Assassins in anime often have a reputation for being skilled killers who carry out their missions in the shadows. They are hired to carry out missions in the name of others while operating outside the traditional laws of society.
These figures are shrouded in mystery and often hold unique abilities that assist them in fulfilling their contracts. Their ruthless and secretive nature makes them fascinating to watch and often serves as an essential part of the plot.
With an array of memorable characters, assassins in anime provide plenty of action and suspense, making them one of the more popular characters in this dynamic medium.
From timeless classics to popular modern hits, here are some of the best anime that feature these mysterious and dangerous assassins.
15. The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated In Another World As An Aristocrat
The main character used to be a professional assassin before he passed away. He was a badass top-tier assassin. One day, he’s killed by a truck and then reborn in another world. He still has the same skill set he had before, but he’s in another world where magic is pretty prominent.
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His objective is to get to the top as an assassin in his new world and find out what happened to him in his past life while fighting dangerous beasts and enemies.
The side characters are also promising. There’s a noble lady named Claire, and her family is known to be skilled in swordsmanship, with Lugh as a knight who serves Claire. Also, the opening theme song is bound to have you hooked after a single listen.
14. Gunslinger Girl
Gunslinger Girl is a heart-wrenching tale of brutality set in an alternate history of Italy. These young girls who are rescued from a harrowing fate are transformed into merciless killing machines that take lives without a second thought.
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The idea of this girl losing her humanity while her handler struggles to maintain his is explored further, which highlights the theme of separating the human from the monstrous.
While other assassin anime rely on flashy action and codenames, Gunslinger Girl dives into deeper issues of the human condition and the struggle to stay human, taking the genre to an unexpectedly thoughtful level.
13. Code: Breaker
Code: Breaker is about a secret organization of assassins with supernatural powers that works for the Japanese government.
Ogami Rei is one of the Code Breakers who works for the government. He also possesses the supernatural power to manipulate blue flames. Cool, right?
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You’ll find him acting as a typical high school student by day but in darkness, he reveals his identity as an assassin. Who brings justice for those the legal system can’t touch. Ogami struggles with moral dilemmas despite his powers, showing greater depth to the assassin genre.
12. Darker Than Black
Darker than Black is an action-packed anime worth watching if you’re interested in powerful characters. This anime centers on the mysterious and powerful Hei as he works for a secretive organization whose motive is to hunt down criminals with his superhuman powers.
In the first episode, Yin crosses paths with Hei. She seems like a mysterious girl with little known about her past, but as you watch more episodes, You’ll be thrilled to know that she is linked to the shady criminal organization, The Syndicate.
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She has her own personal struggles and goals, and her fate is deeply intertwined with that of Hei and The Syndicate.
Yin and Hei may not always see eye to eye, but their shared goal brings them together. Working in tandem as a pair, they aim to reveal the truth behind The Syndicate.
With heart-pounding action and a mind-bending story, Darker than Black is a thrill ride that’ll have you craving more!
11. Noir
Noir is a classic-styled anime series that is set in Paris and Prague. You’ll be thrilled to watch Mireille Bouquet, a ruthless beauty with a knack for cold-blooded killing, and Yumura Kirika, who appears as a mysterious Japanese girl with a dark secret.
They meet by chance and form “Noir.”
A frightening group of assassins that the entire criminal world fears. You’ll see that the series follows their investigations into a sinister conspiracy where they uncover the truth about Kirika’s lost memories and the evil agenda of Les Soldats with Gothic stylings and eerie music.
10. Blade Of The Immortal
This anime is set in Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate period. It’s about a boy named Manji who has been cursed with immortality.
To continue living as a mortal, he must kill 1000 evil men.
He meets Rin Asano and befriends her. Rin is seeking vengeance against the people who murdered her family. She is an emotional and impulsive girl driven by her desire for vengeance, but her temper often gets her into unnecessary trouble.
Manji and Rin embark on a violent and action-packed journey where they are forced to confront their past and question the meaning of redemption and justice.
9. Hell’s Paradise
Hell’s Paradise is a complete package if you like to watch horror anime. It is set in Japan during the Edo period. Gabimaru is an elite shinobi assassin who is sentenced to death, but no matter what, he can’t be killed.
Amidst the judiciary chaos, Gabimaru receives a chance to be forgiven of his present, which provides him with a path to redemption. Will he seize the opportunity and make amends? Or leave the deal and maintain his fugitive status?
The show is made by Studio Mappa and gets praised as one of the best manga turned anime for this generation.
8. Danganronpa: The Animation
Danganronpa is a cartoon about Makoto Naegi, who goes to the famous Hope’s Peak Academy as a high school student.
But when Makoto and his school friends get to the big place for learning, they have no choice but play a deadly game. The game is run by a stuffed robot bear named Monokuma.
As the story progresses, Makoto and the other students attempt to survive the “High School Mutual Killing Game” and uncover the secrets behind the academy and Monokuma’s true identity.
7. The Future Diary
If you enjoy shows like All of Us Are Dead or anything to do with deadly games, then The Future Diary will definitely amaze you. It is about a high school student named Yukiteru Amano. So basically, a supernatural being called Deus Ex Machina gives her a special diary.
