Best Suspense Anime of 2004

Lucy belongs to a subspecies of humanity known as Diclonius, characterized by small horns and invisible telekinetic limbs—traits that make her a target for brutal government experimentation. When a chance to flee arises, the years of confinement and torture have twisted her, and she slaughters her way through her captors in a bloody escape. During the breakout, a severe head injury fractures her psyche, creating a second personality resembling a childlike innocent with barely any speech. In this vulnerable state, she crosses paths with Kouta and his cousin Yuka, two college students who take in the wounded fugitive, having no idea of her lethal nature. Their compassion sets off a chain of events that plunges them into a hidden world of government secrets and conspiracy.

Dr. Kenzou Tenma, a top-tier neurosurgeon newly engaged to the daughter of his hospital's director, is steadily climbing the ranks of the medical institution. That is, until one night, a seemingly minor incident alters Dr. Tenma's life completely. As he prepares to operate on a patient, he receives a call from the hospital director instructing him to switch cases and instead perform urgent brain surgery on a well-known performer. His colleagues, fiancée, and the director all praise his success; however, because of the switch, a poor immigrant worker dies, leading Dr. Tenma to experience a profound moral crisis. When a similar scenario arises, Dr. Tenma holds his ground and opts to operate on a young boy named Johan Liebert rather than the town's mayor. Regrettably, this decision results in serious consequences for Dr. Tenma—including the loss of his social status. Yet, following the mysterious deaths of the director and two other doctors, Dr. Tenma's position is reinstated. With no evidence to implicate him, he is cleared and eventually becomes the hospital director. Nine years later, when Dr. Tenma saves the life of a criminal, his past returns to haunt him—once more, he confronts the monster he once operated on. He must now embark on a journey of pursuit to atone for the chaos caused by the one he saved.

The notorious Shounen Bat is spreading fear throughout Musashino City. Gliding on rollerblades and striking people down with a golden baseball bat, the attacker remains elusive and baffling. His first victim, the famous but shy character designer Tsukiko Sagi, is suspected of masterminding the assaults. Only her anthropomorphic pink plush toy, Maromi, believes her innocence, as Tsukiko becomes one of many targets. As Shounen Bat relentlessly continues his attacks, detectives Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa launch an investigation into the assailant's identity. Yet more individuals fall prey to the infamous golden bat, and news of the perpetrator spreads throughout the town. Paranoia takes hold as chilling rumors circulate among both adults and children. Can the two detectives uncover the truth behind Shounen Bat, or will the paranoia consume them first?

After giving his life to rescue a homeless man from a speeding train, Kei Kurono regains consciousness in a peculiar room alongside several other freshly dead individuals and a mysterious black orb. While they attempt to make sense of their situation, the sphere unveils a collection of weapons and black bodysuits, then orders them to eliminate an alien before teleporting them to an unfamiliar destination. With few explanations, Kei teams up with his childhood friend Masaru Katou and an unnamed woman. As they explore their surroundings, they soon understand that they have entered a grim and treacherous realm filled with constant threats.

In the year 5053, French aristocrats Viscount Albert de Morcerf and Baron Franz d'Epinay attend the Carnival festival on the moon city of Luna. While Franz simply wants to enjoy himself, Albert seeks something more fulfilling in his life—but he gets more than he expected when he locks eyes with the Count of Monte Cristo, a mysterious and charismatic self-made nobleman, during an opera performance. After a series of events, Albert befriends the Count and brings him into French high society. However, the Count has motives beyond friendship; he is planning to finally carry out his revenge on those who wronged him years ago. Gankutsuou follows the intertwined fates of Albert and the Count, and the ultimate cost of exacting vengeance.

Even though Kei Kurono, Masaru Katou, and Kei Kishimoto thought they had returned to their ordinary lives, they are pulled back into the deadly game due to Gantz's renewed activity. The black sphere keeps summoning people who have recently died to fight alien invaders. And because they survived the previous two encounters, the trio is far more ready for the missions ahead. As they advance through the tournament's stages, the three continue their effort to earn 100 points, which is believed to be the only way to permanently leave the parallel dimension. However, with the relentless assault of alien invaders and the constant danger of death, they must first concentrate on the immediate task: staying alive.

For more than five centuries, mysterious white-haired children, forever appearing as eleven-year-olds, have been sighted across Europe. Displaying maturity beyond their years and aging never, they possess supernatural abilities. Their eternal quest is for a specific girl, guided only by a clue featuring a crescent moon. In 2012, an athletic boy named Tohma becomes entangled in this long-standing mystery.

"Negotiation means turning words into weapons." This realization comes from the popular comic Yu-go, serialized in Kodansha's Afternoon Magazine for ten years. Beppu Yuugo is the most successful negotiator in the world, wielding only "words" as his tools. Yuugo does not kill, nor does he threaten with brute force. Armed with extensive knowledge and calm judgment, he places his faith in the humanity within others. Using nothing more than that, he has successfully managed countless dangerous negotiations. Now, two of his many episodes have been carefully selected: one set in Russia, the other in Pakistan. In the scorching desert and the freezing Siberian tundra, Yuugo begins his negotiations.