Mystery anime is one of the predominant genres in anime. Be it murder mystery, horror mystery, or psychological mystery, characters investigate cases and solve the mystery. These series keep the viewers engaged with incredible twists and turns. Let us see some of the best mystery anime series. Also, you can read the best shonen anime series.
17 Best Mystery Anime Series
ERASED
- Genre – Sci-fi, Mystery
- Episodes – 12
- IMDb Rating – 8.4/10
- Streaming Networks – Netflix, Crunchyroll
Erased is a highly-rated mystery anime directed by Tomohiko Itō. The sci-fi series follows the journey of a manga artist who gets a special power, Revival, when he gets injured in an incident. With the ability, the protagonist goes back in time to save his mother and three kids from a serial killer. ERASED is an intriguing series with the time-travel theme. It has 12 episodes with twists and turns till the end. ERASED is known for its incredible storyline and animation.
When They Cry
- Genre – Murder mystery, Psychological Horror, Supernatural Horror
- Episodes – 26
- Streaming Networks – Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating – 7.8/10
When They Cry is a murder mystery thriller that is set in the fictional village, Hinamizawa. The story takes place in 1983. Keiichi Maebara, the protagonist enjoys his time in the new village with his friends, but he gets to know about the evil side of the village. Whenever the Annual Watanagashi Festival arrives, people disappear and get murdered. The mystery continues and Maebara joins his friends to investigate the murder. He also learns about the Oyashiro Curse from villagers and decides to solve it. The protagonist loses his friends in the mission, but he manages to end the curse and save the people of Hinamizawa.
Monster
- Genre – Crime, Mystery, Psychological Thriller
- Episodes – 74
- Streaming Networks – Nippon TV, Netflix
- IMDb Rating – 8.7/10
Monster is one of the best mystery anime series since its premiere. It is based on the original manga of the same name which sold more than 20 million copies. In Monster, Dr. Kenzo Tenma, the Brain Surgeon/Neurosurgeon specialist plays the lead role who works at a Hospital in Düsseldorf, West Germany. Kenzo Tenma is a successful doctor, but he doesn’t like the hospital’s way of treating their patients. One day, he gets an opportunity to change this when he meets fraternal twins, Johan Liebert and Anna Liebert. He decides to operate on Johan and Anna Liebert, the Mayor is killed.
After the operation, the doctors who supported Tenma were killed and two children in the hospital were abducted. Tenma becomes the suspect in the case, but he doesn’t get arrested. After 9 years, he became the Chief of Surgery at the same hospital. As the story moves, Tenma finds it is Johan who is responsible for all murders that happened these years. Kenzo Tenma gets trapped, but he eventually kills Johan and saves others.
Another
- Genre – Horror, Mystery
- Episodes – 12
- Streaming Networks – Amazon Prime Video
Another is a suspense horror mystery anime series where a North Middle School student, Kouchi Sakakibara plays the main role. Kouchi Sakakibara finds everything strange in the new school’s classroom 3-3. Kouchi Sakakibara interacts with Mei Misaki, but everyone inside the school ignores her. He gets to know about the murder of Mei Misaki who studied in the school 26 years ago. As the story moves, the students and their relatives get murdered because of a curse that killed Mei Misaki. Sakakibara joins with Mei Misaki and averts the new curse.
Owarimonogatari
- Genre – Mystery, Comedy, Supernatural
- Episodes – 20
- Streaming Networks – Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll
- IMDb Rating – 8.3/10
Owarimonogatari is an amazing mystery series. It has been hailed as one of the best hilarious mystery anime. Ougi Oshino, an uncanny student makes his way to Naoetsu Private High School. When she joins the school, she learns about a mysterious classroom. Oshino feels the class is located in a cursed area where strange things happen. She joins her friends and begins an investigation. One of Oshino’s friends gets a Deja-Vu and he finds out about his best friend of the past life in the classroom. As the story moves, Oshino and her friends meet new characters and experience funny adventures before solving the mystery.
Psycho-Pass
- Genre – Cyberpunk, Psychological Thriller
- Episodes – 22
- Streaming Networks – Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll
- IMDb Rating – 8.1/10
Psycho-Pass story takes in the future world in a fictional city of Japan. Every citizen’s stress level or otherwise known Psycho-Pass is inspected by the Sibyl System in the 22nd Century. Akane Tsunemori, the protagonist plays the role of an inspector and embarks on a new mission to avoid crimes in the city. Her goal is to uphold justice, but she finds the faults in the Sibyl System. As the story moves, Tsunemori finds the secrets of the organization and completes every mission with the help of her friends.
