10 Additional Thriller Series To Watch!
Erased was a compelling murder-mystery anime that won many fans over. It didn’t have the strongest ending, but it had a fun cast that fans will adore. After learning his mother’s murderer has ties to a missing classmate’s case from the past, our protagonist, Satoru uses his supernatural powers to time travel to the past. He plans to figure out who his mother’s murderer is while protecting his classmate from harm’s way.
Fear not if you’re having trouble finding anime similar to Erased! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as Erased.
Additionally, for each anime we’ve reviewed, we’ve included a link that allows you to view our full thoughts about the series to see if it’s worth your time.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet your appetite when you’ve finished streaming Erased!
Re:Zero — Starting Life in Another World
Similarities – Action & Atmosphere
Re:Zero is a psychological isekai series with a focus on time travel and exploring the concept of altering the past to change the future. Subaru, Re:Zero’s protagonist, has the power to rewind time like Satoru. However, his ability works somewhat differently in comparison. In Re:Zero, Subaru can travel to specific checkpoints whenever he dies.
Like Satoru, Subaru uses his powers to prevent imminent danger and protect their loved ones. Subaru also uses powers to unravel the mystery behind his multiple deaths and the series of events he notices in his new world. Satoru and Subaru also have heart-wrenching emotional trauma they must overcome while solving their distinct mysteries.
You’ll appreciate Re:Zero for delving into Subaru’s mental and emotional matters as it adds depth and humanity to his character. Although Re:Zero features a more fantastical world unlike Erased, it offers enough similarities to make it feel like a great anime to watch after it.
Steins;Gate
Similarities – Solving Mysteries Through Time Travel
Steins;Gate is a great sci-fi series with fun scientific shenanigans regarding research, time travel, and clever deductions. On that note, it features great mystery components that unravel over time. The anime’s pacing isn’t great at the start, but if you stick with it long enough, you’ll enjoy the thrilling ride it offers in the long haul.
In Steins;Gate, we follow a scientist named Rintarou. He learns how to send messages through time by tapping into the power of a microwave mechanism he created. Like Satoru, Rintarou will use his time-altering devices to prevent people from getting into dangerous outcomes. Both anime explore the butterfly effect.
This phenomenon showcases how the slightest change in the past can lead to significant impacts in the present. Rintarou will navigate through a complex web of cause and effect as he tries to change past events to avoid a terrible future. Solving mysteries is another key aspect Rintarou and Satoru participate in with their respective series.
The Promised Neverland
Similarities – Characters, Mystery, Suspense
What would happen if you learned you lived a short life and were destined to be food for horrifying entities? This is the type of scenario the child protagonists want to avoid in The Promised Neverland. This anime is full of mysteries, twists, and compelling mind games between intelligent toddlers and cunning adults. Like Erased, the protagonist’s young age adds to the sense of danger and suspense.
The protagonists’ youth in both anime highlights their vulnerability and makes the audience more invested in their outcomes. Both anime’s mysteries slowly unravel over time, leading to some unexpected and spooky scenarios. The Promised Neverland and Erased also explore the psychological effects their situations have on the characters.
You’ll see some characters break down and question the authenticity of their comrade’s words. This leads to heated moments that will keep you engaged and invested in the character’s inevitable freedom. Give The Promised Neverland a shot if you’re searching for thought-provoking work with clever writing and thrilling mind games.
Monster
Similarities – Crime, Suspense, Mystery
Monster is a delightful crime drama that’s more grounded and fleshed-out than Erased. Every character, regardless of age, is given enough depth to make viewers care for their safety. The story contains meaningful twists and powerful cliffhangers that will entice you to continue watching. It’ll make you feel like you’re eating a treat that’s so tasty you’ll never want to stop consuming it.
Our tale revolves around a skilled doctor named Kenzou. He must choose to save his mayor or a child from death. Kenzou chooses the child, resulting in the mayor’s death and his getting shunned by his peers.
Furthermore, Kenzou gets blamed for a future murder that his child patient Johan Liebert committed. To clear his name, Kenzou plans to bring Johan to justice. For those looking for a story that’s slow but effective in every category, check out Monster.
Detective Conan
Similarities – Characters & Story
Detective Conan is a long-running anime series known for its episodic plot and delightful mysteries. Like Erased, it follows a young protagonist who gets roped into suspenseful and mysterious adult-themed situations. Edogawa Conan is as intelligent as Erased’s Satoru and will solve numerous crimes to give people closure on situations.
Detective Conan knows how to build suspense and keep the audience on the edge of their seats. As Conan investigates a crime, trying to solve it before it’s too late.
