Movies like Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak (2013)
The best movies like Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak (2013) are Ajin: Demi-Human – Compel (2015), Devilman - Volume 3: Devilman Apocalypse (2000) and X (1996). If Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak hooked you with its mystery and animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedKizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu (2017)8.0/10 from 249 votes
- NewestGIRLS BAND CRY The Movie: Hey, Our Future (2025)Released 2025
- In JapaneseAjin: Demi-Human – Compel (2015)Also in Japanese
Ajin: Demi-Human – Compel (2015)
Kei discovers the curse of immortality when he gets hit by a bus... and doesn't die. Now on the run from a government that wants to experiment on him, and his fellow Ajin, Kei's only hope to live a peaceful life lies in his ability to learn how to use his new powers. Aided by the strength of his "Black Ghost", a once apathetic Kei must now fight to avoid becoming a cruel demi-human experiment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDevilman - Volume 3: Devilman Apocalypse (2000)
Fear runs rampant throughout Tokyo with the revelation that demons in fact exist amongst us. Paranoia and the darker side of humanity boils onto the streets as people turn on one another, suspecting that anyone could in fact be a demon hiding in human clothing. Amidst the growing tensions, tragedy strikes Akira causing his mind to snap, retreating into his subconscious, allowing his Devilish alter-ego Amon to break free from Akira's cage of flesh and wreak havoc on both human and demons alike.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisX (1996)
It's the year of destiny, and 15 year old Kamui Shiro, a powerful psychic, has returned to Toyko after a 6 year absence, having left when he was very young. He wants to be with his childhood friends, Fuma (his best friend) and Kotori, Fuma's little sister (and Kamui's possible girlfriend). He wants to protect them from all dangers, but destiny and fate are haunting Kamui and pulling in himself and his beloved childhood friends. It is his destiny and his sole decision to decide the fate of the world, no matter if he wants the role or not. Now it is a matter of if he will join the side of the Seven Seals and become the Dragon of Heaven to save mankind or join the Seven Angels and become the Dragon of Earth to destroy all civilization so the earth can heal itself from man's destruction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man (2005)
The year is 2030 and six years have passed since a criminal known only as "The Laughing Man" swept through top medical nanotechnology firms committing acts of cyber-terrorism, kidnapping, and espionage leaving no known suspects. New information is revealed, as Section 9 enters the hunt for a suspect capable of unfathomable actions in this compilation of Stand Alone Complex content.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Garden of Sinners: The Hollow Shrine (2008)
June 1998: After spending two years in a coma caused by a traffic accident, Shiki Ryougi awakens with amnesia. She is visited by Touko Aozaki, a wizard and proprietor of a studio called Garan no Dou. Shiki has lost not only the memory of her accident, but also any real sense that she's even alive. Strangely, enigmatic beings begin to attack her...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDC Showcase: The Phantom Stranger (2020)
Jess joins her friends at a party in a dilapidated mansion hosted by the mysterious Seth. When odd things begin to happen to Jess and her friends, the Phantom Stranger intervenes to save her from a dreary fate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPsycho-Pass: Providence (2023)
While attending a meeting as a Chief Inspector of the Public Security Bureau, Akane Tsunemori received a report that an incident had occurred on a foreign vessel , and this was the beginning of a big and unexpected case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDemon City Shinjuku (1988)
Ten Years ago, Genichiro Izayoi died trying to stop the sorcerer Rebi Ra, and as a result Shinjuku became a playground for demons. And now, the day approaches when Rebi Ra will complete his decade-long ritual to plunge the rest of the world into chaos! As Genichiro's son, it falls to Kyoya to venture into the heart of Shinjuku and put an end to the sorcerer his father couldn't beat. Can Kyoya exceed his father's legacy, or will the demons of Shinjuku create Hell on Earth?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Garden of Sinners: Overlooking View (2007)
The story starts following an incident: a young girl jumps from the top of a building. The image provokes a certain dread, as the girl appears to have been a corpse even before she jumped. The case is dismissed, yet more and more of these suicides occur, and all from the same building. Thus began the rumour, that a ghost inhabited the rooftop of the building.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu (2017)
With help from Meme Oshino, the apparition specialist, Koyomi defeats the three powerful vampire hunters: Dramaturgy, Episode and Guillotinecutter. Koyomi takes back all the limbs of Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade in order to become a human again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisKizumonogatari Part 2: Nekketsu (2016)
Koyomi Araragi was turned into a vampire by the legendary vampire, Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade, and he needs to revive the weakened vampire back to her complete form to return to being human again. The only way for Koyomi to achieve his goal is to fight the three vampire hunters – Dramaturgy, Episode and Guillotinecutter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDC Showcase - Constantine: The House of Mystery (2022)
John Constantine wakes up in the eerie House of Mystery with no recollection of how he got there. Fortunately, Zatanna and his friends are all there. Unfortunately, they have a bad habit of turning into demons and ripping him to shreds, over and over again!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUrotsukidōji III: Return of the Overfiend (1993)
As the Overfiend slumbers, the mad emperor Caesar rises to power, enslaving a new race of demon beasts. Into this cruel existence is born the Lord of Chaos, the Overfiend's nemesis. As the blood-thirsty beasts capture the tyrant's daughter in a brutal coup, the Overfiend must awaken to an apocalyptic battle of the Gods.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisResident Evil: Death Island (2023)
In San Francisco, Jill Valentine is dealing with a zombie outbreak and a new T-Virus, Leon Kennedy is on the trail of a kidnapped DARPA scientist, and Claire Redfield is investigating a monstrous fish that is killing whales in the bay. Joined by Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers, they discover the trail of clues from their separate cases all converge on the same location, Alcatraz Island, where a new evil has taken residence and awaits their arrival.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUrotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend (1989)
