Psychological Anime To Watch If You Like Tomodachi Game

Highlights

• Psychological anime is a beloved genre within the anime community, known for its dark and intense themes.
• High-stakes games are a popular theme in psychological anime, with characters competing against each other to survive.
• Shows like Tomodachi Game, Liar, Liar, and Kakegurui offer entertaining battles of wits presented through life-size games.

With the release of Tomodachi Game, the genre of psychological shows in anime doesn’t seem to be disappearing anytime soon. It’s always been a much-loved genre within the anime community, mainly because of its much darker themes compared to the bright and colorful romance shows.

Psychological anime can range from shows like Tokyo Ghoul to Darwin’s Game, and these shows tend to cover heavier subjects. A popular theme within the psychological anime genre is that of a high-stakes game. These shows get viewers on the edge of their seats while they watch their favorite characters compete against each other to survive whatever horror lurks around the corner.

Updated December 3, 2023 by Mark Sammut: Tomodachi Game’s first season only scratched the manga’s surface, and there is more than enough content to produce at least two follow-up cours. However, a sequel has yet to be announced, and there is a significant chance that it will never be announced. Fans of the show should consider reading the manga (they can start from around chapter 25 to skip the anime’s content, although beginning from scratch is the better option); alternatively, they can check out some anime like Tomodachi Game​​​​​​.

11 Liar, Liar

A School System Based Entirely On Mind Games (& Actual Games)

Although nowhere near as dark as Tomodachi Game, Liar, Liar has a fairly similar core concept. Set on Academy Island, students compete in games to collect stars, with the goal being to amass seven. They engage in a wide range of competitions while using different buffs and tricks to try and claim victory. Even though the matches are not amplified by life-or-death stakes, the protagonist and his closest companions are constantly on edge since they must win to hide a few key secrets.

A mixed bag, Liar, Liar plays it a bit too safe at times, and its main characters’ strengths and weaknesses can be hard to pin down. Still, the show is a fine watch for the most part, and it should be able to scratch someone’s itch for battles of wits presented through life-size games.

10 Death Parade

Intense Games For Eternal Survival

Death Parade is an example of a high-stakes game in an anime, much like Tomodachi Game. This one has a little bit of a twist though, as the players of the game are already dead. The players arrive at Quindecim, a bar that determines which one of these two people can go to either heaven or hell.

These games are fueled with tension, guaranteed to hook psychological anime fans within the first episode. You see the realization set in for each participant as they arrive, and it’s easy to empathize with their anguish.

9 Kakegurui

High-Stakes Matches Featuring Gambling Addicts

A high school that allows gambling on the premises sounds far-fetched, but not in anime. Kakegurui takes place in Hyakkaou Private Academy, a school for rich kids who have power. Due to the mass of money that the majority of students have, they decide to gamble said money with each other.

These aren’t just any type of gambling game though, they get extremely violent at times. Throughout the show, the viewer is introduced to a variety of students who take gambling a little bit too seriously.

8 Darwin’s Game

A Fast-Paced Mobile Death Game

Kaname Sudou, Darwin’s Game‘s main character, is invited to play a mobile game. When a green snake breaks the fourth wall and literally comes out of his phone, it bites his neck. That experience would put most people off from opening the mobile game ever again.

In typical anime form, Kaname decides to open the game despite what previously happened. The mobile game performs like any other mobile game would, until his opponent appears in front of him with a knife. The games provided give a generous reward to those who survive, making the games incredibly competitive. Similar to Tomodachi Game, Darwin’s Game is not meant to be taken that seriously, and the anime prioritizes entertainment and over-the-top mayhem over tight storytelling. Basically, it is a fun ride.

7 Psycho-Pass

A Gripping Psychological Sci-Fi Thriller

While Psycho-Pass isn’t an anime about survival games, it is undoubtedly one of the most well-known psychological anime to date. There are not all that many anime that blend the genres of crime and psychological, which made Psycho-Pass a hit with fans searching for a mature story.

