Recommendation of 10 Psychological Animes with Disturbing Stories that are Hard to Forget

HIGURASHI: WHEN THEY CRY follows Keiichi who moves to the remote village of Hinamizawa to live a quiet life. However, he gets caught up in a series of strange events related to the village's annual festival. The story highlights a mystery of paranoia.

MADE IN ABYSS tells the story of Riko, an orphan girl who descends into the Abyss accompanied by Reg to search for her mother. This anime reveals the most brutal body horror behind its appearance. Her journey shows that true discovery demands sacrifice.

PARANOIA AGENT highlights the figure of Lil' Slugger, a roller-skating boy who attacks the citizens of Tokyo with a bent golden bat. His attacks trigger mass hysteria. This anime presents a sharp critique of escapism and the fragility of the human mind.

DEVILMAN CRYBABY follows Akira Fudo, who is dragged by his friend Ryo to an underground party to uncover the existence of demons. The chaos of that night causes Akira to merge with a powerful demon and transforms him into Devilman. With fluid and intense neon visuals, this anime creates a sensory assault atmosphere.

BERSERK follows Guts, a lonely mercenary who joins the Band of the Hawk under the leadership of Griffith. Most of its episodes present as a realistic military drama, until it shifts to cosmic horror that is traumatic.

MONSTER tells the story of Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a genius surgeon whose career is ruined after he chooses to save a child instead of the mayor. The child then grows up to become a serial killer. Kenzo hunts him down to atone for his past decision.

TEXHNOLYZE follows Ichise, a stubborn fighter in the underground city of Lux who loses his hands and legs after a brutal incident. He is fitted with the cybernetic prosthetic "Texhnolyze" by a mysterious doctor. From there, he gets caught up in the power struggles between factions that control the city.

SERIAL EXPERIMENTS LAIN focuses on Lain, a quiet girl who receives an email from a student who has committed suicide. The message claims that the student is now alive in a network similar to the internet that can influence reality. Its dissociative atmosphere makes this anime an existential exploration that is thought-provoking.

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION follows Shinji Ikari who is summoned by his father to pilot Evangelion Unit-01 and fight the Angels. This anime gradually transforms into a drama full of issues of existentialism and depression. Its abstract visuals leading to the ending are among the most talked-about in anime history.

PERFECT BLUE highlights Mima, an idol from CHAM! who leaves the music world to become an actress. Her decision triggers anger from fans and a stalker named Me-Mania. This anime employs remarkably precise perspective manipulation, immersing the audience in the psychosis experienced by Mima.