The Best Mental Health and Depressed Anime To Watch

Society has long stigmatized depression. Despite this — or perhaps because of this — many anime series aren't afraid of addressing mental health issues. While it's difficult to broach these topics in a sensitive manner, dozens of anime series have skillfully explored what it's like to live with depression and the ways people struggle to cope with their trauma.

Some anime manage to accurately depict depression, which can feel priceless to viewers who can relate. With depressed protagonists like Fruits Basket's Tohru Honda and Neon Genesis Evangelion's Shinji Ikari, audiences can view mental health issues through various relatable lenses.

Updated January 25th, 2024 by Chelsea Steele: Anime covers a vast assortment of subjects and themes, even ones that are harder for audiences to swallow. As such, depression and mental health are often topics for discussion in popular series. Though these darker subjects are often harder for viewers to watch, the best anime present them in a sensitive and respectful way that allows the audience to learn from the story. We've updated this list with more info on some of the best anime series that deal with depression, formatting it to meet CBR's current publication standards.

20 Watamote Follows A Socially Awkard Girl's Attempts At Becoming Popular

Watamote

Kuroki Tomoko is a super popular female schoolgirl, with 50 years experience in dating and more than 100 boys - but just in the dating video games. In real life, she is quite the opposite. 

Release Date

July 8, 2013

Creator

Nico Tanigawa

Cast

Monica Rial , David Matranga , Emily Neves

Seasons

1

Studio

Silver Link

Number of Episodes

12 + OVA

• Themes of anxiety, depression, and isolation
• Features the negative side of the Hikikomori lifestyle
• Depicts mental health struggles through use of comedy

Related

10 Best Anime About Social Anxiety

Excellent anime like Komi Can't Communicate and March Comes In Like A Lion adequately portray the struggles some people have with social anxiety.

Watamote is a dark comedy series starring Tomoko Kuroki, a young girl suffering from many mental health issues, from severe anxiety to depression and more. Though she's been a shut-in most of her life and has little real-life social experience, Tomoko wants nothing more than to fit in and make friends.

However, when Tomoko enters high school, she finds herself overwhelmed by the pressure to become popular and struggles almost immediately. The series is a realistic story of depression that depicts what it's like to suffer from mental illness while desperately longing for companionship and happiness.

19 Honey And Clover Tells A Coming-Of-Age Story Starring Five Young Adults

Honey and Clover

Yuuta Takemoto is a poor college student who lives in a dilapidated apartment building with his two friends, Shinobu Morita and Takumi Mayama. The series chronicles the students' story as they struggle through life and love.

Release Date

April 14, 2005

Creator

Chica Umino

Seasons

2 Seasons

Characters By

Haruka Kudô, Tomokazu Sugita, Hiroshi Kamiya

Production Company

J.C. Staff

• Features the struggles of five main characters
• Themes of depression, heartbreak, and overcoming adversity
• Takes place in a college setting

Honey and Clover is a 2005 coming-of-age story that centers around a group of friends just entering adult life. Together, these five main characters overcome many of life's toughest challenges, both big and small as they try to adjust to their new college lives. Despite its cute style and relaxing slice-of-life format, Honey and Clover is a surprisingly deep series that accurately depicts the struggles of young adult life.

The story covers many relatable hardships, be it unrequited love, unexpected loss, planning for the future, or the fear of failure. Many of the struggles portrayed are very realistic, highlighting the effects such major changes can have and how to cope with them.

18 Orange Realistically Depicts The Harsh Realities Of Depression

Orange

High school student Naho Takamiya receives a letter from her future self that warns her to avoid mistakes she will make involving a new transfer student, Kakeru Naruse, a troubled boy whom she meets and begins to fall in love with.

Release Date

July 4, 2016

Cast

Jeannie Tirado , Kana Hanazawa , Seiichiro Yamashita , Micah Solusod , Makoto Furukawa

Studio

Telecom Animation Film

• Themes of depression, grief, and suicide
• Slice-of-life with a supernatural twist
• Accurate portrayal of the struggles associated with depression

When experiencing a tragic loss, many can't help but wish they could change the past and how it led to this outcome. The 2016 series Orange explores this concept in one of the most emotional and heartfelt stories out there. The series follows a group of friends who receive letters from their future selves begging them to change their past mistakes and save their friend Kakeru from suicide.