Legend has it that the human race is not the only dominant civilization living on Earth. Two other races exist in this world: the Makai (a demon race) and the Jujinkai (a half-man, half-beast race). Once every 3,000 years, a supreme being known as the Choujin (Overfiend) will emerge and bring balance to all three realms on Earth. In present-day Japan, after 300 years of endless searching, a Jujinkai named Amano Jyaku has discovered the presence of the Choujin inside high school slacker Tatsuo Nagumo. But now, Amano, along with his sister Megumi and their sidekick Kuroko, must protect Nagumo and his new girlfriend Akemi Ito from the Makai, who believe that Nagumo is not the Choujin, but an evil entity bent on destroying all living beings on Earth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNight of the Animated Dead (2021)
An animated retelling of ‘Night of the Living Dead’, in which a group of people in a rural farmhouse struggle to survive the threat of bloodthirsty zombies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Spine of Night (2021)
When ancient dark magic falls into sinister hands and unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind, a group of heroes from different eras and cultures must band together in order to defeat it at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Inhabitant (2022)
Like any other teenage girl, Tara is just surviving high school — yet her father and mother seem strangely distant. Amidst a nearby spree of gruesome ax murders, Tara has sightings of terrifying entities, forcing her to question her own sanity and shocking ancestry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
SnoozefestMovies like thisAmelia’s Children (2024)
When Edward’s search for his biological family leads him and his girlfriend Ryley to a magnificent villa high in the mountains of Northern Portugal, he is full of excitement at meeting his long-lost mother and twin brother. Finally, he will discover who he is and where he comes from. But nothing is as it seems, and Edward will soon learn that he is linked to them by a monstrous secret.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBiohazard 4: Incubate (2006)
A special CGI film made-for DVD summarizing the story of the Resident Evil 4 game, excluding a couple of scenes for narrative consistency. Leon S. Kennedy, now a federal agent, is hired to rescue the president's daughter from a sinister cult.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both horror & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlood: The Last Vampire (2000)
In Japan, the vampire-hunter Saya, who is a powerful original, is sent by her liaison with the government, David, posed as a teenage student to the Yokota High School on the eve of Halloween to hunt down vampires. Saya asks David to give a new katana to her. Soon she saves the school nurse Makiho Amano from two vampires disguised of classmates and Makiho witnesses her fight against the powerful demon.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDead Space: Downfall (2008)
On a deep space mining mission to a remote planet, an ancient religious relic - thought to be proof of the existence of God - is unearthed and brought aboard. When the unholy artifact unleashes a long-dormant alien race, its glimpse of Heaven transforms the ship into a living Hell. A prequel to the events of the 2008 video game Dead Space.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation (2024)
A samurai's path leads him to a young waitress whose hometown was destroyed by a dragon. He doesn't want any trouble — but it finds them anyway.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisInu-Oh (2022)
A cursed dancer and a blind musician — both ostracized by society — become business partners and inseparable friends as their larger-than-life concerts propel them to stardom in 14th century Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHappiness Charge Precure! the Movie: Ballerina of the Doll Kingdom (2014)
While performing a puppet show at a nursery, the HappinessCharge Pretty Cures are surprised when one of the dolls starts talking. “Save our kingdom!” Tsumugi, the ballerina doll, pleads. The Pretty Cures accompany Tsumugi to the land of dolls, a girls’ paradise of cute stuffed animals, talking dolls, music and dance ruled by the noble Prince Zeke. But the kingdom is under attack by the forces of Black Fang, a mysterious man who wants to conquer the land for his own nefarious purposes. As sorrow spreads throughout the Kingdom of Dolls, the Pretty Cures come to the rescue.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark (2014)
2199 AD. Yamato tried to leave behind the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, after receiving a "Cosmo Reverse System" at its destination, Iscandar. However, suddenly, it encounters a mysterious group at the edge of the Large Magellanic Cloud. The crew finds out that the group is called the "Gatlantis," and that its leader is the Gutaba expeditionary force commander who calls himself "Goran Dagaamu of Thunder." The commander demands that Yamato be handed over to him. Yamato, wanting to hurry to Earth, escapes the fray. However, Yamato is attacked by a devastating beam weapon called the "Flame Direct Attack Cannon" that can transcend space.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Miss Hokusai (2015)
A daughter is constantly overshadowed by her famous father, but she is determined to make her own mark in the world.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBright: Samurai Soul (2021)
Izo, a Ronin, and Raiden, an orc, work to bring a young elf girl and the wand she carries to the land of the elves in the north.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and traitorous lord of Rohan seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGIRLS BAND CRY The Movie: Hey, Our Future (2025)
After forming the band Togenashi Togeari, Nina confronts her issues at the hometown she escaped from. Momoka also confronts Diamond Dust, the band that she left. Their overcoming of the past inspires the others to do the same, and aim to become pro musicians, but they are unable to adapt to the demands of society and decide to continue as an indie band.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak?
The closest matches to Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak are Ajin: Demi-Human – Compel (2015), Devilman - Volume 3: Devilman Apocalypse (2000) and X (1996). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak?
Start with Ajin: Demi-Human – Compel (2015), the closest match to Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak.
What is the highest-rated movie like Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak?
Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu (2017), rated 8.0/10 by 249 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak?
GIRLS BAND CRY The Movie: Hey, Our Future (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak?
Yes: Ajin: Demi-Human – Compel (2015), Devilman - Volume 3: Devilman Apocalypse (2000) and X (1996).
How are movies similar to Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Higurashi: When They Cry - Outbreak, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.