10 best assassin anime that you should watch

Assassin anime offers some of the most compelling stories around themes of intrigue, action, and moral complexity. Whether they kill for ideology, money, or duty, assassin protagonists must navigate treacherous worlds that test their skills and convictions.

Assassin anime features shady underground networks, global conspiracies, formidable enemies, and high-risk missions. Yet they also explore the psychological toll of violence on perpetrators and examine philosophical questions about ends justifying means.

From lighthearted assassin classrooms to grim organized crime thrillers, the genre contains thought-provoking tales for every taste. Here are 10 of the most gripping assassin anime covering a spectrum of styles and themes.

10 must-watch assassin anime for thrill seekers

1) Assassination Classroom

Assassination Classroom (Image via Lerche)

Assassination Classroom offers a unique twist to the assassin anime genre. This anime features protagonist Nagisa Shiota and his misfit classmates who must assassinate their teacher Koro-sensei.

He's an enormously powerful tentacled creature who will destroy Earth if not assassinated within a year after teaching Class 3-E. Despite his terrifying abilities and the looming threat, Koro-sensei proves to be a dedicated and supportive teacher. His students end up bonding with him, even as they plot his demise.

With plenty of humor and heart, Assassination Classroom is an offbeat coming-of-age story. It explores thoughtful themes about adolescence, authority figures, and personal responsibility.

2) Darker than Black

Darker than Black is an assassin anime set in a world where the impossible has become reality. When 'Hell's Gate' appeared in Tokyo and 'Heaven's Gate' in South America 10 years ago, they brought a sky full of fake stars and people with supernatural abilities called Contractors.

These Contractors pay a price for using their abilities, often an involuntary obsessive action. In exchange, their powers enable them to carry out assassinations and espionage for various organizations and governments in a time of great political and criminal upheaval.

Among these Contractors is Hei, a.k.a. the Black Reaper, an assassin who works for the ominous Syndicate. Together with Yin, Huang, and Mao, Hei and his team must covertly execute assassinations while contending with rival agencies and Contractors with dangerous powers.

3) Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom

Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom (Image via Bee Train)

Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom is an assassin anime that opens with a young man who becomes known as Zwei, a new recruit forced to become an assassin for the Inferno crime organization. Zwei has no memories of his past and owns nothing except his gun and a pocket watch.

His only identity is that of the assassin-in-training. That is until he meets Ein, the first and most skilled Phantom assassin, who is tasked with training him. What follows is Zwei's tragic transformation from an ordinary young man to a cold professional killer intertwined with his growing connection to Ein.

Boasting complex characters, thought-provoking themes, and dark content, Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom offers a psychological exploration into the world of assassins.

4) Noir

Noir is an assassin anime that follows the story of two female assassins — the Corsican Mireille Bouquet and Japanese amnesiac Yuumura Kirika — as they embark on a journey to uncover the mysteries of their pasts and true identities.

After they join forces to form the assassination duo "Noir," they are pursued by a secret organization known as Les Soldats and its agents. As Mireille and Kirika uncover their ties to Les Soldats, they face a vast conspiracy that tests their bond through betrayal, tragedy, and the darker sides of human nature.

This classic assassin anime is lauded for the complexity of its female protagonists, graceful animation, meaningful relationship at its core, and tastefully executed action sequences.

5) Canaan

The action in this assassin anime, Canaan, takes place in modern-day Shanghai and centers on Canaan, an exceptionally skilled mercenary with synesthesia who perceives sounds and people as colors.

She encounters Maria Osawa, a photojournalist, as they become entangled in events surrounding a bioterrorism plot involving the mysterious Ua Virus and the sinister organization Snake. As they delve deeper into the conspiracy, they realize things are more complex than they seem.

Fighting against advanced outbreak viruses and coming up against dangerous organizations vying for power, Canaan is pushed to her limits in this thrill-packed supernatural adventure. With gun battles, martial arts action, and superhuman abilities, Canaan delivers stylish assassin anime entertainment.

6) Jormungand

The arms dealer Koko leads her team of bodyguards, selling weapons illegally around the globe for HCLI. Child soldier Jonah joins them, providing combat skills honed from the battlefield. Jormungand offers slick gun battles balanced with witty humor. It also explores the moral gray zones in the arms trade.

