Japanese Thriller Masterpieces: Intense Films Streaming on Netflix

Japanese content is some of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world, especially anime, manga, etc. The variety of genres in Japanese movies is endless and contains something interesting for everyone, even the pickiest of movie lovers.

If you want to stream the best Japanese movies on Netflix, then look at the list mentioned in this blog. We hope you find something you’d love to binge on this weekend.

Top 15 Japanese Movies on Netflix [Updated Apr 2024]

Here are some of the top Japanese movies on Netflix for you to watch. Have a look!

1. Bleach (2018)

Bleach revolves around the plot of a teenager, Ichigo Kurosaki, who seems to have supernatural abilities to see ghosts and communicate with them. As his family gets attacked by the Hollow, an evil spirit who feeds on human souls, he gains the powers of a soul reaper and works as a substitute.

He is assigned the task of guiding the lost souls back to the realms of the afterlife. Despite his wish to give back his abilities and live everyday life, he has to complete the task of reaping some souls to proceed with his desire.

2. Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (2021)

When a former government assassin, Himura Kenshin, quits his job and begins to live a peaceful life away from violence and brutality, he is chased by his ex-brother-in-law. But then things get tricky for him as he faces multiple attacks, including one on his favorite restaurant, Akabeko.

When Kenshin goes on to figure out the source of the attack, he comes across a note with the word jinchū written on it, which means ‘man’s judgment.’ Watch Rurouni Kenshin: The Final to know the journey of Kenshin as he fights off his ex-brother-in-law and his minions for years-old revenge.

3. Blame! (2017)

We all have heard and read about the extinction of other creatures, with humans having a pivotal role in it. Blame! is a story about a world called “The City“, heavily populated by robots that aim to kill any human they come across. Killer robots consider humans ‘illegal residents’ and eliminate them whenever they come across any.

That is, until a group of human rebels group together and come across a man named Killy, who may be the savior humanity needs. This movie is about turning the tables on what it would be like if humans were to be led to extinction based on their creations, i.e., robots.

4. A Family (2021)

When Kenji Yamamoto’s father died from a drug overdose, his life fell apart, throwing him into uncertain times. Things get worse for him until his old boss takes him into his shelter and makes him a part of their family.

Kenji swears allegiance to him and adheres to his old-school ways despite his upbringing based on how well his boss treats him. However, what begins as a father-son relationship becomes a life-changing world of chaos and power for Kenji.

He delves deep into the criminal world, making his name there as he grows. Watch A Family know how a depressed orphan turns into a crime master following his boss’s orthodox teachings.

5. Blade of the Immortal (2017)

Manji is a samurai on the target list after being on a mission to kill an evil feudal lord. As he lives his life away from scrutiny with his insane sister Machi, he is ambushed by a group of rōnin who wish to capture Manji. As they fail to do so, they kill Machi, prompting Manji to destroy the entire group.

As he lies wounded, he accepts his fate and awaits his death. However, he is saved by Yaobikuni with the help of some rarely scared bloodworms, which turns him immortal. Fifty-two years later, he is approached by a young girl named Rin Asano, who seeks his help to avenge her parents, who Kagehisa Anotsu and the Ittō-ryū gang killed.

Watch Blade of the Immortal to see how an immortal assassin seeks revenge for a young girl who leads him to his battles.

6. Love Like the Falling Petals (2022)

When aspiring photographer Haruto begins to get infatuated with his hairdresser Misaki, things start to go wrong for him as she suddenly breaks off all contact with him after a few dates. However, as he works hard to make his career successful as a photographer, he begins to heal from his recent breakup.

Little did he know that Misaki was diagnosed with a rare disease called progeroid syndrome, which makes a person age 10x faster than average. As she begins to lose her functionality with ‘age,’ she keeps herself hidden at home and breaks up with Haruto by claiming she found someone else.

She later proceeded to quit her job as well. Love Like the Falling Petals focuses on Misaki’s disease pushing her faster towards her death, like petals falling from a flower being used as a metaphor.

7. Sailor Moon Eternal (2021)

The movie revolves around the plot of a dark power that engulfs the earth after a solar eclipse which covers every nook and corner with darkness and despair. This brings the Solar Guardians into their mission to restore peace, order, and light with their collective efforts, which risk their own lives.

Sailor Moon is a popular Japanese manga that features female superheroes, mostly having a large audience among kids. Watch Sailor Moon Eternal to see how the gang defeats evil and saves the earth from evil forces threatening its peace.

8. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

Per the tradition in her village, Kiki leaves her home as soon as she turns 13 to find work and train herself to become a proper witch. First, she goes with her cat, Jiji, and her magic broomstick and learns how to fly it properly.

Then, as she matures and gains control of her broom, she begins all set to become independent. Soon, she launches her delivery service as a way to support herself as well as help the people around her. Her work became quite famous in her village, and she became successful.

However, low self-esteem causes her to lose her magical abilities, making her question her work and worth. Watch Kiki’s Delivery Service get to know how she overcomes her doubts and focus on her ability to do what she does best by gaining back her magic powers.

9. Gantz: O (2016)

When a bunch of people who have been killed are resurrected in a room together, things go far from them getting a ‘second chance’ at life. Gantz is a black orb that controls a group of formerly diseased people and ensures that they are trained and equipped with the latest modes of technology.

This way, they can combat an army of monsters who have managed to invade Tokyo and Osaka. When a teenage boy ends up in a room full of people after being brutally murdered on the subway, he has no idea how far things can go for him.

He has to ensure his survival as he fights the deadly creatures. For compelling and entertaining content that resembles slightly like Squid Game, watch Gantz: O now!

