22+ Anime Like MONSTER

If you loved MONSTER, chances are you'll really enjoy Death Note, PLUTO and the others too. They share that same energy—whether it's the intense Drama, Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Thriller, or just the vibe that keeps you hooked. While you wait for the next episode to drop, it’s the perfect time to explore something new that still feels familiar. These picks aren't just similar—they're fan favorites for a reason, and they might just become your next obsession.

1. Death Note

Synonyms: デスノート, 死亡笔记, מחברת המוות, Notatnik śmierci

Light Yagami is a genius high school student who is about to learn about life through a book of death. When a bored shinigami, a God of Death, named Ryuk drops a black notepad called a Death Note, Light receives power over life and death with the stroke of a pen. Determined to use this dark gift for the best, Light sets out to rid the world of evil… namely, the people he believes to be evil. Should anyone hold such power? The consequences of Light’s actions will set the world ablaze. (Source: Viz Media)

2. PLUTO

Synonyms: プルートウ, ПЛУТОН

A murder occurs in an orderly world where robots are unable to kill humans. The robotic Europol investigator Gesicht takes the case, but the mystery deepens when he finds no trace of a human at the scene of the crime. As he pursues the truth, Gesicht uncovers the most evil manifestation of hate that history has ever seen, one that is bent on bringing destruction to the world ... (Source: Netflix)

3. PSYCHO-PASS

Synonyms: Психопаспорт

Justice, and the enforcement of it, has changed. In the 22nd century, Japan enforces the Sibyl System, an objective means of determining the threat level of each citizen by examining their mental state for signs of criminal intent, known as their Psycho-Pass. Inspectors uphold the law by subjugating, often with lethal force, anyone harboring the slightest ill-will; alongside them are Enforcers, jaded Inspectors that have become latent criminals, granted relative freedom in exchange for carrying out the Inspectors' dirty work. Into this world steps Akane Tsunemori, a young woman with an honest desire to uphold justice. However, as she works alongside veteran Enforcer Shinya Kougami, she soon learns that the Sibyl System's judgments are not as perfect as her fellow Inspectors assume. With everything she has known turned on its head, Akane wrestles with the question of what justice truly is, and whether it can be upheld through the use of a system that may already be corrupt. (Source: MAL Rewrite) Note: In the Summer 2014 season, Psycho-Pass was rebroadcast and re-edited to fit into an hour time-slot, ending up in 11 one-hour episodes. This edit included added scenes at the beginning and middle of the episodes, as well as fixing and improving animation.

4. ODDTAXI

Synonyms: Необычное такси

The taxi driver Odokawa lives a very mundane life. He has no family, doesn't really hang out with others, and he's an oddball who is narrow-minded and doesn't talk much. The only people he can call his friends are his doctor, Gouriki and his classmate from high school, Kakihana. All of his patrons seem to be slightly odd themselves. The college student who wants the world to notice him online, Kabasawa. A nurse with secrets named Shirakawa. A comedy duo that just can't catch a break named the Homosapiens. A local hoodlum named Dobu. An idol group that's just starting out named Mystery Kiss... All these mundane conversations somehow eventually lead to a girl who's gone missing. (Source: Crunchyroll)

5. Rainbow

Synonyms: Rainbow: The Seven From Compound Two, Cell Six

Seven teenagers in 1955 have to learn to live together in the same hold in the reformatory of Shounan. Confined in a hall where suffering and humiliation are daily, they are waiting for a ray of hope in a dark, incarcerating world. The story follows their life together and how they move on afterwards.

6. BANANA FISH

Synonyms: バナナフィッシュ, 香蕉鱼, Банановая рыба

Nature made Ash Lynx beautiful; nurture made him a cold ruthless killer. A runaway brought up as the adopted heir and sex toy of "Papa" Dino Golzine, Ash, now at the rebellious age of seventeen, forsakes the kingdom held out by the devil who raised him. But the hideous secret that drove Ash's older brother mad in Vietnam has suddenly fallen into Papa's insatiably ambitious hands—and it's exactly the wrong time for Eiji Okamura, a pure-hearted young photographer from Japan, to make Ash Lynx's acquaintance... (Source: Viz Media)

7. BABYLON

Synonyms: Babilonia

The suspense story centers around Zen Seizaki, a prosecutor with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors' Office. While investigating illegal acts by a certain pharmaceutical company, Seizaki stumbles across a conspiracy over an election for an autonomous "new zone" established in western Tokyo. (Source: Anime News Network)

8. 91 Days

Synonyms: 91デイズ

The "classic mafia drama" takes place during the prohibition era. In the Lawless district the law has no power, the mafia rule the streets, and the illegally made liquor flows freely. At one time Avilio lived in this district, but after a mafia dispute ended in the murder of his family, he went into hiding. Later, Avilio receives a letter from a mysterious person that ignites his passion for revenge and leads him to return to Lawless. There, he infiltrates the Vanetti family and gets close to Nero. (Source: Anime News Network)

9. Perfect Blue

Synonyms: パーフェクト・ブルー

Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go... Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows, in this iconic psychological thriller that has frequently been hailed as one of the most important animated films of all time. (Source: Shout! Factory) Note: The film received an early premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival on August 5, 1997.

