Best Anime Set In Prisons

The best thing about anime is that any story can have any kind of setting. Whether it be otherworldly locales, faraway planets, or futuristic cities, the sky’s the limit, and even more mundane stories can take place in extraordinary circumstances.

One unconventional setting for anime is prisons, especially since that would make most of the characters criminals. While most stories shy away from this sort of setting, darker series take the chance to explore such a grimy setting, and some even manage to do so comedically. Let’s take a look at the best prison anime.

As there are precious few shows set solely behind bars, anime that have short prison arcs will be considered.

Updated on January 13, 2025 by Mark Sammut: The Winter 2025 anime season is underway, and none of the shows seem likely to incorporate prisons in any form. Ultimately, that is not surprising as this setting is rare and tends to be most avoided. Orb: On the Movements of the Earth includes a couple of scenes in a prison, but they are few and far between. To help fill the void, a two-episode arc from one of the greatest shonen anime of all time has been added as a recommendation.

10

Gintama (Jail Arc)

Gintoki’s Short And Hilarious Stint In The Slammer

Over its 300+ episode run, Gintama did seemingly everything, so the anime including a storyline set in a prison is not surprising. Tasked with finding a cheapskate client who refuses to pay for his prisoner role-play, Gintoki ends up on the wrong side of a warden, resulting in him landing behind bars. Desperate to prove his innocence and take down the corrupt warden in the process, Gintoki does his best Shawshank Redemption cosplay, and he ends up becoming something of an inspiration for the other prisoners.

While arguably not one of its best comedy sagas, Gintama‘s Jail Arc is nevertheless amusing and does not overstay its welcome. Due to lasting only two episodes, the story only really has time to focus on subverting a couple of prison tropes, like introducing a currency system revolving around pudding. The new characters are not extremely memorable in the grand scheme of things, but a few of them go in surprising directions. For example, the warden proves to be slightly more nuanced than he initially seems.

9

Dead Leaves

A Chaotic Sci-Fi Romp With Eye-Catching Art And Bizarre Characters

Two amnesiacs, Retro and Pandy, awaken naked on a dystopian Earth. They go on a crime spree only to be arrested and sent to the moon prison, Dead Leaves. There, they are subject 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 movie created by Hiroyuki Imaishi, founder of Studio Trigger and creator of popular shows like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill. The movie is similarly bizarre and off-the-wall, which can make it an acquired taste for those who aren’t necessarily fans of his other works. Despite that, fans of unconventional anime will enjoy what this movie has to offer.

8

Cross Ange

Polarizing Fanservice Aside, Cross Ange Is An Entertaining Mecha Prison Anime With A Great Female Protagonist

Angelise Ikaruga Mitsurugi has always believed that the Norma, people incapable of using the world-changing technology known as Mana, were better off exterminated. However, when she turns sixteen, she is exposed as a Norma herself and exiled to Arzenal, where Norma is forced to fight against interdimensional beasts known only as DRAGONs. Now a Norma soldier, Ange must come to grips with her own identity while fighting to survive in her new role.

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

Cross Ange was adapted into a manga by Kenjirō Takeshita.

7

One Piece (Impel Down Arc)

A Fun Prison Break That Serves As A Precursor To A Massive War

In the grand scheme of things, Impel Down is a very small part of One Piece, making up less than 30 episodes; however, that is longer than nearly every other prison anime, so the arc warrants a mention regardless. With Ace’s execution on the horizon, Luffy plans a prison break by sneakily entering Impel Down with an assist from Boa Hancock, and the operation goes sideways pretty quickly and has wide-reaching ramifications.

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

6

Nanbaka

Anime Prison Break, With Quite A Lot Of Shonen-Like Silliness

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

Nanbaka is a slice-of-life comedy anime with a core cast made primarily of handsome young men meant to enthrall a female audience. Despite its comedic core, the series does have its moments of drama and is not just about silly gags.

5

Kaiji: Against All Rules

Trapped In An Underground Hell

An argument could be made that all of Kaiji revolves around the protagonist trying to escape a financial prison; if that is not good enough, season 2 specifically takes place in captivity. Alongside a plethora 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 down for years. His only hope is to buy a temporary escape to the outside world and then make a large enough sum of money to earn his proper freedom, two ambitions that are both very unlikely to happen.

Kaiji is the definitive gambling story, and the anime arguably peaks during season 2’s first 8 or so episodes, which are set specifically in the Teiai Group’s underground prison. Here, Kaiji gets dragged into a game designed to keep some prisoners in power, forcing him to be far more proactive than usual. While the rest of the season is set outside the prison, Kaiji is constantly fighting to ensure he does not have to go back to that torture.

4

Prison School

Caught Peeping, Turned Into Prisoners By The Student Council (And Hilarity Ensues)

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 draconic punishment system that forces misbehaving students to stay in the school’s prison. When the boys are all caught peeping on the girls’ bath, they are forced to spend a month in the prison block or be expelled.

Prison School is an outlandish comedy with ludicrous amounts of fanservice. The characters get into all kinds of bizarre and obscene situations, and while there is plenty of second-hand cringe, viewers who can look past that will find it an incredibly hilarious experience.

3

Deadman Wonderland

Manga Is Better, But The Anime Is Quite Entertaining Despite Ending Way Too Early

Ganta Igarashi was a normal high school student until a masked man came by and massacred his entire class. Blamed for the killings, Ganta is sent to Deadman Wonderland, a privately owned prison that also functions as a theme park. Subject to the disgusting shows and contests held within the prison, Ganta struggles to survive the prison while figuring 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 games of death will certainly enjoy this series, and even fans of more straightforward shonen action series could have a fun time as well.

Deadman Wonderland‘s manga is far better than the anime, largely due to the latter only receiving one season.

2

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean

Great Chapter In One of The Best Franchises In Shonen History

Jolyne Cujoh finds herself taking the blame for murder, landing her a fifteen-year sentence in Green Dolphin Street Prison. Dismayed 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 first uses her power to help her survive in the prison, but soon learns that there is much more to the prison than meets the eye.

Stone Ocean is the sixth part of the long-running JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series, and the most recent series to be adapted into an anime. The anime is known for being the first to feature a female protagonist and is home to some of the most bizarre Stands in the series. While the adaptation received some criticism, Stone Ocean is still largely regarded as a high point, and a large part of that success comes down to the setting.

1

Rainbow

The Definitive And Most Harrowing Prison Anime

In the tumult 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, whom they quickly bond with and become close as brothers. Reeling from the corruption of the wardens and the cruelty of the outside world, the boys make a promise to get out and make a name for themselves once they do.

Rainbow is a coming-of-age historical drama set in ’50s and ’60s Japan. The stories of the seven boys of Shonan Reformatory range from heartbreaking to inspiring, and watching them grow from boys to men is a delight. Out of all the prison anime, Rainbow is far and away the most uncomfortable, and it also features one of the most detestable villains in anime.