Best Japanese mystery series
A curated collection of popular mystery series from Japan.
ID: INVADED (2020)
ID: INVADED (2020)
Sakaido is a genius detective who can track down any criminal. But when his daughter is murdered, revenge lands him on the other side of the law. Now in prison, he helps the police solve mysteries using a system that invades a person’s identity. Little by little, a trail of blood forms, and it all leads back to his daughter’s murderer.
Platinum End (2021)
Platinum End (2021)
As his classmates celebrate their middle school graduation, troubled Mirai is mired in darkness. But his battle is just beginning when he receives some salvation from above in the form of an angel. Now Mirai is pitted against 12 other chosen humans in a battle in which the winner becomes the next god of the world. Mirai has an angel in his corner, but he may need to become a devil to survive.
Talentless Nana (2020)
Talentless Nana (2020)
It is the year 20XX. Earth was assaulted by monsters that would come to be known as "the Enemy of Humanity." In order to deal with this threat, special schools composed of teenagers with extraordinary abilities were formed. These people, who came to be known as "the Talented," had abilities that could defy the rules of reality.Among these people with supernatural powers was an outlier, an individual who was sent to one of these schools despite having no innate special abilities whatsoever. This is the story of our protagonist, who attempts to defeat the Enemies of Humanity through the use of intelligence and manipulation alone.
Burn the House Down (2023)
Darwin's Game (2020)
Darwin's Game (2020)
Sudou Kaname, an ordinary high school student, receives an invitation email to try a mysterious app called "Darwin's Game." Kaname, upon launching the app, is drawn into a game where players fight one another using superpowers called Sigils. Without knowing the reason for all this, can Kaname survive furious battles against the powerful players who attack him?
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (2015)
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (2015)
One day, high-school boy Yamada bumps into the beautiful girl Shiraishi on the stairs (literally), and their lips touch as they fall. When they regain their wits, they realize that they have swapped bodies. As time progresses, the two realize that this is not the only mysterious happening in the school.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun (2020)
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun (2020)
First year high school student and occultist, Nene Yashiro summons "Hanako-san of the Toilet" to grant her romantic wishes. She ends up Hanako's spiritual assistant, helping him destroy supernatural beings and change rumors to balance the spirit and human worlds. Along the way, Nene learns about her connection to the spirit world and the dark secrets regarding Hanako's past.
Gosick (2011)
Gosick (2011)
Set in a fictional European country in 1924, a Japanese exchange student meets a mysterious, brilliant girl who only leaves the library to sleep. Her brother, a detective, relies on her exceptional mind to solve difficult mysteries.
Diabolik Lovers (2013)
Diabolik Lovers (2013)
Based on a visual novel of the same name by Rejet and Otomate, for the female market.Komori Yui is a positive-thinking girl who nevertheless is troubled by seeing spirits and experiencing poltergeist phenomena. In her second year in high school, she transfers to a new school — a night school for entertainers and celebrities — due to her father's work. There are rumours that vampires exist among the student body, and Yui ends up living with the six sadistic Sakamaki vampire brothers.
Sonny Boy (2021)
Sonny Boy (2021)
On August 16, midway through a seemingly endless summer vacation, middle school third-year student Nagara, the mysterious transfer student Nozomi, and classmates such as Mizuho and Asakaze, are suddenly transported from their tranquil daily lives to a school adrift in an alternate dimension. They must survive with the super powers that have awakened within them.
In/Spectre (2020)
In/Spectre (2020)
Kotoko Iwanaga became the god of wisdom to the supernatural beings and spends her days solving problems for them. However, the boy who she fell head over heels for, Kuro Sakuragawa, is someone that is feared by all supernatural creatures. The two of them face various mysterious incidents involving the supernatural in this love x romance x mystery series. Where will these fantastical incidents lead them and what will happen with Kotoko’s crush?
Natsume's Book of Friends (2008)
Natsume's Book of Friends (2008)
Natsume Takashi has the ability to see spirits, which he has long kept secret. However, once he inherits a strange book that belonged to his deceased grandmother, Reiko, he discovers the reason why spirits surround him.
Gleipnir (2020)
Gleipnir (2020)
Shuichi Kagaya is an ordinary high school kid in a boring little town. But when a beautiful classmate is caught in a warehouse fire, he discovers a mysterious power: he can transform into a furry dog with an oversized revolver and a zipper down his back. He saves the girl’s life, sharing his secret with her. But she’s searching for the sister who killed her family, and she doesn’t care how degrading it gets: she will use Shuichi to accomplish her mission…
Children of the Whales (2017)
Children of the Whales (2017)
As a magic wielder, young archivist Chakuro knows his time is short, but everything changes when a girl from the outside appears on his island.