A raw and thoughtful depiction of mental health and depression, Orange follows the main cast as they make choices that affect their futures, as well as the fate of their dear friend. The story is an emotional rollercoaster that showcases Kakeru's struggles in an honest and realistic way many can relate to.

17 Wonder Egg Priority Is A Subversive Tale Of Tragedy & Loss

Wonder Egg Priority

While on a midnight stroll, a girl named Ai picks up an egg. A voice coaxes her: "If you want to change the future, you only need to choose now. Now, believe in yourself and break the egg." What awaits Ai after the breaking of the egg?

Release Date

January 13, 2021

Cast

Anairis Quinones , Tomori Kusunoki , Kanata Aikawa , Shuka Saitō , Hinako Yano , Dawn M. Bennett , Mikaela Krantz , Michelle Rojas

Seasons

1

• Themes of depression, grief, and loneliness
• Subverts the classic magical girl
• Shows the effects of mental illness through visuals and animation

Melancholic and subversive magical girl series have become the new normal, and Wonder Egg Priority is an emotional, visually arresting look into loss and loneliness. Ai is a young girl who has become especially introverted after her close friend dies by suicide.

Through supernatural circumstances, Ai and three other special girls fight physical manifestations of trauma that help these girls put their demons to rest and prevent the abuse of other girls like them. Wonder Egg Priority delivers both emotion and action through tight, economical storytelling.

16 Paranoia Agent Uses Horror & Psychological Themes To Portray The Effects Of Trauma

Paranoia Agent

Seemingly unconnected citizens of Tokyo are targeted for bludgeoning by a boy with a golden baseball bat. As detectives try to link the victims, they discover that following the assaults, the victims' lives have improved in some way.

Release Date

February 3, 2004

Cast

Mamiko Noto , Daisuke Sakaguchi , Michelle Ruff , Sam Riegel , Shōzō Iizuka , Michael McConnohie

Seasons

1

• From the acclaimed director Satoshi Kon
• Depicts the psychological effects of trauma and fear
• Tells an episodic story featuring multiple characters

Satoshi Kon was a prolific voice in the anime industry who created some of the medium's most acclaimed psychological dramas, like Perfect Blue and Paprika. Kon's one television series, Paranoia Agent, actively takes advantage of the medium's episodic structure. In Paranoia Agent, a Tokyo community becomes terrified over Lil' Slugger, a mysterious bat-wielding assailant.

Each episode becomes a different deconstruction of personalized trauma and how a social phenomenon can fester and transform as it passes through different people. Paranoia Agent eventually ends on an optimistic note, but it must first get to the core of repressed trauma and spend time with a collection of very fragile individuals.

15 Violet Evergarden Centers Around Love, Loss, & Human Emotion

Violet Evergarden

In the aftermath of a great war, Violet Evergarden, a young female ex-soldier, gets a job at a writers' agency and goes on assignments to create letters that can connect people.

Release Date

January 11, 2018

Creator

Kana Akatsuki

Cast

Yui Ishikawa

Seasons

1

Studio

Kyoto Animation

Franchise

Violet Evergarden

Number of Episodes

13 + 1 OVA

Related

Why Violet Evergarden is a Must Watch Anime for Hopeless Romantics

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• Slice-of-life and Fantasy-based
• Depicts themes of depression, grief, loss, and loneliness
• A unique story of human emotions told through multiple perspectives

Violet Evergarden mixes slice-of-life human stories through a fantasy filter. Its titular main character, Violet, is an Auto Memory Doll who writes letters that express her handlers' lack of emotions while she delivers them across a barren world.

Each letter that Violet Evergarden accepts expresses a unique pocket of regret that highlights what it means to be human. Ironically, Violet Evergarden begins to grow curious over her own lost humanity and where she came from as she continues to help others accept their lots in life.

14 Clannad: After Story Follows Two High School Sweethearts As They Face The Tragic Realities Of Adulthood

Clannad

A high school student who cares little about school or others meets a lonely girl who had to repeat a year while all her friends finished high school. He decides to hang out with her and soon meets more friendly students.