The Lost Village/Mayoiga
- Genre – Suspense, Horror, Drama, Mystery
- Episodes – 12
- Streaming Networks – Crunchyroll
- IMDb Rating – 5.5/10
In the Mayoiga series, a group of 30 members go on a trip to Nanaki, the lost village. Everyone has a reason to join the trip and some decide to start their life in Nanaki Village. When the gang lands in Nanaki, the village turns dark and everyone panicks. They don’t find any people in the Urban Legend and there is no shop. Some members of the gang explore the village and head towards the forest. Many of them disappear inside the forest and the secrets of Nanaki Village start to unravel. In the end, the protagonist has to find the mystery of the Nanaki village and save everyone.
Heaven’s Memo Pad
Genre – Mystery, Drama
Episodes – 12
Streaming Networks – Crunchyroll
IMDb Rating – 6.5/10
Heaven’s Memo Pad is a riveting detective mystery series. It follows the journey of Narumi Fujishima, a high school student, who lacks interest in studies. Fujishima joins a Gardening Club along with his friend. As the story moves, he becomes a part of the NEET Detective Agency which is headed by Alice. The NEET Agency works on mysterious cases and solves them easily. Alice is a hacker and he hires Fujishima and his friends for new missions. The gang works on new cases and avoids crimes in the city. Fujishima gets trapped in a case where Alice is involved and the story leads to a gripping adventure.
Paranoia Agent
- Genre – Supernatural, Mystery, Comedy
- Episodes – 13
- Streaming Networks – Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll
- IMDb Rating – 8/10
Paranoia is an original TV anime. The mystery thriller follows the journey of a popular character designer Tsukiko Sagi. It takes place in a fictional Musashino City where people get attacked by the infamous Shounen Bat which is used by a boy. Sagi who gets attacked on the boots is also the first suspect in the case. As the story moves, the Bat Boy attacks everyone in Tokyo. In the end, the cops manage to find the boy and there is a twist when they find it’s a creation of Sagi, who created it after her pink dog was killed.
The Apothecary Diaries
- Genre – Mystery, Romance, Drama
- Episodes – 30
- Streaming Networks – Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, Netflix Video,
- IMDb Rating – 8.6/10
The Apothecary Diaries is an epic adventure and one of the best mystery anime series. It begins in the Imperial China Period and follows the journey of a Maid called Maomao. She is an apothecary who works as a Maid in the Imperial Palace. Maomao is shocked when the newborn babies and concubines in the palace get affected by disease. She uses her skills to cure everyone, but Jinshi finds out about her identity. As the story moves, Maomao gets recruited for a new mission in the Royal Palace Court where she uses her magic and medicines to cure patients.
Moriarty the Patriot
Genre – Crime, Thriller, Mystery
Episodes – 26
Steaming Networks – Crunchyroll, Disney+ Hotstar
IMDb Rating – 8/10
Moriarty the Patriot takes place in the 19th century in the UK. William James Moriarty, a crime consultant and noble plays the lead role. He is the second son of the Moriarty household and is the target of his brothers who plan to kill him to take the estate. A battle between William James and his brothers makes the story engaging. William James fights for the people and his goal is to stop the crimes. His brothers, Louis and Albert wish to rule British society and kill everyone who comes against them. Moriarty the Patriot is an epic mystery series that blends action, romance, and emotions.
Death Note
- Genre – Mystery
- Episodes – 37
- Streaming Networks – Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix
The reach of Death Note anime has been staggering since its release. It is based on Tsugumi Ohba’s manga series which sold more than 30 million copies. Death Note is all about Light Yagami and Ryuk. The story is set in Tokyo where Light Yagami finds a black notebook during his school days. The magic notebook kills anyone whose name is written inside the book. Light Yagami decides to use the book to kill criminals and serial killers inside the city. One day, he meets Ryuk, a shinigami who was the owner of the book reveals he dropped the book as he was bored of using it.
