Top 10 Anime That Got Disturbingly Dark Quickly

“Do you want to play a game?” Pop culture has taught us that anyone asking this question is up to no good! Unfortunately, when a group of kids are asked this by a strange old guy in a cave, they don’t run away immediately. Instead, they’re tasked with piloting a giant mech to save the world. And sure, that’s par for the course with mecha anime. But then, after the first kid pilots it, he dies after falling off the mech. Coincidence? Except, when the next kid pilots it, he dies too. Turns out, the mech runs on life force, and to save the world, these kids must literally sacrifice their lives! Where’s a “before you buy” review when you need one?

Isekai anime can frequently have dark twists, but few of them get quite so dark this quickly! Subaru is enjoying his first day in a new world, meeting the local people, making friends with a cute girl. But then he and the girl are murdered. Afterwards, Subaru returns to earlier in the day. His ability to “return by death” is quite useful, but psychologically traumatic, as he remembers everything, but those he cares about remember nothing of the horrors he alone endures. Watching Subaru’s sanity erode makes for rough viewing, but “Re:Zero” is still highly regarded for its unique approach to storytelling.

In this anime’s world, aliens regularly attack elementary schools, with it being so commonplace that a student committee is tasked with “cleaning up.” And rather than get adults to take care of the disgusting and terrifying creatures from outer space, they instead opted for traumatizing young kids! But hey - it’s Japan, they do that all the time…in anime. Armed with rollerblades and symbiotic aliens of their own, the girls of 9th elementary school have to contend with all the anxieties of puberty, plus some body horror - though the two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.

Tokiyuki is the young heir of the Hojo clan, who effectively rule the Shogunate. Cheerful and carefree, Tokiyuki is known for evading his lessons with near superhuman ability. His happy life abruptly comes to an end when some of the clan’s strongest retainers betray them, slaughtering nearly everyone. However, it turns out that Tokiyuki’s evasiveness is not only what helps him survive the massacre, it may be the key to achieving his revenge. The young lord’s superhuman ability to dodge and run away comes in handy in battle, and for recruiting allies whose skills will help him take back Japan. It may begin in tragedy, but “Elusive Samurai” has a unique approach to conflict and some gorgeous animation to boot!

You can’t throw a rock in the anime community without hitting a “cute girls doing cute things at school” anime. And “School-Live!” seems like the rest of them…at first. The School Living club is led by the cheerful Yuki in doing activities around school. Except, the end of the first episode reveals that none of it is real - it’s all in Yuki’s head. During a zombie apocalypse, Yuki suffered a mental breakdown, and her delusions of regular school life are her way of coping. The contrast between Yuki’s perceptions and the grim reality makes for some occasional tonal whiplash, but also some heartbreaking moments.

When it comes to the top 10 weakest monsters, goblins tend to rank pretty high (or low) on that list. So when some rookie adventurers are slaughtered, captured, and violated by some goblins in a cave, it’s pretty shocking, both for them, and the audience. Enter the Goblin Slayer, the unnamed adventurer who specializes in killing the nasty little green menaces. While the initial incident proved controversial online with how graphic it is, “Goblin Slayer” isn’t always doom and gloom, with the solitary adventurer gradually opening up as he encounters new friends and allies in his quest to eradicate goblins for good.

Once the poster child for this type of anime, “Madoka Magica” hoodwinked initial viewers with its cute art style and character designs. “It’s just another magical girl anime” we all said, “Bor-ing!” But then, Mami, one of the magical girls, gets straight up killed early on! And we quickly learned that this ain’t your average magical girl anime! All the usual tropey things about “Madoka Magica,” from wishes to soul gems have a dark drawback to them. Instead of hand waving away the objectively horrific implications of forcing girls with magic powers to fight evil, this show instead faced them head-on in a way that had rarely been seen before.

A group of orphaned children are raised in seclusion in a walled orphanage. They’re all happy and enjoy life, hoping for adoption. This can only end well, right? Well, as it happens - no. A few of the orphans discover the truth by following after one of the recent adoptees. They’re actually being raised like cattle for demons to eat. The smartest among them set about discovering a way to escape before they meet the same fate. And while demons may be a lurking threat, the kids’ “caretakers” are surprisingly terrifying! “The Promised Neverland” is “The Great Escape” meets anime! And we’ll do you a favor - once you finish season 1…just, just read the manga.

This anime really wastes no time in showing that grim things are afoot. The opening shot being a protagonist using a bat to kill his peers does that really effectively. Despite the adorable characters, and small-town school life premise, paranoia and murder lurks around every corner in this anime franchise. Over the course of several time loops, the mystery of why these murders occur is gradually revealed, and the existential horror of being trapped in this kind of nightmare is explored across the various series. What is it about anime and time loops that leads to such morbid stuff?

“Oh, the animation is so beautiful! Sure, this girl and her robot friend going into the abyss is dangerous, but it’s not like anything bad will happen to them or their friends…right?” Wrong, it’s absolute nightmare fuel! It may be pretty to look at, but this anime is as dark as they come! Riko and Reg’s journey into the dark depths sees them encounter horror after horror, and the story doesn’t shy away from hurting them, or other children in incredibly messed up ways! Much like the proverbial abyss, if you stare into “Made in Abyss,” it will stare back into you.


Is there an anime that went from zero to traumatic in no time flat? Don’t keep us in the dark and share your picks in the comments!