Assassins in anime enjoy the luxury of possessing incredible prowess, be it in the form of physical performance, weapons handling, and even supernatural abilities. Unlike in video games and other media, assassins in anime have the advantage of not just “doing” awesome but looking awesome, often boasting incredibly-aesthetic designs as they dispatch their opponents - and often for the greater good.
However, before modern assassins from the likes of Spy x Family became popular, some anime featuring assassins already paved the way for some interesting stories. In fact, some forgotten anime about assassins may still turn out to be awesome for genre fans. Such anime about these silent killers include friends-turned-enemies, immortal slayers, cyborg agents, and even groups hiding in plain sight.
8 Golgo 13: Queen Bee (1998)
While not an anime series itself, Golgo 13: Queen Bee remains one of the most exhilarating thriller animated films featuring assassins out there. Set in the 2000 presidential election cycle, famous assassin Golgo 13 is hired to kill Queen Bee, a drug lord who plans to assassinate Robert Hardy, the nominee of the Democratic Party. However, with the job seeming too easy for Golgo, his investigation of the connection between Hardy and Queen Bee reveals something amiss.
Although there’s a more recent Golgo 13 anime in 2008 that has a darker theme compared to modern shows like Spy x Family, Queen Bee is arguably the better anime to reflect on the calm and calculated nature of the acclaimed professional assassin. Additionally, with the film providing crisp 90s animation before the age of CGI, both action scenes and drama sequences give Queen Bee a more mature feel.
7 Blade Of The Immortal (2008)
History fans who want a more nuanced take on the assassin concept might consider checking out Blade of the Immortal. This anime tells the tale of Manji, a ronin who was cursed with immortality by a nun named Yaobikuni, whose sister's death encourages him to finally make amends with his sinful past by killing 1,000 evil men and finally meeting his death. He steels his resolve further after meeting Rin Asano, an orphaned girl whose parents were murdered by the Itto-ryu dojo.
While the premise of Blade of the Immortal seems straightforward, Manji and Rin eventually encounter various parties that put them in the middle of a political crisis. Manji’s only advantage is his seemingly-immortal nature, with his body aided by “sacred bloodworms” to heal any injury.
6 Gunslinger Girl (2008)
It’s quite an awesome sight to see a girl toting a gun and doing something badass, and Gunslinger Girl takes this a step further with a rather compelling plot. Set in Italy, Gunslinger Girl explores the adventures of Special Ops Section 2 of the Social Welfare Agency, a counter-intelligence and counterterrorism unit disguised as a seemingly-charitable organization dedicated to rehabilitating the physically injured. Section 2, in particular, recruits and trains young girls to become the perfect soldier, often equipping them with cybernetics and brainwashing to transform them into killing machines.
The anime, in particular, tells the story of Henrietta, the titular Gunslinger Girl, as she and her handler Rico conduct missions assigned to them by the Agency. Unfortunately for Henrietta, some of her missions eventually force her to confront her past.
5 Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens (2018)
Contrary to other anime that simply features or stars an assassin or two, Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens turns the genre on its head by featuring a rather unhealthy cast of contract killers. In Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens, the city of Fukuoka is revealed to be chock-full of dangerous individuals, including killers, detectives, and even mercenaries. One such individual is detective Zenji Banba, who was tasked to investigate the work of contract killers in the area.
Unfortunately for Zenji, he constantly crosses paths with Xianming Lin, a cross-dressing male hitman working for a company that doesn’t give him enough pay and works to begin with. Despite the story's somewhat “ordinary salaryman” premise, Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens features a rather colorful cast of characters, especially when a series of events forces Zenji to train to become a hitman to survive in the city.
4 Madlax (2004)
When an anime revolves around the assassin, it’s almost always about their exploits. However, Madlax shows that some of the best stories about assassins and mercenaries show there’s more to their tales than meets the eye. In Madlax, two (2) girls become a center of a rather mysterious conspiracy. On one end is Madlax, a legendary assassin in Gazth-Sonika, who cannot remember details of her life before the start of the civil war in the nation. On the other end is Margaret Burton, the sole heiress of a rich family in the peaceful country of Nafrece, whose parents were included in an airliner that crashed into Gazth-Sonika and has been missing ever since.
What’s more interesting is how Margaret seemingly traveled back to Nafrece on her own after the crash, with no memories except for the word “Madlax.” As the two (2) ladies seem to try unlocking the mysteries of their lives, they become entangled with the powerful crime syndicate Enfant.
3 Noir (2001)
It was around the 2000s that anime explored more niche genres and even dwelling over stories that are more personal than expected, and such is the story of Noir. The anime follows the adventures of Mireille Bouquet and Kirika Yuumura as they try to solve mysteries surrounding their past while conducting assassinations under a partnership codenamed “Noir.”
Behind the scenes, Mireille is an assassin with a troubled past, while Kirika is an amnesiac killer, making their journey a tad bit harder for them to finish. Throughout the anime, they’re constantly challenged by a secret organization called Les Soldats (The Soldiers), which somehow sends assassins regularly to kill the two assassins.
2 009-1 (2006)
What if the Cold War never ended but rather has been in continuation for the past 140 years? This is precisely what 009-1 explores, where the anime is set at a time when both the West and East blocs remain engaged in a secret conflict. Protagonist Mylene Hoffman is a cyborg assassin of the all-female Nine Number Group of the Zero-Zero organization working for the Western Bloc.
Designated as 009-1, Mylene and her other comrades tackle missions to tip the scales of the war towards the Western Bloc. Unfortunately for Mylene, 009-1 also shares exactly just how brutal and dangerous life could be for cyborgs like her in a world still embroiled in political intrigue.
1 Canaan (2008)
It’s not always that anime fans can encounter a series coming straight out of a game, and this is precisely what Canaan does. Set two (2) years after the tragic events of the mystery visual novel 428: Shibuya Scramble, the plot of Canaan takes returning character Maria Osawa as she and her fellow reporter Minoru Minorikawa are tasked to do coverage for an anti-terrorism summit in Shanghai, China. Unfortunately for them, they soon come under attack by mysterious assassins, had it not for the woman named Canaan, a killer that Maria got to befriend before the events of the anime.
With Maria’s life again jeopardized, Canaan tasks herself as Maria’s protector. It’s soon learned that Maria’s assassins come from Snake, a terrorist organization led by Alphard Al Sheya, who was also Canaan’s rival. Canaan centers on the rivalry of the two (2) assassins and the tragic past that surrounds them.