Fans of Dexter’s story of a killer hiding behind a respectable public image may find similar themes in anime centered on murder, obsession and morally complicated characters. The series below pair psychological tension with investigations that challenge the meaning of justice.
In Moriarty the Patriot, William James Moriarty targets aristocrats who exploit the poor, using elaborate crimes to punish them while concealing his role. His campaign puts him on a collision course with Sherlock Holmes, whose investigation becomes a battle of intellect and ideals.
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom follows assassins controlled by the criminal organization Inferno. After witnessing a murder, an American tourist is captured, has his memories erased and is forced into the same profession under the name Zwei. The story focuses on the loss of identity and the danger of trying to escape a life dictated by handlers.
Talentless Nana puts a seemingly cheerful transfer student among classmates with supernatural abilities. Nana claims to have mind-reading powers, but her real assignment is to eliminate the students. She relies on manipulation and carefully constructed lies to conceal her actions from people who are far more powerful than she is.
Happy Sugar Life presents Satou Matsuzaka’s relationship with a young child, Shio, as the center of an increasingly disturbing deception. Satou hides Shio and commits crimes to protect their arrangement, while pressure from people around her threatens to expose what is happening. Instead of following a conventional investigation, the series shows the consequences of Satou’s choices building over time.
In B: The Beginning, detective Keith Flick and rookie investigator Lily Hoshina pursue a serial killer known as Killer B. The case expands into a conspiracy involving organized crime and supernatural violence, while secrets in the city complicate the search for those responsible.
ID: INVADED turns criminal profiling into a surreal investigation. Detective Sakaido works inside artificial worlds built from serial killers’ subconscious minds, but he is himself Akihito Narihisago, a former investigator imprisoned for killing the man who murdered his daughter. His past makes his role in understanding killers difficult to separate from his own capacity for violence.
Psycho-Pass imagines a society in which the Sibyl System monitors citizens’ mental states and can punish people whose Crime Coefficient suggests they may become criminals. Inspector Akane Tsunemori begins by trusting the system, while her partner, Shinya Kogami, has been demoted to an Enforcer after his own score rose too high. Their cases, and the crimes of antagonist Shogo Makishima, raise questions about whether potential offenders can be treated as guilty.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable introduces Yoshikage Kira, a serial killer who wants to maintain an ordinary life rather than pursue fame or power. High school student Josuke Higashikata and his friends investigate the murders in Morioh, while Kira uses his Stand, Killer Queen, to conceal his crimes.
In Death Note, student Light Yagami finds a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it. Calling himself Kira, he sets out to kill criminals, drawing the attention of detective L. Their contest becomes a battle of manipulation, as Light grows more ruthless and uses the notebook’s rules to protect his identity.
Monster centers on surgeon Kenzo Tenma, whose decision to save a young boy, Johan Liebert, instead of an influential mayor changes his life. Tenma later discovers that Johan has become a serial killer and goes on the run while trying to expose him. Johan has no supernatural powers; his ability to manipulate people and bring out the cruelty in others makes him dangerous, while Tenma’s commitment to saving lives drives the series’ central moral conflict.
Sources: Comic Book Resources.