The Most Twisted Dark Anime Series

The darkest anime series have some of the greatest character arcs and mind-blowing storylines that make fans want more after every episode. While there are plenty of dark horror anime fans can choose from, there are also surprisingly dark psychological shows that are truly binge-worthy anime series one can finish in a single day or weekend.

These shows can give fans cruel but smart anime characters whose twisted and brilliant ideas made their series unforgettable experiences. They can be gory and messed up, but some of them are capable of being terrifying and mind-bending without blood or violence. While these anime shows can scare viewers and make them think about uncomfortable issues, some of them appreciate that creators are willing to make stories that confront the harsher side of life. Like these great examples.

Splatterfest anime like Genocyber, M.D. Geist, and Violence Jack will generally be ignored since they mostly rely on gore. That said, these types of shows can be entertaining.

Updated December 25, 2024, by Mark Sammut: The holidays might not seem like the ideal setting to throw on a dark anime filled with tragedy, black humor, and gore. That said, it is also never a bad time to watch a great series, regardless of its content (within reason). In celebration of the end of the year, two awesome but challenging anime have been added to this article. Maybe don’t watch them with the rest of the family.

19

Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories

Scary But Not Too Intense

Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories is perfect for those fans who love Japanese myths and all kinds of terrifying urban legends. The show follows an old man who wears a spooky yellow mask and appears at a playground to tell scary stories to the kids using his kamishibai, a form of traditional Japanese paper theater. They used to be commonplace in Japan before the rise of comics and cinema.

This creepy anime is perfect for viewers who prefer short, classic horror stories, as it plays out like a Japanese take on Tales from the Crypt. Each short is related to either ancient folklore or relatively modern horror figures like Hasshaku-sama, the inspiration behind Resident Evil 8‘s Lady Dimitrescu. Either way, it provides bite-sized chunks of horror that each have a twist in their tails.

Yami Shibai 13 is part of the Summer 2024 anime season. The show has lost quite a lot of momentum in recent years, but each season usually has a couple of decent episodes.

18

Corpse Party: Tortured Souls

Gore Horror

Corpse Party: Tortured Souls is a divisive show, as those who liked it tended to love it, while those who didn’t absolutely hated it. While it’s based on the Corpse Party series of horror games, the franchise has received various manga and anime adaptations. Each comes with its own differences, with some things being better in the original source material.

Nevertheless, Tortured Souls still sticks to Corpse Party‘s premise. It follows a group of high school friends who perform a charm that should help them become better friends. Instead, though, it transports them into the spooky Heavenly Host Elementary School. There they are attacked by the murderous ghosts of the school’s students, who each died gruesome deaths, and are happy to share that experience with the living. While the concept is not extremely original, Tortured Souls doubles down on the gore, which is visceral, uncomfortable, and grotesque.

17

Bokurano

Survival Is Not An Option

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the go-to dark mecha anime, and that reputation is well-earned by the original series and The End of Evangelion movie. However, NGE is hardly the only show to take this genre in a mature and depressing direction; heck, the average Gundam story is fairly dark compared to most other anime. While not nearly as well-known as either of those properties, Bokurano presents a strong case for being the darkest mecha series of all time, one that maintains a relentlessly distressing tone throughout nearly its entire runtime.

The premise is somewhat straightforward: a group of kids are chosen to fight off aliens to protect Earth. That setup is almost cliché, but Bokurano introduces a few wrinkles. For one, the characters are tricked into accepting this responsibility. Even when they realize that everything is legit, they are way too immature to process what is genuinely going on. Unlike so many mecha anime with kid protagonists, Bokurano‘s characters mostly act their age and are extremely vulnerable. There are no heroes and survival is not guaranteed.

16

Deadman Wonderland

Violent, With A Particularly Graphic Hook For The Story

Deadman Wonderland certainly gets off to a start. Set in a dystopian future, Ganta and his class go on a field trip to an amusement park-cum-prison called ‘Deadman Wonderland’. But when all his classmates are killed by a mystery man in red, Ganta is framed for the crime and imprisoned in the ‘park’. Soon, he discovers that this place is not like any other prison, as the convicts are forced to participate in deadly games for the amusement of the public.

While most people preferred the manga, the anime is still a thrilling show. It keeps its viewers engaged from beginning to end. While it’s notorious for its graphic violence and intense action sequences, it offers more than that. The story goes into the reasons behind the violence, as well as corruption, and the dehumanization of prisoners. They’re not performing in bloodsports in real life, but there are places worldwide using the law to exploit them in other ways.