Release Date

October 5, 2007

Cast

Yuichi Nakamura , Mai Nakahara , David Matranga , Luci Christian

Studio

Kyoto Animation

• Sequel to the series Clannad
• Themes of death, tragedy, grief, and loss
• Features the struggles of a young couple just entering adult life

Clannad: After Story is a sad anime that answers the question of what happens after "happily ever after." In the case of Tomoya Okazaki and Nagisa Furukawa, this results in unsurprisingly tragic circumstances. Their earnest, grounded love story faces increasing hardship as Tomoya and Nagisa learn that life as adults isn't as easy as young love in high school.

Nagisa's pregnancy pushes Tomoya to take on an unwanted job to help make ends meet, only for Nagisa to pass away shortly after she gives birth. Tomoya must now navigate life as a heartbroken single parent who doesn't want his daughter to view the world as a jaded, tragic place.

13 ReLIFE Offers Its Protagonist A Second Chance At Life

ReLIFE

A young man, failing at life, is offered a new start as a 10 years younger high-school student.

Release Date

July 1, 2016

Creator

Michiko Yokote, Kazuho Hyōdō

Cast

Jessie James Grelle , Micah Solusod , Jeannie Tirado

Seasons

1 Season

Producer

Kazunori Adachi, Daisuke Kawabe, Yuki Matsushima, Suita Sunaya, Akihito Watanabe

Production Company

TMS Entertainment

Number of Episodes

17 Episodes

• Themes of depression, regret, and second chances
• Realistic depiction of the struggles of adult life
• Slice-of-life story told in a high school setting

Many anime series explore the road not taken and give sorrowful figures another chance to live the lives that they wish they had. ReLIFE centers around an experimental research program that allows Arata Kaizaki to look a decade younger, but only on the condition that he enrolls in high school for a year.

Now, with a full life of insight and regret, Kaizaki is able to explore a different side of himself and realize all sorts of new possibilities. As much as ReLIFE digs into sad, depressed figures, it at least offers hope for a happy ending.

12 Blue Period Emphasizes The Hopelessness Surrounding Depression

Blue Period

Bored with life, popular high schooler Yatora Yaguchi jumps into the beautiful yet unrelenting world of art after finding inspiration in a painting.

Release Date

October 2, 2021

Creator

Tsubasa Yamaguchi

Seasons

1

Cast

Johnny Yong Bosch , Amber Lee Connors , Chris Smith

Studio

Seven Arcs

Number of Episodes

12

Related

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Featuring a listless high school student who begins to excel at painting, Blue Period has become the Picasso of coming-of-age anime.

• Realistically depcits effects of depression over time
• Themes of hopelessness, loneliness, and despair
• Strong use of metaphors and symbolism to express feelings of depression

In Blue Period, Ryuji Ayukawa purposely fails the entrance exams for art school. Ryuji spirals into severe depression and loses interest in all of their hobbies. At this point, Ryuji gives up on their future because they simply don't believe that they'll make it.

Interestingly, Blue Period uses a lifesaver as its main metaphor. When Yatora wants to know more about Ryuji's situation, they tell him that he'll only throw in a lifesaver, but avoid jumping in. This means that, while a lifesaver is practical, it's useless, because unless someone experiences drowning in depression and suffering, they'll never truly understand it. Yatora has to dip his toes into what Ryuji is dealing with to understand Ryuji and keep both of them from drowning.

11 Given Is A Heartbreaking Romance Centered Around Grief & Loss

Given

The life and loves of the rock band Given, and the romantic relationships that develops between its members.

Release Date

July 12, 2019

Studio

Lerche

Main Cast

Jessie James Grelle, Brandon McInnis, Jonah Scott, Yung-I Chang, Yuma Uchida, Shogo Yano, Masatomo Nakazawa and Takuya Eguchi

• Themes of grief, loss, and suicide
• Touches on heavy subjects that give the story a realistic feel
• Portrays the nuances of love and healing

Given tackles several complicated topics. From the harsh realities of falling in love to growing tired of one's passions, this anime isn't afraid of showing the ugly side of romance. Some of its most difficult topics, however, are grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide and how to find the courage to start anew.

