It is really exciting when there is some action mixed with mystery, suspense, and thriller – probably in some anime like Gangsta where the main characters are full of fighting and cold-hearted towards everyone. Otherwise, they would be usually chasing a mafia or a mercenary gang who destroyed their past somehow.
About Gangsta
Gangsta includes the stories of Nicholas Brown and Worick Arcangelo, two thugs in the city of Ergastalum. Both are mercenaries who can be hired for a task that no one else can do. One time, after killing a local, the handymen duo welcomes an innocent girl named Alex in their team, who is to be executed by the city people but these two decide to protect her.
To add more, an evil organization has released a special drug that is changing normal people into superhumans, slowly snatching the peace of the city. Along with this, the handymen have to challenge many more things and are simply incapable of stopping or avoiding the upcoming war.
Gangsta is about two men who double the fun and action with a story worth giving a shot at. But, to those who have already watched Gangsta and want more similar anime then we have got your back, because, in this article, we are going to mention 7 amazing animes like Gangsta that you must try!
Black Lagoon
- Episodes: 29
- Premiered: 8 April 2006
- Genre: Action, Thriller, Comedy, and Mystery
- IMDB: 7.9/10
- Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu, Funimation, and Crunchyroll
Black Lagoon starts with Salaryman Rokurou Okajima spending a regular life as a company employee trying to reach higher positions. Everything seems to go steadily until one day when the business negotiation in Thailand goes wrong and somehow, he ends up being a captive to the Lagoon company which includes a bunch of pirate mercenaries.
To his surprise, he is abandoned by his company who refuse to adhere to the sayings of the mercenaries. But, instead of begging the company for his life, he decides to join them but it is hard to adjust to the lifestyle of the group. He joins the group to live in the city of Roanapur where corruption and crime are no big deal and one mistake can cost him his life.
In the rest of the story, you will see the main character trying to make tough decisions in sensitive situations while trying to leave his past behind for good, and invest his work in the company's illegal trading and profits.
91 Days
- Episodes: 12
- Premiered: 9 July 2016
- Genre: Thriller, Historical Drama, and
- IMDB: 7.7/10
- Where to watch: Crunchyroll and Funimation
91 Days talks about a child living in a Lawless town named Angelo Lagusa who has witnessed something traumatizing – his family including his parents and younger brother being slaughtered right in front of his eyes by the popular mafia family.
Leaving behind his town, memories, and name, he grabs onto a new identity of Avilio Bruno with hopes to take revenge one day. Fortunately, after 7 years the chance to take revenge finally arrives when Avilio receives a letter from an unknown person – asking him to return to his old town.
Soon after he arrives in the city, he runs into the mafia’s son Nero and befriends him using the smooth skills he has been polishing for the last 7 years.
The story is set in the Prohibition era and continues as Avilio kills each and everyone who was involved in killing his family.
Samurai Champloo
- Episodes: 26
- Premiered: 20 May 2004
- Genre: Action and Comedy
- IMDB: 8.6/10
- Where to watch: Crunchyroll and Funimation
Samurai Champloo starts with Fuu Kasumi, a young and clumsy girl working as a waitress in a small teahouse. She seems to be doing fine until one day, she spills a drink over one of the customers and unfortunately, he seems to be a member of a samurai group. The group starts to harass her and to save herself, she calls for another samurai in the teahouse named Mugen.
Mugen, with his fantastic and wild fighting techniques, which resemble as if he is breakdancing, fights against each one in the group – winning in the end. After that, he challenges Jin, a reluctant ronin who seems to be using a unique style of sword fighting and is a tough fighter. While they try to win against each other – they are unaware that the shop is destroyed and they have mistakenly killed the local magistrates' son too.
For decline, both are now captured and sentenced to be executed but with the help of Fuu, they are rescued and hired as her bodyguards. However, the highlight is that she doesn’t have a place to return.
Ahead in the Samurai Champloo – you will see how the young girl is trying her best to keep both the guys from killing each other, while they set on various journeys to solve quests including dynamic sword fighting, samurai action, and a bit of comedy.
