Exciting Detective Anime That Will Keep You Guessing

I have recently been getting into mystery anime. If well written it can get my heart pounding and brain racing to figure out how the story is going to play out. Although not all of the anime I am about to list are detective anime, a large majority will be. If you are a thrill seeker who loves a plot twist read on, I hope you will find your next mystery from this list.

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The Millionaire Detective Balance: Unlimited

Storyline: Daisuke Kanbe, a detective with extraordinary assets, is assigned to the Modern Crime Prevention Headquarters, where only those who have caused problems for the Metropolitan Police Department are sent. There, Daisuke is partnered with Haru Katou. Haru is repulsed by Daisuke’s material ways, believing that money isn’t everything. Challenging mysteries unfold in front of the two detectives, and they must work together to solve them.

Info: 11 episodes

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

My Review: I came across this anime on a Tumblr post and thought I’d give it a chance. I was not disappointed! This show is Batman if he didn’t become Batman. No concept of money or how much he spends, At the end of each episode they even add it up so you can see how much he is spending. The storyline doesn’t kick in until halfway through but the episodes before are very entertaining. My personal favorite was the episode where he was stranded with no money and had to rely on his partner for help. I was cracking up. Once the story kicks in it is very thrilling and has a great plot twist at the end as well!

Erased

Storyline: Struggling manga author Satoru Fujinuma is beset by his fear of expressing himself. However, he has a supernatural ability to be able to prevent deaths and casualties by being sent back in time before an incident occurs, repeating time until it is prevented. One day, he is involved in an incident with his mother. Desperate to prevent the incident, he gets sent back in time only to find himself as a grade-schooler. Satoru brings himself on a new journey; using his ability to prevent the past from changing into a deplorable future.

Info: 12 episodes

Genre: Thriller, Fantasy, Mystery

My Review: Don’t let this cute art style fool you. This show gets insane fast. If you like mystery thrillers, I highly recommend Erased! With the time-traveling element, this show is wild to watch. Not going to lie I did guess the killer pretty early on but that didn’t stop the show from shocking the heck out of me on episode 12. This is a show you will binge so be prepared to watch all 12 episodes in one sitting. If you need a good thrill put this at the top of your list.

Great Pretender

Storyline: Makoto Edamura is a con man who is said to be “Japan’s greatest swindler.” One day, after trying to pickpocket a foreigner, Edamura finds that all of his money was stolen instead. Chasing the man down to Los Angeles, he learns the foreigner is Laurent Thierry, a French con man who has ties to international criminal organizations. After Edamura follows Thierry and thwarts his big drug deal, Edamura gets tied up and left to die on the famous Hollywood sign.

Info: 25 episodes

Genre: Crime, Drama, Comedy

My Review: I had heard nothing about this anime before I started watching it, But I was in the airport about to get on a 5-hour flight and needed to download something to watch off Netflix. This was the first anime that popped up and I clicked download. I have no idea how this anime isn’t insanely popular. You will be rooting for the bad guys going against the worse bad guys. The ending had my jaw on the floor, I didn’t see it coming at all. I haven’t seen anything like it before, It’s an incredible story, has great character development, and stunning animation and a will suck you in so be prepared to binge it.

Oshi No Ko

Storyline: A doctor and his recently deceased patient are reborn as twins to a famous Japanese musical idol and navigate the highs and lows of the Japanese entertainment industry as they grow up together through their lives.

Info: 11 episodes in season 1— Season 2 is currently airing for a total of 24 episodes

Genre: Mystery, Drama, Thriller

My Review: I thought this was going to be a cute anime. I had seen a little clip of the main characters as babies and I was in the mood to watch something wholesome. The first episode completely caught me off guard. I don’t want to spoil too much but after episode 1 you will be completely sucked into the story. It is not at all surprising that this was an Anime of the Year nominee along with 20 other nominations, and ended up winning second place for Anime of the Year 2024 along with 11 other awards. Incredible art, In-depth characters, unbelievable soundtrack, and will keep you on the edge of your seat after every episode. I am watching season 2 right now and still have no idea which way this story will go but I am excited to see if I can figure it out.

Un-Go

Storyline: In post-war Japan, an experienced detective takes on cases with the help of his supernatural assistant.

Info: 11 episodes and an episode 0

Genre: Crime, Action

My Review: This was a trippy show! I loved the creative art style, I think it added to the show. Very creative story. You can watch this show one or two ways. The way I watched it was episodes 1–11 and then found out about episode 0 and watched it at the end to have my mind completely blown. I think the way you are supposed to watch it is episode 0 first because then the story makes more sense. But I recommend saving episode 0 for the end and having your mind blown haha.

