Historical anime is loved by many, be it real or fictional. Add the tantalizing genre of mystery, and you get anime that keeps you up night after night to binge-watch. And, with the rise of new historical mystery anime, we thought, why not curate a list for our dear readers?
Set in Japan, Paris, Poland, and America, some of these anime have vampires; some challenge the idea of the sun revolving around the earth, while others scour through medicines and hop from one place to another in search of unanswered questions.
Table of Contents
5. The Case Study of Vanitas

- MAL Rating: 7.9
- IMDB Rating: 7.6
- Episodes: 24 (2 seasons)
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
Unlike other vampires, Vanitas was born under a full blue moon instead of a red one. He was ostracised for the same. To exact vengeance on his own kind, Vanitas created a cursed grimoire called the ‘Book of Vanitas.’ To get his hands on that grimoire, Noe sets afoot on an airship, later ambushed by vampires. If not for the stranger claiming to be Vanitas with the legendary grimoire in his hands, nobody would’ve survived.
Set in 19th-century Paris, The Case Study of Vanitas is an endlessly vibrant mystery genre anime surrounding vampires.
4. Orb: On the Movements of the Earth

- MAL Rating: 8.35
- IMDB Rating: 8.3
- Episodes: 25
- Where to Watch: Netflix
Rafal is rational and not emotional. He has declared to study theology, something regarded highly in an era where religion dominated everything. However, a fateful encounter with a man leads him down the path of astronomy, something he actually loved, but the church didn’t.
Orb is a tale about individuals who protected science, nurtured it, and passed it on to the next generation. The dangers of getting hanged, burnt, and beaten to death couldn’t stop him. Set in 15th-century Poland, this historical mystery transcends time to witness the astronomical struggle between heliocentrism and geocentrism.
3. Baccano!

- MAL Rating: 8.35
- IMDB Rating: 8.2
- Episodes: 13 (1 season + 3 specials)
- Where to Watch: NA
The mafia wars have worsened. Meanwhile, a scientist and his aide have been searching for the missing bottles of the immortality elixir. When all these people with different ambitions, along with two carefree thieves, Issac and Miria, board the transcontinental train, the Flying Pussyfoot, chaos ensues.
Set in 1930s Chicago, Baccano is a historical mystery anime that seems episodic and unrelated at first. But as the story progresses, you’ll witness a storytelling like no other.
2. Mushishi

- MAL Rating: 8.65
- IMDB Rating: 8.5
- Episodes: 46 (2 seasons, 2 specials, 1 movie)
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
Mushi is the purest form of life. As long as they aren’t disturbed, they’ll simply co-exist like any other being. However, not much is known about them. Those who research Mushi are called Mushishi. Ginko is one such Mushishi who wanders from one place to another in search of answers like when, where, and how Mushi came into being.
Set in a fictional period between the end of Edo and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration, Mushishi is a supernatural mystery anime that takes you on a healing journey.
1. The Apothecary Diaries

- MAL Rating: 8.88
- IMDB Rating: 8.6
- Episodes: 48 (S2 ongoing)
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
After being sold to the imperial court as a maid, Maomao hides her medicinal knowledge and intrigue so as not to attract unwanted attention. However, after saving the emperor’s children, her pharmaceutical talent is revealed by the cunning eunuch, Jinshi. She is then promoted to a concubine’s lady-in-waiting.
The Apothecary Diaries is a historical drama that has been the talk of the town since its arrival for the rare combo of medicine and mystery. You can’t afford to miss this gem.