15

Elfen Lied

Crude, Edgy, & Shocking

While Elfen Lied has mostly bright visuals and cute characters, it’s not a show for the faint of heart. It’s easily one of the darkest sci-fi anime around, with gore, nudity, and a lot of violent deaths. That’s on top of cheery themes like domestic abuse, mental illness, discrimination, forbidden love, and the value of humanity, as the anime’s story follows a race of mutants called Diclonii.

They look and act like other people, but have invisible arms that can eviscerate living beings without breaking a sweat. The government was keeping one Diclonus, Lucy, for experimentation. The result gave her a split personality: one consisting of an innocent, friendly girl who gets looked after by Kouta. The other is a brutal figure willing to murder all of humanity to avenge her suffering.

While its reputation has declined over the years, transforming from a thought-provoking psychological thriller into an over-the-top gore fest with somewhat adolescent writing, Elfen Lied‘s shocking moments still manage to pack a considerable punch, and they are extremely mean-spirited. Note: A dog is involved.

14

Black Butler

A Slightly Tongue-in-Cheek Gothic Epic

Black Butler is one of the best gothic anime series for adult viewers who love darkly sophisticated humor and anime stories that don’t shy away from some of the most taboo subjects. Namely, how a young boy called Ciel sells his soul to the demon Sebastian in return for vengeance on the people who ruined his life.

On the outside, they look like a child prodigy and his faithful butler, but Sebastian is just looking forward to the day he can snack on Ciel’s soul. Just as Ciel is waiting to give his nemesis their just desserts as they investigate some of the bloodiest crimes in Victorian London. Though as grisly as it gets, things get complicated as Ciel and Sebastian get to know each other. There’s more to the show than animosity and gore.

Black Butler has a twisted premise with characters that delight in the macabre; however, the show also has a dark sense of humor that runs throughout most of its episodes. Still, the anime touches upon quite a few heavy themes.

13

Chainsaw Man

MyAnimeList: 8.52

Chainsaw Man is known for its intense action, gore, and horror elements that make the anime unforgettable. However, this dark anime also has meaningful stories, since it delves into some pretty heavy themes, including death, sacrifice, and existentialism. It follows a young man named Denji, who merges with a chainsaw demon to become a powerful demon hunter.

To pay back his father’s old debts and adjust to his new powers, he embarks on a dangerous journey into the violent world of demon hunting. Chainsaw Man also has stunning animation, as well as well-developed characters who’ll make viewers pause for thought one moment, and then make them laugh the next. For example, Denji is a hormonal teen, but he also has emotional needs that aren’t being met. Behind the sex jokes is someone being manipulated by his elders, particularly the shapely but evil Makima.

12

Paranoia Agent

Psychological Character Study With Flashy Of Visceral Violence

Given the show was directed by the legendary Satoshi Kon, the man behind Perfect Blue and Paprika, it’s no surprise Paranoia Agent is a dark, mind-bending psychological anime about anime that gives its viewers plenty of unforgettable surreal and disturbing moments. It revolves around a series of attacks carried out in Musashino City by a kid in a cap wearing rollerskates and armed with a baseball bat.

The press reporting his incidents call him ‘Li’l Slugger’, and the series follows everyone who his bat has touched in some way. While there are some violent deaths, it never really gets gory. The series is more about how urban legends and social phenomena occur, and how they affect people. Even in his lightest works, like Tokyo Godfathers, Kon never shied away from the uglier sides of society. So, it’s no surprise things can get very ugly when people get possessed by paranoia.

11

Blue Literature

Inspired Takes On Historical Classics

Despite being hard to find, Blue Literature is worth tracking down, since it’s a unique series. The show features episodic adaptations of classic Japanese novels, like The Spider’s Thread and Hell Screen by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (the writer behind Rashomon), Kokoro by Natsume Soseki, and No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai. The latter of these was adapted into a manga by Junji Ito and Furuya Usamaru.

For the anime, they were adapted with designs by Death Note‘s Takeshi Obata (for No Longer Human and Kokoro), Bleach‘s Tite Kubo (Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees, The Spider’s Thread, Hell Screen), and Prince of Tennis‘ Takeshi Konomi (Run, Melos!). They’re not fluffy shōnen stories either. Instead, they run the gamut from existentialism and the nature of good and evil to depictions of hell both literal and figurative.