Mafuyu loses his ex-boyfriend, Yuki, to suicide. Even worse, he's the one who finds Yuki's body. However, Mafuyu picks up his ex's guitar and wants to learn how to play so that he can feel closer to Yuki now that Yuki is gone. A beautiful story emerges where Mafuyu learns that creating music is incredibly healing.

10 Fruits Basket (2019) Centers Around The Traumatic History Of Its Cast

Fruits Basket

After Tohru is taken in by the Soma family, she learns that twelve family members transform involuntarily into animals of the Chinese zodiac and helps them deal with the emotional pain caused by the transformations.

Release Date

April 5, 2019

Cast

Manaka Iwami , Laura Bailey , Nobunaga Shimazaki , Jerry Jewell

Seasons

3

Production Company

TMS Entertainment

Number of Episodes

63

• Depicts multiple mental health struggles, including depression
• Themes of trauma, abuse, grief, and isolation
• Shows the dark side of family and familial bonds

No character in Fruits Basket has it easy. Even the series' lovable protagonist, Tohru Honda, has her fair share of baggage, and the Sohma family's collective trauma is enough to make any viewer cry. This anime tackles a myriad of mental health issues, including OCD, PTSD, and BPD.

Rather than viewing all of these mental health issues from a romanticized or stigmatized lens, Fruits Basket tackles them objectively and shows the beauty of recovery. The series advocates for mental health to be less taboo and for society to approach mental health with compassion rather than judgment and criticism.

9 Golden Time Portrays The Trauma That Comes With Lifelong Injury

Golden Time

Banri Tada is a freshman at a Tokyo law school. After an accident, he suffers severe memory loss. Despite the incident, he befriends fellow freshman, Mitsuo Yanagisawa, which leads him to the beautiful, yet obsessive, Kouko Kaga.

Release Date

October 3, 2013

Creator

Yuyuko Takemiya

Cast

Yui Horie , Makoto Furukawa , Mike Haimoto

Seasons

1 Season

Production Company

J.C. Staff

• Rom-com series with a more serious tone
• Themes of depression, fear, and trauma
• Balance of comedy and drama makes its heavy subjects more palatable.

Traumatic brain injury, or TBI for short, can have devastating repercussions. Golden Time focuses on the long-term effects of such an injury, including cognitive damage and permanent alterations to a person's mental state.

Golden Time's protagonist, Banri, sustains severe amnesia and develops mood swings after a head injury. Afterward, Banri tries to rebuild his life as a university student, living as though he's a new person and terrified of losing the person that he's trying to become in favor of the stranger that he used to be. Meanwhile, the female protagonist, Kouko, has obsessive tendencies. Golden Time is an anime about depression that is all too real, which is exactly why it's an essential watch.

8 Neon Genesis Evangelion Boggles The Mind With Its Psychological Depiction Of Mental Illness

Neon Genesis Evangelion

A teenage boy finds himself recruited as a member of an elite team of pilots by his father.

Release Date

October 4, 1995

Creator

Hideaki Anno, Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki

Cast

Megumi Ogata , Kotono Mitsuishi , Megumi Hayashibara

Seasons

1 Season

Studio

Gainax, Tatsunoko

Producer

Yutaka Sugiyama, Joseph Chou

Production Company

Gainax, Nihon Ad Systems (NAS), TV Tokyo, Tatsunoko Production

Number of Episodes

26 Episodes

• Stars one of anime's most iconic protagonists
• Themes of depression, anxiety, and mental instability
• Uses psychological elements to portray the effects of mental illness

Few depressed anime protagonists have been as divisive as Shinji Ikari. Evangelion not only subverts shonen tropes but also uniquely depicts mental illness. The truth is, there's nothing noble about struggling with depression alone, just as there's nothing noble about forcing children to save the world.

Director Hideaki Anno has lived with clinical depression and did his best to incorporate psychological elements into his seminal series even as he worked on his own mental health. Because some viewers still refuse to "get" Shinji or appreciate his failings, the intended allegory becomes only more poignant. Much like in the real world, Evangelion struggles to take depression seriously, which leaves Shinji as exactly the protagonist that he needs to be.

