Ranking the Best R-Rated Anime (2024)

While the Japanese anime industry has plenty of G-rated or PG series that fans of all ages can enjoy, some anime series are definitely more PG-13 or R-rated, which tend to appeal to older fans. More mature anime series, unlike kid-oriented shonen and shojo series, are free to explore deeper, more serious themes that make for thoughtful entertainment. Such series often dive right into dark but fascinating places to tell a good story with dialogue and brutal action alike.

The best R-rated anime series are usually seinen series, with seinen being the older male demographic for manga and anime. Such series don't have to be violent or psychologically disturbing to be seinen, as series like Grand Blue and Bocchi the Rock! show, but when seinen anime does become R-rated, adult anime fans can't get enough of it. Excellent R-rated anime keep viewers engaged with exciting action sequences, twisted characters, and mature themes that will always leave a lasting impression. That said, a few shonen series also qualify, and definitely feel more like seinen at times.

10 Elfen Lied is a Gory, Tragic Tale of a Girl With No Home

Elfen Lied

TV-MA

Sci-Fi

Two university students come across a seemingly harmless girl named Lucy, unaware that she's actually a mutant serial killer with a split personality.

Release Date

July 25, 2004

Main Genre

Action

Seasons

1

Studio

Arms, Studio Guts

Creator

Lynn Okamoto

The original 12-volume Elfen Lied manga series was soon adapted into a short anime series in the 2000s, which has a mixed legacy as being either cool and exciting, or too edgy for its own good. Also, Western fans may note that Elfen Lied directly inspired the Netflix supernatural series Stranger Things, since both series have a similar basic premise about a troubled girl with supernatural powers.

Elfen Lied follows the tragic, brutal story of a Diclonius girl named Lucy, who has a gentler, more innocent alter ego dubbed Nyu. Lucy is one of the few surviving members of her kind, humanoids with powerful telekinetic powers, but there is no longer a place for them on Earth. Lucy/Nyu has wandered aimlessly for years, but eventually she will meet a young man named Kouta, who will finally give Nyu a place to live and friends of her own — but it might not work out for long. It's an intriguing watch, but Elfen Lied's dated visuals, over-reliance on edginess, and relatively forgettable characters make it rank low among the best R-rated anime, though curious fans are still welcome to give it a try.

9 Tokyo Ghoul is Set in a "Wrong" World of Ghouls vs Humans

Tokyo Ghoul

TV-MA

Action

Horror

A Tokyo college student is attacked by a ghoul, a superpowered human who feeds on human flesh. He survives, but has become part ghoul and becomes a fugitive on the run.

Release Date

July 4, 2014

Cast

Natsuki Hanae , Sora Amamiya , Rie Kugimiya

Studio

Pierrot

Author Sui Ishida's hit seinen manga Tokyo Ghoul soon inspired a popular anime of the same name, though some fans say the original manga is the better, more definitive version of this story. In any version, though, Tokyo Ghoul is an excellent R-rated manga/anime tale about a world out of balance between its ghoul and human halves. In the middle of that conflict is Ken Kaneki the half-other hero.

Ken was a human college student who became a half-ghoul one fateful night, and that made him sympathetic to the innocent humans and ghouls alike in the never-ending conflict. Ken must use his idealistic words and his brutal actions alike to slow down the nonstop fighting and try to reconcile the feuding sides, but it won't be easy. Still, Ken's words will resonate with some ghouls who also crave peace, despite the vicious actions of their own kind.

8 Hellsing Ultimate Stars Anime's Greatest Vampire, Alucard

Hellsing Ultimate (2006)

TV-17

Action

Fantasy

The vampire Alucard, his master Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, and his newly sired ward Seras Victoria try to protect England from a war-crazed SS-Major who seeks to start an eternal war with his vampire army.

Release Date

February 10, 2006

Cast

Fumiko Orikasa , Crispin Freeman , Jōji Nakata , Victoria Harwood , Motomu Kiyokawa , K.T. Gray , Yoshiko Sakakibara , Ralph Lister

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

1

Creator

Kouta Hirano

There was an anime adaptation of the original Hellsing manga in the early 2000s, but many fans agree that the later Hellsing Ultimate anime is the better, more definitive experience, and it's also truer to the original manga. Hellsing is a twisted seinen story about powerful vampires, most of all the dreaded Alucard, the oldest, most powerful member of his kind. However, Alucard isn't humanity's enemy; he has lended his talents to the Hellsing organization to hunt his own kind under orders.

Alucard isn't alone in the fight against vampires, because he has his new apprentice, Seras Victoria, to back him up in battle with her sniper rifles and other weapons. Seras is just in time to join the fight, too, because a Nazi organization led by the war-loving Major is on the march, ready to lay siege to London so the organization's vampire members can go out in a blaze of supposed glory.