As Koko and Jonah travel the world meeting clients and enemies, they find their principles tested at every turn. Their dangerous work assignments take them from deserts to jungles as they face down thieves, terrorists, and rival dealers.

With coordinated tactics and specialized abilities, Koko's crew must rely on each other to survive chaotic firefights.

7) Kill la Kill

At Honnōji Academy, student council president Satsuki Kiryūin wields power through her authoritarian rule and special Goku Uniforms. Ryūko Matoi transfers seeking clues about her father's murder, carrying half of a giant scissor blade.

She comes into possession of a Kamui, a uniform more powerful than Goku Uniforms, giving her immense power. Kill la Kill features outrageous over-the-top action as Ryūko confronts Satsuki's student council goons. She battles her way up the school's social ladder to take on the formidable Satsuki herself.

With themes of fascism, inequality, and personal identity, Kill la Kill uses its premise to present thoughtful commentary. The dynamic female leads, intense action, and humor take things to such absurd heights that it loops back around into brilliance.

8) Golgo 13

Golgo 13, another assassin anime, tells the story of Duke Togo, an emotionless master assassin with unparalleled skills and a near-perfect success rate. Equipped with a customized M16 rifle and ruthless precision, Duke will accept any contract so long as the price is right.

With a strictly professional attitude, he carries out hits ranging from military targets to corporate figures to powerful crime bosses. Duke's past is shrouded in mystery but has little relevance to him as he focuses solely on completing the mission. Some know him only as Golgo 13. Others say he's a ghost.

But whoever the target may be, they will meet their end at the hands of his deadly skills with expert marksmanship, tactical planning, and masterful disguises. While Duke's objectives are simple, it's the challenges he faces along the way that make for thrilling adventures.

9) Black Lagoon

While not strictly an assassin anime, Black Lagoon features many elements common to the genre. Rokuro "Rock" Okajima seems like your average everyday businessman but his life takes a daring turn after being kidnapped by the mercenary Lagoon Company during one of their operations in Southeast Asia.

Rock was on a business trip, carrying a disc with valuable data. Rather than pay the ransom for Rock's release, his company cuts all ties and declares him dead. Rock eventually decides to join the Lagoon Company as they embark on their violent missions transporting goods in the dangerous Southeast Asian seas.

With a crew of gunslinger Revy, stoic leader Dutch, and tech wizard Benny, the Lagoon Company battles mercenaries and pirates while evading law enforcement. Rock discovers a darker side of himself to survive among lethal allies and enemies.

10) Akame ga Kill!

Akame ga Kill! is an action-packed anime that follows Tatsumi, a naive villager who comes to the Capital intending to earn money for his poor hometown. He soon discovers the deep corruption in the Capital run by the power-hungry Prime Minister Honest who exploits and harms its citizens.

Witnessing this corruption firsthand, Tatsumi joins the assassin group Night Raid to fight against it. Tatsumi becomes conflicted as Night Raid targets officials and aristocrats in the name of justice, using their unique Imperial Arms weapons that transform them into deadly fighters.

In a bloody revolution, Tatsumi faces the harsh truth that fighting for the greater good often means taking despicable lives and making gut-wrenching sacrifices. Akame ga Kill! features intense battles and characters struggling to maintain their humanity while balancing saving lives and becoming heartless killers.

Conclusion

Assassin anime showcases the thrilling potential of the medium through heart-pounding action balanced with potent themes. As we follow deadly killers, they reveal their tragic pasts and complex motivations that make them sympathetic even as they eliminate targets without remorse.

Watching them struggle to reconcile their blood-stained livelihoods with meaning reveals fundamental truths of the human condition. Assassin anime also demonstrates inspiring resilience as characters forge new connections and find hope amidst despair.

So if you think anime can’t deliver sophisticated intrigue, adrenaline-fueled gun battles, and philosophical insight all in one, these assassin anime will convince you otherwise. Their shadowy worlds illuminate dynamic characters who linger in the mind long after the credits finish rolling.