Members of the public are all monitored through the Sibyl System, which analyzes the criminal activities of individuals and determines how dangerous they are to society. This system is used to make Japan a safer place and to filter out evil members of society. The series follows Akane Tsunemori, and her experiences working in Division 1, a crime unit tasked with capturing or executing people with dangerous Psycho-Pass levels.

6 Deadman Wonderland

In This Prison, Losing Is Not An Option

Ganta has the school trip from hell when visiting an amusement park named Deadman Wonderland. Suddenly, his entire class is murdered, with only Ganta being spared. As if his day wasn’t already going terribly, Ganta is then framed for the crime and taken to jail. However, this jail isn’t the typical type.

A collar is placed on Ganta’s neck, which slowly injects poison throughout the day. The only way to slow down the effects of the poison is to consume “Candy”, a reward given to those that win the cruel games that take place within Deadman Wonderland prison. Fans are still waiting for season 2 to become a reality.

5 Danganronpa

The Definitive Mind Games Survival Anime

While Danganronpa is mostly known as a video game franchise, it has also spawned a pretty popular anime series. Hope’s Peak Private Academy is a famous school that accepts only the best students, but Makoto and his classmates are in for a rude awakening when they first arrive at their new home.

They suddenly lose consciousness and later wake up in an abandoned school, only to find out that it’s actually Hope’s Peak. A bear called Monokuma appears and informs the students that the only way to escape the academy is to kill a fellow classmate and not get caught. Offering regular shocks and creative kills, Danganronpa takes audiences on an unpredictable roller-coaster ride filled with intrigue, thrills, and twists.

4 The Future Diary

The Ultimate Battle To The Death

Another addition to the survival game sub-genre, The Future Diary has a lot of notoriety within the anime community. Each participant in the game must kill each other to win until eventually there is only one participant left. The device they must all carry is called a Future Diary, which has the universal ability to predict the user’s future.

However, each Future Diary has different powers depending on the user. This device allows the participants to plan ahead and try to survive as long as possible, but if the Future Diary is destroyed, the user ceases to exist. While the show has amassed its share of criticisms due to its polarizing protagonist and frustrating plot development, Future Diary works well as a “shut-off your brain” style anime.

3 Death Note

A Legendary Battle Of Wits

For those who have been in the anime community for a long time, they will surely know of Death Note. While not telling a survival game-type story, the show primarily revolves around mind games, instigated by Light Yagami and his experience with the Death Note. If someone’s name is written in the book, they die; the owner can even identify how the act happens.

Light decides to use this power to rid the world of evil individuals, but the power takes hold of him. The series follows the investigation of the mysterious deaths of criminals, and Light’s journey using the Death Note. In the world of anime, no cat-and-mouse battle is as iconic as Light’s struggle against L, and they are evenly matched throughout most of the story.

2 When They Cry

A Psychological Horror Classic

It’s 1983 in Hinamizawa, a rural village where all residents know each other. Keiichi Maebara transfers to the local school after moving to the village and soon becomes friends with four classmates. Everything seems normal, and Keiichi begins to live a fairly usual life. This is until the mystery of several murders becomes apparent to Keiichi.

Understandably, he questions his friends about this, and to his dismay, he is met with hostility and silence. Keiichi’s suspicions rise as his friends start to act strange and secretive, thus making Keiichi try to work out what’s going on within the village. It’s important to note that this anime covers multiple arcs which can get confusing at first. Each episode is its own experience, and the characters descend into madness more and more throughout the series.

When They Cry has plenty of seasons, and the timeline can be confusing since the 2020 release initially comes across as a remake. However, that is not the case. The best order to watch the episodes is to just start from the 2006 entry and go from there.

1 No Game, No Life

Another World Defined By Games

One of the most popular isekai anime of all time, No Game, No Life follows Sora and Shiro, master gamers who are summoned to Disboard, a world where everything is decided by games. They are challenged by this realm’s god, who wants to prove they are not infallible. Throughout 12 episodes (and a prequel movie featuring other protagonists), No Game, No Life goes through a range of creative battles of wits revolving around familiar games.

Now, this anime not only has quite a lot of fanservice but is also notorious for it, to the point that it can be off-putting. That said, the actual games are all interesting, intense, and visually appealing.

More: Best Psychological Anime