Top 15 Best Dark Anime of All Time
Updated: 27 Aug 2021 12:03 am
Kinky.
If you’re into superstitions, black cats, and voodoo dolls, you may be livin’ the vida loca. Just kidding. I know I’ve definitely delved into some dark anime titles during my punk teen years. Here’s what I would like to dub some of the Top 15 Best Dark Anime of All Time that may just keep you up at night.
15. School Days
Mistakenly taken for a pure romance anime, School Days is about a high schooler named Makoto who becomes infatuated with Kotonoha, a quiet beauty who also goes to his school. Makoto ends up sitting next to a peppy girl in his class named Sekai, who has no trouble in setting the two up. While Makoto and Kotonhoa become an item, Sekai is left with feeling a pit of jealousy after developing her own feelings for Makoto herself. Honestly the anime can be a bit weird at times, but if you’re looking for something dark you can’t go wrong watching School Days. It can be so messed up with it’s love triangle and showing people will really go to great lengths for what they want.
14. Redo of Healer
Redo of Healer may be on the controversial end for anime forums, but that is kinda why I included it on this list. The show is mainly about revenge as Keyaru is a healer that was dubbed a hero by many, however, his title gets torn down by a princess who abuses him. And when I mean abuse in so many ways, you will have to watch the show to understand. Keyaru seeks revenge by traveling back in time, “re-doing,” what had been done to him. It’s messy, it’s disgusting and disturbing, but that’s what makes it so dark. I apologize in advance if you get grossed out, I warned you.
13. Black Bullet
Humankind has been defeated by Gastrea, a species of parasites, pushing humans to live in a small population away from the world. An organization known as the “Civil Security” is founded to eliminate the Gastrea. Rentaro and his partner, Enju are assigned a task by the party to save Tokyo from its ultimate demise. I found the show filled to the brim with action and adventure along with suspense that left cliffhangers so interesting you lose track of time watching it cause you just keep on going to the next episode.
12. No. 6
A sci-fi mystery, No.6 takes place after a war separates humanity into six different states. Shion and his family are elite members of state No.6, however all that gets changed when Shion decides to help out a boy named Nezumi who is a fugitive. The two reconnect after some time and discover the mysteries and secrets of what set the world apart. The show has dark elements that are so unpredictable and really get fans attention.
11. School Live
If you can handle stress, you can handle School Live. Again with the cute characters, comes a show with chibi like anime girls fighting off a zombie apocalypse. Their day to day lives all come into havoc and the group of girls all fight their way while taking care of each other, it’s horrendously cute but at the same time the show really manages to manipulate the viewer, along with its character focus on each of the main girls.
10. Full Metal Panic
I remember tuning into Full Metal Panic while traveling abroad. At first I thought it was a generic mecha anime,it has its own twists that left a soft spot in my heart, well, maybe more of a dark spot. Sousuke is a soldier assigned to protect Kaname Chidori, a girl that is a candidate to be of a “Whispered”, individuals with gifted ability in machine making. Having been raised a soldier all his life, Sousuke is at his most difficult mission yet, protecting Kaname and adjusting to an average teen life. What sounds like a cute rom-com series is actually an anime full of action, sci-fi and military combat, with a storyline that gets unexpectedly dark when the adversary to Kaname is a lot more familiar to Sousuke than he could imagine.
9. Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl)
A message board is used at the request of someone cursing another to go to hell, if written on the board, a little girl known as the Hell Girl is summoned. Without reason or judgment, she fulfills the wishes to take those people to hell, however with a cost. The person who writes the name is also at the end of the stick and will also be taken to hell with them. Dark and edgy, Hell Girl brings a new meaning to a double-edged sword, and showcases the lengths that people take when they really, really want to curse someone out. But also, at what cost?
8. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)
The Higurashi series is one of my darker anime category favorites. Hinamizawa is a village that appears to be your run of the mill small town. Keiichi Maebara moves to Hinamizawa and attends their traditional annual festival with his cute little friends, however, the story takes a turn when various murders occur across town, leaving Keiichi asking his friends some questions as they remain silent. The show has the whole innocent-dark vibe as seen by many of the top dark anime shows, which definitely makes the series more engaging for the audience along with its ominous vibes.
7. Ghost in The Shell
Scarlett Johansen, who? Western adaptations aside, Ghost in The Shell is one of the most well known anime to date. The dark psychological futuristic series is about Major Makoto Kusanagi and her missions in going head to head with cybernetic terrorist groups. Her biggest adversary being a hacker named Puppeteer leading her to a rabbit hole of the net with shocking discoveries about her own identity. Ghost in The Shell is a must watch for not only dark anime fans, but for any anime fan in general with its stellar plot ahead of its time.
6. Shinsekai Yori (From The New World)
Saki Watanabe is a 12-year girl gifted with psychic abilities. She and her group of friends attend a school for psychics, all seems well at the school until Saki starts to wonder what is the fate of the children who are unable to tap into their abilities. Saki and her friends try to get answers for their questions, leading them to an organization that abducts children. The beautiful animation style and dark truths of discovery in this anime are hard to come by, which I highly recommend.
5. Psycho-Pass
In the 22nd century, Japan’s law enforcement enhanced with the Sibyl System, meant to determine a citizen’s threat to society by understanding their mental state otherwise known as a Psycho-Pass. Akane Tsunomori is new to the job. With a righteous sense of justice, she works alongside Shinya Kougami, a veteran officer. However, through their missions, Akane begins to question justice and how the system may not be what it appears to be. I really enjoyed Psycho Pass, it’s a serious anime that deals with not only questioning of society of existential crises along with having mature audience themes that may just leave you overthinking about your own life.
4. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Okay, okay, I know it looks super kawaii doki doki and jazz, but hear me out, don’t judge a book by its cover on this one. The series is meant to trick you into thinking it’s a cute little magical girl show. Madoka comes across a magical cat that grants her and her friends a wish in exchange of becoming magical girls, however, her transfer classmate, Homura warns them of the “opportunity,” that comes with consequences. I remember skipping over this series when looking for anime to watch, but one of my classmates strongly recommended it to me, where I was like, “are you serious, dude?” The hook is the deception of the show with its innocence that becomes much, much darker than you would expect!
3. Berserk
A stunning, dark horror fantasy, Berserk is about Guts, a mercenary who lives day to day to survive. He ends up working for a group called “Band of the Hawks,” led by Griffith known as the “White Hawk.” As Guts' loyalty and skills promote his rank in the guild, he soon realizes that Griffith lusts for power. The story and style for Berserk is truly one of a kind along with a twisted, dark storyline that literally gives me the heebie jeebies.
2. Death Note
How could I not put this on the list? Death Note is one of the most popular anime to exist with it’s story of Light Yagami and how he comes across a Ryuk, a Death God, otherwise known as a shinigami. Light comes across the Ryuk’s Death Note, a book where if a person’s name is written, the person dies. Light is determined to eliminate criminals in society at the use of the Death Note, however his efforts get tracked by the police and he comes across one of the best detectives in the industry, L. Death Note is an absolute dark supernatural classic that leaves many on the edge of the seats and screens with its thrills for more.
1. Monster
Dr. Tenma is a surgeon who gets caught up between saving a young boy and the town mayor. Saving the former over the latter damages the doctor’s reputation. As years pass, Dr. Tenma comes into contact with the boy he saved, however, he learns he saved a little “monster,” after learning that he is actually a literal human weapon. A dark seinen anime, Monster has been acclaimed by many mature audiences for its rich, twisted storyline that has the anime as a dark title mainstay on many charts.
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