What is this genre all about? The police (civil servants) are the good guys in the battle against crime. Though they try hard, they are usually outclassed by super-criminals or criminal organizations in anime, requiring the help of special units or some lone hero.
We present you the list of Cops anime you should watch right now.
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Top 20 Cops anime you should watch right now. [2026 List]
- 20. Death Note
- 19. Monster
- 18. Detective Conan
- 17. Zankyou no Terror
- 16. Psycho-Pass
- 15. Hellsing Ultimate
- 14. Mousou Dairinin
- 13. Dead Mount Death Play
- 12. Pluto
- 11. Ghost in the Shell
- 10. Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara
- 9. Hellsing
- 8. Sasaki to Pi-chan
- 7. Psycho-Pass 3
- 6. B: The Beginning
- 5. Taiho Shichau zo
- 4. Meitantei Holmes
- 3. Hakozume: Koban Joshi no Gyakushuu
- 2. Detective Conan Movie 16: The Eleventh Striker
- 1. Koukaku Kidoutai (2026)
20. Death Note
A shinigami, as a god of death, can kill any person—provided they see their victim's face and write their victim's name in a notebook called a Death Note. One day, Ryuk, bored by the shinigami lifestyle and interested in seeing how a human would use a Death Note, drops one into the human realm.
High school student and prodigy Light Yagami stumbles upon the Death Note and—since he deplores the state of the world—tests the deadly notebook by writing a criminal's name in it. When the criminal dies immediately following his experiment with the Death Note, Light is greatly surprised and quickly recognizes how devastating the power that has fallen into his hands could be.
With this divine capability, Light decides to extinguish all criminals in order to build a new world where crime does not exist and people worship him as a god. Police, however, quickly discover that a serial killer is targeting criminals and, consequently, try to apprehend the culprit. To do this, the Japanese investigators count on the assistance of the best detective in the world: a young and eccentric man known only by the name of L.
Death Note has finished airing and it has 37 Episodes. It is also Known as: デスノート, DN
19. Monster
Dr. Kenzou Tenma is a renowned brain surgeon of Japanese descent working in Europe. Highly lauded by his peers as one of the great young minds that will revolutionize the field, he is blessed with a beautiful fiancée and is on the cusp of a big promotion in the hospital he works at. But all of that is about to change with a grave dilemma that Kenzou faces one night—whether to save the life of a small boy or that of the town's mayor. Despite being pressured by his superiors to perform surgery on the mayor, his morals force him to perform the surgery on the other critical patient, saving his life and forfeiting the mayor's. A doctor is taught to believe that all life is equal; however, when a series of murders occur in the surgeon's vicinity, all of the evidence pointing to the boy he saved, Kenzou's beliefs are shaken. Along his journey to unravel the true identity of his little patient, Kenzou discovers that the fate of the world may be intertwined with the mysterious child.
Monster has finished airing and it has 74 Episodes. It is also Known as: モンスター, Monster
18. Detective Conan
Shinichi Kudou, a great mystery expert at only seventeen, is already well known for having solved several challenging cases. One day, when Shinichi sees two suspicious men and decides to follow them, he inadvertently becomes witness to a disturbing illegal activity. When the men catch Shinichi, they dose him with an experimental drug formulated by their criminal organization and abandon him to die. However, to his own astonishment, Shinichi is still alive and soon wakes up, but now, he has the body of a seven-year-old, perfectly preserving his original intelligence. He hides his real identity from everyone, including his childhood friend Ran Mouri and her father, private detective Kogorou Mouri, and takes on the alias of Conan Edogawa (inspired by the mystery writers Arthur Conan Doyle and Ranpo Edogawa). Animated by TMS and adapted from the manga by Gosho Aoyama, Detective Conan follows Shinichi who, as Conan, starts secretly solving the senior Mouri's cases from behind the scenes with his still exceptional sleuthing skills, while covertly investigating the organization responsible for his current state, hoping to reverse the drug's effects someday.
Detective Conan is currently airing and will have Episodes. It is also Known as: Meitantei Conan, 名探偵コナン, Case Closed: One Truth Prevails
17. Zankyou no Terror
Painted in red, the word "VON" is all that is left behind after a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility in Japan. The government is shattered by their inability to act, and the police are left frantically searching for ways to crack down the perpetrators. The public are clueless—until, six months later, a strange video makes its way onto the internet. In it, two teenage boys who identify themselves only as "Sphinx" directly challenge the police, threatening to cause destruction and mayhem across Tokyo. Unable to stop the mass panic quickly spreading through the city and desperate for any leads in their investigation, the police struggle to act effectively against these terrorists, with Detective Kenjirou Shibazaki caught in the middle of it all.Zankyou no Terror tells the story of Nine and Twelve, the two boys behind the masked figures of Sphinx. They should not exist, yet they stand strong in a world of deception and secrets while they make the city fall around them, all in the hopes of burying their own tragic truth.