Baccano!
- Episodes: 13
- Premiered: 26 July 2000 and
- Genre: Drama, Action, Mystery, and Adventure
- IMDB: 8.2/10
- Where to watch: Crunchyroll and Funimation
Baccano! is set in the early months of 1930 in Chicago where a unique transcontinental train named Flying Pussyfoot is starting the journey of leaving tracks of blood across the country. Meanwhile, an ambitious scientist named Szilard along with his uninterested assistant Ennis is searching for the immortality elixir.
Along with that, a war between mafias is getting out of hand, and alchemists on the board are going to face the effects of immortality. In short, this anime is chasing various tales altogether where people are not connected to the slightest until the entry of Isaac and Miria. These thieves are a bridge connecting all the aforementioned tales with each hidden secret further unfolded.
Baccano! is one of the most recommended anime like Gangsta because it follows different stories keeping you entertained with good action and mystery scenes.
Jormungand
- Episodes: 24
- Premiered: 10 April 2012
- Genre: Action, Adventure, and Thriller
- IMDB: 7.4/10
- Where to watch: Crunchyroll and Funimation
Jormungand shows the story of a child soldier Jonathan “Jonah” Mar, who hates weapons and all those who handle them, even when he is from an environment filled with conflicts and weapons. This keeps up until the entry of Koko Hekmatyar, a well-known international arms dealer who hires Jonah as one of her bodyguards.
Jonah, along with other bodyguards, now has a mission to protect Koko along with supporting her idealistic goal of bringing peace to the world, while fighting against countless dangerous situations that keep on coming from her line of work.
The rest of the story follows Koko and Jonah along with all the others in their crew as they travel across the world selling different weapons. Since Koko’s work is seen as illegal under international law and rules, she is forced to avoid rules while doing business locally and internationally with private militaries, militias, and armies.
With the CIA chasing her and always surrounded by assassins, Jonah with the team is supposed to live fighting or die trying to save Koko and let her complete her dream.
Gunslinger Girl
- Episodes: 13
- Premiered: 9 October 2003
- Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, and Drama
- IMDB: 7.4/10
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Crunchyroll
Gunslinger Girl is a story from Italy where the social welfare agency rescues young girls from hospital beds and gives them a second life by using the latest technology in cybernetic advancements. However, since the girls are artificially enhanced in body structure, they are brainwashed and trained as killers to complete the nasty work for the Italian government.
With all the modifications and enhancements, the kids are still children with hearts, all struggling for an ounce of love although the feeling of love is manufactured. The story follows these girls as they try to recognize new emotions in an agency that sees them as nothing but AI bodies.
Gunslinger Girl is one of the best animes similar to Gangsta if you are into main characters being girls with good action and dark secrets involved.
Bungou Stray Dogs
- Episodes: 36 + OVA
- Premiered: 7 April 2016
- Genre: Action, Mystery, Comedy, and Supernatural
- IMDB: 7.8/10
- Where to watch: Netflix and Crunchyroll
Bungou Stray Dogs narrates a story about Atsushi Nakajima, who lives in an orphanage that has been, for a few weeks, haunted by a ghostly tiger that only he seems to notice. Unfortunately, the people of the orphanage and church suspect the innocent 18-year-old and kick him out of the orphanage with no food and no roof to stay.
While figuring out the situation, Atsushi notices a man drowning and saves him, who introduces himself as Osamu Dazai. To Atsushi’s surprise, Dazai is a supernatural detective himself and a unique suicide fanatic, who is investigating a case involving the same tiger.
Along with Dazai and his partner named Doppo Kunikida, Atsushi successfully solves the case of the tiger but is unaware of the upcoming events. As he witnesses strange events, he eventually joins the supernatural detective’s firm in solving unusual cases that the police can’t handle.
Although it is not similar to Gangsta when it comes to supernatural scenes, with its amazing action scenes, mystery vibes, and a good story, you are sure to love it.