Best tv shows like Elfen Lied
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The Diclonius, a mutated homo sapien that is said to be selected by God and will eventually become the destruction of mankind, possesses two horns in their heads, and has a "sixth sense" which gives it telekinetic abilities. Due to this dangerous power, they have been captured and isolated in laboratories by the government. Lucy, a young and psychotic Diclonius, manages to break free of her confines and brutally murder most of the guards in the laboratory, only to get shot in the head as she makes her escape. She survives and manages to drift along to a beach, where two teenagers named Kouta and Yuka discovers her. Having lost her memories, she was named after the only thing that she can now say, "Nyuu," and the two allow her to stay at Kouta's home. However, it appears that the evil "Lucy" is not dead just yet.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 36000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, suspenseful, disturbing, rough, bleak, manga, seinen, psychological, semi serious, mind twisting
Best tv shows and movies like Elfen Lied (2004):
Similar in 79%
Speed Grapher (2005)
Plot Summary:
In the new Tokyo, where every fetish has a face, burned-out war photographer Tatsumi Saiga is slumming in the tabloid wasteland. Sent to dig up dirt on the underground elite, he stumbles upon a depraved ritual below the city—and before the night ends, a single kiss from a young beauty named Kagura Tennouzu ignites a chain of events that could force the entire ruling class to their knees.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: Japan, Philippines
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, exciting, suspense, manga
Similar in 80%
The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral (2008)
Plot Summary:
In the middle of October 1998, Enjou Tomoe is attacked by bullies from his old school and saved by Ryougi Shiki. He asks her to hide him at her place and admits that he killed someone. Several days after the incident there are still no broadcasts about the murder as if it didn't happen.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: anime, disturbing, psychotronic, captivating, suspense, manga, adult animation, dark drama, surprise ending, ambiguous ending
Similar in 84%
Now and Then, Here and There (1999)
Plot Summary:
Shu is a typical Japanese boy, but has an unbeatable, optimistic and determined attitude. However, when he sees a mysterious girl with strange eyes named Lala-Ru up on a smokestack, he is soon pulled into a strange desert world. Shu soon discovers the true terrors of war, which includes genocide, brutal torture, hunger, thirst, and child explotation. Now Shu is trying to save Lala-Ru, as well as his hard earned, and often relunctant, new friends from the insane dictator, Hamdo. Whether Shu can possibly accomplish saving those he cares about while still holding up to his values remains to be seen.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, captivating, apocalyptic, bleak, crying, silent, tense, silent film
Similar in 80%
Mezzo Forte (2000)
Plot Summary:
Double the Girls, Double the Guns!! For Mikura, danger is routine and killing is just like breathing. Sleek and sexy, she was born with a gun in each hand and a smile on her face. She specializes in taking risks, but things get a little too hot when her company takes a kidnapping job. The target is a wealthy baseball team owner named Momokichi, but he turns out to be a powerful underworld boss. Mikura and her team are beset by countless heavily armed bodyguards and Momokichi's vicious daughter, Momomi. She's used to getting her way, and with world-class marksmanship skills, she may be the perfect match for Mikura!.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 80 min
Plot tags: anime, hentai, adult anime, adult animation, exciting, rough, suspenseful, stylized, humorous, disturbing
Similar in 75%
Kite (1998)
Plot Summary:
Sawa may seem innocent and naive, but don’t be fooled. She is a cold-blooded killer, and if you’re on the wrong side of the law, you may be her next target. Not content to just watch as the imperfect justice system lets more and more criminals go loose every day, a detective decides to train the young Sawa to be his instrument of justice.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: anime, hentai, adult animation, adult anime, controversial, rough, serious, suspenseful, stylized, fast
Similar in 83%
Corpse Party: Tortured Souls (2013)
Plot Summary:
Heavenly Host Elementary School is a legendary elementary school for ghost stories due to its mysterious past. It was torn down following the murders and disappearances of several of its staff and students and now another school called Kisaragi Academy has been built over it. One rainy night a group of Kisaragi students still at school decide to perform the "Sachiko Ever After" charm, which will unite them forever as friends. Upon completion of the charm, a sudden earthquake transports them to Heavenly Host Elementary School, which still exists and is haunted by murderous ghosts. Seperated, the students try to survive the mysterious forces of the school and find their way home as they uncover the horrific past of Heavenly Host.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 29 min
Plot tags: anime, dark, scary, sadistic, disturbing, offbeat, serious, existential horror, adult animation, sinister
Similar in 87%
Freezing (2011)
Plot Summary:
