Yuukoku no Moriarty: The Most Underrated Anime of the Decade That Absolutely Deserves Your Attention

Most Sherlock Holmes adaptations ask how to stop Moriarty.

Yuukoku no Moriarty, also known as Moriarty the Patriot, asks something far more dangerous:

What if Moriarty was right?

That single idea transforms the entire foundation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s world into something darker, more political, and far more emotionally complicated than most people expect from anime. By the time the series ends, you are not simply watching a battle between detective and criminal anymore. You are watching two extraordinary men struggle to define justice inside a society already rotten at its core.

And somehow, despite how brilliant Yuukoku no Moriarty is, almost nobody talks about it enough.

What Is Yuukoku no Moriarty?

Yuukoku no Moriarty is a Japanese mystery manga series written by Ryosuke Takeuchi and illustrated by Hikaru Miyoshi, inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. Instead of centering Sherlock Holmes himself, the series places William James Moriarty at the center of the narrative and reimagines him not as a monster, but as a revolutionary shaped by systemic injustice.

The Yuukoku no Moriarty anime adaptation was produced by Production I.G and aired between October 2020 and June 2021 across two cours. Set in late nineteenth century Britain, the story explores a deeply unequal society where aristocratic privilege determines human worth and social mobility is almost nonexistent.

That setting is not just decoration.

It is the ideological core of the entire series.

The Premise Is What Makes the Series Exceptional

Most adaptations portray Professor Moriarty as a shadowy criminal mastermind existing purely to oppose Sherlock Holmes. Yuukoku no Moriarty deliberately rejects that interpretation.

William James Moriarty is introduced as a mathematics professor and nobleman who secretly orchestrates elaborate crimes designed to eliminate corrupt aristocrats and dismantle the British class system. Rather than serving evil for its own sake, he weaponizes crime against institutions already built on cruelty and exploitation.

The brilliance of Yuukoku no Moriarty comes from how seriously it commits to that moral tension.

William’s actions are often horrifying. Manipulation, murder, deception, and calculated psychological destruction become tools in his campaign against inequality. Yet the anime repeatedly forces the audience to confront an uncomfortable possibility:

If the legal system only protects the powerful, can justice exist outside the law?

The series never gives an easy answer.

That restraint is exactly what elevates it above a standard crime thriller.

William James Moriarty Is One of Modern Anime’s Best Protagonists

William works because the anime never simplifies him into either hero or villain.

He is charismatic but deeply dangerous. Compassionate yet capable of terrifying cruelty. Idealistic enough to dream about rebuilding society while simultaneously believing bloodshed is necessary to achieve it.

Soma Saito’s vocal performance captures that duality perfectly, balancing warmth and calculation in nearly every scene.

What makes William especially compelling is that he understands exactly what he is becoming. There is no illusion of innocence surrounding him. Every crime pushes him further toward self destruction, and the series allows that emotional burden to linger beneath even his calmest moments.

The Moriarty brothers dynamic strengthens this enormously.

Albert represents aristocratic guilt and the recognition that the system benefiting him is fundamentally corrupt. Louis embodies absolute loyalty, following William with near frightening devotion even when fully aware of the darkness ahead.

Together, the three create an emotional core far stronger than most viewers initially expect from Yuukoku no Moriarty.

When Sherlock Holmes Appears, the Series Evolves Completely

The first half of the Yuukoku no Moriarty anime is already excellent.

Then Sherlock Holmes arrives.

And the entire energy of the story changes instantly.

Rather than portraying Sherlock as a perfectly composed intellectual genius, the series presents him as messy, impulsive, socially reckless, and emotionally fascinated by the one person capable of truly understanding him.

The relationship between Sherlock and William becomes the heart of the Yuukoku no Moriarty anime.

Not romantic in the traditional sense.

Not purely adversarial either.

Something far more psychologically dangerous than both.

Sherlock recognizes almost immediately that William exists on the same intellectual wavelength he does. William, meanwhile, intentionally shapes Sherlock into a public symbol of justice powerful enough to survive after the “Lord of Crime” eventually falls.