With this diary, Yukiteru can write down and guess what will happen next in a life or death game. Where 12 players have to fight till they are killed in order to become the new god of time and space.
At first, Yukiteru is not sure about playing the game. But his classmate Yuma Gasai tells him that she also has a future diary and will do everything in her power to keep him safe. He agrees to play the game.
Together they have to handle dangerous friendships, backstabbing and own problems while trying for victory.
This anime is an action-packed psychological thriller, and you’ll also find elements of romance and drama.
6. Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
Phantom Requiem is an anime about assassins in the violent streets of America. A mystery company known as “Inferno” uses a weapon called Phantom to orchestrate mafia and assassination.
However, a Japanese tourist accidentally witnesses a murder and is captured by Inferno’s leader. He is brainwashed and forced to become an assassin himself, a role in which he must utilize the weapon known as Phantom to ensure his survival.
5. Akame ga Kill!
When Tatsumi heads to his nation’s capital, his mission to help his poor village grows complicated. That’s because he meets the group of assassins known as Night Raid.
They offer him a chance to help them in their quest to destabilize the corrupt capital. There, He meets the renowned assassin Akame.
She is the Night Raid’s strongest assassin and a skilled swordsman with incredible speed and agility. She’s loyal, caring and committed to the cause of bringing down the corrupt government.
With its thrilling action and suspenseful plot, Akame ga Kill is a must-watch for fans of Assassin anime!
4. Assassins Pride
As a thrill-seeker who loves crime thrillers, Assassin’s Pride should be at the top of your must-watch list! Assassin’s Pride is a powerful and emotional anime that follows the story of Kufa Vampir.
Vampir is a formidable assassin with a strong conscience. He surprises everyone by refusing to follow the mission in which he was tasked to kill Melida Angel – the heiress of a noble house.
Instead, he decides to take her under his wing and train her to become an assassin as well. This decision sets in motion a series of events that lead to both Kufa and Melida being hunted down by a powerful organization hell-bent on their destruction.
With their lives on the line, Kufa and Melida must find a way to survive and fight against the odds of this thrilling story.
3. Hunter X Hunter
Hunter x Hunter is a classic anime series about the journey of a young boy, Gon Freecs. When he discovers that his father is alive, He gets excited and sets out on a path to find him.
But here’s the catch: Gon’s father is the top Hunter. So, in order to find his father. He must first become a hunter himself which could only be done by passing the hunter exam.
In the Hunter exam, Gon befriends Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika, and Leorio. All three of them have an interesting past; Kurapika is the last survivor of the Kurta clan, which was mercilessly killed by the Phantom Trouble.
His goal is to avenge the people of his clan by killing each member of the troupe.
Killua is the most skilled and deadly young assassin of the Zoldyck family. You’ll be amazed to see the dynamic of Gon and Killua’s friendship. They are the exact opposite of each other.
Gon is cheerful, energetic, and carefree, while Killua is reserved, serious, and socially awkward. Yet, they are best friends! Always ready to help each other out. Despite their differences, Gon and Killua’s bond only strengthens over time.
2. Assassination Classroom
Now comes my personal favorite anime, “Assassination Classroom,” where a mysterious biologically invented creature, the notorious korosensei, takes on a duty to teach a batch of misfits.
The Japanese government has assigned class 3-E a task, which is to kill their homeroom teacher with the help of weapons specially designed to hurt korosensei.
They’ve been given a time limit till March. If they do manage to kill him, they’ll receive a bounty of 10 million, but if not, the whole world could be in danger.
The show starts with a very casual, fun, and hooking theme, but I guarantee you will definitely end up in tears as you reach the end. The show teaches a lot of great advice that could be applied in real life to achieve our goals.
The students of class 3-E all have some kind of twisted back story, but don’t let it fool you. With the help of Korosensei, they all became successful in their future lives.
Sounds unbelievable, right? How can a bunch of outcasts ever reach heights? It’s possible with the right guidance.
Overall, I suggest you should give this anime a watch! Aside from the regular seasons, it also has side OVAs and a movie.
1. Spy x Family
Spy x Family is an exciting latest anime about an agent trying to stop a war between two countries. Twilight is a master spy of Westalis who can easily carry out almost any role.
His mission is to maintain peace between the Ostania and Westalis, which are going through a cold war. He works perfectly for hours and hours and is well renowned in the assassin world.
You’ll find it impressive to watch Twilight acting like a famous psychiatrist with the name Loid Forger.
His main mission is to carry out Operation Strix smoothly. He creates a fake family of three to act like a regular civilian, but little does he know that his wife, Yor Forger, is a deadly assassin known as the thorn princess.
Anya takes all the spotlight as she is an adorable psychic who can read minds. Twilight enrolls Anya at a prestigious academy to earn Stellas, which will ultimately lead him to meet the shady politician Donovan Desmond. The Forger family is built on secrets and is doing their best not to let each other know about their true identities.
What I like the most about the Spy X family is the dynamic between the three main characters. They’re so cute together but also kick ass and get the job done!