Eager to follow in the footsteps of his fallen sister, Kazuya enrolls at West Genetics Academy, a training facility for buxom heroes known as Pandoras. These courageous schoolgirls are genetically-enhanced with enough sex appeal to cripple a man – and the superhuman strength to slaughter aliens by the dozen. Kazuya’s role is that of Limiter, a Pandora’s battle partner, and he quickly sets his sights on the most feared beauty in school, Satellizer el Bridget. This full-figured annihilator of aliens is as desirable as she is deadly, but rubbing her the wrong way could lead to gross bodily harm. Can Kazuya forge a bond with his new partner and rise to the top of the ranks at West Genetics? Or will he fall victim to the mysterious bloodlust lurking within Satellizer?.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, ecchi, exciting, manga, captivating, suspenseful, disturbing
Similar in 85%
Blood-C (2011)
Plot Summary:
Blood-C focuses on Saya Kisaragi, an outwardly normal girl who serves as the shrine maiden to a country town; in reality, she is a skilled swordswoman charged by her father to defeat Elder Bairns, monsters who feed on human blood. As her battles grow more desperate and more people she cares for fall victim to the Elder Bairns, Saya begins finding faults in her reality, and eventually uncovers a disturbing truth about herself, the town and her surviving friends.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Action, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, atmospheric, exciting, tense, captivating, manga, serious, suspenseful, stylized, surprise ending
Similar in 78%
Higurashi: When They Cry - NEW (2020)
Plot Summary:
New kid Keiichi Maebara is settling into his new home of peaceful Hinamizawa village. Making quick friends with the girls from his school, he's arrived in time for the big festival of the year. But something about this isolated town seems "off," and his feelings of dread continue to grow. With a gnawing fear that he's right, what dark secrets could this small community be hiding?.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 737
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, suspense, tense, captivating, disturbing, psychological thriller, sinister, crying, detective
Similar in 80%
B: The Beginning (2018)
Plot Summary:
In a world powered by advanced technology, crime and action unfold in the archipelagic nation of Cremona. Genius investigator Keith Flick rejoins the royal police force just as serial killer "B" emerges. Mysterious youth Koku may be an ally, or a target.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, suspense, psychological, exciting, captivating, tense, adult animation, manga, detective, adult anime
Similar in 81%
Brynhildr in the Darkness (2014)
Plot Summary:
When he was a child, Murakami was friends with a girl he called Kuroneko. One day, while trying to prove the existence of aliens to Murakami, she is killed in an accident that he barely survives. Guilty of his role in the accident, Murokami decides to dedicate his life to proving that aliens exist. Then, one day, a new student with mysterious powers transfers into his class who not only looks a lot like Kuroneko, but is named Kuroha, Neko.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: anime, romantic, serious, captivating, suspense, stylized, ambiguous ending, crying, super sentai
Similar in 87%
BTOOOM! (2012)
Plot Summary:
Btooom!, stylized as BTOOOM!, is a Japanese manga series written by Jun'ya Inoue and serialized in Weekly Comic Bunch and later in Monthly Comic Bunch. An anime adaptation by Madhouse aired in Japan on Tokyo MX and was streamed with English subtitles by Crunchyroll from October 4 to December 20, 2012. It has been licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, suspenseful, rough, manga, adult anime, adult animation, erotic, serious, stylized
Similar in 81%
Another (2012)
Plot Summary:
When Kouichi Sasakibara transfers to his new school, he can sense something frightening in the atmosphere of his new class, a secret none of them will talk about. At the center is the beautiful girl Mei Misaki. Kouichi is immediately drawn to her mysterious aura, but then he begins to realize that no one else in the class is aware of her presence.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 300 min
Plot tags: anime, suspenseful, atmospheric, disturbing, manga, mind twisting, offbeat, slasher, humorous, psychological horror
Similar in 86%
Deadman Wonderland (2011)
Plot Summary:
Death is the main attraction in Deadman Wonderland, from the studio that brought you Samurai Champloo and Ergo Proxy. Ganta is the only survivor after a mysterious man in red slaughters a classroom full of teenagers. He’s framed for the carnage, sentenced to die, and locked away in the most twisted prison ever built: Deadman Wonderland. And then it gets worse. At Deadman Wonderland, convicts are forced into brutal deathmatches for the amusement of the masses, the cheers of the crowd drowning out the screams of the dismembered. Even when Ganta befriends Shiro, an unusual female inmate, his dark fate crushes all hope – until he discovers the strange ability to wield his spilled blood as a weapon. Ganta learns his new skill might be related to the murderous man in red and uncovers disturbing secrets that could expose those who stole his freedom. He’s determined to see justice served – but first he’ll have to fight for his life in a prison that holds a million ways to die.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, rough, exciting, manga, sad, adult anime, shounen, suspenseful, serious, tense
