What is this genre all about? The Special Squads are called in when the police is completely outclassed, e.g. fighting criminal syndicates. These special forces are trained to combat specific forms of crime, e.g. the anti-cyber-crime division.
There are several such squads: Whereas Section 9 of Ghost in the Shell is an official government organisation, there are also "benevolent" vigilante groups like the Knight Sabers (Bubblegum Crisis).
Criminal syndicates also have their special forces e.g. "death squads".
We present you the list of Special Squads anime you should watch right now.
Try our anime quiz: Anime Characters Guessing Quiz/Game
Top 19 Special Squads anime you should watch right now. [2026 List]
- 19. One Piece
- 18. Mato Seihei no Slave 2nd Season
- 17. Mato Seihei no Slave
- 16. Psycho-Pass
- 15. Hellsing Ultimate
- 14. Date A Live
- 13. Ghost in the Shell
- 12. D.Gray-man
- 11. Koukaku Kidoutai (2026)
- 10. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
- 9. Koi wa Sekai Seifuku no Ato de
- 8. Hellsing
- 7. Psycho-Pass 3
- 6. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG
- 5. Witch Hunter Robin
- 4. L/R: Licensed by Royal
- 3. Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi
- 2. Suna no Bara: Yuki no Mokushiroku
- 1. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
19. One Piece
Gol D. Roger was known as the "Pirate King," the strongest and most infamous being to have sailed the Grand Line. The capture and death of Roger by the World Government brought a change throughout the world. His last words before his death revealed the existence of the greatest treasure in the world, One Piece. It was this revelation that brought about the Grand Age of Pirates, men who dreamed of finding One Piece—which promises an unlimited amount of riches and fame—and quite possibly the pinnacle of glory and the title of the Pirate King.
Enter Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old boy who defies your standard definition of a pirate. Rather than the popular persona of a wicked, hardened, toothless pirate ransacking villages for fun, Luffy’s reason for being a pirate is one of pure wonder: the thought of an exciting adventure that leads him to intriguing people and ultimately, the promised treasure. Following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Luffy and his crew travel across the Grand Line, experiencing crazy adventures, unveiling dark mysteries and battling strong enemies, all in order to reach the most coveted of all fortunes—One Piece.
One Piece is currently airing and will have Episodes. It is also Known as: ONE PIECE, ワンピース
18. Mato Seihei no Slave 2nd Season
The second season of Mato Seihei no Slave.
Chained Soldier Season 2 has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 魔都精兵のスレイブ 第２期, Mato Seihei no Slave 2nd Season
17. Mato Seihei no Slave
The demon-filled dimension known as "Mato" has opened to threaten humanity, and a type of "peach" tree that grows there yields fruit that confers special powers to those who eat it, giving humanity a fighting chance, but this only works for women. As such, as protectors of humanity, women rise in social status while men are relegated to second-class citizens scraping for basic occupation and acknowledgment.
Cue Yuuki Wakura, a domestically crafty and laborious high school senior whose older sister was taken during a Mato event 5 years before; while lamenting the hardships of the life ahead of him, an event opens before him, and while being rescued from demons by Captain Kyouka of the Anti-Demon Corps, she confers his powers as her "slave" and turns him into a mighty beast mount that mows down the demons.
However, there is a surprising price to pay for being her "slave"... and it's not him who has to pay it.
Chained Soldier has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 魔都精兵のスレイブ, Slave of the Magic Capital's Elite Troops
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. Date A Live
"Before the world ends, kill me or kiss me."
Thirty years before the events of Date A Live, an enormous explosion devastates east Asia and kills 150 million people. This is the first known "Spacequake", an inexplicable natural disaster that has since become commonplace. Fast forward to the future. High school second year Shidou Itsuka lives alone with his cute little sister while their parents are away.
