10 best anime to watch if you like Death Parade

The acclaimed anime series Death Parade instantly grabs viewers with its thrilling premise of recently deceased individuals competing in arbitrary games to determine their fate in the afterlife.

At the mysterious bar Quindecim, the stoic arbiters pass judgment on human souls through unpredictable and psychologically twisted games. However, things become more complex as the arbiters start questioning their role and the true meaning behind passing judgment on humanity.

Ranging across genres from science fiction to horror, many shows have used their creative worlds and narratives to delve into metaphysical subject matter as masterfully as Death Parade. These 10 anime are perfect for fans of anime with deep themes and thought-provoking questions.

10 best anime for fans of Death Parade

1) Ergo Proxy

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Ergo Proxy follows an investigator named Re-l Mayer searching for the truth behind Proxies, mysterious beings with significant influence over the remnants of human civilization.

It uses philosophical themes and mysterious storytelling to tackle profound questions about self-identity, morality, and the future of humanity. With its dark visual aesthetic, complex plotlines, and thought-provoking themes, it bears many similarities to the engrossing, cryptic nature of Death Parade.

The anime also features psychological tension and impactful character development throughout its epic dystopian narrative. For fans who enjoy heavy existentialist elements, Ergo Proxy's multifaceted examination of the human condition provides another smart, engrossing anime experience.

2) Psycho-Pass

For another sci-fi thriller, look no further than the acclaimed cyberpunk anime Psycho-Pass. Set in a dystopian future where a person's mental state and psychological tendencies are quantified and monitored, it explores provocative themes of destiny, free will, and moral relativism.

Protagonist Akane Tsunemori battles with philosophical dilemmas over justice and societal order as she tracks down criminal masterminds. Akane operates within the Sibyl System, which determines people's fates through Psycho-Pass measurements. Yet, she occasionally challenges its automated judgments.

With dark, thought-provoking cases of the week and an overarching narrative centered on moral philosophy, this series scratches a similar itch to Death Parade.

3) Paranoia Agent

This psychological thriller anime from the legendary director Satoshi Kon offers just as many mysteries and unsettling questions about human nature as Death Parade.

It follows an investigation into a mysterious figure known as Lil' Slugger—a manifestation of collective fear and paranoia—who begins attacking random citizens across the city.

As the detectives delve deeper into the case, the anime turns into a darker and more complex exploration of fear, paranoia, and guilt manifesting in the human psyche. With stunning visual storytelling, Paranoia Agent keeps viewers guessing in each disturbing, reality-bending episode.

4) Mushishi

For anime fans looking for a supernatural series with philosophical depth, Mushishi delivers thoughtful episodic storytelling focused on the metaphysical Mushi creatures.

The peaceful protagonist Ginko travels through an ambiguous countryside researching Mushi and helping those whose lives have become intertwined with the paranormal entities in sobering ways. Mushishi explores life's interconnectedness and fragility through Ginko's spiritual journeys.

With imaginative supernatural stories and meaningful themes centered on the human condition, Mushishi is a calming yet insightful watch for fans of Death Parade’s mix of mystery and moral philosophy.

5) Serial Experiments Lain

Serial Experiments Lain (Image via Triangle Staff)

A mind-bending sci-fi classic, Lain focuses on an isolated high school girl obsessed with connecting to the virtual world Wired after receiving an eerie email from a dead classmate. Reality, identity, and existence unravel as she questions her own consciousness while diving deeper into the network.

Featuring avant-garde visuals and editing, Serial Experiments Lain thematically echoes the way Death Parade subtly terrifies viewers about the fragility of the human psyche. Both anime series pioneer their own unique brand of dark surrealism and creeping dread through profound existential questions.

For fans of the deeply philosophical anime, Lain delivers an iconic and still relevant descent into the many unknowable facets of technology, psychology, and being.

6) Steins;Gate

One of the most acclaimed anime in recent years, Steins;Gate revolves around the concept of time travel and how even minor alterations to the past can massively impact the present in unpredictable ways.

Protagonist Rintaro Okabe discovers how to send messages to the past through a modified microwave. He later develops a time-leap machine with Kurisu's help, as he grapples with the ethics of changing history to save the lives of his friends.

Okabe also takes on god-like abilities and responsibilities that disconnect him from other people. With dark and unsettling plot twists centered on valuing relationships in a chaotic world, Steins;Gate captures a uniquely thrilling yet philosophical essence reminiscent of Death Parade.

7) Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World

Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World (Image via White Fox)

Re:Zero shares Death Parade’s appeal mixing psychological tension with metaphysical mysteries. When teenager Subaru is transported to a fantasy world, he gains the terrifying ability "Return by Death," which revives him at predetermined checkpoints after each death, beyond his control. But retaining his memories soon takes a mental toll as he suffers repeated deaths trying to save himself and his friends.

Re:Zero’s dark tone and brutally upfront violence push Subaru to his mental limits as he grapples with watching his own deaths to fix problems. The show blurs fantasy and philosophy for a moving character story hidden beneath the creative supernatural premise.

8) Another

With grim deaths and an unsettling aura of dread permeating its slow-burn mystery, Another makes a strong thematic pairing with Death Parade. The anime follows a cursed school class investigating a mysterious chain of accidents and illnesses targeting students, along with an eerie phantom that may be connected.

Protagonist Kōichi Sakakibara transfers into a troubling environment and gradually forms a connection with the mysterious Mei, who is oddly ignored by their classmates. They work together to uncover the supernatural phenomenon, which seems tied to a student's death from years ago.

Another also thrives on metaphysical questions about deaths accumulating in ways neither characters nor viewers fully understand until later climactic revelations.

9) The Tatami Galaxy

Visually daring with a warped, surreal aesthetic, The Tatami Galaxy centers structurally on a protagonist reliving alternate versions of his college life to realize deeper self-truths about his decisions and identity.

After experiencing diverging paths over and over, he notices patterns in his own happiness and attitude unconsciously impacting his nostalgic desire to recapture the past. The Tatami Galaxy and Death Parade share a sharp sense of visual creativity, depicting abstract ideas through symbolic sequences.

They also both revolve around introspective repetitions relentlessly revealing core human needs for connection, meaning, and self-understanding that can too easily go unfulfilled in life.

10) Kaiba

With an experimental retro art style and profound themes questioning reality and memory itself, Kaiba follows a young man named Kaiba who wakes up in an unfamiliar world with no memories.

He slowly learns his mind now resides in an artificial body, as human consciousness has become transferrable through memory chips in this surreal sci-fi society. Kaiba travels through surreal planets, meeting fragmented souls and uncovering his past while exploring fading memories and existence.

Like Death Parade’s ghosts, many digital minds in Kaiba grapple with questions of identity through their transferred memories and connections that shaped their current existence. Both anime explore purpose, memory, and letting go in weird yet wondrous sci-fi settings ranging from quirky to melancholic in tone.

Conclusion

With their dark tones, complex themes, and engaging premises, these 10 anime make excellent viewing options for Death Parade fans looking for more philosophical, existential storytelling.

From cyberpunk and science fiction worlds to fantasy realms and surreal landscapes, these shows utilize their settings to drive insightful reflections on life, death, and the human condition from different angles.

Anyone who loved unraveling the mysteries of Death Parade will find more anime to sink their teeth into philosophically with these selections. These compelling, genre-spanning shows prove that anime provides an infinite well for examining deeper questions about existence.