Similar in 90%
When They Cry (2006)
Plot Summary:
After moving into the quiet town of Hinamizawa, Maebara Keiichi spends his days blissfully in school often playing games with his local friends. However, appearances can be deceiving. One fateful day, Keiichi stumbles upon news of a murder that had occurred in Hinamizawa. From this point on, horrific events unfold in front of Keiichi, as he soon learns his close friends may not be all that they seem. Based on the amateur mystery game by 07th Expansion, the story is told in a series of different scenarios.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, suspenseful, disturbing, sadistic, serious, mind bending, manga, psychological horror, adult animation
Similar in 81%
Shiki (2010)
Plot Summary:
Sotobamura is a small village with around 1300 residents; so small the village isn't even connected to a single highway. An isolated village in which old customs, such as the burial of the dead, are still practiced. One day, the bodies of three people are found dead. Although Ozaki Toshio, the village's lone doctor, feels uncertain, he treats the deaths as a normal occurrence. However, in the days following, the villagers start to die one after the other.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, dark fantasy, scary, offbeat, suspenseful, manga, captivating, suspense, serious, psychological
Similar in 90%
Hell Girl (2005)
Plot Summary:
Hell Girl, also known as Jigoku Shōjo: Girl from Hell, is an anime series produced by Aniplex and Studio Deen. It focuses on the existence of a supernatural system that allows people to take revenge by having other people sent to Hell via the services of the mysterious titular character and her assistants who implement this system. Revenge, injustice, hatred, and the nature of human emotions are common themes throughout the series. It premiered across Japan on numerous television stations, including Animax, Tokyo MX, MBS and others, between October 4, 2005 and April 4, 2006. Following the success of the first season, the series was followed soon after into a second, Jigoku Shōjo Futakomori, which premiered October 7, 2006 across Japan on Animax. A live-action television series adaptation started airing in Japan on Nippon Television from November 4, 2006. A third season of the anime, further continuing the series, was first announced on the mobile version of the series' official website Jigoku Tsūshin. The official title of the third season was announced to be Jigoku Shōjo Mitsuganae. and began airing on Japanese TV October 4, 2008.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: anime, exciting, scary, suspenseful, stylized, dark fantasy, psychological, manga, deep, seinen
Similar in 89%
Gantz (2004)
Plot Summary:
Gantz is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku. Gantz tells the story of Kei Kurono and his friend Masaru Kato who die in a train accident and become part of a semi-posthumous "game" in which they and several other recently deceased people are forced to hunt down and kill aliens armed with a handful of futuristic items, equipment, and weaponry. Both the manga and anime are noted for their heavy violence and sexual content.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: anime, adult anime, exciting, serious, suspenseful, stylized, manga, seinen, psychological horror, mind twisting
Similar in 81%
Darker Than Black (2007)
Plot Summary:
Anime television series created, directed and written by Tensai Okamura and animated by Bones.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, manga, atmospheric, rough, suspenseful, stylized, mecha, deep, adult anime, seinen
Similar in 86%
Parasyte: The Maxim (2014)
Plot Summary:
Shinichi Izumi is a normal high school boy whose right hand has become infected with an alien parasite that names itself "Migi" ("right"). Migi is the first parasite to develop a symbiotic relationship with its host, as he and Shinichi slowly develop a grudging friendship. Migi isn't the only Parasite on earth, however, and as cases of Parasites killing humans begin to emerge, humans seek to kill off Parasites. Shinichi and Migi find themselves caught in between these two sides of the struggle over planet earth.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 46000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 22 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, psychological, serious, captivating, tense, manga, seinen, adult anime, epic
Similar in 85%
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (2006)
Plot Summary:
Japan has been invaded and conquered by the Britannian Empire. Japan is now known as Area 11 and its citizens known as Elevens. The Britannian Empire takes away Japan's autonomous power and imposes its rule through the use of Knightmares. The Empire's rule has never faltered, but cracks have begun to show.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 77000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, suspenseful, rough, stylized, manga, mecha, futuristic, serious, humorous, epic
Similar in 86%
Genocyber (1994)
Plot Summary:
