Summary
Animeas a genre has grown exponentially in the past few decades. You no longer have to stay up late on a Saturday night or test the strength of your computer’s virus protection software to be caught up on the latest anime series, thanks to nearly every modern streaming service carrying one anime series or another.
Whether you’ve been a fan since you were a kid or are new to the anime craze, there’s a lot out there to watch. As an adult, maybe you want more out of your anime. Well, you’re in luck, as we list the best anime suited for adult viewers.
9Parasyte: The Maxim
Body Horror To The Max(-im)
A big separation when it comes to anime for kids vs. anime for adults is gore, and while there are a lot of anime out there that toe the line on gore, few of them dive wholeheartedly into it like Parasyte: The Maxim does.
Based on the Parasyte manga, the story follows a world much like our own, with the distinction of a secret alien invasion occurring. These aliens can control the bodies of people and mimic humans nearly perfectly, much like the monster from The Thing movies. They can also use these bodies to form organic weapons like blades and claws.
It’s a fun idea, and one that balances action and horror as the protagonist learns what these aliens are capable of and then begins to question every person around him as he struggles with the agoraphobia of the information he learns.
8Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
I Really Want To Stay At Your House
A more modern anime that balances Eastern and Western concepts when it comes to animation and storyline, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners takes place in the same world as theCyberpunkgames and books.
There are body modifications, brutal fight scenes, some sexual themes, and light nudity, which makes this far more suitable for adults. But it never feels crass or like a cash grab. The plot is emotional and deals with human issues despite being in a highly-capitalist world that is nearly unrecognizable from our own.
7Chainsaw Man
Being Possessed By A Devil Isn’t All Bad
Chainsaw Man is over the top in more than one way. The subject of demons and a not-so-secret organization to protect Japan from the monsters that threaten it harkens back to plots of older anime. Where the story differs is the characters. The protagonist’s only goal for most of the story is just to have sex for the first time, which is a pretty weird way to risk your life fighting demons every day, but to each their own.
Other than him, the rest of the characters are diverse in their ways, with many of them being flawed, manipulative, or just downright abusive. Sure, there’s gore and the aforementioned sexual themes, but the way the characters use and communicate with one another is also plenty disconcerting.
6Berserk
It’s Too Big To Be Called A Sword
Based on the manga of the same name, Berserk takes place in a dark fantasy world that doesn’t play around when it comes to putting its characters into some tough spots. Over various arcs and movies, you see the protagonist, Guts (what a name), as he fights his way through various encounters in Midland.
It is an older anime on the list, but with some newer editions too. Guts himself has made a mark onanime and gamingnearly as big as his sword is, with plenty of people throughout RPGs creating builds similar to that of the deadly protagonist.
5Attack On Titan
Blood, Gore, And Acrobatic Fighting
This one is am anime that caught the attention of viewers from around the world with its creepy monsters and sharp action sequences. Attack On Titan slipped away from a setting like our own and took its time building a world that was both fantasy and horror themed.
You get to watch an interesting cast of revolving characters fight for survival in a world that seems to care little about them and uncover a plot that seems to span generations.
Like Parasyte,Attack On Titandoesn’t skimp on gore and body horror. Nearly every episode has plenty of bloody action scenes, whether humans attack Titans or one another. There are also rare themes like starvation and torture, but either way, it’s not an anime for kids. But it is still one of the most viewed anime of its time, and for good reason.
4Demon Slayer
Family Above All
Demon Slayercan toe the line from time to time about its age rating. Consistently, there is a lot of gore and violence, but the earlier seasons can be suitable for some teens, depending on their maturity. It’s the later seasons that get more adult with more graphic depictions of gore and the whole “Entertainment District” arc.
But, what else would you expect from an anime that sees the protagonist become a demon-hunting swordsman after watching nearly his whole family get slaughtered? If you are an adult though, and you want to binge something with some impressive graphics (both 2D and 3D), and some side-characters that really make the show, then be sure to check this one out.
3Neon Genesis Evangelion
Get In The Robot Shinji
A classic with a cult following, there are plenty of people out there who still thinkEvangelionis the pinnacle of the adult anime genre. It resembles your everyday mecha anime likeGundamand Big O but with some interesting changes.
The monsters that the characters face in this show are actually angels, sent to Earth to try and trigger a cataclysmic event, and of course, the people of Tokyo-3 don’t take kindly to that. Apart from the violent themes, a lot of the concepts revolve around religious themes and the concept of children in war which definitely makes it a show not best-suited for kids to watch.
2Fullmetal Alchemist
The Law Of Equivalent Exchange
You can’t talk about anime for adults without bringing upFullmetal Alchemist. A story of a pair of young brothers who are orphaned early into the show, they try tosolve their problems using alchemy, which has the ability to mold and alter objects, but not without an equal cost.
As they grow up, they dealwith plenty of heartbreak, military service, and some characters (both good and bad) that you can only find in this show. It is far from a show you want kids to be watching, and many of the early scenes are gruesome to watch, but it is a story you won’t soon forget.
There are two iterations of the series. The classic Fullmetal Alchemist, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Both are good, but if you want a more modern art style and a closer storyline to what the manga showed, then Brotherhood is the one you should try first.
1Cowboy Bebop
See you…
Some anime go above and beyond, elevating their respective form of media to a near-perfect status, and one anime that is regarded as such is none other than Cowboy Bebop. It isn’t as “adult” as some of the shows on this list, but the violence, mixed with drug and alcohol use do make it more suited for older audiences.
The plot follows a ragtag group of space bounty hunters that each have their own dynamic backstories and quirks that often get in the way of their success. As you learn more about them, you can’t help but want to know more, even as the story balances humor and some real heartbreaking moments.
