible to happen Paprika comes into action and looks out for the responsible person behind this serious act.

Ping Pong The Animation

Ping Pong The Animation is one of the best short anime with a good plot and an overwhelming cast. The show is about two best friends Peco and Smile who passionately love playing Table Tennis.

But, after being defeated miserably in a Table Tennis match with a Chinese player, Peco decides to quit the sport. This defeat impacts his friend Smile’s play as he starts doubting his own abilities.

After discovering this scenario, Coach Jō sees the hidden potential in Smile and motivates him to play further by overcoming his mental blockage which is stopping him to achieve his goal.

Ping Pong The Animation is a very underrated sports anime due to its rough manga-like animation but in reality, it’s a piece of gem. It explores the themes like psychological trauma and bad experience through which a sportsman has to go through.

Psycho-Pass

Psycho-Pass is a cyberpunk psychological thriller anime produced by Production I.G. The series premiered for the first time in 2012 and from there it turned into one of the best crime suspense anime series.

Many critics praised the show for its societal and psychological themes. Psycho-Pass explores the characters’ roles and interactions within a dystopian environment that seems different in itself. All these factors together complement this series.

The series takes place in the near future when it is possible to instantaneously measure and quantify a person’s state of mind and personality. This information is recorded & processed and is referred to by the term “Psycho-Pass” used to measure an individual’s being. The story centres around the enforcement officer, Shinya Kõgami, who is tasked with managing crime in such a world.

Monster

Monster is undoubtedly the best psychological anime series fans ever got to know. Hailed for its thrilling suspense-filled plot & crime mystery themes, Monster is really a piece of art. The picturization of characters is also done beautifully by Naoki Urasawa.

Consisting of stirring 74-episodes animated by Madhouse, the series follows the life of a Japanese brain surgeon Kenzo Tenma whose life turns upside down after he gets involved with one of his former patients who is revealed to be a dangerous serial killer.

The series got a lot of positive critics for its sensational & intense storyline and in-depth illustration of the characters. Madhouse should also be credited for their incredible work towards the direction and soundtrack of the anime which made this series a masterpiece.

With this, our list of best psychological anime comes to an end. We hope you liked it. Let us know in the comments section, which anime you would like to add to this list and which one’s your favorite from this genre?

And don’t forget to share this article with your fellow otaku friends so that we’ll come up with more exciting anime articles like this one.