10. Ponyo (2008)

Ponyo is a story of a young goldfish Brunhilde, who uses her father’s magical powers to turn into a young girl and ends up falling in love with a little boy, Sosuke. Sosuke captures her as a fish in a jar as he sees her floating around the shores. As he breaks the jar to rescue her, he cuts his skin which Brunhilde licks to heal quickly.

Sosuke vows to keep her safe with him and names her Ponyo. With her desire to turn human and stay with Sosuke, Brunhilde tries to convince her father, Fujimoto, but he refuses, claiming her transformation would cause an imbalance on Earth.

Watch Ponyo this weekend to get to know how the two of them made their relationship work while simultaneously restoring balance on Earth.

11. Paprika (2006)

Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a scientist during her day job and a dream detective at night. Dr. Chiba is known by her code name ‘Paprika’ as she works during the night with her colleagues to invent a unique and powerful machine called DC Mini. This device is intended to help psychiatric patients by allowing therapists to enter their clients’ dreams to treat them.

However, there is a considerable risk of this machine being used by people with malicious intentions, which could manipulate people in the worst way. So, when DC Mini gets stolen, Dr. Chiba has no other option than to spring it immediately to recover it before innocent people are harmed by its misuse.

Watch Paprika to see how a scientist cum detective goes on a mission to save people from being hurt and manipulated by tracking her invention from the thieves who stole its prototype.

12. Only Yesterday (1991)

Over time, many of us look back and wonder if this was where we intended it to be. More often than not, we regret the things we did or let the opportunity go for the things we didn’t. Only Yesterday is about a young woman named Taeko Okajima who has spent a massive part of her life in Tokyo.

She worked hard to ensure she lived independently. One day, she decides to take a trip to the countryside to help her elder sister’s in-laws with the safflower harvest and take a much-needed break from the busy city life. During her journey, she looks back to her past and sees how much things have changed.

She begins to analyze her failing love life and other issues that come with adulting, like career, etc. The movie ends on a sweet note with her choosing the simplicity of life, which gives her far more satisfaction than a busy life in the city ever did, as well as a healthy relationship.

13. Spirited Away (2001)

Spirited Away is a movie that revolves around the story of a 10-year-old kid, Chihiro, who ends up at a deserted amusement park inhabited by supernatural beings. Their primary task is to turn whoever humans visit into beasts and animals. So as Chihiro and her parents enter this place, they turn her parents into pigs as she roams around to explore the site.

Chihiro has to do whatever she can to rescue her parents from the evil spells and transform them into humans. Watch this wholesome animated movie to see a little girl’s determination to do something heroic, which only superheroes in movies are assigned to do.

14. 5 Centimeters per Second (2007)

Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara are childhood friends whose feelings grow into something more as they grow up. But before their relationship could fully blossom into a mature commitment, their families moved to a different location, pulling the two lovers apart.

5 Centimetres per second highlights the harsh reality of living in a long-distance relationship with limited contact, which naturally jeopardizes their bond. With the two of them not seeing each other and building no new memories, the young couple has no option but to cling to their pasts.

With adult responsibilities putting both of them in more challenging circumstances, their feelings are tested with things that mean the most to them. This is a very relatable watch for anyone who is currently in a long-distance relationship or has been in one before.

15. Mother (2020)

Mother is a fantastic Japanese movie that revolves around the plot of bad parenting and neglect, which eventually prompts the young ones to take charge. While Akiko is an alcoholic who lives separately from her husband, she is constantly in need of money due to her gambling addiction.

With no way to make money and living an unstable life, she hooks up with wealthy men who have unhealthy habits like her to have them support her financially. Things continue this way until she becomes homeless with her children, Shuhei and Fuyuka.

She eventually gets noticed by a kind social worker, Aya, who takes the three of them in for shelter and support. As Aya helps Shuhei continue his education, Akiko has other plans to go back to her previous lifestyle.

With Shuhei old enough to know better, he wishes to live a respectable life. So, he plans to seize the perfect opportunity to take Fuyuka and break free from their mother, who will never let them live a stable life.

Note: If any of these movies are not available in your Netflix library, you can change your Netflix library by using a premium VPN.

3 Best VPNs to Watch Best Japanese Movies on Netflix [Quick Overview in April 2024]

There are so many VPN services available to access Netflix, so we have checked some of the best VPNs for you that will surely meet your needs, check all the options mentioned below:

1. ExpressVPN: It has 3000+ servers in 94 countries worldwide. There are 25 highly optimized servers in the USA. It offers $6.67/month for its yearly package with a 3-month free trial and a risk-free 45-day money-back guarantee.
2. NordVPN: It has 5,400+ servers in 80+ locations in 59 countries. This includes 15 highly optimized servers in the USA. It comes with a 2-year subscription of $3.71 a month, a 2-year plan at 72% off and 3 months free, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
3. Surfshark: It is available for $2.49/month for its 2-year package. It offers 3200+ servers in 60+ countries, 23 USA servers, and much more.

Final Thoughts

The list we have gathered above represents the best Japanese movies on Netflix to stream to your heart’s content. It is enough to last you for a whole week if you are really into binge-watching movies in your free time.

However, if you can’t use Netflix due to geo-restrictions in your region, feel free to use a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN to help you access content it safely by having your IP address hidden on it.

People Also Read:

• Best Spanish Movies on Netflix
• Best French Movies on Netflix
• Best Turkish Movies on Netflix
• Best Gangster Movies on Netflix
• Best War Movies on Netflix
• The Most Disturbing Movies on Netflix
• Best Romance Movies on Netflix
• Best Movies and Shows on Netflix
• Watch Harry Potter on Netflix

Betty Carter

Betty is an enthusiastic Computer Science Graduate and an extrovert who loves to watch Netflix, and is a binge-watcher always seeking quality shows to add to her watch history! She loves to write about the show, she has watched, to make her readers acknowledge them, and witness a cherished time with friends, and family!