Terror in Resonance has finished airing and it has 11 Episodes. It is also Known as: 残響のテロル, Terror in Tokyo, Terror of Resonance
16. Psycho-Pass
Justice, and the enforcement of it, has changed. In the 22nd century, Japan enforces the Sibyl System, an objective means of determining the threat level of each citizen by examining their mental state for signs of criminal intent, known as their Psycho-Pass. Inspectors uphold the law by subjugating, often with lethal force, anyone harboring the slightest ill-will; alongside them are Enforcers, jaded Inspectors that have become latent criminals, granted relative freedom in exchange for carrying out the Inspectors' dirty work.
Into this world steps Akane Tsunemori, a young woman with an honest desire to uphold justice. However, as she works alongside veteran Enforcer Shinya Kougami, she soon learns that the Sibyl System's judgments are not as perfect as her fellow Inspectors assume. With everything she has known turned on its head, Akane wrestles with the question of what justice truly is, and whether it can be upheld through the use of a system that may already be corrupt.
Psycho-Pass has finished airing and it has 22 Episodes. It is also Known as: サイコパス, Psychopath
15. Hellsing Ultimate
There exist creatures of darkness and evil that plague the night, devouring any human unfortunate enough to be caught in their grasp. On the other side is Hellsing, an organization dedicated to destroying these supernatural forces that threaten the very existence of humanity. At its head is Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who commands a powerful military and spends her life fighting the undead.
Integra's vast army, however, pales in comparison with her ultimate weapon: the vampire Alucard, who works against his own kind as an exterminator for Hellsing. With his new vampire servant, Seras Victoria, at his side, Alucard must battle not only monsters, but all those who stand to oppose Hellsing, be they in the guise of good or evil.
In a battle for mankind's survival, Hellsing Ultimate proves that appearances are not all they may seem, and sometimes the greatest weapon can come in the form of one's worst nightmare.
Hellsing Ultimate has finished airing and it has 10 Episodes. It is also Known as: HELLSING OVA, Hellsing Ultimate
14. Mousou Dairinin
The infamous Shounen Bat (Lil' Slugger) is terrorizing the residents of Musashino City. Flying around on his rollerblades and beating people down with a golden baseball bat, the assailant seems impossible to catch—much less understand. His first victim, the well-known yet timid character designer Tsukiko Sagi, is suspected of orchestrating the attacks. Believed only by her anthropomorphic pink stuffed animal, Maromi, Tsukiko is just one of Shounen Bat's many victims.
As Shounen Bat continues his relentless assault on the town, detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa begin to investigate the identity of the attacker. However, more and more people fall victim to the notorious golden bat, and news of the assailant begins circulating around the town. Paranoia starts to set in as chilling rumors spread amongst adults and children alike.
Will the two detectives be able to unravel the truth behind Shounen Bat, or will the paranoia get to them first?
Paranoia Agent has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: 妄想代理人, Mousou Dairinin
13. Dead Mount Death Play
It's a showdown for the ages as the legendary hero takes on the corpse god necromancer, but when the dust settles, something isn't quite right... In the final moments of their epic confrontation, the corpse god's final gambit shot was wholly unexpected -- reincarnation magic! Across space and time, a boy named Polka Shinoyama awakens feeling...not quite himself...... Who could've expected that the climactic battle between good and evil would turn out like this??
Dead Mount Death Play has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: デッドマウント・デスプレイ, Dead Mount Death Play
12. Pluto
A murder occurs in an orderly world where robots are unable to kill humans. The robotic Europol investigator Gesicht takes the case, but the mystery deepens when he finds no trace of a human at the scene of the crime. As he pursues the truth, Gesicht uncovers the most evil manifestation of hate that history ever seen, one that is bent on bringing destruction to the world ...
PLUTO has finished airing and it has 8 Episodes. It is also Known as: プルートウ, Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka
11. Ghost in the Shell
2029: A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of “The Puppet Master,” a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together with her fellow agents from Section 9, Kusanagi embarks on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity.
Ghost in the Shell has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: GHOST IN THE SHELL（攻殻機動隊）, Koukaku Kidoutai
10. Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara
Nagumo Keiichirou was a genius high-school detective. No case was complex enough for him. But what happens to genius detectives when they get older?
Now 35, with bad hips, running a failing detective agency with no cases to solve and struggling to pay the rent, he's at a dead end.
In comes a high school girl in his office who says she wants to work with him. With her help, will the out-of-touch, old-fashioned Nagumo get back the fire of his youth?