7 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Shows What Happens When Technology Warps Humanity Beyond Recongnition

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

TV-MA

Animation

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Set in the universe of Cyberpunk: 2077, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners follows David, a young kid living on the streets trying to survive in the perilous Night City.

Release Date

September 13, 2022

Cast

Aoi Yuki , Kenichiro Ohashi , Kenjiro Tsuda , Kazuhiko Inoue

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

Website

https://www.netflix.com/title/81054853

Franchise

Cyberpunk 2077

Creator

Rafat Jaki

Distributor

Netflix

Main Characters

Lucy, David Martinez, Ripperdoc, Faraday, Pilar

Producer

Saya Elder, Hiromi Wakabayashi, Bartosz Sztybor, Satoru Homma

Production Company

CD Projekt RED, Trigger

Writers

Mike Pondsmith , Yoshiki Usa , Masahiko Otsuka

Number of Episodes

10

Gamers are free to lose themselves in Night City's rough futuristic streets in Cyberpunk 2077, and anime fans can explore Night City's neon jungle with the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime adaptation. Story-wise, the anime and game don't have much overlap, but that won't be a problem for anyone simply looking for some cyberpunk action.

This R-rated anime stars the antihero, David Martinez, a punkish teenage boy who will lose almost everything in the anime's first two episodes. With nowhere left to turn, David will get himself involved with a local gang of augmented rogues, including the beautiful but deadly Lucy and the hotheaded Rebecca, among others. David will embrace them as his gritty new-found family, but in the process, he might lose his very humanity, especially as he keeps straining his body with scary new tech.

6 Berserk's 1997 Anime is a Brutal Taste of Kentaro Miura's Manga

Berserk

Guts, a wandering mercenary, joins the Band of the Hawk after being defeated in a duel by Griffith, the group's leader and founder. Together, they dominate every battle, but something menacing lurks in the shadows.

Created by

Kentaro Miura

First TV Show

Berserk

Latest TV Show

Berserk

Where to watch

Crunchyroll

Video Game(s)

Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Sho , Berserk and the Band of the Hawk , Sword of the Berserk: Guts Rage

Summary

Berserk (Japanese: ベルセルク, Hepburn: Beruseruku) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura. Set in a medieval Europe-inspired dark fantasy world, the story centers on the characters of Guts, a lone swordsman, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the "Band of the Hawk". The series follows Guts' journey seeking revenge on Griffith, who betrayed him and sacrificed his comrades to become a powerful demonic being.

It's generally accepted that author Kentaro Miura's original Berserk manga is the best way to experience this story, though anime-only fans can still get a taste of it with the 1997 anime adaptation. There is a more recent anime too, but fans disliked its odd visuals and rushed pace, while the 1997 anime focuses more deeply on the Golden Age story arc. It may not be a complete anime story, but it's a good one.

The 1997 Berserk anime follows the grim adventures of the swordsman mercenary Guts, who wanders a world of dark fantasy fighting monsters and enemy soldiers practically every day. The battle-hardened Guts will join a mercenary band led by the charismatic Griffith to give his life some meaning, but betrayal and war are always right around the corner, and even Guts may not be ready for what fate has in store for him.

5 Psycho-Pass Shows What Happens When Criminals Are Arrested Before the Crime Happens

Psycho-Pass

TV-MA

Anime

Crime

Science Fiction

Thriller

Believing in humanity and order, policewoman Akane Tsunemori obeys the ruling, computerized, precognitive Sibyl System. But when she faces a criminal mastermind who can elude this perfect system, she questions both Sibyl and herself.

Release Date

October 12, 2012

Cast

Kana Hanazawa , Takahiro Sakurai

Studio

Production I.G

Creator

Tow Ubukata

Psycho-Pass is an intriguing science fiction anime that should appeal to fans of series like Ghost in the Shell and Minority Report. Several decades in the future, society is policed in an unusual yet effective way. An all-seeing system called the Sybil System tracks people's biometrics, and if the system determines someone is about to commit a serious crime, officers are dispatched to detain or even kill the would-be offender.

The protagnist, Akane, is an idealistic young lady who just joined the force, but she and her fellow officers are in over their head in ways they don't expect. They can enforce the letter of the law and brutally disintegrate would-be offenders with their high-tech pistols, but there are larger forces at play that Akane isn't ready to face. All this makes Psycho-Pass one of the coolest and best R-rated anime, ranking in the middle of the pack. It's quite good, but lacks the strong characterization of the very best.

4 Cowboy Bebop is a Funny Yet Melancholic Adventure Across the Solar System

Cowboy Bebop (1998)

TV-14

Animation

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

The futuristic misadventures and tragedies of an easygoing bounty hunter and his partners.

Release Date

September 2, 2001

Cast

Koichi Yamadera , Unshô Ishizuka , Megumi Hayashibara , Steve Blum , Beau Billingslea

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

1

Studio

Sunrise

The Cowboy Bebop anime first aired in 1998 and is still widely hailed as a must-watch classic of the science fiction genre in anime. It's set well into the future, with colonies and cities all over the Solar System, particularly Mars. The protagonist, the suit-wearing Spike Spiegel, is a lovable rogue with pistols and a cool attitude aboard his ship, the Bebop.