10

Texhnolyze

A Slow & Painful Fall

Some existential stories aim for happy endings, or at least a neutral one. But there’s nothing happy in Texhnolyze. It starts simple enough, as the prizefighter Ichise falls afoul of the criminal organizations that run the underground city of Lux. He receives a prosthetic limb through “texhnolyzation,” but this is just the start of his troubles as the city is attacked by a mysterious visitor called Kazuho.

As Lux succumbs to his attacks and will, Ichise and his companions try to find help. They even go as far as going back to the surface world, but the people there have long given up their hold on life. The anime shows humanity’s fall not as some cataclysmic horror, but as a slow, painful whimper where nothing can be done. Even when the villains fall, the damage is done. Sometimes, all someone needs to feel dark is not gore or horror, but something that makes them abandon all hope.

9

Dark Gathering

Creepy Monster Designs & Constantly Horrifying Backstories

Dark Gathering is one of the newer dark anime series, debuting in 2023, with scary and dangerous anime ghosts and a fun story. Keitarou is terrified of ghosts but has to deal with them because he naturally attracts them. Thanks to his unusual talents, he turned into a recluse for years. Just when he is ready to step back into society as a tutor, he meets a girl named Yayoi.

She has the same supernatural affinity as Keitarou and is pursuing one of the most dangerous ghosts to take revenge. This supernatural psychological horror anime also has a beautiful art style and great character designs, which helps viewers feel immersed in its world even more. Overall, it takes anime fans on an unforgettable ride with Keitarou and Yayoi on their adventures to hunt down terrifying ghosts.

Dark Gathering follows a fairly typical structure for a horror anime, with the first half sticking to an almost monster-of-the-week format. However, the anime is constantly building its overarching story that involves the protagonists going up against a god-like figure. While not always terrifying, Dark Gathering is frequently unnerving due to some fantastic ghost designs and creepy backstories. More importantly, Yayoi can be absolutely vicious in her own right.

8

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Destroying The Psyches Of Magical Girls

Magical girl shows are usually quite straightforward. A group of cute girls are brought together by a cutesy figure, usually an animal or something else adorable. They’re given superpowers to help protect the Earth from aliens, witches, or some other supernatural or paranormal threat. Puella Magi Madoka Magica turns that premise on its head by making it a cover story for something more nefarious.

Kyubey promises Madoka and her friend Sayaka he’ll grant any wish they desire if they become magical girls and protect Earth from witches. But their magical powers are actually powered by their souls which will drain them over time. Meanwhile, the witches are failed magical girls who transform when overcome by negative emotions. It’s a sham with dire consequences that could affect the universe as a whole, let alone Earth.

7

The Promised Neverland

The Human Farm (Featuring Only Kids)

The Promised Neverland, or at least its first season, is one of the best anime series around, with some of the strongest anime children of all time. The show eschews blood and gore to build its dark atmosphere with suspense, combining its lovable characters with elements of mystery to put them in heartbreaking situations. It starts with Emma, Ray, and Norman, who all live in an orphanage with their friends.

Their lives are mostly happy until they find out that their home is actually a farm where they’re being raised as demon food. Left with no choice, they leave the people they thought they could trust, and try to save other orphans from their impending doom. These kids are not physically strong but mentally tough since, despite their young age, they’re brave enough and work hard enough to escape their impending doom.

6

Re:Zero −Starting Life in Another World−

Return By (Cruel, Cruel) Death

Isekai anime are so plentiful that there is bound to be a suitable show for just about everyone’s needs. While the theme tends to focus on lighthearted power fantasies, there are a couple of dark fantasy isekai anime that opt for more menacing tones. Series like Overlord and Drifters are drenched in gore and slaughter, although they are only notably dark when compared to the average isekai. Conversely, Re:Zero is shocking by any standard.

Subaru finds himself in a fantasy world living out his isekai dream, and he instantly falls in love with a half-elf named Emilia. On paper, this sounds great; however, the protagonist has not been bestowed with powerful abilities. In fact, his only major skill is “Return by Death,” which means he restarts at an earlier checkpoint after he dies. Although this skill is very useful, Subaru has to constantly die to be able to contribute, and many of his untimely deaths are gruesome.