Bungo Stray Dogs

Storyline: Kicked out of his orphanage and on the verge of starving to death, Nakajima Atsushi meets some strange men. One of them, Dazai Osamu, is a suicidal man attempting to drown himself in broad daylight. The other, bespectacled Kunikida Doppo, nervously stands by flipping through a notepad. Both are members of the “Armed Detective Agency” said to solve incidents that even the military and police won’t touch. Atsushi ends up accompanying them on a mission to eliminate a man-eating tiger that’s been terrorizing the population… In the virtual city of Yokohama are individuals bearing the name of Bungo, “literary masters,” who possess unusual powers likened to that name. Now begins the battle between the mysterious Bungo powers!

Info: 62 episodes with a movie

Genre: Crime, Action, Supernatural Fantasy, Mystery

My Review: When I started to watch Bungo Stray Dogs I didn’t connect with season 1, but it was interesting enough to keep watching. After finishing season 2 I was a fan. This show has amazing characters, they almost all seem so equal you forget who the main character is. A super creative story will leave you in mystery every episode. I kept thinking I figured out what was going on, only to be completely blown away. The last season was by far my favorite storyline. If you aren’t connecting after season 1 I would highly encourage you to keep watching.

The Apothecary Diaries

Storyline: A young maiden is kidnapped and sold into servitude at the emperor’s palace, where she secretly employs her pharmacist skills with the help of the head eunuch to unravel medical mysteries in the inner court.

Info: 24 episodes with season 2 on the way

Genre: Medical Drama, Romance, History, Mystery

My Review: I LOVE THIS ANIME!!! If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes stories you will love this story too. She is a female Sherlock Holmes who can use an apothecary to solve crimes in the inner court. They jam back the 24 episodes with storylines and an overall arc that is revealed at the end. This anime has an amazing story, and beautiful art, and taught me more about history than I learned in school. I recommend this anime to everyone and once I start talking about it I can’t shut up.

My Home Hero

Storyline: Tetsuo discovers that Matori, his daughter’s boyfriend, has been physically abusive towards her. Tetsuo uncovers that Matori belongs to a criminal gang and that he plans to extort money from Reika’s wealthy grandparents.

Info: 12 episodes — The manga is still being written so there will most likely be another season

Genre: Gangster, Drama, Crime, Mystery

My Review: Have you ever wondered what you would do in a dangerous situation? Would you step up or hide away? This is a story about regular parents who were thrown into a dangerous situation and stepped up to protect their daughter. This story goes off the rails and I had no idea how it would end. I am warning you now, you will watch this in one sitting so get comfy and ready to be thrilled.

Death Note

Storyline: An intelligent high school student goes on a secret crusade to eliminate criminals from the world after discovering a notebook capable of killing anyone whose name is written into it.

Info: 37 episodes

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Serial Killer, drama

My Review: I couldn’t leave off the best mystery thriller detective anime of all time. If you have seen Death Note you already know why it made it on this list. If you haven’t this is your sign to watch it. I first watched Death Note back in 2013 and my little high school brain was blown away. I recently rewatched it because I was curious if the story still held up, and it was even better the second time. This is probably one of the best stories ever written and is a must-watch.

Spy X Family

Storyline: A spy known only as Twilight needs a family as part of his undercover mission, so he quickly marries a city hall worker and adopts a child and dog. Unknown to him, his family has secrets of their own: his wife Yor is an undercover assassin, his daughter Anya is a runaway psychic who can read minds, and his dog is from a laboratory that gave him the power to tell the future. All these four subjects must bond together as a family to manage their affairs and be together as best as they can.

Info: 38 episodes and a movie, with season 3 in the works

Genre: Spy, Slice of Life, Comedy, Thriller

My Review: I figured I could end this list with a happy mystery. This will always be one of my favorite anime. It is one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. Yes, the story is a little ridiculous which is what makes this show amazing!! The characters are unique and fun. The storyline is serious and hilarious. Epic fight scenes mixed into the humor of a beginning family. I still have no idea how the story will play out. I could not recommend this show enough for both seasoned and beginning anime watchers.

Are you a thrill seeker? Do you try and figure out the plot twist before it happens? I hope you can find your next thrill off this list!

What’s your favorite mystery anime?

Thanks for reading!!

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The Wonderful World of Studio Ghibli

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As many people did, I started my Studio Ghibli addiction with the famous spirited away. After watching that masterpiece I was HOOKED! I had to hunt down and watch every movie they created. The creator of most of the films Hayao Miyazaki brought a breathtaking world to our TVs. Every story is unique, and when you rewatch them another meaning comes to light. Character development is in each movie, with strong female leads. Heart-stopping art will make you want to be teleported into the wonderful world of Studio Ghibli.

Bye for now!