Top 10 Moments That Triggered Anime Fans

“Neon Genesis Evangelion” (1995-96)
Alright Netflix, by all means reintroduce a classic anime to a new generation via your streaming service, but perhaps don’t trample on everything that made the original so beloved. Not bringing back the likes of Spike Spencer and the rest of the original cast was already a massive blow for some fans, but excluding Fly Me to the Moon in the end credits? The one song that remains a staple of the franchise and is almost as iconic as Shinji’s inability to get in the robot? For shame! Netflix… How’s about next time, instead of wasting money on a Cowboy Bebop live action adaptation that NO ONE wants to see, you pay the licensing fee for this absolute banger.

“Overlord” (2015-18)
Who would have guessed the unstoppable skeleton sorcerer with dreams of conquering and killing his way across the land would turn out to be…a bad guy?! While it might sound rather obvious in hindsight, there were fans out there who had Bone Daddy pegged as an anti-hero through and through. Oh sure, he would massacre the occasional monster or religious sect, but it’s fine since they were evil, right? Well, whatever illusion they were under was soon shattered when Ainz went about killing and torturing likeable NPCs left and right, all before seizing control of a kingdom and imposing his will on the masses.

“The Sacred Blacksmith” (2009)
If you’ve been about your favourite image boards for a good decade or so, chances are you’ll recall this image. Yeah, apparently this legitimately pissed people off. The fact our dashing hero was able to leap in at the second and slice through a thick western broadsword with his dinky lil katana ended up ruffling a few feathers online. I guess the logistics of a katana being able to cleave through a broadsword like butter while its seconds from cutting a beautiful maiden’s face like a melon was a bridge too far for anime fans who are used to seeing children pilot giant robots… Or maybe it was that pesky online blacksmith community causing trouble again. I’m watching you, guys.

“Re;Zero – Starting Life in Another World –“ (2016-)
While it’s somewhat cooled down in recent months, the amount of animosity that flourished in the wake of Subaru’s decision to ditch the adorable oni in favour of the adorable half elf was met with…polarizing results. Some felt like Emilia was more than worthy of the mantle of main girl and should be allowed to be treated as such. While others were pretty much ready to burn everything to the ground in the name of their beloved Rem. It remains one of the most vicious waifu wars in recent memory, here’s hoping season two doesn’t stir up any old grudges.

“Darling in the Franxx” (2018)
And you thought the Zero Two/Hiro/Ichigo love triangle was bad?
In brief, Ms. Kokoro promised to stay with Futoshi forever only to cuck him out of existence the first chance she got to be with Mitsuha – oof. This plot device turned out to be the equivalent of a landmine. On one side you’ve got fans seething at the fact Futoshi got done dirty in such a heinous manner, another side were left stunned that Mitsuha was even interested in girls in the first place, then there were others who wanted to burn Kokoro at the stake, also a few who found Futoshi’s suffering endlessly hilarious, and that’s all before we get into the eventual sex scene. No one triggers like Trigger!

“Digimon Adventure 02” (2000-01)
Hate to open up old wounds, but this one might still work you into a seething shoot. Lots of young’ns back in the day saw themselves in Tai, and with his close friend Sora constantly by his side and caring for him, it looked like cupid would make these two official some day. Hell, even the movie was baiting it big-time! So, when it came time for Tai to make his heartfelt confession, he was rejected by Sora in favour of… Matt…the dude she seldom said a word to for the entirety of the franchise. Guess girls really do love a bad guy. This one hit a little too close to every little kid out there who ever believed in love. We’re just glad Tai’s a bigger man than we were.

“Brighter Than the Dawning Blue” (2006)

Listen, when you’re animating hundreds upon thousands of frames of animation every week sometimes you have to cut a few corners. In the show “Brighter than the Dawning Blue” one particular scene saw the characters chopping up cabbages… only they looked like this. You’d think it would be an inoffensive error, but controversy quickly stirred over on the Japanese image board, 2chan, as people did not take too kindly to this vegetable violence. Justice was, understandably, demanded, and the issue was brought up to the heads of the studio. The cabbage was later redrawn for the DVD version of the show, and ever since anime studios have made it a priority to always draw these leafy greens to perfection.

“Erased” (2016)
Look, the main thing is that Kayo is alive! It took numerous trips to the past, confronting her abusive mother, getting kidnapped and nearly killed by a child murderer on multiple occasions, but Satoru still managed to pull it off. She lived. And apparently got with another guy and had a child. Not with Satoru… just that other dude. While you might be tempted to ball your eyes out over the fact that your favourite ship didn’t sail, just try to remember that she’s alive, and that’s all that counts! Right…?

“The Rising of the Shield Hero” (2019)
Ha, remember the time where we had no idea that Myne was the most manipulative shrew to ever come out of the anime primordial soup? That all changed right here, with one giant lie and a vindictive gesture. After luring Naofumi into her trap, Myne managed to convince the kingdom that she was sexually assaulted, sending Shield Bro down into a rabbit hole of despair as the world turned against him. Given the touchy subject of such accusations, many were left put off and decided to skip what would turn out to be one of the best isekai of all time.
Legend says there are some who haven’t watched a single episode of the show and still complain about it on the internet anyway!

“Tokyo Ghoul:re” (2018)
How dare the main guy find love with the main girl and end up getting intimate between the sheets! At least that was the mentality of some rather vocal fans on places like Tumblr. Apparently all of that beautifully woven chemistry between these two over the course of several tragedies was getting in the way of Kaneki and Hide’s yaoi shipping. That’s all well and good because hey, there is a lack of representation in some anime, but these outraged few certainly crossed the line. Death threats were sent to the creator of the Tokyo Ghoul manga from international fans in the most toxic case of fandom to date. Headcanon truly is a terrifying beast.