The 20 Most Thrilling Anime, Ranked
Updated September 14, 2026
Ranked by how highly viewers rate each show and how strongly it delivers this feeling — a slightly less famous show that hits harder can outrank a bigger name.
- 1
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 4TV · 2026 · Score 90
Why it's here
Dark fantasyTwisted storySuspense - 2
- 3
Steins;GateTV · 2011 · Score 89
“A time-travel thriller that's secretly about the price of playing God with the people you love.”
Why it's here
Twisted storySupernatural thrillerSuspense - 4
- 5
Attack on TitanTV · 2013 · Score 85
“It starts as survival horror. It ends as the most devastating moral dilemma in anime history.”
Why it's here
Dark fantasyAction dramaTwisted story - 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Code Geass: Lelouch of the RebellionTV · 2006 · Score 85
“A chess game played with lives, by a player who forgot he's also a piece.”
Why it's here
Action dramaMoral dilemmaThriller - 10
- 11
- 12
JUJUTSU KAISEN Season 3: The Culling Game Part 1TV · 2026 · Score 86
Why it's here
Dark fantasyThrillerHorror - 13
Vinland SagaTV · 2019 · Score 87
“A Viking revenge epic that becomes the most profound pacifist story in anime.”
Why it's here
Child soldierMassacreHeroic sacrifice - 14
- 15
- 16
STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 1st STAGEONA · 2026 · Score 88
Why it's here
ThrillerHorrorExcessive violence - 17
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no YaibaTV · 2019 · Score 83
“Kindness as a weapon in a world that rewards cruelty.”
Why it's here
Dark fantasyAction dramaThriller - 18
- 19
Neon Genesis EvangelionTV · 1995 · Score 83
“The mecha anime that was actually a therapy session the creator couldn't afford.”
Why it's here
Action dramaTwisted storySuspense - 20
Dorohedoro Season 2ONA · 2026 · Score 84
Why it's here
Dark fantasyEating of humansHuman experimentation