The 5 Best Detective Anime

Are you a fan of detective stories or are you always the one to guess who done it when it comes to mysteries? Well today we have some anime recommendations for people who enjoy looking into the minds of the detective and criminals, and solving crimes. Included in the list are dark detective anime series that hurt your brain, and ones where love sometimes gets in the way of the truth. Detective anime series are ones that feature a character or characters as they put together pieces to determine the identity of a criminal and the back story of the crimes committed. The stories of the genre range from traditional police detectives studying murders, to a young student who has a deep love for solving mystery. Regardless detective anime series are always exciting and keep the viewers coming back for more mysteries. If you are unfamiliar with the genre or just want a new show to binge watch, we here at Comicbook.com got you covered. Here are the 5 best detective anime series:

ERASED

A manga artist named Satoru happens to discover that he has the ability to go back in time, and he uses this new found power to save other people’s lives. However one day he is wrongly accused of murdering his mother. He uses his newly found power to go back and find the culprit of the tragic event and prevent it from happening. When he finds himself back in his elementary school he realizes that his mother death and an abduction of his classmate may be connected. This psychological mystery anime has intense philosophical and psychological themes that keep the viewer watching to see what happens next. 

Gosick

Gosick is a fresh take on a detective anime, with the setting being a beautiful Southern European boarding school. The story follows a foreign exchange student in a whole new world as he meets a mysterious and beautiful girl that is obsessed with mystery cases. The story follows them solving mysteries, big and small, and the growing bond between them. What makes this series special is its engaging plot, beautiful art and landscape, and focus on character development. There is great detective work, but the mysteries are not the focal point of the show, rather it is the characters and their development. 

Psycho Pass

It is the year 2113, Japan has created the Sibyl System, a system that measures each person’s mental state and personality. According to your mental state you are assigned a crime coefficient which shows the probability of you committing a crime. If your crime coefficient is too high it gives enforcers the right to pursue and apprehend and possibly kill if necessary. This is the world that Akane Tsunemori steps into, a young women striving to uphold justice. However she didn’t expect to see what is behind the Sibyl System and the people who enforce it.

What really makes Psycho Pass so great is the deep cyberpunk setting, beautiful stylized action, and thought-provoking dialogue and plot. The show is truly an action sci-fi masterpiece that keeps the audience guessing with constant mystery and plot twists.

Psycho Pass is currently streaming on Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu

Death Note

A notebook with the ability to kill anyone by just writing in it, what would you use the power for? This is the premise behind one of my personal favorite anime of all time, and has been called one of the greatest mystery anime series ever made.

The series features Light Yagami as he stumbles upon a Death Note, the all powerful notebook that delivers death. He uses the power to change the world, playing god as he tests it on criminals. The mysterious deaths of all of the criminals garners attention of the authorities, who ask the greatest detective of all time “L” to help find and stop him. The genius accepts the quest, and the games begin, who will emerge as the victor?

Death Note is unique in so many ways, and keeps you in suspense throughout the whole series. Seeing the story from both sides creates an interesting conflict of interest, and disarms the viewers keeps them wondering who is good and who is evil. 

Death Note is currently streaming on Netflix, and Hulu

Detective Conan (Case Close)

Case Closed, also known as Detective Conan, is one of the longest running anime series to date, with over 800 episodes of the show aired since 1996. The story follows high school detective Jimmy Kudo, as he sometimes works with police to solve cases. He is attacked by members of a crime syndicate and instead of killing him they force him to ingest an experimental poison which turns him into a child. When he becomes a child, he takes on a new alias, Conan, and he continues solving crimes with his new elementary school classmates, and his childhood friend’s detective father. 

Detective Conan is a mystery/detective show that has something for everyone. Not only is there amazing mysteries but also has funny moments, romance, drama, and slice of life.

Case Closed is currently streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll