The 20 Best Police Anime For Justice

Police anime is not often mentioned if you think of it but there are plenty of shows that you can watch.

Police and cops are themes that are very related to the crime and thriller genre, even though the focus of this listicle will be more specific.

This type of anime often deal with drugs, criminality, conspiracies, and justice, as it’s the work of the police to solve these issues.

This listicle is subjective and shows are ranked based on our personal experience.

20. Cop Craft

The story revolves around the surge of crime after an otherworldly gate opened in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The presence of new visitors like fairies and monsters caused many issues such as crime, prostitution, and trafficking.

The main character Kei Matoba, an ex-member of the JSDF, will embark on a journey of vengeance with his new partner Tirana Exedirika after his old colleague Rick Fury was killed during an investigation.

The setting of the city of San-Teresa is nice but the overall execution is lacking and the tone is not suitable for a police anime.

19. On Your Mark

On Your Mark is an animated music video produced by Studio Ghibli in 1994 for the Japanese rock band called Chage e Aska.

The music video is set in a future where men can no longer live above ground due to nuclear radiation. A group of policemen is shown raiding a religious cult compound.

Two policemen found a winged mutant girl, with chains on her arms, barely alive. However, government scientists intervene to bring her back to a research facility. 

The two policemen will plot against each other and try to set her free once and for all.

Being a music video is a relatively short watch compared to other entries on this list so you should watch it the premise sounds interesting to you.

18. Onihei

Onihei is an anime aired in 2017 and set in Japan in the late Edo period.

We are witness to the adventures of a samurai and law enforcement officer Hasegawa Heizō Nobutame.

He possesses innate skills in combat with his sword and this is put to the service of hunting down criminals that in turn call him Oni no Heizo, the Demonic Heizo.

This nickname is then shorted in Onihei, hence the name of the show.

Onihei is a very well animated show with a compelling story so you should give it a shot if you’re into the loner samurai vibe.

17. Himitsu

Himitsu is an anime set in 2050 where a powerful technology has been developed. This technology can open the way to the mind of a serial killer because it allows viewing the memories of a dead person’s brain.

This method is used by the investigators of the National Research Institute of Police Science’s 9th Forensics Laboratory.

This poses them with a situation where they have to constantly face moral dilemmas and try not to sink into insanity by being too exposed to dead people’s memories.

Himitsu throws very intimate questions about morality to its audience so get ready to have your values challenged if you’re considering watching this show.

16. Tokkou

Tokkou is an anime aired in 2006. The plot revolves around Shindou Ranmaru, a young man who just graduated from Police Academy and that ends up joining Tokko, a special public safety task force.

Tokko is tasked to find out what there is to know about the monsters that start appearing from bottomless pits all around Japan.

Turns out that these monsters are killing lots and lots of people so Tokko needs to stop them, and to do so some of the members have demons inside of them that can be used to enhance their abilities.

Tokkou uses many of the classic plot devices to have a group of main characters that can use supernatural abilities. If you’re into this kind of story and you don’t mind giving up a little realism this is the show for you.

15. Dirty Pair

This is an anime set in the 22nd century where the organization called World Welfare Works Association sends its teams to solve the problems of the universe.

The story focuses on a couple of these Trouble Consultants who call themselves Lovely Angels but it is known as Dirty Pair by everybody else.

This kind of nickname is given to Kei and Yuri because wherever they go, something gets wrecked, up to and including entire planets.

Even though they often do solve the problem for which they have been called and it’s in these cases that they are allowed to use their catchphrase: “It’s not our fault!”.

This is a police anime that doesn’t take itself too seriously and leaves room for comedy relief.

It doesn’t have a proper storyline, and most focus is on the two main characters. It was a very common trait in the ’80s when this series came out so if you like that era of animation you’ll feel right at home.

14. Birdy the Mighty

Birdy the Mighty is a manga series by Masami Yuki which was eventually adapted into an anime between 2008 and 2009.

The plot starts strong with the death of Tsutomu Senkawa, a high school boy that discovers that the only way to survive is by being merged into the body of Birdy, a fairly attractive space police agent.

Birdy will continue to pursue her investigations while Tsutomu will be trying to hide all of this from his family and friends.

This will result in some comical scenarios and a bond will grow between the two as they take on numerous criminals and evil aliens.

Another police anime with a light comical vibe. It is worth your time if you’re looking for something light and laid back to watch.

13. B: The beginning

B: The beginning is an original anime series that debuted on Netflix in 2018.

It’s located in the fictional peninsula of Cremona, inspired by the existing town of Cremona in Italy and other Italian cities such as Milan.

The plot revolves around the notorious Killer B taking justice into his own hands, armed with a sharp blade and superhuman abilities.