7 Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Touches On The Struggles Of Many Different Mental Illnesses

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei

A pessimistic high school teacher must somehow manage a class of eccentric students.

Release Date

July 7, 2007

Creator

Kōji Kumeta

Seasons

3

Cast

Hiroshi Kamiya , Marina Inoue , Akiko Yajima , Yuichi Nakamura

Studio

Shaft

Number of Episodes

38 + OVA

• Touches on very dark subjects
• Respectfully portrays mental illness and its struggles
• Features characters suffering from an array of mental health problems

To some, a black comedy about a suicidal teacher might seem in poor taste. Yet, good satire can provide enough distance to approach delicate topics without denying their existence. Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei tells the story of a deeply pessimistic homeroom teacher named Nozomu Itoshiki, who views every aspect of the world through a nihilistic lens.

Itoshiki's students also contend with their own unique issues: one has a serotonin imbalance that makes her chronically optimistic, another character has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and another is agoraphobic. These characters provide refreshing social commentary, given how often the media erases these issues rather than addressing them.

6 Your Lie In April Tells A Complex Story Of Overcoming Tragedy

Your Lie in April

A piano prodigy who lost his ability to play after suffering a traumatic event in his childhood is forced back into the spotlight by an eccentric girl with a secret of her own.

Release Date

October 9, 2014

Creator

Naoshi Arakawa

Cast

Natsuki Hanae , Ayane Sakura , Ryōta Ōsaka

Seasons

1

Studio

A-1 Pictures

Related

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• Themes of depression, abuse, grief, and loss
• Offers hope in the face of tragedy
• One of anime's saddest love stories

Domestic abuse comes in many forms. In the case of Your Lie in April, protagonist Kosei Arima suffers both physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his mother, who dies before the series begins.

Loving someone who is abusive can be extremely fraught, and Your Lie in April never shies away from the complexities of Kosei's tragic history with his mother. His mother lived with a chronic illness and was kind to him at times, but coming to terms with their difficult relationship is key to Kosei learning to love music again. While not for the faint of heart, Your Lie in April broaches sensitive topics with grace.

5 March Comes In Like A Lion Stars A Young Man Struggling To Open Himself Up To Others Again

March Comes in Like a Lion

Original title: Sangatsu no Lion.
A 17 year old socially awkward orphaned shogi player, dealing with adult problems like financial difficulties, loneliness, and depression.

Release Date

October 8, 2016

Cast

Kengo Kawanishi

Seasons

2

Production Company

Aniplex, Asmik Ace Entertainment, Dentsu

Number of Episodes

45

Main Cast

Khoi Dao, Ai Kayano

• Themes of depression, death, and isolation
• Centers around the human need for companionship
• Accureately depicts grief and how it can turn to chronic depression.

Sadness is often a key symptom of depression, but another prevalent aspect is apathy. In March Comes In Like A Lion, Rei Kiriyama is an accomplished shogi player who finds himself isolated from the world after he leaves his foster family to live on his own. Having lost his parents and little sister to a tragic car accident in his youth, Rei has become lonely, introverted, and apathetic to the world around him.

Eventually, the Kawamoto sisters befriend Rei and refuse to see him as a burden. Rei gradually learns to value his life and identity over the course of March Comes In Like A Lion. There's no curing depression, but this anime goes a long way toward presenting a brighter horizon.

4 Serial Experiments Lain Tells A Groundbreaking Story Of Technology's Effect On Mental Health

Serial Experiments Lain

Strange things start happening when a withdrawn girl named Lain becomes obsessed with an interconnected virtual realm known as "The Wired".

Release Date

July 6, 1998

Creator

Chiaki J. Konaka

Cast

Kirk Thornton , Bridget Hoffman , Shō Hayami , Kaori Shimizu , Ryūsuke Ōbayashi , Barry Stigler

Seasons

1 Season

Producer

Yasuyuki Ueda, Shōjirō Abe

Production Company

Pioneer LDC, Triangle Staff

Number of Episodes

13 Episodes

• Themes of technologiy, paranoia, and reality
• An early depiction in anime of technology's effect on a user's mental state
• Touches on many mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia

The correlation between modern technology and mental illness has been explored for decades now. Given the undeniable impact of social media, this seems likely to remain a constant source of discussion. One of the first anime to question the impact of the internet on developing minds is Serial Experiments Lain.

