For as much as elderly people like myself may have tried to tell people throughout the years, anime has traditionally being a medium aimed more at children. However, unlike Western cartoons that were happy with just entertaining children, the animation industry of Japan dared to make anime something that could both entertain and even emotionally move adults. This has led to the more diverse array of anime genres, above and beyond just what appeals to children. The influential success of anime has even started to evolve Western animation, pushing creators towards embracing more mature stories showcased in series like Castlevaina or Avatar: The Last Airbender.
But what makes adult anime “adult”?
Certainly there is the ecchi factor that can make anime classified as adult, but really, we all know that booba is laser-targeted at a teenage audience more so than an adult one. It can be the same with drugs and violence sometimes, too. Sex, drugs, and violence may define a mature rating, but they often pander to an immature audience.
Instead, adult anime is about exploring more mature themes like war where people actually die for real, a gritty story that displays the world as the distinctly morally grey cesspit that every society is, or really any story that presents common themes in a way that invites more thoughtful consideration.
In short, an adult anime is something more than teens beating unambiguously evil villains with the power of friendship. It is a serious plot exploring serious themes with, hopefully, well-written complex characters. If that is all you want from an anime, then given these more mature anime recommendations a try.
Adult Anime
20. Black Lagoon
For as much action anime as there ii, surprisingly few focus on the realistic action that can happen in our world. I guess why have grit when you can have superpowers, right?
Black Lagoon follows a salaryman who, on a trip abroad, is held hostage by a group of mercenaries. After bonding with these mercenaries and learning just how expendable he is to his company when they were willing to let him die, he quits the white collar life to join their crew.
From there, the series follows the group as they engage in a number of jobs in the underworld of a fictionalized Southeast Asian country. Often conflict comes from not just the danger of the job, but the “ordinary guy” main characters’ ideals from the modern world clashing with the ideals of those who have lived their whole lives on the fringes of society.
19. Berserk
As Berserk has had a complicated relationship with anime adaptations, it can be needlessly difficult to get into. However, the anime community is so frustrated with the condition of its anime because it is such a legendary tale.
Berserk follows a mercenary in a medieval world who is forced to join a mercenary band after an encounter with their charismatic leader. Through the companionship found in the mercenary band, this once-damaged loner begins to find his place in the world only for a devastating event to turn it upside down.
While Berserk is certainly quick to embrace the shock value of gore and sexual violence, it is masterful in creating the relationship between characters that leads to its reputation as a legendary epic of betrayal and revenge.
18. Psycho-Pass
While not the only anime about cops in a sci-fi world, Psycho-Pass is a science fiction series that isn’t about androids and complex technology, but is instead more focused on a thought-provoking narrative about the morality of prosecuting people for crimes that they haven’t even committed yet.
In the world of Psycho-Pass, the Sybil System monitors a person’s mental state for criminal intent, meaning that police can be dispatched and arrest those before they commit crimes. To do this, investigators work with enforcers, those with a high criminal intent, to catch criminals and, throughout the story, hunt a brutal serial killer.
Throughout the series, Psycho-Pass examines the morality of the system, particularly after they discover what it actually is. It combines all the interesting mystery and action that you want from a police procedural with all the philosophy that sci-fi often feels it needs to explore.
17. No Guns Life
While the fact that the main character has a gun for a head may make No Guns Life seem a little immature, it actually builds an interesting world to give reason for the gun head while exploring an old-fashioned noir private detective tale.
In No Guns Life, humans where augmented with machinery and used as weapons of war. However, when the war was done, may of these weapons, called Extended, struggled to integrate back into society. One such weapon, lacking any memories from his former life, finds his place as a private detective that deals with incidents caused by other Extended.
After a clandestine case ends up in his office, as is typical with noir mysteries, it leads him down the rabbit hole and entangles him in the intrigue of the corporation that created these weapons of war.
16. Death Parade
Given its look, you might mistake Death Parade as a series that has a somewhat low effort gambling story that is all tension and not much depth. However, as the “high stakes” that people are gambling with is their entire afterlife, it actually ends up having more substance than its visuals may suggest.
The plot of Death Parade is actually quite simple and straightforward. The characters are beings in a bar who force people to play games that will decide whether they reincarnate or go to hell. These games put pressure on the players so that their true personalities come out and explores many corners of the human psyche throughout its short, episodic ride.
15. Attack on Titan
In truth, Attack on Titan doesn’t start off as a particularly mature story. Its initial claim to fame was the gruesome shock value of its deaths, but like young anime fans, Attack on Titan really grew up as it went on.
Attack on Titan takes place in a world where humanity has been pushed to the brink of extinction by giant man-eating humanoids known as Titans. In an effort to survive, the remnants of humanity retreated behind giant walls and were afforded some safety until a large Titan appeared and smashed a hole in the outer wall, kicking off the story with a slaughter.