As the nations of the world begin to merge, world peace is threatened by the private armies of individual corporations. The Kuryu Group has just discovered a weapon that will tip world power in their favor. The Genocyber: a nightmarish combination of cybernetics and psychic potential. Many desire to control this monstrosity, but can its hatred be contained... Battle erupts, and the cyberpunk world of the future is about to explode with violence.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Animation, Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: anime, adult anime, mecha, adult animation, cyber, manga, brutal, seinen, psychological
Similar in 78%
Monster (2004)
Plot Summary:
Kenzou Tenma, a Japanese brain surgeon in Germany, finds his life in utter turmoil after getting involved with a psychopath that was once a former patient.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, psychological, realistic, suspenseful, captivating, serious, rough, manga, adult animation, depressing
Similar in 82%
Perfect Blue (1997)
Plot Summary:
A retired pop singer turned actress' sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 91000
Genere: Animation, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 81 min
Plot tags: surreal, suspense, adult animation, anime, suspenseful, scary, atmospheric, tense, realistic, disturbing
Similar in 89%
The Future Diary (2011)
Plot Summary:
Yukiteru Amano (Yuki) is a loner who never really interact with people and prefers writing a diary on his cell phone with his only companion being an imaginary friend named Deus Ex Machina, the God of Time and Space. However, Yuki soon learns that Deus is not a figment of his imagination but real when Deus makes him a participant in a battle royale with eleven others. Within this "Diary Game", the contestants are given special diaries that can predict the future with each diary having unique features that gives them both advantages and disadvantages.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, stylized, bleak, manga, shounen, humorous, epic, psychological horror
Similar in 86%
Tokyo Ghoul (2014)
Plot Summary:
Ken Kaneki is a bookworm college student who meets a girl names Rize at a cafe he frequents. They're the same age and have the same interests, so they quickly become close. Little does Kaneki know that Rize is a ghoul - a kind of monster that lives by hunting and devouring human flesh. When part of her special organ - "the red child" - is transplanted into Kaneki, he becomes a ghoul himself, trapped in a warped world where humans are not the top of the food chain.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, dark fantasy, exciting, suspenseful, bloody, serious, manga, seinen, stylized, psychological
Similar in 87%
Berserk (2016)
Plot Summary:
Spurred by the flame raging in his heart, the Black Swordsman Guts continues his seemingly endless quest for revenge. Standing in his path are heinous outlaws, delusional evil spirits, and a devout child of god. Even as it chips away at his life, Guts continues to fight his enemies, who wield repulsive and inhumane power, with nary but his body and sword—his strength as a human.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, manga, adult animation, humorous, seinen, saga, biting, suspenseful, rough
Similar in 78%
Claymore (2007)
Plot Summary:
In a world rife with deadly creatures called "youma", a young silver eyed woman, Clare, works on behalf of an organization that trains female youma halfbreeds into warriors with the ability to destroy these creatures. Considered a rogue for picking up a stray child and almost losing herself to her youma side by "Awakening", she is constantly assigned rather dangerous missions.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: anime, exciting, serious, rough, suspenseful, manga, adult anime, spectacular, psychological, brutal
Similar in 83%
Hellsing (2001)
Plot Summary:
Vampires exist. It is the duty of Hellsing, an organization sponsored by the British government, to hide that frightening fact and protect the blissfully unaware populace. Along with its own personal army, Hellsing also has a few secret weapons. Alucard, an incredibly powerful vampire, has been controlled by Hellsing for years. Although he dislikes being a servant to the Hellsing family, he certainly enjoys his job as Hellsing’s vampire exterminator. Seras is a fledgling vampire and a former police woman. Although reluctant to embrace her new self, she is still a valuable member of the organization. Integra Hellsing, the current leader, is usually fully capable of fulfilling her duty, but lately, vampire activity has been on the rise. Unfortunately, the cause is more alarming than anything she could have imagined.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Animation, Action, Fantasy, Horror
Country: Japan
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: anime, gothic, exciting, suspenseful, stylized, dark fantasy, manga, scary, brutal, humorous
Similar in 87%
Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
Plot Summary:
At the turn of the century, the Angels returned to Earth, seeking to wipe out humanity in an apocalyptic fury. Devastated, mankind's last remnants moved underground to wait for the day when the Angels would come back to finish the job. Fifteen years later, that day has come... but this time, humanity is ready to fight back with terrifying bio-mechanical weapons known as the Evangelions. Watch as Shinji, Rei, Asuka and the rest of the mysterious shadow agency Nerv battle to save earth from total annihilation.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 81000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 24 min
Plot tags: mecha, anime, psychological, serious, exciting, twist ending, ambiguous ending, thought provoking, bleak, manga