As Light Yagami starts killing criminals, the news gets worldwide attention. The Japanese government appoints L, the number one detective to solve the case that is done by Light Yagami in the name Kira. Yagami manages to escape L and he also meets Misa Amane, an actress and model who gets a new book from a shinigami. Misa Amane’s book allows her to find the names of humans she meets. As the story moves, Light Yagami crosses paths with others which leads to an epic adventure.
Bungo Stray Dogs
- Genre – Mystery, Comedy, Supernatural
- Episodes – 73
- Streaming Networks – Crunchyroll
- IMDb Rating – 7.8/10
Bungo Stray Dogs follows the journey of orphanage student, Atsushi Nakajima. One day, his orphanage is attacked by a mystical tiger and he is accused of the incident. Nakajima is sent out and he doesn’t have the bucks to overcome his hunger. He meets Osamu Dazai, a mysterious man on a riverbank and saves him from drowning.
Dazai reveals he decided to end his life after getting affected by the same tiger. Dazai joins Nakajima and they investigate the case together. They work for an Armed Detective Agency and their goal is to find criminals. Nakajima also learns about his supernatural ability and he embarks on a new mission to wipe out the mafia that troubles people.
Detective Conan/Case Closed
- Genre – Mystery, Thriller
- Episodes – 1153
- Streaming Networks – Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Crunchyroll
- IMDb Rating – 8.5/10
Detective Conan is one of the long-running anime series. The mystery series follows the journey of high school student, Jimmy Kudo, who is also a detective. One day, he joins the police and solves a case against a crime syndicate. Jimmy Kudo gets trapped and he swallows a drug which also shrinks him. Kudo becomes a child and joins a primary school as Conan Edogawa.
He joins his friends and family, and embarks on a new mission to stop the crimes. Detective Conan is hailed as a masterpiece and it is based on a successful manga series which sold more than 270 million copies. The unique concept, characters, and animation of the series have been praised by everyone.
The Promised Neverland
- Genre – Dark Fantasy, Sci-fi
- Episodes – 23
- Streaming Networks – Crunchyroll
- IMDb Rating – 8.1/10
The Promised Neverland is a battle between Humans and Demons. In the fantasy world, humans and sentinent creatures control everyone. Demons eat humans to survive and they keep killing everyone. One day, an agreement, “The Promise” is signed by humans and demons. The Promise agreement is made to stop the never-ending battle. After 1000 years, an 11-year old girl Emma, is born as an orphan in the Grace Field House. The story travels to the year 2045 where Emma takes care of other orphans with her mom Isabella and her friends.
The orphans get adopted by a new family, but some of them never return. Isabella and her friends are shocked when one of the orphans is killed. They also find about the organization that abducts children and makes them as meat for demons. Emma and her friend Ray take everyone out of the orphanage house and save them from the demons.
Ghost Hunt
- Genre – Horror, Mystery
- Episodes – 25
- Streaming Networks – Netflix, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb Rating – 7.4/10
The Ghost Hunt Mystery Anime series follows the journey of school students who wish to explore ghost hunting. Mai Taniyama, the 16-year-old first-year high school student plays the titular role. Mai Taniyama and her friends visit an abandoned school building that is cursed.
As the story moves, Mai Taniyama finds about the paranormal abilities and explores new locations to discuss their ghost stories. She meets Kazuya Shibuya, who is also the president of the school. Kazuya Shibuya is given a task by the principal to investigate the stories of the abandoned building. Mai Taniyama crosses paths with Shibuya and she dives into the horror world with her friends.
Wonder Egg Priority
- Genre – Fantasy, Psychological Drama, Psychological Horror
- Episodes – 12
- Streaming Networks – Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video, Nippon TV
- IMDb Rating – 7.5/10
The Wonder Egg Priority series has Ai Ohto, a high school student in the lead role. Ai Ohto is affected by heterochromia and everyone trolls her. She spends her time with Koito Nagase every day. One day, Koito Nagase commits suicide by jumping from a building. Ai Ohto is shocked and stops going to school. One day, she walks near her school at night and hears a mysterious voice. She finds a gachapon machine near an arcade and the machine provides a Wonder Egg.
Ai Ohto doesn’t know about the Wonder Egg and goes to sleep. While sleeping, she gets trapped in a dream world and has to save a girl from monsters. If Ai Ohto manages to save many humans inside the dream world, she will get an opportunity to save her friend. Ai Ohto meets three new characters who also find the Wonder Egg. The gang embarks on a journey and completes the mission together.
