15 of the Most Jaw-Dropping Thriller Anime to Watch in 2024

No matter how much you enjoy watching Shonen anime, there is nothing like the gripping sensation or the siren song of a good suspenseful anime. All those heart-pumping moments when the adrenaline rushes to your brain and all those jaw-dropping reveals are unmatchable.

AND! Did we mention all those mysteriously attractive characters in these anime that will keep you on the edge of your seats? Well, don’t worry we know your cravings for some good nail-biting and thriller anime series of 2024, so we curated a complete guide for you so that you can start your fall season with a BANG!

1. Princess Principal

This show is a prime example of “don’t let the looks fool you“. Set in early 20th-century London, Princess Principal features a group of high school girls working as spies. The story starts with the discovery of a mysterious and destructive substance Cavorite, which pushes the whole nation into a civil war.

This civil war not only divided London into two parts but also led to a deadly secret cold war between the Commonwealth of Albion and its enemies. Dorothy, the main protagonist of this series is a skilled driver and brilliant leader of the Queen’s Mayfair High School Girl Spies.

These girls cunningly disguise their intentions under the folds of charm and elegance fooling everyone around. They have only one goal, and that is the stability of the Commonwealth of Albion! We rate this thriller anime a good 7, making it an interesting one-time watch.

2. Spy Classroom

What if you lived in a world where the government tried to avoid war among nations with the help of spies? Well regardless of how unattainable world peace may seem, Spy Classroom and its top-notch spies make sure they attain their agendas.

This anime starts with Lily, the main protagonist who has only one goal in her life and that is to become a spy for her nation. But as Lily embarks on becoming a spy, her confidence starts to shatter and she starts to doubt her abilities.

With the help of her team named Lamplight, she infiltrates the Galgad Kingdom and reattains her lost confidence in her abilities. This anime has a good thriller anime theme but we have to give it a 5 because it lacks the sense of mystery and fails to engage the audience at some points in the story.

3. Classroom of the Elite

In the Classroom of the Elite, you will be treated according to the rank you are given in Japan’s Koudo Ikusei Senior High. But the thrill starts when some students start questioning their selection in the lowest ranks and embark on securing a high score to have a better reputation among other students.

Suzune Horikita is also a student who questions her selection in Classroom D which is the lowest in High School. She starts indulging herself in a cut-throat competition that has no rules and no moral boundaries.

In this thrilling competition, she meets Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, a witty and extremely mysterious student. This encounter leads to some mind-blowing plot twists. We rate this anime a solid 8 because of its amazing plots and character arcs.

4. Assassination Classroom

How can we forget to add the OG Assassination Classroom? Centered around Kunugigaoka Middle School, Assassination Classroom showcases a story of troublesome school dropouts from Class 3-E. They are put there with a weird mission of eliminating their alienist teacher Koro-sensei who is a massive threat to the planet.

But the twist is, that Koro Sensei turns out to be a good teacher to these students. As much as the students want to eliminate him from Earth before a fixed time, they struggle with their decision and this becomes a thrilling story for viewers.

Not only Assasination Classroom is a thriller anime but it will leave you heartbroken and wanting more of this lovely story. We give a solid 9 to this astonishing show and recommend it to all our readers.

5. Assault Lily BOUQUET

Strange Creatures named Huge appear on Earth and wreak havoc on humans. But to combat these creatures, a group of teenage girls known as lilies use their magie power to fuel Counter Huge Arms or in easy words Charms.

Riri Hitotsuyanagi joined Lilies after dodging a Huge Attack. She joined hands with Yurigaoka and Yuyu Shirai. This encounter leads her to embark on an action-packed and suspenseful journey where she must find the truth before Huge takes over the world.

We give this anime a 5 because it is for people who love to watch cute girls doing action. So, if this is what you like, then Assualt Lily BOUQUET is a must-watch for you.

6. The Detective is Already Dead

Are you a person who always finds yourself as a magnet for troublesome scenarios? Don’t worry you are not alone. Kimihiko Kimizuka is one such character who always finds crime around him. But one-day things go extremely wrong and he gets kidnapped by unknown men.

But Siesta, a detective comes to the rescue and saves him from the unknown men. To solidify their bond, Seista offers Kimizuka to be her assistant. The union remains strong for almost three years but ends up in a tragic event of Seista’s passing.

So this anime basically explores why she died, what were the reasons, and how she influenced people when she was alive. This anime is perfect for those people who love to unravel mysteries and solve puzzles. We give a 7 to this show due to its stunning animation and character designs.

7. Grisaia: Phantom Trigger

This anime solely revolves around various agencies manipulating their agents like puppets. SORD is an agency focused on training agents to safeguard their country. Girls from this nation attend a specific school called Mihama Academy, which is funded by SORD.

However, they soon realize that their efforts and willingness to risk their lives are merely treated as casual matters by these shadowy organizations. It’s from this point that the anime begins to reveal some of the most astonishing plot twists.

