Parasyte Watch Order: One Anime, and the Live-Action Versions That Are Separate
Parasyte -the maxim- is the only anime: 24 episodes. The two Japanese films, Parasyte: The Grey and the announced Tamiya series are live-action adaptations separate from it.
There is one Parasyte anime: Parasyte -the maxim-, 24 episodes, aired from October 2014 to March 2015. Watch it start to finish. Everything else with the name is live action and separate from the anime: two Japanese films from 2014 and 2015, the Korean Netflix series Parasyte: The Grey, and an announced Netflix series, Parasyte: Tamiya.
Everything, in order
| Entry | What it is | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Parasyte -the maxim- | Anime, 24 episodes | October 2014 to March 2015 |
| Parasyte Part 1 and Parasyte: The Final Act | Japanese live-action films (separate) | November 29, 2014 and April 25, 2015 |
| Parasyte: The Grey | Korean live-action series (separate) | April 5, 2024, on Netflix |
| Parasyte: Tamiya | Live-action series (separate) | Announced for 2027 on Netflix |
The anime: Parasyte -the maxim-
Madhouse made the series, directed by Kenichi Shimizu. ANN's episode list runs from "Metamorphosis," dated October 8, 2014, to episode 24, "Parasyte," on March 25, 2015, and a pre-broadcast ANN report already gave the count as 24. Crunchyroll streamed it as it aired, and Sentai Filmworks licensed it for North America and other regions in March 2015. There are no OVAs, recap films or sequel seasons to fit in.
The live-action films
Director Takashi Yamazaki made two Japanese films that, in ANN's words, "adapt Iwaaki's original manga"; they are a separate adaptation, not a continuation of the anime. The first opened on November 29, 2014 and debuted at #1 at the Japanese box office. The second, Kiseijū Kanketsu-hen (Parasyte: The Final Act), opened on April 25, 2015, according to ANN's encyclopedia entry for the films. Shōta Sometani plays Shinichi.
Parasyte: The Grey
This is a South Korean live-action series directed by Yeon Sang-ho, which premiered worldwide on Netflix on April 5, 2024. ANN's report says it "is based on the manga, but will tell its own new story," with new characters: its lead, Jeong Su-in, is a woman whose parasite "fails to take over her brain." Shinichi and Migi's story is not its subject, so it neither replaces nor follows the anime.
Parasyte: Tamiya
In July 2026 Netflix announced another live-action series, centered on Ryoko Tamiya and starring Shioli Kutsuna, for global release in 2027, with Yeon Sang-ho credited as planner. ANN describes it as a new series based on the manga; neither ANN nor Netflix's description says whether it shares a continuity with Parasyte: The Grey. No date has been given.
Reading on
Kodansha publishes Hitoshi Iwaaki's manga in English in several editions, compared in the Parasyte catalog. For the two leads, see Shinichi and Migi; both contain spoilers. Our ending explainer covers the anime's final episodes in full, with spoilers.