Both anime keep the audience guessing, creating a thrilling viewing experience. Both anime have side characters who help our protagonists solve their mysteries too. From murders to drug abuse, expect Conan to tackle it all with his companions at his side. Give this a watch if you’re looking for a fun episodic mystery anime.
Higurashi When They Cry
Similarities – Time Travel & Mystery
Higurashi When They Cry is a well-known mystery series with bone-chilling horror elements. Like Erased, this anime features several protagonists who must unravel traumatic events from the past to prevent tragedies from occurring. Both anime include characters with time-looping abilities who use these powers to save others.
Satoru uses his power to prevent a series of murders and kidnappings while one of Higurashi’s female characters uses her power to locate the cause of her village’s countless demise. The female character endures much harsher circumstances than Satoru and bears witness to her friend’s perils that are nerve-wracking and wretched.
Nevertheless, both anime deal with themes of trauma and memory. Higurashi’s second season highlights this aspect the best as you’ll get to see our characters come together as friends to forge a future that’s bright for each of them. If you’re curious why people credit Higurashi so highly in the anime community, I’d recommend giving it a shot.
Orange
Similarities – Time-Travel & Characters
Orange is a unique romance anime because of its use of time travel. This anime follows Naho, a girl who obtains a letter from her future self. She learns that a future classmate will perish. After strange things happen according to her future self’s other notes, Naho vows to prevent future terrible scenarios from happening. Like Satoru, Naho’s another protagonist who gets a chance to change the future.
This creates a sense of urgency and suspense in both works, as the protagonists must alter the past to change the present for the better. Naho will encounter situations that’ll make her feel regretful and many people will understand where she’s coming from in these situations. At the same time, Naho doesn’t always make choices that will vibe with everyone.
These choices help her character feel flawed and relatable to some. Friendship and personal growth are other key aspects shared between these anime. As Naho and her friends have great chemistry and learn to be more supportive and honest with each other as they try to prevent more tragedies from happening.
ReLife
Similarities – Characters & Action
Many folks wish they can restart their life. However, after watching ReLife, you may end up being satisfied with what you accomplished. This anime follows Arata, a boy who receives an opportunity to change his teen years. With his newfound knowledge, Arata believes it’ll be easy. Unfortunately, Arata only experiences more failures concerning weight gains and meeting expectations.
This leads Arata to develop insecure feelings about himself, as even with a second opportunity, he can’t correct his past mistakes. It’s a series that’ll make everyone reflect upon the blunders they’ve made in the past and what they could do in the present to atone for them. Like Satoru, Arata will mature and grow as he relives his youth, learning to make the most of his future. With relatable characters and some nice animation, ReLife is a great anime to watch after Erased.
Link Click
Similarities – Time-Travel, Crime, Characters
Link Click is a supernatural drama series with fantastic characters and action. In it, we follow two buddies named Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang who provide people with a photo-hopping service. Essentially, they jump into photos and observe the world through the photographer’s eyes to solve cases. However, one wrong move could result in changing their and other’s people’s futures.
When one of their jobs starts feeling too personal, Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang must retain their emotions to accomplish their task and receive payment. Like Erased, this anime has great murder mystery and time-travel aspects. The characters receive excellent development and you’ll get to learn more about their backgrounds as the series progresses.
Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang tasks can lead to some heartwarming scenarios though. You’ll find these moments wonderful as they’ll provide you with time to breathe from the anime’s suspenseful storytelling segments. Give this anime a shot if you crave a tale with clever writing and an excellent cast.
Your Name
Similarities – Characters & Themes
Makoto Shinkai is an excellent anime director known for his multiple romantic hits like Weathering With You, 5 Centimeters Per Second, and Your Name. Your Name revolves around two characters named Taki and Mitsuha. One day, they find themselves in each other’s bodies and must accomplish tasks pertaining to each other’s life.
While trying to find a reason for this body-swapping phenomenon, they learn of a subplot that threatens one of their area’s existence. Like Satoru, Taki is another enjoyable lead character who will try his best to rescue a female from an opposing force. You’ll find yourself growing attached to our cast and enjoying how they impact each other’s lives when they swap bodies.
Both anime features protagonists dealing with some ounce of regret. In Your Name, Taki and Mitsuha will be saddened that they may never meet each other due to how far apart they are from each other.
Similarly, Satoru regrets not being able to prevent his mother’s demise, which fuels him to make things right in the past with his “Renewal” ability. If you’re looking for another anime that packs an emotional punch, check out Your Name.
So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve caught up with Erased!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!