Who doesn't love a good mystery anime? Watching all the pieces of a puzzle come together can make even the average anime viewer feel like Sherlock Hound by the end of a series. Mystery plots either come in two forms — well-crafted masterpieces or sloppily constructed misadventures where the ending is far too obvious.
Fortunately, Japanese animators and storytellers seem to have a knack for tackling the genre with grace and style, weaving captivating brain-teasers with charming characters, intense drama, and even a touch of humor. Let's take a look at the best mystery anime on the market.
Updated March 16, 2025 by Mark Sammut: The Winter 2025 season has quite a few fun mystery anime, beyond just The Apothecary Diaries' sequel. While not quite among the genre's best efforts ever, Tasokare Hotel and Ameku M.D. Are above-average additions that could hit the mark with people who want episodic content. Conversely, they can check out some of the all-time greats.
23 Made In Abyss
MyAnimeList: 8.64 (Season 1)
Made in Abyss
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2017 - 2022-00-00
- Network
- AT-X
- Directors
- Hitoshi Haga, Shunsuke Takarai, Satoshi Mori, Motoki Nakanishi
- Studio
- Kinema Citrus
- Number of Episodes
- 25
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Akihito Tsukushi
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE
When someone thinks "mystery," they might be inclined to imagine whodunits, but those stories only make up a small part of the genre's scope. Even if it does not feature a case that needs to be cracked, Made in Abyss is completely about the unknown. The anime follows two kids of wildly different origins as they venture down a massive dungeon known as the Abyss, a place that defies logic and explanation. Despite serving as the graveyard for many adventurers, the Abyss has a strange pull that continues to relentlessly attract new victims, many of whom are driven by a desire to uncover the location's secrets.
Made in Abyss is dark, hauntingly beautiful, and viscerally gory. It is a surreal adventure anime that drops its characters (and audience) into a world they cannot possibly hope to comprehend.
22 Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary
MyAnimeList: 7.29
Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 7, 2024
- Japanese Title
- Shoushimin Series
- Number of Episodes
- 10
- Studio
- Lapin Track
- Based On
- Novel & Manga
- Creator
- Honobu Yonezawa
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
By the same author responsible for Hyouka, Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary is a mystery anime about (primarily) mundane cases. For instance, one episode finds the protagonists questioning how another character managed to create great hot cocoa while seemingly using fewer cups than would be required.
While hardly packed with tension, these small puzzles are nevertheless entertaining, especially since they are driven by two charismatic characters who are shrouded in mystery. The "How to Become Ordinary" subtitle refers to Yuki and Jougorou's ongoing effort to leave behind their past selves, all in the hopes of appearing "normal" while in high school.
21 Pluto
MyAnimeList: 8.45
Pluto
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 26, 2023
- Studio
- Studio M2
- Number of Episodes
- 8
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Naoki Urasawa
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
An adaptation that seemed destined to never happen for the longest time, Pluto is finally available to watch on Netflix, and the 8-part OVA does a great job of honoring Naoki Urasawa's source material. A series of murders targeting humans and robots sends the world into chaos, and Gesicht is tasked with solving the case.
8 Best Quotes From Pluto
These are some of the most memorable statements made by characters in Pluto.
Pluto is a very interesting show that tackles common sci-fi themes like human identity in a novel way due to the presentation of its society. The story's strength lies in its character exploration, particularly Gesicht and Atom. The central case is engaging, but it is not an especially strong mystery.
20 Serial Experiments Lain
MyAnimeList: 8.09
Serial Experiments Lain
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1998 - 1998
- Studio
- Triangle Staff
- Creator
- Yasuyuki Ueda
- Number of Episodes
- 13
A cult classic, Serial Experiments Lain is dense, to the point that multiple viewings might be required to fully appreciate its content. Inspired by the early days of the internet, the story revolves around Lain, a lonely girl who immerses herself in a digital world after receiving a message from a recently deceased classmate. As she spends more time in The Wired, the name for the virtual world, she begins to lose touch with reality and also her own self-image.
"Mystery" might not be the best descriptor as Serial Experiments Lain is more of a psychological character study than anything else. However, the anime shrouds many of its ideas and themes in mystery, encouraging viewers to interpret and read into what they are seeing.
19 Mononoke
MyAnimeList: 8.42
Mononoke
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2007 - 2007
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
Mononoke not only features one of the most visually stunning art styles in all of anime but also complex mysteries to work through in each episode. The Medicine Seller must figure out each spirit's form, truth, and reason before being able to exorcise it with his sword.
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The series really digs into the darker parts of human nature with a supernatural backdrop as humans must take terrible actions for vengeful Mononoke to exist in the first place. The revelations of the final episode will leave viewers particularly stunned, so be braced for impact when watching.
