Top 10 Biggest Unsolved Anime Mysteries

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

Remember this? Horikoshi sure doesn’t. It was only mentioned for a hot minute, but it was clearly established that UA High has a traitor in its midst. And we’re not talking about the whole charade with Hawks either. This was someone unseen, feeding info to the League of Villains, working hard to usurp the heroes of tomorrow. And we still have no idea about who this traitor could even be, with the mangaka recently stating that it’s a plot point that he himself had forgotten about. Guess we won’t be uncovering their secret identity for a fair while.

“The End of Evangelion” (1997)

Given how Evangelion is likely to keep getting rebooted and reshuffled until the sun goes out, it’s likely we’ll never get the answer to this unnerving conversation. Holding Ritsuko at gunpoint while the NERV facility goes to hell around them, Gendo makes a confession to her that the audience is not privy to, only for Ritsuko to call him out as a liar. Did he declare his undying affection? His absolute hate? Admit the horrible things he did to Rei’s clones? We may never know, and if Anno has his way, it will stay that way.

“Valvrave the Liberator” (2013)

Between its lack of a third season and that one disturbing scene where Haruto went way too over the top with his vampire urges, it’s becoming rather clear that we are never going to get an answer to this kid’s identity. Only shown through flash-forwards, given his appearance and the fact he’s tutored by Saki and Satomi, we can only imagine that he’s the child of one of the main cast. Though even that conclusion becomes murkier when you see how he resembles both Haruto and L-elf, the series’ main bros. Maybe vampire pregnancy works a little differently?

“Overlord” (2015-)

It’s a staple of the genre; some poor soul finds themselves getting yeeted into a fantasy world and in doing so becomes the most powerful thing to ever exist. Time and time again we’ve seen the origins of these now famous isekaiers, save for one. And that would be bone Daddy Ainz. How and why did he become trapped within a former MMO and was granted the power to bend all life to his will? No idea. The only thing we know is that he’s still jacked-in back in the real world, while his evil avatar continues to cause chaos.

“Higurashi: When They Cry” (2006)

Given just how messed up the time loops in this franchise is, there’s no way to tell whether or not Keiichi’s decision to murder Satoko’s scumbag uncle was real or not. It certainly looked like he did him in and buried the body in the woods, except when he returns later it’s missing. It’s made all the more confusing when his friends give him an alternative series of events. Did Keiichi imagine it due to the curse? Potentially. Or maybe the Sonozaki family moved the body on his behalf, while his friends gave him an alibi to fix his fractured mental state.

“Cowboy Bebop” (1998-99)

It’s one of anime’s most iconic endings, with Spike letting off his signature line before collapsing from his wounds following his final battle with Vicious. Surely, this was the end of the space cowboy. We…aren’t sure. Mainly due to the ending being so purposefully ambiguous. It’s gotten so bad over the years with fans that even director Shinichirō Watanabe has had to come out and say that even he doesn’t know if Spike lived or died, which in hindsight might be for the best.

“Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” (2006-08)

Cursed with immortality and able to grant those worthy with the power of the Geass, C.C remained an enigmatic figure right up until the end. The only ones to ever learn the truth of her nature was Lelouch, which also included her real name. Something that only he is privy to. The only inkling we as the audience get is that she’s very much akin to snow white. It’s hard to tell if this was used as a metaphor to give fans something to ponder, or if it was just Lelouch trying to swarve.

“Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17)

The life and death of the older Uchiha was one of the franchise’s highpoints, without a doubt. And yet we still don’t know everything. As mentioned by Tobi via his extended shinobi info-dump, Itachi was dying of some manner of sickness, one that was getting worse due to his reliance and overuse of the Mangekyo Sharingan. What was it? How did he get infected? Why couldn’t he get it treated? There’s no way to know on account of him dying twice and taking the secret with him. Hopefully it isn’t genetic or Sasuke or even his daughter Sarada could be in trouble.

“Pokémon” (1997-)

The mystery of the parentage of Ash Ketchum has persisted for as long as can be, to the extent it’s shocking that we saw him actually win a championship before finding out who his father was. Many theories have been passed around over the years as to who was Delia’s partner. Was it perhaps a fling with a random trainer? Did Professor Oak show her the meaning behind his name? Did Giovanni give her a personal introduction to his Team Rocket? By this point we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Mr Mime.

“One Piece” (1999-)

We know, we know, supposedly it’s all of Gol D. Roger’s greatest treasures, all bundled together and hidden away in a specific place. But come on, by this point it’s clear that there’s no way Oda would settle for giving us some Shambhala of gold and jewels. Whatever the One Piece is, it’s something that Roger highly valued and hid away from the world, which according to Whitebeard does indeed exist. Is it the ultimate Devil Fruit? Secrets the World Government would slaughter whole nations for? The truth of the Void Century? Or perhaps it’s something more metaphorical, about how the journey matters, not the destination. Whatever it is, we’re probably not going to see it anytime soon.