At first, Attack on Titan tells a fairly straightforward story of a main character who joins the army to fight back against Titans. However, nothing is quite what it seems in this world. While Attack on Titan earned its initial popularity with gore, it kept its fervent fanbase with frequent and truly unexpected plots twists that always expanded the scope and truth of the world at every turn.
14. Cowboy Bebop
While Cowboy Bebop has reached an age and garnered enough enduring popularity to be labeled a “classic,” one does not become an anime classic by telling immature stories.
Cowboy Bebop is a space western that follows the episodic adventures of chronically broke bounty hunters, each with their own dark past that a life of vagrancy allows them to hide from. While much of Cowboy Bebop is truly just “another day, another job,” the series starts to gradually feed you character stories interwoven with the jobs, and that it where it really starts to shine.
Cowboy Bebop goes from an occasionally silly series of stories following a ragtag group of misfits to a mature exploration of the people they were before they detached from the world.
13. Jormungand
Similar to Black Lagoon, Jormungand follows a gang of criminals as they live and work in the criminal underbelly of our world. This time, the series follows an eccentric arms dealer and her group of bodyguards, including the newest recruit and main character, a former child soldier.
While the series starts somewhat silly and episodic, it grows its depth as it goes on. While the group is a likable bunch on the surface, it doesn’t let you forget that they are arms dealers, and ones with their own sinister, twisted agenda for the world.
12. Great Pretender
It used to be that Lupin III was your only decent option as a heist anime about criminals swindling the rich in magnificent capers. While Lupin III is also a solid choice as an adult anime all on its own, Great Pretender provides a newer take on heist anime with a more concise focus on its stories and a lot less daunting to get into.
Great Pretender follows a small-time con man in Japan who cons the wrong man, ending up on the run from the police. He meets the man he tried to con again where he learns that he is the ringleader of an international band of thieves who pull of grand heists all over the world.
There is no overall linear plot to Great Pretender. Instead, it is told in arc-based blocks surrounding new heists. Often, these heist reveal more about the past of select characters in this diverse gang of thieves, investing you further in more than just the main character’s story.
11. Serial Experiments Lain
While avant garde doesn’t necessarily mean adult, often experimental anime like Serial Experiments Lain explores serious subject matter in a unique way. Unfortunately, for Serial Experiments Lain, that “unique” storytelling can be slow enough to lull you to sleep, but it has a story to tell that has never been more relevant.
The plot of Serial Experiments Lain, like all avant garde anime, is difficult to concisely explain. It follows a technophobic school girl who receives an e-mail from a classmate that recently killed herself, stating that she was now in the Wired, the version of the internet in this fictional world.
This leads Lain down a rabbit hole of technology where the lines of what is real and what is in the Wired begin to blur, offering up a ponderous look at humanity’s increasingly complicated relationship with technology.
10. Monster
While all anime on this list are fine selections for adult anime, Monster sits at the pinnacle of serious anime that explores matures themes. Even better, it also happens to be an anime that is firmly grounded in realism.
Monster follows a renowned Japanese surgeon who is working his way up the ladder of prestige in a hospital of Germany. However, one night he disobeys his boss’ orders, saving a small boy shot in the head instead of the town’s mayor. Years later, murders start to happen around him, all of which strangely point to the boy he saved as the culprit, eventually starting to frame him as the murderer.
The doctor will eventually quit his job and trek around the world trying to hunt down the life he saved so he can take it himself in a masterful game of cat and mouse.
Monster has a way of making even just moments of conversation seem tense and gripping, not to mention the moments where it is exploring the more twisted corners of the story. It has long been renowned in the anime community as a masterpiece, and if you have a taste for mature anime, watching it will leave no question as to why.
9. Ghost in The Shell: Stand Alone Complex
A disproportionately large chunk of sci-fi anime is actually on the more mature side, but few compare to Ghost in the Shell in terms of serious exploration of technology and the concept of humanity.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex follows a section of police that investigate technological and cybernetic-based crimes in a world where humanity has started to transfer consciousness from flesh into machines as well as augment bodies to improve physical capabilities.
As it follows police officers, it allows Ghost in the Shell to explore a variety of unique sci-fi stories in a well-built world. While it doesn’t always pull them off flawlessly, its well-done and thought-provoking moments carry this show to greatness.
8. Legend of the Galactic Heroes
In a genre dominated by Gundam, space operas are often seen as synonymous with giant robots, and giant robots are synonymous with merchandise easily marketed at children. However, Legend of the Galactic Heroes has no giant robots. Instead, it is a space opera that focuses solely on its characters firmly on opposite sides of a intergalactic war.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes details a war of clashing ideologies. Through examining leaders on opposite sides, the series explore the innate clash between democracy and authoritarianism without painting either as innately “the good guy” in their war.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is carried to its legendary status by its complicated and dynamic characters, and is a must for those who enjoy the philosophy behind politics and warfare. However, it is also fully able to be enjoyed by people who just want a serious war story.