18 Undead Murder Farce
MyAnimeList: 7.86
Undead Murder Farce
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 6, 2023
- Japanese Title
- Undead Girl Murder Farce
- Studio
- Lapin Track
- Number of Episodes
- 13
- Based On
- Novel
- Creator
- Yugo Aosaki
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
In an alternative version of the 19th century, humans live alongside monsters, although the relationship is far from harmonious. Paid to fight creatures by a circus, Tsugaru's purposeless life is given direction when he meets an immortal woman without a body, and the two agree to go on a journey to find the person responsible for her predicament. Along the way, they decide to take on an array of supernatural-themed cases, starting with the murder of a female vampire. Undead Murder Farce is just a delightful mystery anime.
Aya and Tsugaru have fantastic chemistry, with the former serving as the brains of the operation while the latter acts as the muscle who remarks, witty or otherwise. While the anime dedicates its opening episode to setting up the protagonists' situations and the core mystery, the second episode immediately dives into the first case, and the show does not slow down from that point on.
17 Psycho-Pass
Brilliant Detective Sci-Fi Anime With A Few Good Mysteries
Psycho-Pass
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2012 - 2019-00-00
- Studio
- Production I.G, Tatsunoko Production
- Number of Episodes
- 41
- Creator(s)
- Gen Urobuchi
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
Psycho-Pass is comfortably among the best detective anime of all time, if not just straight-up the best. It is also a fantastic sci-fi series that investigates tried-and-tested themes like precognition and human will. Finally, it is a pretty good mystery anime, at least at times. Psycho-Pass juggles quite a few different genres, and crafting fine-tuned mysteries that take the audience on a ride is not always the point.
For example, the second half of season 1 does not have much of a mystery element to it, except for a few revelations related to the world; however, this stretch of episodes arguably represents the anime's peak. Basically, Psycho-Pass should be watched by everyone, regardless if they are craving a mystery or not.
16 Bungo Stray Dogs
MyAnimeList: 7.81 (Season 1)
Bungo Stray Dogs
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2016 - 2023-00-00
- Japanese Title
- Bungou Stray Dogs
- Studio
- Bones
- Number of Episodes
- 61
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Kafka Asagiri
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Bungo Stray Dogs is brilliant, but not at first. Although very popular, the anime can put off new viewers due to a fairly mediocre opening season that mostly plays out like a stylish battle shonen with literary names and supernatural powers. While hardly terrible, these 12 episodes are mediocre and mostly exist to set up the main characters, so they can feel a bit directionless at times. Fortunately, the anime starts to pick up steam during season two, paving the way for three fantastic follow-ups. By season 5, Bungo Stray Dogs is comfortably one of the best seinen anime ever.
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These characters in Bungo Stray Dogs keep their wits about them and are capable of outsmarting their opponents to achieve a certain outcome.
The Armed Detective Agency takes on cases that involve supernatural abilities in some form or another, and they range from fairly small to operations that can change the entire world. Along with plenty of top-notch fight sequences, Bungo Stray Dogs is not afraid to slow things down and get cerebral, dedicating full episodes and arcs to detective-style breakdowns and mental battles. It is a blast.
15 Baccano!
MyAnimeList: 8.35
Baccano
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 27, 2007
- Studio
- Brain's Base
- Number of Episodes
- 16
- Based On
- Light Novel
- Creator
- Ryōgo Narita
What does a group of alchemists from 1711 have to do with a transcontinental train in the 1930s? Baccano! Follows several seemingly unrelated events while slowly creating a full picture of a much more expansive story. The show is perfect for fans of historical dramas who want a bit of puzzle-solving to go along with their viewing experience.
Based on a light novel that has won several awards, this adaptation is sure to entertain anyone who watches it. The main negative thing about Baccano! Is that the anime only covers a very small fraction of the source material, and there is nothing to suggest that a continuation is on the cards. Consequently, while the show is definitely worth watching, it is really just an appetizer for the light novel.
14 Mushi-Shi
MyAnimeList: 8.65 (Season 1)
Mushi-Shi
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2005 - 2014-00-00
- Studio
- Artland
- Number of Episodes
- 46
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Yuki Urushibara
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Ginko is a Mushishi — a person who studies the mysterious entities known as Mushi. The Mushi are almost unknowable entities that are capable of taking on basically any form and seem to lack any human concept of mortality.
Mushi-shi leads fans on Ginko's journey as he tries to chase down any sightings of the strange creatures and tries to figure out what their existence means both physically and philosophically. Compared to other mystery anime, Mushi-shi moves at a far slower and more relaxed pace, and the show is more of a slice of life than a suspenseful thriller; nevertheless, it is great.