What do these things have to do with each other? While rushing to save his sister from a sudden Spacequake, Shidou is caught in the blast and, in the midst of the chaos, finds a mysterious girl. It turns out that this girl is actually a Spirit, a powerful being from another world whose arrival devastates the surrounding area. Thankfully, Shidou is rescued by an anti-Spirit strike team... led by his little sister?!
This vicious task force is locked and loaded, ready to exterminate Spirits with extreme prejudice. But this violent method is not for Shidou. He discovers the one way to neutralize these Spirits peacefully: make them fall in love. Now, it's up to Shidou to save the world by dating those who threaten to destroy it!
Date A Live has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: デート・ア・ライブ, Date A Live
13. 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
12. D.Gray-man
Losing a loved one is so painful that one may sometimes wish to be able to resurrect them—a weakness that the enigmatic Millennium Earl exploits. To make his mechanical weapons known as "Akuma," he uses the souls of the dead that are called back. Once a soul is placed in an Akuma, it is trapped forever, and the only way to save them is to exorcise them from their vessel using the Anti-Akuma weapon, "Innocence."
After spending three years as the disciple of General Cross, Allen Walker is sent to the Black Order—an organization comprised of those willing to fight Akuma and the Millennium Earl—to become an official Exorcist. With an arm as his Innocence and a cursed eye that can see the suffering souls within an Akuma, it's up to Allen and his fellow Exorcists to stop the Millennium Earl's ultimate plot: one that can lead to the destruction of the world.
D.Gray-man has finished airing and it has 103 Episodes. It is also Known as: ディー・グレイマン, D. Gray-man, D. Grey-man
11. Koukaku Kidoutai (2026)
The year is 2029, a near future Japan, where the world has become highly information-intensive, with a vast corporate network covering the planet, electrons and light pulsing through it. But the nation-state ethnic groups still survive.
Motoko Kusanagi, a full-body cyborg, leads an elite combat unit of fellow cyborgs, including Batou. While commanding her team, Kusanagi envisions the creation of a specialized task force to preemptively strike against emerging threats. Meanwhile, Daisuke Aramaki of the Ministry of Home Affairs, who had been planning to establish a similar unit, scouts Kusanagi and her team.
Together, they begin operations as Public Security Section 9 — an aggressive tactical organization known as the "Shell Squad." As they confront complex cyber-crimes and international conspiracies, the existence of a mysterious, unidentified hacker known as "the Pupper Master" emerges on the horizon of their investigation. What fate awaits Kusanagi?
And what is the Puppet Master's true objective?
A new era of cyberbunk action begins.
(Source:攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL Site)
The Ghost in the Shell (2026) has not yet aired. It will air on July 7, 2026. It is also Known as: 攻殻機動隊（仮）, Koukaku Kidoutai: The Ghost in the Shell
10. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
In the not so distant future, mankind has advanced to a state where complete body transplants from flesh to machine is possible. This allows for great increases in both physical and cybernetic prowess and blurring the lines between the two worlds. However, criminals can also make full use of such technology, leading to new and sometimes, very dangerous crimes. In response to such innovative new methods, the Japanese Government has established Section 9, an independently operating police unit which deals with such highly sensitive crimes.
Led by Daisuke Aramaki and Motoko Kusanagi, Section 9 deals with such crimes over the entire social spectrum, usually with success. However, when faced with a new A level hacker nicknamed "The Laughing Man," the team is thrown into a dangerous cat and mouse game, following the hacker's trail as it leaves its mark on Japan.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex, 攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX, Ghost in the Shell SAC
9. Koi wa Sekai Seifuku no Ato de
It’s love at first sight for Fudo and Desumi, except it was during a battle of life and death. Fudo, leader of the hero squad Gelato 5, and Desumi, the Death Queen of the evil society Gekko, have found themselves caught in a forbidden love—and it’s their first relationship! Moving in secrecy, they live holding hands with one weapon in the other, finding out what’s truly fair in love and war.
