The 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 otherworldly locations, distant planets, or futuristic cities, the sky's the limit, and even more mundane stories can take place in extraordinary circumstances.

One of the unconventional places 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, dark series take the risk of exploring such a dark setting, and some even manage to do so in a comedic way.

Updated on October 7, 2024 by Mark Sammut: This article has been updated with specs for each show, as well as two new ones prison anime. However, these series only show prisons for a short (but important) stretch of episodes.

9 Dead leaves

MAL Score: 7.21

Two amnesiacs, Retro and Pendy, wake up naked on a dystopian Earth. They commit crimes only to be arrested and sent to the lunar prison, the Dead Leaf. There, they are subjected to strange treatment under the guidance of the Galactic warden, and soon learn that there is more to the prison than meets the eye.

Dead leaves is an amazing movie created by Hiroyuki Imaishi, founder of Studio Trigger and creator of popular shows like Tengen Toppa Guren Lagann and Kill at Kill. The film is just as weird and offbeat as it may make it an acquired taste for those who aren't necessarily fans of his other work. Regardless, fans of unconventional anime will love what this film has to offer.

8 Cross Eng

MAL Rating: 7.39 (Anime)

Angelise Ikaruga Mitsurugi always believed that the Norma, humans incapable of using the world-changing technology known as Mana, were best destroyed. However, when she turns sixteen, she is exposed as Norma and exiled to the Arsenal, where Norma is forced to fight interstellar beasts known only as DRAGONS. Now a soldier of Norma, Ange must come to terms with his own identity as he struggles to survive in his new role.

Cross Eng is a sci-fi mecha series created by Sunrise, better known as the creator Gundam. For now Cross Eng is completely different from that franchise, it has enough similar elements for mecha anime fans to enjoy this particular series.

Cross Eng
was adapted into a manga by Kenjiro 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 One Piecewhich are less than 30 series; however, it is longer than almost all the 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 the help of Boa Hancock, and the operation goes sideways rather quickly and has far-reaching consequences.

​​​​​​While Impel Down feels like a footnote in the vast cycle of manga and anime, it is nonetheless fantastic, offering a unique setting, a great antagonist in Magellan, and a fast pace by adaptation standards. As a prison, Impel Down is also interesting, each level has its own fresh hell.

6 Nanbaka

MAL Rating: 7.33 (Anime)

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

Nanbaka is a comedy anime where the main cast consists mostly of handsome young men to appeal to the female audience. Despite its comedic foundation, the series has moments of drama, and it's not just silly gags.

5 Kaiji: Against all the rules

MyAnimeList: 8.24 (anime); 8.40 (Manga)

You can make an argument that everything come on revolves around the main character trying to escape financial prison; if that's not good enough, season 2 is set in captivity. Along with a host of other debtors, Kaiji finds himself forced to work 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 a temporary escape to the outside world and then earn a large enough sum of money to earn his proper freedom—two ambitions that are highly unlikely.

come on is the ultimate gambling story, and perhaps the anime peaks in the first 8 or so episodes of Season 2, which takes place specifically in the underground prison of the Teiai Group. Here, Kaiji gets involved in a game designed to keep certain inmates in power, forcing him to be much more active than usual. While the rest of the season takes place outside of prison, Kaiji is constantly fighting to not have to go back to that torture.

4 Prison school

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

Hachimitsu Academy, formerly an elite all-female academy, decided to allow male students for the first time. Kiyoshi Fujino is one of the few 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 prison. When all the boys are caught peeking in the girls' bathrooms, they are forced to spend a month in the prison block or expelled.

Prison school it's an offbeat comedy manga with a ridiculous amount of fanservice. The characters get into all kinds of weird and seedy situations, and while there's a lot of second-hand stuff, viewers who can look past that will find it an incredibly fun experience.

3 Deadman Wonderland

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

Hanta Igarashi was a normal high school student until a masked man came and killed his entire class. Accused of the murders, Ganta is sent to Deadman Wonderland, a private prison that doubles as a theme park. With gruesome shows and competitions held in the prison, Ganta struggles to survive in prison while he figures out who the Red Man was who killed his classmates.

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 simpler shounen action series can have a good time as well.

Deadman Wonderland
The manga is much better than the anime, mostly due to the fact that the latter only got one season.

2 Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean

MAL Rating: 8.25 (Manga), 8.08 (Anime Season 1)

Jolene Cudjoe takes the blame for the murder, leading to a fifteen-year sentence at Green Dolphin Street Prison. Confused about her fate, Jolene soon discovers that a gift from her father has given her the power to summon a mysterious spirit known as the Stand. At first, Jolene uses her power to help her survive the prison, but she soon learns that there is much more to the prison than meets the eye.

Stone ocean is the sixth part of the cont Jojo's Amazing Adventures 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 amazing stands in the series. While the adaptation received some criticism, Stone ocean is still largely seen as a high point, and much of that success comes down to the setting.

1 Rainbow

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

In the turmoil of post-war Japan, six boys are sent to a special Shonan penitentiary after committing various crimes. They end up in a cell with Rokuroto Sakuragi, who they quickly bond with and bond as brothers. Reeling from the corruption of the guards and the cruelty of the outside world, the boys vow to get out and make a name for themselves once they do.

Rainbow is a coming-of-age historical drama set in Japan in the 50s and 60s. The stories of the seven boys at Shonan Penitentiary range from heartbreaking to inspirational, and watching them grow from boys to men is a joy. Of all the prison anime, Rainbow without a doubt the most awkward, and it also features one of the most disgusting villains in anime.