Detectives These Days Are Crazy! has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: まったく最近の探偵ときたら, Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara
9. Hellsing
Decades ago, the legendary Dr. Abraham Van Helsing and his companions defeated Count Dracula, one of the world's deadliest vampires. After this success his name was used in the founding of the Hellsing Organization, a British task force with the duty of eliminating supernatural threats.Hellsing follows the exploits of that very organization. Led by Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, the Hellsing Organization finds its trump card not in the power of man, but in the strength of a monster it has tamed. Alucard, one of the oldest and most powerful vampires in existence, now hunts his fellow monsters at Hellsing's bequest. Alongside new recruit Seras Victoria, Alucard will find that a new threat has arisen, one greater than anything the Hellsing Organization has ever dealt with before.
Hellsing has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: Hellsing [ヘルシング], Hellsing
8. Sasaki to Pi-chan
Tired and unfulfilled by his dead-end job, Sasaki decides to adopt Peeps, an adorable pet Java sparrow. Peeps, however, is really Piercarlo, a powerful sage from another world! After Peeps bestows Sasaki with magic and the ability to cross worlds, the two decide to export household items for profit in pursuit of a leisurely lifestyle. But when Sasaki’s new magic gets him mixed up in a whole other kind of supernatural struggle back in Japan, will it destroy his chances at realizing the relaxing life of his dreams?
Sasaki and Peeps has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 佐々木とピーちゃん, Sasaki to Pi-chan
7. Psycho-Pass 3
"Justice" opens up a new world. In the near future, the Sybil System, a surveillance network that quantifies human souls, maintains public order. In a changing world, detectives with Dominators, guns that measure "Crime Coefficients," pursue "latent criminals" before they commit crimes. The third series of PSYCHO-PASS follows two inspectors seeking the truth: Arata Shindou and Kei Mikhail Ignatov.
Psycho-Pass 3 has finished airing and it has 8 Episodes. It is also Known as: PSYCHO-PASS サイコパス 3, Psycho-Pass 3
6. B: The Beginning
In a world powered by advanced technology, crime and action unfold in the archipelagic nation of Cremona. Koku, the protagonist. Keith, the legendary investigator of the royal police force RIS. A mysterious criminal organization. A wide variety of characters race through the fortified city as it is beset by the serial killer, Killer B, and a chain of crimes.
B: The Beginning has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: Perfect Bones
5. Taiho Shichau zo
Running late on her first day as a patrol woman for the Bokuto Police Department, spunky moped rider Natsumi Tsujimoto decides to take several shortcuts, only to be chased down and cited by mechanical genius and expert police driver Miyuki Kobayakawa. Upon arrival at the precinct, Natsumi finds out that her new partner is the same woman who ticketed her earlier. At first, she doesn't trust Miyuki, but in a short period of time, they develop an unbreakable friendship that overcomes traffic accidents, reckless drivers and even the strongest typhoons to hit Tokyo.
You're Under Arrest has finished airing and it has 4 Episodes. It is also Known as: 逮捕しちゃうぞ, Taiho Shichauzo
4. Meitantei Holmes
Loosely based on the "Sherlock Holmes" series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Hound turns all the classic characters into dogs. The canine Sherlock Holmes, his assistant Watson, and housemaid Mrs. Hudson work together to solve mysteries. The culprit is usually Professor Moriarty and his gang, who use all kinds of wacky contraptions to steal what they want.
Sherlock Hound has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: 名探偵ホームズ, Famous Detective Holmes, Meitantei Houmuzu
3. Hakozume: Koban Joshi no Gyakushuu
Female police officer Kawai had enough of a career she wasn't even that into and was about to hand in her registration, when the unthinkable happened—she met the new, female director of her station! And after spending a little time with this gorgeous role model, Kawai realizes that maybe she isn't quite done being an officer after all.
Police in a Pod has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: ハコヅメ～交番女子の逆襲～, Hakozume: Koban Joshi no Gyakushuu
2. Detective Conan Movie 16: The Eleventh Striker
After an interaction with J-League professional players, Conan and co watches the big match between Tokyo Spirits and Gamba Osaka, only to find out that a bomb has been planted in the stadium. It is now up to Conan once again to foil the culprit's plans and reveal his/her true identity.
Case Closed Movie 16: The Eleventh Striker has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 劇場版 名探偵コナン 11人目のストライカー, Detective Conan Movie 16: 11 Nin-me no Striker
1. Koukaku Kidoutai (2026)
Bandai Namco Filmworks announced on Saturday that the Ghost in the Shell franchise is getting a new television anime series in 2026. Science SARU will produce the anime, which is tentatively titled Kōkaku Kidōtai (The Ghost in the Shell). Bandai Namco Filmworks, Kodansha, Science SARU, and Production I.G are on the production committee for the series.
Note: Title and relations are subject to change.
The Ghost in the Shell (2026) has not yet aired. It will air on July 31, 2026. It is also Known as: 攻殻機動隊（仮）, Koukaku Kidoutai: The Ghost in the Shell