Lain, an introverted junior high student, befriends the ghost of a classmate online. The classmate informs Lain that she's not dead, but she has merely abandoned her physical form to live digitally. Lain becomes obsessed with this notion, and the lines between reality and technology blur further from there. Conspiracy theories and strange symbolism abound as Lain turns inward. Decades later, Serial Experiments Lain holds up as a deeply unsettling watch.

3 Colorful Beautifully Decpits The Struggles Of Troubled Youth

Colorful

A sinful spirit is granted the opportunity to prove worthy for rebirth, inhabiting the body of a student who killed himself.

Release Date

August 21, 2010

Production Company

Sunrise, Ascension

Director

Keiichi Hara

Cast

Kumiko Asô , Greg Ayres , Chris Ayres , Luci Christian , Keiji Fujiwara , Brittney Karbowski

Runtime

127 minutes

Story By

Eto Mori

• Themes of life, death, suicide, and trauma
• Use of color and visuals to realistically portray mental illness
• Tells a dark yet profound story of life's meaning

At the start of Colorful, a disembodied "soul" has a second chance at life in the body of Makoto, a 14-year-old boy who attempts to die by suicide. To keep on living, the soul inside Makoto must uncover Makoto's mistakes and resolve them within six months.

Colorful is an allegory for dissociation. The anime encompasses the countless struggles of young people growing up in the modern world. Makoto's parents are unsympathetic to his troubles, one of his classmates gets a job as a sex worker to meet her needs, and the future seems pointless to him. When he befriends another student and learns to forge his own path, Makoto and the soul within him finally begin to see the point of living again.

2 A Silent Voice Shows How Guilt Can Lead To Devastation

A Silent Voice

A young man is ostracized by his classmates after he bullies a deaf girl to the point where she moves away. Years later, he sets off on a path for redemption.

Release Date

October 20, 2017

Cast

Saori Hayami , Miyu Irino , Yui Ishikawa , Megumi Han

Runtime

130 minutes

Studio

Kyoto Animation

Related

A Silent Voice & 9 Other Realistic Coming-Of-Age Anime

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• Themes of depression, regret, and suicide
• Features strong deaf representation
• Story of forgiveness and overcoming the past

Guilt can be a devastating force, and that's certainly the case for Shoya Ishida, a high schooler who intends to die by suicide. In his youth, Shoya ruthlessly bullied Shoko Nishimiya, a deaf girl. Years later, Shoya resolves to apologize to Shoko before ending his life.

Shoko, however, remains empathetic and is willing to befriend Shoya, despite their emotional past. While many anime focus on protagonists who become better people, few do so with as much bittersweet nuance as A Silent Voice. The anime film understands that the future matters as much as — or more than — the past.

1 Welcome To The NHK! Centers Around The Struggles Of A Young Shut-In

Welcome to the N.H.K.

This surreal dramedy follows Satou Tatsuhiro as he attempts to escape the evil machinations of the NHK.

Release Date

July 9, 2006

Creator

Tatsuhiko Takimoto

Seasons

1

Cast

Michael C. Pizzuto , Monica Rial , Yui Makino , Yutaka Koizumi , Greg Ayres , Luci Christian

Studio

Gonzo

Number of Episodes

24

• Themes of depression, isolation, and paranoia
• Features the negative effects of the Hikikomori lifestyle
• Balance of comedy and psychological elements

A not-so-modern classic, Welcome To The NHK! focuses on the introverted Tatsuhiro Satou, a 20-something college dropout who lives with agoraphobia. Satou is a hikikomori who mostly stays in his own room. This pushes Satou to believe in various conspiracy theories, like the thought that a secret organization is controlling his life and dooming him to failure.

Satou's mental health is complex, even as Welcome To The NHK! finds humor in his struggles. Satou befriends two neighbors: Kaoru Yamazaki and Misaki Nakahara, who also has depression. These relationships might help Satou emerge from isolation, but it won't be easy.