The Royal Investigation Service (RIS) is unable to catch him so is forced to call the help of Keith Flick, a detective who was relegated to the Archives Department after a personal loss.

As the crime rates in Cremona start to grow, Keith begins to unravel the events involving secret organizations, domestic terrorism, and human experiments. Soon the involvement of the RIS will extend even beyond the scope of justice.

Despite Netflix original anime getting a bad reputation over the years, we think this is worth your time. The plot is compelling and even the animation is well made.

12. Appleseed

Appleseed is a movie set in a dystopian future after a Global War that wipes out a huge chunk of the population. To avoid another disaster the utopian city of Olympus is found.

Here is where we found our protagonist Deunan who is a survivor of the Global War and manages to find her lover Briareos. He is turned into a cyborg because of all the injuries and the pain he had to undertake during the war.

They discover that there are lots of tensions between the human military and the new race of the Bioroids and the two are engaged in a silent war.

Deunan is going to be tasked to unravel the mysteries hiding beneath the peaceful and utopian surface of the city of Olympus.

This is an interesting movie with an entertaining plot and easy to watch if you don’t mind the’80s style of animation.

11. Hyper Police

Hyper Police is an anime television series that first came out in 1997.

The story is set in a world where humans and monsters live together in a generally peaceful way, with the monsters often infringing upon the rights of the humans.

Sasahara Natsuki is a bounty hunter half-human and half cat-beast, so she tries her hardest to understand and respect both natures while enforcing the law.

This is a fun and light anime that will provide you with a source of entertainment and very light drama.

10. Patlabor – The Movie

Patlabor – The Movie is a Japanese animated movie directed by Mamoru Hoshii.

The movie came out in 1989 and is set in a not-yet-discovered 1999 Japan.

Tokyo is undergoing a huge re-development program that involves old suburbs being demolished and human-made islands being constructed in Tokyo Bay under the Babylon Project.

This Project is known for utilizing Labors, or robots created for the express purpose of doing work, giving the architects and construction crews the possibility to more efficiently progress development. 

The whole thing starts to go sideways when a key figure in the Project’s conception is found dead after committing suicide under mysterious circumstances.

Captain Kiichi Gotou’s Patlabor police unit is tasked with getting to the bottom of this strange situation.

Turns out that a hacked AI program endangers the people of Tokyo, so Gotou and his crew will be tasked to save the city and the entire nation.

This is a fun police movie with many great characters and is considered to be a hidden gem of the genre alongside its sequel that came out in 1993.

9. Burn-Up Scramble

This anime from the early 2000s is set in a dystopian future city of Tokyo where the crime rate is gone way up. The government is worried about how to face the numerous threats to public safety.

They decide to form a special extralegal police team combining Rino Kinezono, with her proficient martial arts skills, Maya Jingo, with her expertise in firearms, and then a powerful psychic called Lilica Ebett.

The trio will be tasked to deal with the sky-rocketing crime while the Police Council analyzes them, possibly wanting to turn on the trio as soon as it is convenient.

The main cast of the show is very well made and you will grow attached to them. The series is enjoyable for its many comedy moments so you should watch it if you’re looking for something light in the genre.

8. Kochikame

Kochikame is an anime that premiered in the 90s. The plot is centered around Captain Kankichi Ryotsu, a lazy patrol officer working at the MPD Katsushika Precinct’s police box in Tokyo.

He is obsessed to find a way to get rich and make money as fast as possible, claiming that the salary of a police officer is not enough for him.

In each episode, we can follow his attempts to find strategies and schemes that inevitably will go sideways, causing every kind of comical scenario throughout the seasons.

The funny plot and the hilarious Captain Kankichi Ryotsu are the main reason you should watch this show.

7. You’re under arrest

A lot of anime are an adaptation of a manga that came before but in this case, the manga has been adapted multiple times. The first was called You’re under arrest and aired in 1996/97.

Then there was a sequel in 2001 followed by the 2006 You’re under arrest: Full Throttle with much better animation and character designs.

The story is pretty simple and revolves around a couple of female agents of the Bokuto Police Department.

Natsumi Tsujimoto is late for his first day on the job and decides to take several shortcuts in a non exactly legal way, so Miyuki Kobayakawa decides to follow her and give her a ticket for speeding.

The two will soon find out that they will have to be partners and they should team up to defeat crime and maybe they will bond in the meantime.

The growth of the main characters is a central part of the plot and the relationship between them is the focus of the show. You should watch this anime if you like the characters and the banter that goes on between the two.

6. Paranoia Agent

Paranoia Agent is an animated show produced by Madhouse in 2004. It follows a series of events in which a child running around on rollerblades is terrorizing an entire town.