Love After World Domination has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 恋は世界征服のあとで, Koiseka
8. 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
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. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG
Following the closure of the "Laughing Man" case, Section 9 is re-established by Japan's newly elected Prime Minister, Youko Kayabuki, to combat the persistent threat of cyber-terrorism.
A group calling themselves "The Individual Eleven" has begun committing acts of terror across Japan. While Motoko Kusanagi, Daisuke Aramaki, Batou, and the other members of Section 9 investigate this new menace, the Japanese government faces a separate crisis, as foreign refugees displaced by the Third World War seek asylum in Japan. But as the members of the special-ops team continually encounter Gouda Kazundo—a leading member of the Cabinet Intelligence Service—in their hunt, they begin to suspect that he may be involved, and that the events of the refugee crisis and The Individual Eleven may be more connected than they realize...
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: Koukaku Kidoutai S.A.C. 2nd GIG, 攻殻機動隊 S.A.C. 2nd GIG, , Ghost In The Shell S.A.C. 2nd GIG
5. Witch Hunter Robin
Witches are individuals with special powers like ESP, telekinesis, mind control, etc. (not the typical hogwart and newt potions). Robin, a 15-year-old craft user, arrives from Italy to Japan to work for an organization named STN Japan Division (STN-J) as a replacement for one of STN-J's witch hunters who was recently killed. Unlike other divisions of STN, STN-J tries to capture the witches alive in order to learn why and how they became witches in the first place.
Witch Hunter Robin has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: ウィッチハンター ロビン, WHR
4. L/R: Licensed by Royal
Jack Hofner and Rowe Rikenbacker are Cloud 7's L/R. Their job is to protect the Royal family of Ishtar, their treasures, and their reputation. Jack & Rowe face one of the toughest missions of their career when they are assigned to protect Noelle, a candidate for the 15 Year Princesse contest. It starts out simple, but soon all of Cloud 7 are involved in a web of intrigue that includes bombings, corruption and murder.
Licensed by Royalty has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: L/R -Licensed by Royal-, L/R: Licensed by Royal
3. Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi
An OVA based on the Hoshi no Umi arc of the manga spanning chapters 26-34.
This arc focuses on Rin Azuma, a Jiang-Shi yokai resident of Sakurashin adjusting to her new life in the city and working for a ramen shop. One day her former friend Zakuro Kurumaki invades Sakurashin to capture Rin and convince her to join her in destroying the city with the other yokai hunters as well as Enjin Hiizumi, the main antagonist of the series. Akina Hiizumi and the other members of the Hiizumi Life Counseling Office take action to save Rin, 'tune' the yokai controlling Zakuro and protect the city.
Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi has finished airing and it has 3 Episodes. It is also Known as: 夜桜四重奏 ～ホシノウミ～, Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi
2. Suna no Bara: Yuki no Mokushiroku
Mariko Rosebank leads a team of all-female anti-terrorist mercenaries, named C.A.T. This all-woman team is sent to guard a meeting of world leaders against a terrorist attack.
Suna no Bara: Yuki no Mokushiroku has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 砂の薔薇[デザート・ローズ] 雪の黙示録, Desert Rose, Desert Rose: Yuki no Mokushiroku
1. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
The year is 2032. With the advancement of medical technology humanity has grown into a more technologically driven creature, creating a breed of cyborg citizen. Along with the development of cybernetics, the world has seen rapid development in the field of artificial intelligence, making androids a commercially viable venture.
A recent string of murders perpetrated by a prototype female android has drawn the attention of Section 9, a unit specializing in counter cyber-terrorism. With none of the victims' families pressing charges, suspicions arise regarding the nature of the androids and their production.
Months have passed since the end of the Puppet Master incident, and with the Major still missing investigative duties fall to her cyborg commando partner Batou and his newly recruited biological partner, Togusa. Can the two overcome their differences and discover the truth behind this string of murders?
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: Koukaku Kidoutai 2: Innocence, イノセンス, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
