Best anime and manga set in prisons

The best thing about anime and manga is that any story can have any setting. Whether it's alien locations, distant planets or futuristic cities, the sky's the limit, and even more mundane stories can unfold in extraordinary circumstances.

An unconventional setting for anime and manga is prisons, especially since it would make most of the characters criminals. While most stories shy away from this kind of setting, darker comics take the chance to explore such a grimy setting, and some even manage to make it comedic.

Updated on October 7, 2024 by Mark Sammut: This article has been updated with specs for each show, along with two new ones prison anime. That said, these shows only feature prisons for a short (but important) portion of episodes.

9 Dead leaves

MAL score: 7.21

Two amnesiacs, Retro and Pandy, wake up naked on a dystopian Earth. They go on a crime spree only to be arrested and sent to the lunar prison, Dead Leaves. There, they are subjected to bizarre treatment under Warden Galactica, and soon learn that there is more to the prison than meets the eye.

Dead leaves is a bizarre film created by Hiroyuki Imaishi, founder of Studio Trigger and creator of popular programs such as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill. The film is similarly bizarre and off-the-wall, which may make it an acquired taste for those who aren't necessarily fans of his other work. Even so, fans of unconventional anime will enjoy what this film has to offer.

8 Cross Enter

MAL Score: 7.39 (anime)

Angelise Ikaruga Mitsurugi has always believed that the Norma, humans incapable of using the world-changing technology known as Mana, were better off exterminated. But when she turns sixteen, she reveals herself as a Norma and is banished to Arzenal, where Norma is forced to fight interdimensional beasts known only as DRAGONS. Now a Norma soldier, Ange must come to terms with her own identity as she struggles to survive in her new role.

Cross Enter is a science fiction mecha series created by Sunrise, better known for being the creators behind it Gundam. While Cross Enter is a completely different show from that franchise, it has enough similar elements that fans of mecha anime would enjoy this particular series.

Cross Enter
was adapted into a manga by Kenjirō Takeshita.

7 One Piece (Impel Down Arc)

A fun Prison Break that acts as a precursor to a massive war

In the grand scheme of things, Impel Down is a very small part of One Piececomprising less than 30 episodes; however, it is longer than almost all others prison animeso the arc deserves a mention regardless. With Ace's execution on the horizon, Luffy plans a prison break by sneaking into Impel Down with an assist from Boa Hancock, and the operation goes sideways rather quickly and has far-reaching consequences.

While feeling like a footnote in the manga and anime's extensive run, Impel Down is nonetheless fantastic, offering a unique setting, a great antagonist in Magellan, and fast pacing by the adaptation's standards. As a prison, Impel Down is also interesting, with each level containing its own fresh hell.

6 Nanbaka

MAL Score: 7.33 (anime)

Inside Nanba Prison, the world's most formidable penitentiary, are four men who have been sent there because of their constant escapes from other prisons. There's the escape expert Jyugo, the gambling addict Uno, the big winder Rock and the otaku Nico. Together, the four live their lives in prison under the watchful eye of the various guards.

Nanbaka is a comedy anime with a main cast of handsome young men, meant to captivate a female audience. Despite its comedic core, the series has its moments of drama and isn't just about silly gags.

5 Kaiji: Against all rules

MyAnimeList: 8.24 (Anime); 8.40 (Manga)

An argument can be made like any other Kaiji revolves around the protagonist trying to escape from a financial prison; if that's not good enough, season 2 takes place specifically in captivity. Along with a host of other debtors, Kaiji finds himself forced to work away in an underground hell to pay off the Teiai Group, a situation designed to keep him locked up for years. His only hope is to buy temporary escape to the outside world and then earn a large enough sum of money to earn his rightful freedom, two ambitions that are both highly unlikely to happen.

Kaiji is the definitive game story, and the anime arguably peaks in Season 2's first 8 or so episodes, which take place specifically in the Teiai Group's underground prison. Here, Kaiji is drawn into a game designed to keep some prisoners in power, forcing him to be much more proactive than usual. While the rest of the season takes place outside of prison, Kaiji is constantly fighting to ensure he doesn't have to go back to that torture.

4 The prison school

MAL Score: 7.49 (Manga), 7.60 (Anime)

Formerly an elite all-girls academy, Hachimitsu Academy decides to allow male students to enroll for the first time. Kiyoshi Fujino is one of several boys who end up enrolling at the school, but they soon learn that it has a draconian punishment system that forces misbehaving students to stay in the school's prison. When the boys are all caught peeking at the girls' baths, they are forced to spend a month in the prison block or be expelled.

The prison school is an outlandish comedy manga with ridiculous amounts of fanservice. The characters find themselves in all kinds of bizarre and obscene situations, and while there are plenty of second-hand creeps, viewers who can look past will find it an incredibly funny experience.

3 Deadman Wonderland

MAL Score: 7.94 (Manga), 7.14 (Anime)

Ganta Igarashi was a normal high school student until a masked man came by and massacred his entire class. Accused of the murders, Ganta is sent to Deadman Wonderland, a privately owned prison that doubles as an amusement park. Subject to the vile shows and competitions held in the prison, Ganta struggles to survive the prison while finding out who the red man who killed his classmates was in the first place.

Deadman Wonderland is a thriller series that combines elements of horror, action and mystery. Fans of edgier stories and death games are sure to enjoy this series, and even fans of more simple shonen action series could have a fun time as well.

Deadman Wonderland
s manga is much better than the anime, largely due to the latter only getting one season.

2 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The Stone Sea

MAL Score: 8.25 (Manga), 8.08 (Anime First Season)

Jolyne Cujoh finds herself taking the blame for murder, earning her a fifteen-year sentence at Green Dolphin Street Prison. Appalled at her fate, Jolyne soon discovers that a gift from her father has given her the power to summon a mysterious spirit known as a Stand. Jolyne initially uses her powers to help her survive the prison, but soon learns that there is much more to the prison than meets the eye.

Stone sea is the sixth part of the long run JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series and the latest series to be adapted into an anime. The anime is noted for being the first to feature a female protagonist and is home to some of the most bizarre stands in the series. Although the adaptation received some criticism, Stone sea is still largely considered a highlight, and a large part of that success is down to the setting.

1 Rainbow

MAL Score: 8.48 (Manga), Anime: 8.46 (Anime)

In the turmoil of post-war Japan, six boys are sent to the Shonan Special Reformatory after committing various crimes. They end up in a cell with Rokurota Sakuragi, who they quickly bond with and become close as brothers. The boys grumble about the corruption of the guards and the cruelty of the outside world, and promise to get out and make a name for themselves once they do.

Rainbow is a historical drama set in 1950s and 1960s Japan. The stories of the seven boys at the Shonan Reformatory range from heartbreaking to inspiring, and watching them grow from boys to men is a joy. Of all the prison anime, Rainbow is by far the most awkward, and it also features one of the most despicable villains in anime.