Psycho-Pass is a legendary anime, manga, and light novel franchise that has been very popular ever since it first launched. Created by the legendary Gen Urobuchi, the cyberpunk psychological thriller has many sequels and spin-offs. However, the series’ rocky release history in America has led to many fans simply not realizing that there is more Psycho-Pass to enjoy.
Here’s how to enjoy the entire experience in order.
What is Psycho-Pass about?
Psycho-Pass is set in a future version of Japan. This version of Japan is watched over by the Sibyl System, a biomechatronic computer network. This computer uses the cymatic scan to scan citizens’ brains to learn their thoughts and mentalities. This scan, called the Psycho-Pass by civilians, gives each person a Crime Coefficient, which is meant to show how likely that person is to commit a crime. If your Crime Coefficient gets too high, Inspectors and Enforcers from the Crime Investigation Department of the Ministry of Welfare’s Public Safety Bureau will track you down and arrest or kill you. And the majority of the story is seen through the eyes of these Inspectors and Enforcers as they learn more about the Sibyl System and how it came to be.
Psycho-Pass Extended Edition
There are two versions of the original Psycho-Pass available. A regular version and an Extended Edition. This Extended Edition takes the 22-episode season and turns it into an 11-episode season, with each episode being 45 minutes long. These episodes include some new footage. They also give the whole season a visual upgrade that fixes some noticeable animation issues seen in the original version of the season.
There is no reason to watch the old version of Psycho-Pass if you have access to the Extended Edition. Thus whenever these lists reference the original Psycho-Pass, they’re referring to the Extended Edition.
How to watch Psycho-Pass in release order
The easiest way to watch Psycho-Pass is to watch it in the order of release. To watch Psycho-Pass in release order, you’ll watch it in the following order:
- Psycho-Pass (2012)
- Psycho-Pass 2 (2014)
- Psycho-Pass: The Movie (2015)
- Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System (2019)
- Psycho-Pass 3 (2019)
- Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector (2020)
A note about Psycho-Pass: Sinners Of The System
Psycho-Pass: Sinners Of The System is a collection of three short films, each running for 60 minutes. Each of these films is referred to as a “Case,” and each has its own subtitle.
The three films are called:
- Case.1: Crime and Punishment
- Case.2: First Guardian
- Case.3: On the Other Side of Love and Hate
The fandom sometimes refers to these films separately, often calling them SS Case and then the number or subtitle.
How to watch Psycho-Pass in chronological order
Unlike many similar shows, Psycho-Pass has an easy-to-follow chronology, making it easy to watch the show in chronological order.
To watch Psycho-Pass in chronological order, watch it in the following order:
- Psycho-Pass (2012)
- Psycho-Pass 2 (2014)
- Psycho-Pass: The Movie (2015)
- Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System (2019)
- Psycho-Pass 3 (2019)
- Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector (2020)
Alternative watch order
There is an alternative watch order that some fans enjoy. This watch order is:
- Psycho-Pass (2012)
- Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System: Case.2: First Guardian (2019)
- Psycho-Pass 2 (2014)
- Psycho-Pass: The Movie (2015)
- Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System: Case.1: Crime and Punishment (2019)
- Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System: Case.3: On the Other Side of Love and Hate (2019)
- Psycho-Pass 3 (2019)
- Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector (2020)
While this makes you watch the stories out of order, some of the events and character development you see during Case.2: First Guardian helps flesh out one of Psycho-Pass 2’s new characters and gives you a different perspective on Psycho-Pass 2’s events.
Where to watch Psycho-Pass
Psycho-Pass has had a rocky release history in America. Even though a lot of the series was imported to the US, it rarely got promoted, so many fans simply don’t realize they can watch some of the newer stuff.
Currently, you can watch Psycho-Pass on the following services:
- Psycho-Pass – Funimation, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu
- Psycho-Pass Extended Edition – Funimation (listed as a separate season named Extended Edition), Crunchyroll (calls it Season 13 for unknown reasons),
- Psycho-Pass 2 (2014) – Funimation, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video
- Psycho-Pass: The Movie (2015) – Funimation, Digital Rental
- Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System (2019) – Not available to stream outside Asia.
- Psycho-Pass 3 (2019) – Amazon Prime Video
- Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector (2020) – Amazon Prime Video