Sirius the Jaeger (2018)
Sirius the Jaeger (2018)
Imperial Capital, 1930. A strange group of people carrying musical instrument cases landed on Tokyo station. They are called the "Jaegers", who came to hunt vampires. Amongst them, there stood a young man with striking serenity and unusual aura. His name is Yuliy, a werewolf whose home village was destroyed by vampires. Yuliy and the Jaegers engage in deadly battle over a mysterious holy arc only known as "The Arc of Sirius". What truth awaits them at the end...?
The Case Study of Vanitas (2021)
The Case Study of Vanitas (2021)
In 19th-century Paris, young vampire Noé finds the Book of Vanitas in human hands. Calling himself Vanitas, this doctor wields its power and tempts Noé with a plan to “cure” all vampires. Allying with him may be dangerous, but does he have a choice?
Re:CREATORS (2017)
Re:CREATORS (2017)
Humans have created many stories. Joy, sadness, anger, deep emotion. Stories shake our emotions, and fascinate us. However, these are only the thoughts of bystanders. But what if the characters in the story have "intentions"? To them, are we god-like existences for bringing their story into the world? Our world is changed. Mete out punishment upon the realm of the gods. In Re:CREATORS, everyone becomes a Creator.
Girls' Last Tour (2017)
Girls' Last Tour (2017)
Civilization is dead, but Chito and Yuuri are still alive. So they hop aboard their beloved Kettenkrad motorbike and aimlessly wander the ruins of the world they once knew. Day after hopeless day, they look for their next meal and fuel for their ride. But as long as the two are together, even an existence as bleak as theirs has a ray or two of sunshine in it, whether they're sucking down their fill of soup or hunting for machine parts to tinker with. For two girls in a world full of nothing, the experiences and feelings the two share give them something to live for.
.hack (2002)
.hack (2002)
.hack follows several young players as they navigate the vast, mysterious MMORPG known as “The World” – a place, it turns out, that is sometimes impossible to leave.
Dusk Maiden of Amnesia (2012)
Dusk Maiden of Amnesia (2012)
The story revolves around a first-year high school student, Teiichi Niiya who had just enrolled at Seikyou Private Academy. When he gets lost in one of the school's old building, he meets a girl named Yuuko Kanoe who reveals herself as a ghost with no memories. Teiichi then decides to investigate her death by delving deep into the infamous Seven Mysteries of the storied school along with Kirie Kanoe, Yuuko's relative, and the oblivious second year Momoe Okonogi. Throughout the story, Teiichi and Yuuko discover the truth about these ghost stories and help those who are troubled all the while inching closer to the truth behind Yuuko's death.
Godzilla Singular Point (2021)
Godzilla Singular Point (2021)
Brought together by a mysterious song, a grad student and an engineer lead the fight against an unimaginable force that may spell doom for the world.
Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997)
Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997)
Utena is a tomboyish school girl who attends the prestigious Ohtori Academy. Her strong sense of chivalry pulls her into a series of duels with other members of the Student Council for the possession of the Rose Bride.
Kuromukuro (2016)
KAKEGURUI TWIN (2022)
ChäoS;HEAd (2008)
ChäoS;HEAd (2008)
Takumi Nishijou, a high school student at the Private Suimei Academy, one day hears about the 'New Gen' murders that have been occurring around the city. Although dismissing the subject because it doesn't involve him, Takumi begins to experience strange mishaps around him, from a horrific picture he received while on his PC, to a mysterious Pink-Haired girl standing at a murder scene.From there on Takumi struggles to cope with the events unfolding around him, and is soon unaware of what is real or a delusion. As his fate opens up before him, the perpetrator behind the 'New Gen' events attempts to find him, leading him into a world where nothing is as it seems.
Witchblade (2006)
Witchblade (2006)
Masane Amaha and her daughter Rihoko are on the run from a government child welfare agency that wants to take Rihoko away from her mother. They are caught and Rihoko is taken away. Meanwhile, Masane is attacked by an advanced weapon that can disguise itself as a human being. When faced with the danger, a strange light emits from her wrist and she transforms into a powerful being. She becomes involved in a power struggle between powerful organizations, with her at the center of their attention because she holds the greatest power of them all, the legendary Witchblade.
Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan (2017)
Undead Murder Farce (2023)
Undead Murder Farce (2023)
In this world, creatures like vampires and werewolves still walk about, but Aya Rindo can’t say the same for herself. This beautiful disembodied head, carried by her maid Shizuku Hasei, is a detective in search of her stolen body. One evening, they meet half-human Oni Slayer Tsugaru Shunichi, who offers a lending hand. Now, the trio is traveling through Europe, solving mysteries along the way.