These girls receive training in weapon handling and threat elimination. If you enjoy politics, suspense, and thrilling action scenes, this anime is a perfect fit. We rate Grisaia: Phantom Trigger a 6 due to its engaging and exhilarating storyline.

8. Akame Ga Kill

A merciless minister takes control of a young emperor, ruling the country from the shadows. His twisted morals result in widespread corruption and societal division. But he soon meets resistance from Night Raid, an organization that emerges to eliminate the minister’s corrupt men.

A young girl named Tatsumi grabs a sword and embarks on a mission to save a village from the minister’s army. This anime has one of the most engaging storylines and Tatsume’s character makes you question her own ideologies at some point but overall it’s a 9 from us and we highly recommend that fans of thriller anime watch this gem.

9. The Executioner And Her Way Of Life

This one is an Isekai thriller and it centers around a student Moutou Mitsuki. Mouto gets transported into a different realm by unknown forces and we later get to know that the king of that realm performed a ritual to teleport Moutou there.

But later he gets bored with his own ritual and tries to send Moutou back due to Mitsuki lacking special powers. But Moutou’s fate takes a different turn when a priest interferes, and we get to know that Moutou is not just an ordinary student he is a Lost One, a special person in the king’s realm.

We give this one a 5 because this could have been more interesting but the storyline is not intriguing and viewers can easily predict Moutou’s intentions regarding his powers.

10. The Eminence In Shadow

The story starts with a young boy named Minoru Kagenou who is extremely powerful in his community. But regardless of him being powerful, he tries to blend in the crowd and he is not interested in getting any limelight for his abilities.

But one day he meets a tragic accident that ends his life only to bring him to another realm where he is awakened as Cid. Now our MC is the second child of the Kagenou family, the elites of this realm and he now has magic.

But Cid takes this ability to a whole new level when he creates a Shadow Garden. It is a group of magicians who fight against the threats of the Cult of Diablos. We give this anime a strong 9 score because this anime will keep you on the edge of your seat.

11. Release the Spyce

This one is your average story of how a girl with extraordinary senses gets recruited by a special agency. Momo Minamoto is an introvert with daring dreams of joining the police force. Her dream comes true when she gets to be a part of a spy agency working for the stability of their nation.

But what if we tell you that this agency gains its powers from ingesting spices? YES SPICES! No matter how bizarre it seems this anime is a strong 5 in our opinion. Anime Lovers will not have much action but the element of a spy agency powered by spices is a great thriller anime idea in our opinion

12. The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat

This anime showcases the story of the world’s finest assassin who does everything in his power for the sake of his organization. But as every story has its own bitter turns, his organization turns against him and in an attempt to silence him murders him.

But in his final moments, he manages to summon a goddess who offers him a chance of reincarnation. He then gets a new mission from this goddess and gets transferred to the land of swords and thrones only to defeat the hero of that land.

Lugh Tuatha Dé then starts to serve the Alvan Kingdom and his only goal is to kill the hero with his perfect assassination skills. This anime is a good 9 if you love to watch Isekai/thriller anime and have a thing for sword fights.

13. Ragna Crimson

Ragna Crimson is a perfect fusion of Thrill and anime with its Dragons vs. Hunters trope. This show is probably one of the few anime that blends different elements so well and crafts a brilliantly engaging and enthralling story.

The story centers around a land exposed to dragons and the humans who get to defeat them can gain immense supernatural power. Ragna is one of the dragon hunters who joins hands with a mysterious person Crimson. Together they set on a journey to bring down the ruthless dragon monarchs. We give this anime a whopping 8 score and it is a good watch if you prefer dragons and dragon slayers.

14. My Home Hero

Tetsuo Tosu is a salaryman and gets to know that his daughter, Reika is getting physically abused by Nobuto Matori who is her boyfriend. When Tetsuo takes matters into his own hands, he discovers Matori’s vile plan to rob money from Reika’s wealthy grandparents.

On top of this, he finds out that the boy his daughter is dating is a member of a crime syndicate. Nobuto also has a history of murdering his former girlfriends. Being a father, Tetsuo takes revenge for Reika and kills Nobuto with the help of his wife Kasen.

After disposing of his body the couple starts to hide the traces of their deed but things get dark when the members of the syndicate start to question Nobuto’s disappearance. This anime will keep you hooked to your screens and we give it a solid 9 score for being thrilling and packed with an intriguing story.

15. Collar x Malice Deep Cover

In Collar x Malice Deep Cover, a dark shadow organization starts to threaten the city of Shinjuku. One day Ichika Hoshino finds herself attacked by this shadow organization. This attack leaves her with a venomous collar on her neck.

Now with her life in danger, she requires allies to help her in getting rid of the collar. But the twist comes when she finds 4 people as her allies but viewers are left with more confusion when Ichika gets confused about whom to trust and whom to betray. This anime gets a 6 from us and it is a good one-time watch if you prefer the state vs state trope.

Final Words

All these anime in our list are extremely fun for the people who love to watch thriller anime and we hope our recommendation piqued your interest in them. If you are a fan of anime recommendations, check out our article on the best Shoujo anime of 2023.