Joining Spike are his friends Jet and Faye Valentine, and the three of them will wander space looking for adventure. It's a fairly episodic narrative where moody jazz, tragedy, wacky humor, and intense action are all expertly blended into a single R-rated narrative that's essential viewing for fans of seinen, sci-fi, and/or 1990s anime. There is also a full-length Cowboy Bebop movie that's well-regarded by fans as well.

3 Black Lagoon Stars a Rough Gang of Mercenaries in Roanapur

Black Lagoon (2006)

TV-MA

Action

Adventure

A Japanese businessman, captured by modern-day pirates, is written off and left for dead by his company. Tired of the corporate life, he opts to stick with the mercenaries that kidnapped him, becoming part of their gang.

Release Date

April 8, 2006

Cast

Megumi Toyoguchi , Brad Swaile

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

2 Seasons

Creator

Sunao Katabuchi

Producer

Jun Nishimura, Mitsutoshi Ogura, Junya Okamoto

Production Company

Black Lagoon Committee, Geneon Entertainment, Madhouse

Number of Episodes

24 Episodes

Black Lagoon is a brutal crime thriller anime that is bound to appeal to fans of Quentin Tarantino movies with its R-rated antics, cool antihero characters, and mature themes. When the story launches, the businessman Rokuro Okajima is abandoned by his own boss in the middle of criminal territory in Southeast Asia, so out of desperation, Rokuro joins a mercenary outfit called Black Lagoon.

Rokuro adopts the nickname Rock and begins his new life of violent crime and adventure with Revy, Dutch, and Benny aboard their ship, the Black Lagoon. It's a rough, unpredictable life, but the four of them don't know how else to live, so they embrace it. Rock will see it all, from heavy weaponry and organized crime gangs to drugs and unspeakable human suffering.

2 Vinland Saga is an Unforgettable Tale of Revenge and Redemption

Vinland Saga

TV-MA

Anime

Action

Adventure

Following a tragedy, Thorfinn embarks on a journey with the man responsible for it to take his life in a duel as a true and honorable warrior to pay homage.

Release Date

July 6, 2019

Cast

Yûto Uemura , Mike Haimoto , Shinya Takahashi , Alejandro Saab , Hiroki Gotô , Aleks Le , Kaiji Tang , Michael C. Pizzuto

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

2

Studio

Wit Studio, Studio MAPPA

Creator

Makoto Yukimura

Production Company

Wit Studio, Mappa

Number of Episodes

48 Episodes

Vinland Saga is an excellent seinen anime based on author Makoto Yukimura's original manga of the same name. On the face of it, Vinland Saga is a medieval action epic where the strong thrive, but in reality, this R-rated anime questions everything about medieval war stories. In this series, the happiest, most fulfilled characters are those who reject violence entirely. War is a human tragedy and serves no purpose, as protagonist Thorfinn's father argues.

In its first major arc, Vinland Saga is a dark revenge story for Thorfinn Karlsefni as he fights his way across war-torn Europe in the Viking Age. However, Thorfinn's true calling is something else entirely, and Thorfinn must learn to let go of anger and violence if he is to ever see his true destiny out there across the sea.

1 Attack on Titan Thrusts Viewers Into a Grim World of Flesh-Eating Titans and Political Intrigue

Attack On Titan

TV-MA

Action

Adventure

Original title: Shingeki no Kyojin.
After his hometown is destroyed and his mother is killed, young Eren Jaeger vows to cleanse the earth of the giant humanoid Titans that have brought humanity to the brink of extinction in Attack on Titan.

Release Date

September 28, 2013

Cast

Bryce Papenbrook , Yûki Kaji , Marina Inoue , Hiro Shimono , Takehito Koyasu , Jessie James Grelle

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

4 Seasons

Studio

Wit Studios, MAPPA

Creator

Hajime Isayama

Number of Episodes

98 Episodes

Attack on Titan is actually a shonen anime series, but given its sheer thematic depth, gory action sequences, and rough characters, it feels more like a seinen anime, and is certainly R-rated in either case. Attack on Titan is a gaslamp fantasy series set in a world dominated by Titans, or flesh-eating giants who always attack people on sight. Protagonist Eren Yeager has vowed to fight back against the Titans and avenge his destroyed hometown, but when he learns the truth about the Titans, his entire worldview will change.

Attack on Titan is the best R-rated anime for many reasons, from its incredible animation and fight choreography to its deceptively deep, nuanced characters and its political intrigue, not to mention its shocking, unforgettable plot twists from beginning to end. It's also a fascinating blend of horror and mecha with the Titans, most of all the nine Titan Shifters, who boast unique powers.