We all have those days where we just get up one morning on a free day and go “I wanna watch something that would work my brain” No? Just me? That’s ok. But what if I tell you there’s a list of anime that are so fun, interesting and psychological that you will be completely invested in them. These are anime that are filled with mind games and make you think intellectually. Strategies, puzzles, deception, manipulation, anything you could possibly think of, these must-watch smart anime are a go to. 

1. No Game No Life (ノーゲーム・ノーライフ)

Author: Yuu Kamiya 

Genre:  Comedy, Fantasy

Demographic: Seinen

Episodes: 1 Seasons, 12 Episodes 

This anime takes place in a world where everything from personal disputes to world conflicts are decided on the basis of simple games. In this world there is only one God of games who is referred to as Tet. This world is called ‘Disboard’,  a place that consists of 16 sentient species out of which  the species referred to as ‘Imanity’ are humans.  now obviously humans are the weakest among the 16 species, however the story follows 2 step siblings namely Sora and Shiro who dominate the online gaming platform under the username ‘Blank’. So, when they respond to a message from an unknown user; they are transported to ‘Disboard’ where they are forced to conquer the 16 species and then challenge the God of Games. The Anime follows is series of high-stick games which are easily manipulated by the strategies and intelligence of the two protagonists. ‘No Game No Life’ can be watched on Netflix and Amazon Prime. 

2. Classroom of the Elite – Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e (ようこそ実力至上主義の教室へ)

Author: Shogo Kinugasa 

Genre: Psychological, Thriller, School Drama 

Demographic: Seinen 

Episodes: 3 Seasons, 38+ Episodes 

Koudo Ikusei Senior High School may seem like the perfect utopian school, however there is more to it than meets the eye. The anime follows the story of Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, a hidden genius.  Unlike other High Schools, Koudo Ikusei Senior High School works on a merit system, where students are divided into four classrooms ranking from A to D depending upon their merit. Now these students can move up in ranking if they score better than those students in the classes about them. Ayanokouji is a student from class D, the class where students use strategies and deception to survive and move up in rank. The anime is a psychological school thriller with more seasons in the making. The story explores human behaviour, intelligence and the lengths people can go to; to achieve excellence. This anime can be watched on Crunchyroll.  

3. Kakegurui (賭ケグルイ)

Author: Homura Kawamoto 

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Drama 

Demographic: Shounen

Episodes: 2 Seasons, 24 Episodes 

Unlike other schools Hyakkaou Private Academy’s student hierarchy runs on gambling and betting. During the day it runs like any other school,  however at night it turns into a high-stake gambling school. With most of the students belonging to rich families, they gamble their family fortune in order to dominate the school, those who win make up the Student Council, those who lose become ‘Pets’ in debt. However this balance is completely destroyed when Yumiko Jabami transfers to the academy. Though Yumiko may appear to look perfectly normal and beautiful on the outside, she is an obsessive gambler with insane ways of gambling. And being this good makes a lot of enemies. The anime is R rated (+17) and is known for its intense psychological tension, mind-blowing games and insane outcomes. This insane gamble is available on Netflix. 

4. Tomodachi Game (トモダチゲーム)

Author: Mikoto Yamaguchi 

Genre: Psychological, Thriller, Mystery 

Demographic: Shounen 

Episodes: 1 Season, 12 Episodes 

Tomodachi Game is a personal favourite anime.  It revolves around the story of 5 close friends and classmates, Yuuichi Katagiri, Yutori Kokorogi, Shiho Sawaragi, Makoto Shibe, and Tenji Mikasa. Everything starts going downhill when the funds for an upcoming school trip; which was collected by Shiho and Makoto, gets stolen. This leads the group to being isolated from the rest of the class. Taking advantage of the situation the group receives a mysterious call asking them to come to a location unknown to anyone, which leads them to getting knocked unconscious and waking up in a white room. There they meet a controversial figure who calls himself Manabu-kun. Manabu then reveals to them that the five of them have been gathered here because one of them needs to clear a personal debt of 20 million yen. Now to pay the amount they need to participate in a series of psychological mind games that tests their friendship, true nature and humanity, as their deep secrets surface with time. The anime is a fast paced, single-sitting watch, and is available on Crunchyroll. 

5. Death Note ( デスノート)

Author: Tsugumi Ohba

Genre: Psychological, Thriller, Supernatural

Demographic: Shounen

Episodes: 37 (1 Season)

This psychological thriller follows the story of Light Yagami, a high school student who comes across a mysterious book titled the ‘Death Note’. He soon realizes that any person’s name that is written in the book ends up dead. Light uses this to kill criminals who he thinks deserve it, soon thinking of himself as God often questioning his moral compass. With these unexpected and untraceable deaths, a global investigation is launched to catch the perpetrator. The anime follows an intense intellectual battle between two geniuses, Light Yagami and L; who is an esteemed international consulting detective. The anime is used for its dark psychological theme and constant control shift among the two main characters. The anime reflects on how human nature is manipulated when granted power that cannot be controlled. Can be watched on Netflix and Crunchyroll.

6. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion – Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ) 

Author: Ichiro Okouchi, Goro Taniguchi 

Genre: Psychological, Thriller, Action 

Demographic: Shounen 

Episodes: 2 Seasons, 25 Episodes each

The anime follows the story of Lelouch Lamperouge, an exiled Prince who is mysteriously granted the ‘Power of Kings’, that enables him to force people to obey him. The story is set in the year 2010 where the Holy Empire of Britannia  is trying to establish dominance over the world with its first stop being Japan. When Japan was defeated , they renamed the place as ‘Area 11’. Now with this new found ‘power of absolute obedience’, Lelouch embarks on a journey as a masked vigilante named ‘Zero’, to take revenge on Britannia once and for all. The anime follows him into this journey, where he has to balance morality, strategy and personal revenge. Code Geass is well known for its mind games and shocking twists. It is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Hulu.