Anime like Elfen Lied

Tokyo Ghoul

Also known as Tokyo Ghoul.

Studio: Studio Pierrot , Marvelous
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

The suspense horror/dark fantasy story is set in Tokyo, which is haunted by mysterious "ghouls" who are devouring humans. People are gripped by the fear of these ghouls whose identities are masked in mystery. An ordinary college student named Kaneki encounters Rize, a girl who is an avid reader like him, at the café he frequents. Little does he realize that his fate will change overnight.

Tags: Gore , Urban Fantasy , Tragedy , Survival , Torture , Male Protagonist , Body Horror , Anti-Hero , Seinen , Coming of Age , Urban , Police , Cannibalism , Detective , Crime , Henshin , Primarily Adult Cast , Mythology , Heterosexual , College

Where to watch?

Hulu

Amazon Prime Video

Mirai Nikki

Also known as The Future Diary.

Studio: Funimation , Lantis , Kadokawa Shoten , Asread , Rakuonsha , Kadokawa Pictures Japan , KLOCKWORX , chara-ani.com , 12 Diary Holders , Dwango , Sakura Create
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

This psychological thriller, based on the manga written and illustrated by Sakae Esuno, is about Yuki, a loner who's not very good with people. He prefers to write a diary on his cell phone and talk to his imaginary friend, Deus Ex Machina – The God of Time and Space. However, Yuki soon learns that Deus is more than a figment of his imagination when he makes Yuki participate in a battle royale with eleven others. The contestants are given special diaries that can predict the future, each diary possessing unique features that give it both advantages and disadvantages. Within the next 90 days, the contestants must try to survive until there is only one left standing. The winner will become the new God of Time and Space.

Tags: Battle Royale , Death Game , Survival , Yandere , Tragedy , Alternate Universe , Suicide , Meta , Gore , Gods , Time Manipulation , Male Protagonist , Crime , Super Power , Urban , Female Protagonist , Shounen , Urban Fantasy , Heterosexual , Age Gap , Clone , Anti-Hero , Netorare , Guns , CGI , Terrorism , Police , Henshin , Adoption , Nudity , LGBTQ+ Themes , Bisexual , Orphan , Tanned Skin , Cult , Stop Motion , Disability , Psychosexual , Boys' Love

Where to watch?

Hulu

Deadman Wonderland

Also known as Deadman Wonderland.

Studio: Manglobe , Funimation , AMG MUSIC
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Horror , Sci-Fi

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.

Tags: Tragedy , Super Power , Survival , Gore , Death Game , Prison , Anti-Hero , Body Horror , Male Protagonist , Dissociative Identities , Memory Manipulation , Shounen , Orphan , Rehabilitation , Guns , Tanned Skin , LGBTQ+ Themes , Nudity

Where to watch?

Gokukoku no Brynhildr

Also known as Brynhildr in the Darkness.

Studio: Arms , VAP , YTV , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Mystery , Sci-Fi

The original manga revolves around high school boy Ryōta Murakami, who cannot forget his female childhood friend whom he let die in an accident. Feeling that he must fulfill their promise of proving the existence of aliens, he has continuously looked up at the sky as a member of the astronomy club. One day, a girl named Neko Kuroha who looks exactly like his childhood friend appears as a transfer student. It turns out that she is a magic-user that has run away from a research lab.

Tags: Magic , Amnesia , Seinen , Female Harem , Gore , Tragedy , Nudity , Astronomy , School Club , School , Feet

Where to watch?

No streaming links available

Chobits

Also known as Chobits.

Studio: MADHOUSE , NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan , Funimation , TBS , Pioneer LDC
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Ecchi , Romance , Sci-Fi

In the future, personal computers have developed into "Persocoms", mobile computers that look like human beings. Hideki Motosuwa, a prep school student, desperately wants to buy a Persocom but cannot afford to. One day he finds a Persocom that has been thrown away and decides to keep it. When he turns on the Persocom, all she can say is "Chii" so he decides to name her that. After a while it starts to become apparent that Chii is more than an average Persocom. Having much better performance, it seems that Chii might be a "Chobit", a type of advanced Persocom rumored to have independent thought.

Tags: Artificial Intelligence , Philosophy , Amnesia , Robots , Memory Manipulation , Heterosexual , Seinen , Dissociative Identities , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Slapstick , Nudity , Twins , Asexual , Henshin , Conspiracy , Age Gap

Where to watch?

DEVILMAN crybaby

Also known as Devilman Crybaby.

Studio: Science SARU , Aniplex , Netflix , Dynamic Planning
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Horror , Psychological , Supernatural

New Devilman project marking Go Nagai's 50th anniversary as a creator.

The protagonist Akira Fudou learns from his best friend, Ryou Asuka, that an ancient race of demons has returned to take back the world from humans. Ryou tells Akira that the only way to defeat the demons is to incorporate their supernatural powers, and suggests that he unite with a demon himself. Akira succeeds in transforming into Devilman, who possesses both the powers of a demon and the soul of a human. The battle of Devilman and Akira Fudou begins.

Tags: Demons , Tragedy , Body Horror , Gore , Urban Fantasy , Gods , Shapeshifting , Psychosexual , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Cosmic Horror , War , Monster Boy , Nudity , Angels , Henshin , Anti-Hero , Coming of Age , Cannibalism , Revenge , LGBTQ+ Themes , Athletics , Mythology , Unrequited Love , Heterosexual , Drugs , Masturbation , Meta , Bisexual , Boys' Love , Public Sex , Afterlife , Motorcycles , Politics , Hip-hop Music , Shounen

Where to watch?

BLOOD-C

Also known as Blood-C.

Studio: Production I.G , Aniplex , Funimation , Mainichi Broadcasting System , Dwango
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Horror , Mystery , Supernatural

Saya is a seemingly normal girl living with her father in a shrine. During the day she goes to school and spends time with her friends at a local cafe. But when night falls Saya is called upon to protect her village from strange monsters.

Tags: Swordplay , Vampire , Gore , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Shrine Maiden , Rural , Body Horror , Memory Manipulation , Monster Girl , Urban Fantasy , Acting , Youkai , Primarily Teen Cast , Shounen , School , Twins , Revenge , Amnesia

Where to watch?

Hulu

Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu

Also known as Parasyte -the maxim-.

Studio: MADHOUSE , VAP , Kodansha , Nippon Television Network , Forecast Communications , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Horror , Psychological , Sci-Fi

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?

Tags: Body Horror , Shapeshifting , Survival , Aliens , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Gore , Anti-Hero , Revenge , Seinen , Heterosexual , Crime , Tragedy , Cannibalism , Environmental , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Urban , Military , Guns , Love Triangle , Villainess , Female Harem , Bullying , Unrequited Love , Nudity

Where to watch?

Crunchyroll

Hulu

HIDIVE

Pupa

Studio: Studio DEEN , Earth Star Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Fantasy , Horror , Psychological

The "life-and-death sibling" story follows Utsutsu and Yume Hasegawa, a boy and his little sister who find themselves all alone. One day, Yume sees a mysterious red butterfly and her body undergoes a strange metamorphosis—into a creature that eats humans. Utsutsu struggles to find a way to restore his sister.

Tags: Body Horror , Gore , Cannibalism , Ero Guro , Female Protagonist , Incest , Orphan , Vore , Male Protagonist , Heterosexual , Urban Fantasy , Anti-Hero , Shapeshifting , Shounen , Crime , Nudity , Male Pregnancy

Where to watch?

No streaming links available