Re:Zero explores Subaru’s PTSD from suffering so many horrendous deaths, most of which are very painful and underline his human frailty. Furthermore, he cannot even speak about this power, forcing him to be constantly isolated despite being surrounded by people who care about him.

5

Attack On Titan

Unsettling Deaths, Shocking Twists, & Unpredictable Progression

For a show about cannibalism, experimentation, corruption, murder, and more, Attack On Titan has become surprisingly popular. Usually, dark themes can be a turn-off for wider audiences. Instead, AOT became one of the biggest names in anime, with its protagonist Eren Yeager, and his friends, particularly Mikasa Ackerman, becoming iconic leads in their own right.

The story followed the aforementioned Eren, who vowed to kill every man-eating Titan to avenge his mother’s death, only for things to get more complicated along the way. His deadly journey is filled with epic fights, heart-breaking deaths, and some of the most shocking anime plot twists ever. On top of that, it dealt with all kinds of social, emotional, and even political issues that deeply resonated with millions of viewers all over the world.

Attack on Titan goes through quite a few phases, transforming into a fairly different show by the end of its run. However, regardless of whether it is prioritizing action or politics, the series is constantly captivating, intense, and unpredictable. And, when the Titans gets their hands on a human, the result is always horrifying.

4

Devilman Crybaby

The End Of The World Is Nigh

Go Nagai is the grandfather of twisted dark anime, with several of his manga serving as inspiration for envelope-pushing adaptations. He is responsible for Violence Jack, Devil Lady, and Cutie Honey, just to name a few of his more controversial (and occasionally decorated) releases. Go Nagai’s most famous work is arguably Devilman, and the ’70s manga helped pioneer battle shonen as a concept. Nowadays, the original story holds up pretty well considering its age, but the same cannot be said for most of its anime variants. Fortunately, Devilman Crybaby is an exception.

Only loosely based on the classic manga, Science Saru’s show is a proper dark fantasy that dives into the psyches of both Ryou and Akira, two characters who are pushed well beyond their typical archetypes. The eponymous Devilman is far from a conventional hero, and the anime explores psychosexual themes in ways that are provocative and frequently uncomfortable. The final few episodes are as dark as anything the anime industry has ever produced.

3

Berserk

The Eclipse

Berserk is one of the most decorated seinen manga of all time, with epic heroes, gods, and ruthless anime villains. Its heartbreaking and dark story is filled with violence, bloody battles, and torture and is set in a brutal fantasy world. Based on the original manga’s “Golden Age” arc, the 1997 series follows Guts’ journey with the Band of the Hawk, his friendship with Griffith, and his burgeoning love for Casca before it all comes to a horrifying end.

Berserk‘s story takes viewers on a journey that is as emotionally challenging as it is thrilling, all the while exploring the darker side of humanity. Now, most of the series is not that twisted; however, the final few episodes more than make up for it. The only downside is that it was a one-off. Once the credits of the last episode run by, there’s only the “Golden Age” movies that recover its ground, or the 2016 series, which doesn’t hit the emotional high of the 1997 series.

2

Made in Abyss

A Journey Defined By Death, Torture, & Sorrow

Made In Abyss quickly became one of the best dark fantasy anime series around, if not of all time. The show has an innocent demeanor, but it features many graphic deaths, and harsh topics like mental health issues, cannibalism, and forced birth, among many other subjects that’ll make it a less-than-ideal choice for the squeamish.

The anime’s story follows a young orphan girl, Riko, who decides to descend deep into the Abyss to find her mom, who went missing while trying to explore its deepest depths years ago. This new classic has brilliant world-building and well-crafted characters as it fleshes out the inhabitants of the Abyss, and the Divers who went into it, alongside a story as heart-wrenching as the content is extreme.

1

Monster

The Definitive Serial Killer Anime Story

Originally created by 20th Century Boys and Pluto mangaka Naoki Urasawa, Monster is about Dr Tenma, a Japanese surgeon whose life suddenly gets turned upside down after he finds out that his former patient, Johan, is a notorious serial killer the police can’t seem to catch. He saved his life as a child, leading to the deaths of multiple people, so he feels partly responsible for their fates and wants to make amends.

This psychological thriller deals with dark and meaningful themes, including good vs evil, as well as how humans treat each other and themselves on a daily basis, and what can happen to those who get lost in the process. The simplest choices can have dire consequences one way or the other, no matter how good their intentions are.