Top 10 Best Crime/Mystery Anime (2021 Edition)

The mystery and crime genre has always been incredibly popular, from books like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series, to board games like Cluedo, and modern video games and movies. It is to no surprise, that a number of mystery anime series have also been released over the years. These are my top 10 picks for the best crime and mystery anime series.

Images Sourced from Myanimelist.net
10. Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru.

Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru is the most recent anime on this list. Kimizuka Kimihiko has always been predisposed to encountering crimes, but one day becomes involved with Siesta, a detective on a flight as her sidekick through an unusual series of events. After travelling with her for a while, she dies and Kimihiko carries on her legacy by using the deductive skills he learnt from her.

9. HaruChika: Haruta to Chika wa Seishun suru

HaruChika follows Haruta and Chika. The series starts with Chika going to her high school for the first time, and decides to join the school's music club. Haruta, another member of the club, and a childhood friend, solves a series of mysteries that they encounter, whilst trying to find new members for the club and bring the club into prominence. The series focuses less on the actual mysteries than most other mystery shows, and the mysteries are often just a backdrop and plot device for character progression and as a vehicle to recruit new members.

8. Chaos;Child

Set several years after the events of Chaos;Head, Chaos;Child follows mysterious deaths similar to those that occurred in Chaos;Head. Takaru, along with his high school's newspaper club attempt to solve the mystery of these murders, but things are not as they appear. Chaos;Child brings a supernatural element to the typical mystery story, along with unexpected twists in the plot. The series at times can also become quite dark, especially as the plot progresses. The series also continually builds on the previous episodes, and has a cohesive plot throughout.

7. Death Note

Death Note was a hugely popular anime when it came out. It surrounds Light Yagami's actions after finding a Death Note, which allows him to kill anyone by writing their name in it. Unlike the other anime on this list which follow the detectives trying to uncover who the killer is, Death Note instead follows the perspective of the criminal through the descent from a normal high schooler into a killer who sees himself as god, and the journey that the authorities, which include his father who is a police officer take to bring down 'Kira'.

6. Tantei Gakuen Q

Kyuu is a young boy who dreams of becoming a famous detective. After solving a small mystery of some missing money, as well as a murder together with Megu, who has a photographic memory, they are invited to take a test, which could get them into the famous famous detective school, Dan's Detective School (DDS). Despite not passing the test, after seeing promise in him, Dan places him into class 'Q', a special class for 'Qualified' students along with Megu, Kazuma, Kinta, and Ryuu where they solve mysteries, one after the other.

5. Kindaichi Shounen No Jikenbo / Kindaichi Shounen No Jikenbo Returns

Kindaichi Shounen No Jikenbo is a classic of the anime detective series genre. The series follows Kindaichi, a genius high school student who solves crimes that he comes across, generally involving murders. The series covers a wide range of different motives and methods of crimes, and is a great classic series. Although the run of the original television series has long since ended, the franchise was revived in 2014 with Kindaichi Shounen No Jikenbo Returns, which ran for 47 episodes. The series has also received several movie adaptations.

4. Kitsutsuki Tanteidokoro

Kitsutsuki Tanteidokoro, also known as Woodpecker Detective's Office is a detective series set in Meiji-era Japan, based on a 1999 novel. The series follows Ishikawa Takuboku and Kindaichi Kyosuke, a poet and linguist respectively who investigate mysterious occurrences, and solve mysteries. Kitsutsuki Tanteridokoro has a unique art style and storyline.

3. Detective Conan (Case Closed)

High school detective Kudo Shinichi is famous in his area, helping to solve difficult crimes for the police. After going to an amusement park with his childhood friend Mouri Ran, and solving a murder that happens to take place on a ride they go on, he follows two other passengers on the ride that seem suspicious. He witnesses a secret deal going on, and after getting caught, is forced to drink the poison APTX 4869. Instead of killing him, the drug ends up changing him into a child, after the criminals abandon the body in the park. In order to get to the bottom of this organisation, and to continue solving crimes without the organisation finding out that he survived, Shinichi assumes the identity of a primary school student under the name Edogawa Conan, and continues to solve crimes in secret. Detective Conan has been running since 1996, and has over a thousand episodes, 24 main series movies, as well as a large number of specials, and crossovers. The series has also received a few live-action adaptations. If you have a bit of time to watch the series, you can even see how the series has evolved over the past 25 years.

2. Hyouka

Hyouka follows Oreki, a Japanese high school student who tries to conserve energy throughout his daily life. After being convinced by his sister to join his school's Literature Club in order to prevent it from having to close, he meets Chitanda in the club room, and at her request solves the mystery of how she was in the clubroom, despite it being locked from the outside when Oreki arrived. Together with the other members from the new Literature Club, Oreki uses his deductive reasoning to solve a series of different mysteries that the club encounters. Hyouka is a great anime from Kyoto Animation, and is a must-watch for fans of the mystery and high school genres.

1. Gosick

Gosick is a mystery anime set in a pre-WWII European state called Sauville, and follows the Japanese exchange student Kujou Kazuya, through his time at the school. Due to his black hair, he is ostracised by the other students, and this causes him to meet Victorique, a student who rarely attends class on the top floor of the school's library. Victorique is a girl with a genius detective mind, who solves mysteries for her brother, and as a result, Kujou is dragged into a series of mysteries and adventures. Gosick brings a bit of spin to the traditional mystery genre with its unique stylistic choices and engaging storyline.