That idea is one of the smartest elements in the entire Yuukoku no Moriarty series.

Both men become performers in a carefully constructed political narrative. William creates the villain society fears. Sherlock becomes the hero society needs. Their conflict evolves into something larger than either individual person.

Very few anime handle ideological rivalry this well.

The Victorian Setting Matters More Than People Realize

Many historical anime use their setting primarily for aesthetic appeal.

Yuukoku no Moriarty does not.

Victorian England’s rigid hierarchy directly shapes every major conflict in the story. Nearly every case revolves around abuse of institutional power, exploitation of lower classes, or the inability of ordinary people to obtain justice through legal means.

The series is politically engaged in a way that feels unusually mature for mainstream anime.

It does not present revolution as clean or heroic. It presents it as costly, morally destabilizing, and emotionally exhausting.

Production I.G reinforces this atmosphere beautifully through muted color palettes, candlelit interiors, fog covered streets, and heavy shadow composition. The animation rarely relies on spectacle alone. Instead, it prioritizes mood, tension, and psychological unease.

The result feels cinematic without losing emotional intimacy.

It Is Underrated, But Not Perfect

Yuukoku no Moriarty deserves significantly more recognition than it receives.

Its blend of mystery, political commentary, moral ambiguity, and character drama is genuinely uncommon within the medium.

That said, the series is not flawless.

Some episodic cases resolve slightly too quickly, and the pacing accelerates noticeably during parts of the second cour. Certain supporting characters also disappear for long stretches once the Sherlock and William conflict fully takes center stage.

Ironically, those flaws exist partly because the central dynamic between the two leads becomes so compelling that the story naturally prioritizes them above almost everything else.

And when the finale arrives, the emotional payoff is devastating.

Not because the anime relies on cheap tragedy.

Because it earns every emotional consequence through careful buildup across the entire series.

The Franchise Continues Beyond the Anime

The anime only adapts part of the full Yuukoku no Moriarty story.

The manga, serialized in Jump Square since 2016, continues well beyond the anime adaptation and entered a new phase beginning in late 2024. The franchise has also expanded into stage plays and musicals that remain highly popular among fans.

That continued success makes sense.

The world of Yuukoku no Moriarty invites analysis. Fans continue debating William’s morality, Sherlock’s emotional motivations, and the true meaning behind the “Lord of Crime” plan years after the anime aired.

Very few series maintain that level of discussion without relying on constant new adaptations. If you enjoy deep-dive anime analysis, be sure to explore our complete anime guides for more series breakdowns like this one.

Why You Should Watch Yuukoku no Moriarty

Because Yuukoku no Moriarty is one of the rare anime capable of transforming a universally recognized literary myth into something that feels genuinely fresh.

Because William James Moriarty is among the most layered protagonists modern anime has produced.

Because the ideological and emotional tension between Sherlock and William carries the entire Yuukoku no Moriarty series with extraordinary consistency.

Because Production I.G delivers atmosphere with remarkable precision.

Because the series trusts its audience enough to explore uncomfortable questions without simplifying them into easy morality.

And because beneath all the mystery, politics, and psychological warfare, Yuukoku no Moriarty ultimately becomes something deeply human:

A tragedy about intelligent people trying to create justice inside a world already built to deny it.

Yuukoku no Moriarty succeeds because it never asks whether William Moriarty is innocent.

It asks whether a broken society can create monsters without sharing responsibility for what they become.

For fans looking to watch Yuukoku no Moriarty alongside other critically underrated titles, browse our curated anime guides for more hidden gems worth your time. You can also learn more about the source material on the official Yuukoku no Moriarty Wikipedia page.

Quick Facts: Yuukoku no Moriarty at a Glance

• Original title: 憂国のモリアーティ (Yuukoku no Moriarty)
• English title: Moriarty the Patriot
• Studio: Production I.G
• Episodes: 24
• Aired: October 2020 to June 2021
• Based on: Manga by Ryosuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi
• Genres: Mystery, historical, psychological, drama
• Where to watch: Crunchyroll and Funimation
• Manga status: Ongoing
• More guides: Explore all anime guides