10. Berserk

Synonyms: Kenfu Denki Berserk, Sword-Wind Chronicle Berserk, Berserk (1997)

Set during a time that very much resembles Europe during the Middle Ages, Berserk is a story of revenge set in the castle town of Midland. Recently, the town has seen the rise of a wicked king, who uses demonic minions to control and victimise his subjects. However, when a lone soldier enters the town calling himself the Black Swordsman and armed to the teeth, many sense that the king's days of unchecked oppression are over. Soon, the Black Swordsman is plying his trade by hunting down the king's evil servants, giving no quarter, and preparing to exact his vengeance on the king. (Source: MVM Entertainment)

11. Moriarty the Patriot

Synonyms: มอริอาร์ตี้ผู้รักชาติ

In the late 19th century, the British Empire nobility reigns while its working class suffers at their hands. Sympathetic to their plight, William James Moriarty wants to topple it all. Frustrated by the systemic inequity, Moriarty strategizes to fix the entire nation. Not even consulting detective Sherlock Holmes can stand in his way. It's time for crime to revolutionize the world! (Source: Funimation) Note: The first episode received an early screening on September 21st, 2020. The regular TV broadcast started on October 11th, 2020.

12. MASTER Keaton

Synonyms: Master Keaton: Blood and Bullets

Taichi Keaton is a half-British half-Japanese archeologist and SAS veteran of the Falklands War. He solves mysteries and investigates insurance fraud for Lloyd's around the world. (Source: Anime News Network)

13. My Home Hero

Synonyms: 我家的英雄, Мой домашний герой

After killing his daughter’s abusive yakuza boyfriend to save her, ordinary salaryman Tetsuo Tosu becomes embroiled in the dark criminal underworld. The wish for a simple life he and his wife Kasen had for their daughter has been reduced to a wish for survival. Though middle-aged and weak, he’ll put his life on the line using only his wits in order to protect his family. (Source: Crunchyroll)

14. Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

Synonyms: Chi: About the Movement of the Earth, สุริยะปราชญ์ ทฤษฎีสีเลือด, O ruchach Ziemi, Du mouvement de la Terre

The setting is 15th-century Europe. It was a time when heretical ideas lead those to who possessed such a mindset to being burned at the stake for their beliefs. The protagonist, Rafał, a child prodigy, is expected to major in theology, the most important subject at the time, at the university where he plans to skip a grade. One day, however, he comes across a mysterious man, and is now studying a possible "truth" in the midst of heretical thought! (Source: Shogakukan, translated)

15. Paranoia Agent

Synonyms: None

An elementary school kid dubbed with the title "shounen bat" or "lil slugger" has been going around attacking people with his bent, golden bat. Now, two detectives are investigating so they can stop this kid from making any more attacks, but they will find out soon enough... that this case is much more than they expected. (Source: Anime News Network)

16. Terror in Resonance

Synonyms: Terror in Tokyo, Эхо террора, Zagadkowi terroryści

Painted in red, the word "VON" is all that is left behind after a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility in Japan. The government is shattered by their inability to act, and the police are left frantically searching for ways to crack down the perpetrators. The public are clueless—until, six months later, a strange video makes its way onto the internet. In it, two teenage boys who identify themselves only as "Sphinx" directly challenge the police, threatening to cause destruction and mayhem across Tokyo. Unable to stop the mass panic quickly spreading through the city and desperate for any leads in their investigation, the police struggle to act effectively against these terrorists, with Detective Kenjirou Shibazaki caught in the middle of it all. Zankyou no Terror tells the story of Nine and Twelve, the two boys behind the masked figures of Sphinx. They should not exist, yet they stand strong in a world of deception and secrets while they make the city fall around them, all in the hopes of burying their own tragic truth. (Source: MAL Rewrite)

17. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

Synonyms: גנקוטסואו: הרוזן ממונטה כריסטו, Il conte di Montecristo, Gankutsuou: Hrabia Monte Cristo

Gankutsuou is an anime loosely based on the novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It tells the story of Albert Morcerf, a young aristocrat who happens to befriend a wealthy nobleman, The Count of Monte Cristo, through a series of bizarre events. Fascinated by the Count's charm, Albert invites him to meet his friends and family, all of whom happen to be part of the upper class society of Paris, France. Unfortunately, little does Albert realize that the Count has ulterior motives in mind. (Source: MAL Rewrite)