7. 86
86 is actually probably one of the least mature adult anime on this list, but “least mature” on this dour list is still a more mature story than the other 99% of anime out there. 86 definitely tells a more “anime” story that doesn’t ground itself as firmly in reality as some other series, but that’s not a bad thing when done well. And 86 is definitely done well.
The series tells a sci-fi war story in a fictional land where humanity has been pushed to the brink of extinction by sentient, self-replicating machines bent on their extermination. Their answer to this menace was to prevent the loss human lives by creating their own unmanned combat solution. Except that is just propaganda for the citizens, and the real pilots of the machines protecting them are a marginalized group of people known as the 86 who are targeted for genocide via frontline combat.
The series follows a privileged handler who remotely commands a squadron on the frontlines, bonding with them, and being crushed by her own uselessness as they die in battle.
What 86 does best is emotionally investing you in even minor characters. This makes the inevitable death in war emotionally devastating. It uses your attachment to the characters to create tension and tortures you with it effectively.
6. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
The uniquely Japanese art of comedic storytelling called Rakugo may not seem like something that makes a compelling story, but not unlike the standard sports anime, the Rakugo is a framing device for the character stories in Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu.
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu takes place in two parts. It follows an old master debating whether he should take on a young man as an apprentice while also showing the connection that old master formed to Rakugo in his youth.
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is not a series for those who are looking for intense action. Rather, it is for those who can appreciate strong character stories with emotional depth and a whole lot of talking.
5. ACCA: 13th Territory Inspection Department
When it comes to political intrigue, it is used as a powder-keg for the action. It is usually a slow burn before the world just explodes or is simply used to augment the other events going on in a series.
However, Acca 13 is fully dedicated to the building political intrigue in a fictional empire as the only main plot.
The series is a great example of unique world building. It takes place in an empire that is made up of thirteen once-separate and culturally diverse states. After a revolt 100 years prior, a civilian organization was established to inspect the territories for insurrection and keep the peace.
Acca 13 follows an inspector who is performing an audit on many of these states with rumors of a coup starting to surface as the king shows his age and his somewhat inept son is being considered for the throne.
Acca 13 is definitely a slow burn of intrigue, but it is kept interesting by its likable, down-to-earth characters and the subtle way it feeds you surprising little details that lead to large plot twists.
4. 91 Days
Anime doesn’t do mafia stories often, but I guess they don’t need to when it already has a story like 91 Days.
91 Days tells the story of a boy whose family was murdered by the mafia family his father worked for. Biding his time, he grew up and returned home to take advantage of a chance to infiltrate the mafia family and dismantle it from within. However, as he is putting his plans into motion, he doesn’t expect to form a close bond with the mafia don’s son that complicates his long-held desire for revenge.
91 Days is a story of brotherhood and revenge in a tale that is as tautly paced and interesting as many a mafia movie ever made in Western cinema.
3. Space Brothers
With all the space operas and intergalactic adventures offered in anime, Space Brothers remains one of the rare few that offers a realistic story of humanity’s trek to the stars.
Space Brothers follows two brothers that have dreamed of becoming astronauts since they were children. While the older brother ended up settling into a corporate job, upon learning that his younger brother was chosen for a moon mission reignited his desire to try. Not to be outdone by his younger sibling, he aims to go a step beyond – to become an astronaut and go to Mars.
What happens next is actually a extremely realistic depiction of the variety of tests and training one must undergo to even be considered as a candidate to become an astronaut. However, it is the main character, a man who never takes things too seriously, that creates a still very fun watch despite the somewhat bureaucratic subject matter.
2. Odd Taxi
One look at those animal characters and a good deal of people looking for a more mature anime experience gave Odd Taxi a hard pass. However, passing this one on looks alone is definitely a mistake.
Odd Taxi may have anthropomorphic characters, but they aren’t animals just for the sake of cuteness. Instead, the series goes out of its way to weave the reason for their appearance into the story in a surprising and not obvious way.
What you get instead of cute animals doing people things is a surprisingly gripping tale about a taxi driver who becomes increasingly entangled in a murder case after having given a ride to the victim before her death.
1. Vinland Saga
Vinland Saga tells a fictional story of vikings in their historical era. However, while it starts off as a story of single-minded revenge and slaughter in heartless viking raids, Vinland Saga goes a way you don’t expect it to.
It grows above being just another tale of a warrior growing up on the battlefield and takes an uncommon look at an age of violence by showing someone who chooses the path of peace. Vinland Saga is a rarity as the only anime about vikings, and it is a rarity in any media as a viking story that isn’t glorifying killing villagers to take their wealth.
Do you have more adult anime recommendations that are exploring mature themes? Let fans know in the comments section below.