The kid eventually earns the nickname Lil’ Slugger (Shonen Bat in the Japanese version).

After the first attacks Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa, two police detectives, are assigned to the case.

They only have a couple of leads, like the iconic golden skates and the weapon used. The bent golden baseball bat which is starting to cause huge amounts of chaos and paranoia inside the town.

It is a show from the creator of Perfect Blue and Paprika so it has a huge cult following. It deals with many dark themes such as mental disorders so you will absolutely enjoy Paranoia Agent if you’re into this sort of show.

5. ID – Invaded

Id-Invaded is a pretty recent anime show that aired in the first half of 2020.

The anime follows the life of Akihito Narihisago, also known as Sakaido, a renowned detective that had his family killed by a serial killer. Narishago will seek vengeance toward the culprit and this will lead to his incarceration.

While in prison, the detective continues to support the police thanks to a device that allows a person’s consciousness to be transported within a virtual world.

It’s created based on the traces of homicidal instincts left in the victims’ bodies.

This device is called an ID-well. It can lead the detective to the perpetrator of a crime but it can only be used by someone who has taken a life, like the protagonist, Sakaido.

The show combines futuristic elements with a very grounded plot and that’s the reason that makes it stand out.

4. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, as it is known in the US, is a political thriller anime that came out in 1999.

The plot takes place in an alternative version of Japan during the ’60s and revolves around the protagonist Kazuki Fuse, who is a member of the Kerberos Panzer Cops, a counter-terrorist organization.

Kazui’s inner self is put to test when he refuses to shoot a young terrorist that ends up detonating a bomb in front of him. She killed herself in the process and damaged the reputation of the Kerberos.

Kazui visits the girl at the cemetery and there meets her sister. The two begin to develop a weird and complex relationship.

Meanwhile, a sinister conspiracy is brewing deep in the labyrinth of the police system, pitting a secret group of extremists against the politically inclined bureaucrats of the police force.

One of the most underrated gems of the last decades. If you like a gritty setting with a compelling but dark plot look no further than this movie. It is a bit old now but the animations still hold up to this day.

3. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a Japanese anime tv show from the early 2000s

The show takes place in 2030 and tells the story of a special operations task force called Public Security Section 9. They are an elite domestic anti-crime unit charged with the task of preventing technology-related acts of terrorism and crime like cybercrimes and cyberterrorism.

The plot is centered around a Japanese police team dealing with several cases linked by a common thread: the connection to robotics, the computer or media technology corporations, and its inventions.

All this is set against the backdrop of a futuristic world.

There is not much to say about Ghost in the Shell. It’s hugely popular so if you’re still on the fence about giving it a chance we are including it in this list to say that yes, it is worth your time.

2. Psycho-Pass

Psycho-Pass is an animated show set in a dystopian future where it is possible to measure the mental health of the Japanese people, governed by the Sybil System.

In this version of Japan, every citizen is analyzed and given a so-called ‘Crime Coefficient’, which reveals the likelihood to commit a crime. This is included in the personal ‘Psycho-Pass’ that is assigned to everyone.

When someone’s Crime Coefficient exceeds the threshold he is pursued, arrested, or killed by the Crime Investigation Department of the Ministry of Welfare’s Public Safety Bureau.

The plot revolves around Akane Tsunemori, an Enforcer that works for the Sybil System and who is tasked to manage crime in this peculiar version of Japan.

Psycho-Pass is a very famous anime and for good reasons. The setup of the show is genius and the plot is very compelling right from the start. You should really watch this show if you haven’t already.

1. Detective Conan

This is an anime from 1996 which follows the protagonist Shinichi Kudou, a high school student gifted with great intelligence and intuition.

He’s making his way into a career as a brilliant detective when one day is spotted by two criminals that dose him with an experimental drug that is supposed to kill him.

Shinichi will survive but he is going to be trapped in the body of a seven-year-old child. He is able to retain his personality and his intelligence and is going to hide his identity under the alias Conan Edogawa.

Shinichi, as Conan, is going to follow his childhood friend Ran Mouri and her father Kogoro Mori, a famous private detective. Conan will be able to secretly solve every case assigned to detective Mouri using his talents and a clever way to disguise himself from everyone.

Meanwhile, the young detective is going to investigate the organization responsible for his childlike appearance, hoping to discover some way to reverse the drug’s effects.

Conan will always hold a special place for us. For a kid identifying with him is a better power fantasy than any superhero can give you. But that’s just what we think.

The episodic nature of the plot makes it easy to watch and the banter between the main cast can create many comedic moments. The animation is also great for its time so I could not recommend it enough.