18. Parasyte -the maxim-

Synonyms: Kiseiju - L'ospite indesiderato, Parasite : La Maxime

They arrive in silence and darkness. They descend from the skies. They have a hunger for human flesh. They are everywhere. They are parasites, alien creatures who must invade–and take control of–a human host to survive. And once they have infected their victims, they can assume any deadly form they choose: monsters with giant teeth, winged demons, creatures with blades for hands. But most have chosen to conceal their lethal purpose behind ordinary human faces. So no one knows their secret–except an ordinary high school student. Shin is battling for control of his own body against an alien parasite, but can he find a way to warn humanity of the horrors to come? (Source: Del Rey)

19. Darker than Black

Synonyms: DARKER THAN BLACK -Black Contractor-, Bí Mật Bóng Tối, Brama piekieł

In Tokyo, an impenetrable field known as "Hell's Gate" appeared ten years ago. At the same time, psychics who wield paranormal powers at the cost of their conscience also emerged. Hei is one of the most powerful of these psychic agents, and along with his blind associate, Yin, works for one of the many rival agencies vying to unlock the mysteries of Hell's Gate. (Source: Anime News Network)

20. Black Lagoon

Synonyms: ブラック・ラグーン, البحيرة السوداء, Пираты Черной Лагуны

Okajima Rokuro is a Japanese businessman in a town full of Japanese businessmen. His normal day consists of social drinking with clients and being kicked around by his bosses. He finally gets a break though, as he's sent by his company to the tropical seas of Eastern China to deliver a disc. But his boat gets hijacked by a band of mercenaries hired to retrieve the disc. Rock (as he is newly dubbed by his captors) catches the interest of the only female merc Revy as she thinks he's worth a ransom, taking him hostage. However, the disc that was stolen has a terrible secret that's unknown to Rock, which causes massive confusion and chaos for both him and his kidnappers.

21. Texhnolyze

Synonyms: テクノライズ

In a man-made underground society, descendants of a banished generation vie for control of the crumbling city of Lux. Ichise, an orphan turned prize fighter, loses a leg and an arm to satisfy an enraged fight promoter. On the brink of death he is taken in by a young woman doctor and used as a guinea pig for the next evolution of Texhnolyze. With his new limbs, Ichise is taken under the wing of Oonishi, a powerful leader of Organ, an organization with some hold on Lux. As Ichise is drawn deeper into a war for territorial control of the city, he learns of his possible future from the young girl prophet Ran, who guides him from the shadows in his darkest times. With the explosion of the warfare, Ichise must uncover the truth about Lux and fight for his survival as he realizes his destiny. (Source: Anime News Network)

22. Steins;Gate

Synonyms: S;G, סטיינס;גייט, 命运石之门

Self-proclaimed mad scientist Okabe Rintarou lives in a small room in Akihabara, where he invents "future gadgets" with fellow lab members Shiina Mayuri, his air-headed childhood friend, and Hashida Itaru, an otaku hacker. The three pass the time by tinkering with their latest creation, a "Phone Microwave" that can be controlled through text messages. The lab members soon face a string of mysterious incidents that lead to a game-changing discovery: the Phone Microwave can send emails to the past and thus alter history. Adapted from the critically acclaimed visual novel by 5pb. and Nitroplus, Steins;Gate takes Okabe to the depths of scientific theory and human despair as he faces the dire consequences of changing the past.

23. ERASED

Synonyms: Bokumachi, Desaparecido, Miasto beze mnie, รีไววัล ย้อนอดีตไขปริศนา

Satoru Fujinuma is a 29 year old manga artist struggling to make a name for himself following his debut. But, that was not the only thing in his life that Satoru was feeling frustrated about… He has a unique supernatural ability of being forced to prevent deaths and catastrophes by being sent back in time before the incident occurred, repeating time until the accident is prevented. One day, he gets involved in an accident that has him framed as a murderer. Desperate to save the victim, he sends himself back in time only to find himself as a grade-schooler one month before fellow classmate Kayo Hinazuki went missing. Satoru now embarks on a new quest: to save Kayo and solve the mystery behind her disappearance.

If you're anything like me, once you finish something amazing like MONSTER, you're left wondering—what now? Luckily, there’s a whole world of stories out there that give off the same energy, whether it’s the intense fights, emotional backstories, or just that feeling of being completely hooked. The titles like Death Note, PLUTO... I’ve shared aren’t just similar—they feel right. They hit that same nerve that made MONSTER special in the first place. Of course, everyone’s taste is different, but I really think you’ll find something here that pulls you in. And hey—if you’ve got a favorite that didn’t make the list, I’d love to hear about it. I’m always looking for my next obsession.