Top 10 Shockingly Violent Moments in Anime
Top 10 Shockingly Violent Moments in Anime
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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Shockingly Violent Moments in Anime. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most brutal anime scenes that came out of nowhere. Did any of these take you by surprise? Let us know in the comments below!
#10: An Unexpected Work Hazard
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“Puella Magi Madoka Magica” (2011) On paper, a show about magical girls who want to save others is as harmless as it comes. The main issue is that some of them can’t even save themselves. After a pair of relatively tame intro episodes, “Madoka Magica” ripped apart its innocence by doing just that with Mami’s head. Sure, no one expected fighting witches to be easy, but painful deaths were never supposed to be on the table in a show like this. This one moment set a bone-chilling precedent for the remainder of the season - either Madoka and the others got serious, or they would end up no better than Mami.
#9: Blunt Force Trauma
“Psycho-Pass” (2012-19) Akane and Shinya have sleuthed out their fair share of grisly murders, but even they couldn’t have expected this one. On a normal night, in the middle of a crowded street, an innocuous woman suddenly saw the wrong end of a hammer. And, that’s lights out for her. Using only brute force, the perpetrator doesn’t stop until she’s been completely brutalized. But, the worst part of it all is that not a single bystander does anything. They all just stand there, watching and recording, like this poor woman’s murder is some sort of spectacle. It just proved that, in “Psycho-Pass,” apathy is much as a threat as the criminals themselves.
#8: Attack of the Clones
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“Pokémon: The First Movie” (1998) Even in a show all about battling, the mainline “Pokémon” series has never been excessive about it. The franchise’s first movie, however, is a very different story. From the moment the clone Pokémon awakened, it was all-too clear this isn’t a friendly game anymore. Mewtwo is fighting for real. As a result, the battle between the Kanto starter lookalikes is more ferocious than anything the series had ever seen. It only ramps up from there, too, especially as more partners engage their dittos in combat. In the end, the only thing more shocking than two Pikachu slapping each other is the realization that this is coming from “Pokémon” of all places.
#7: A Sharp Reminder
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“Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor” (2007-11) It was only a matter of time before Kaiji’s gambling addiction caught up with him. But, at his lowest point, the casino manager, Ichijō, decided to add new meaning to the term “blood money.” Kaiji had already risked his life, his friends, and his fingers, so this time, he got dealt a fate involving a needle and his fingernails. Just the thought of it is enough to make anyone squirm in their seat. Nevermind actually enduring it. While there’s no way of knowing just how bad it felt, Kaiji’s pained screams give a pretty good approximation. After this, it’s just amazing he ever wanted to gamble again.
#6: Rock, Paper, Gon
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“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-14) Gon is usually one of the most optimistic shounen heroes out there. But, when he discovered what Neferpitou did to Kite, the person he became wasn’t Gon anymore. At least, not the one anyone would recognize. He forced himself to mature at an unnatural rate, which gave him enough power to deliver an utterly insane beatdown. Somehow, it’s both a cathartic thrashing and a terrifying rampage at the exact same time. Either way, it’s by and large the most gruesome fate in all of “Hunter x Hunter,” if only because Gon has never been so frightening before. After all, by the time he’s done, Neferpitou barely has a body left to bury.
#5: Red Meat
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“The Fruit of Grisaia” (2014-15) For a show with the word “fruit” in its name, its characters are anything but vegetarian. Instead, after a bus crash stranded the basketball team in a forest, the stragglers happily ate any deer meat their teacher caught. At the time, the dish was a welcome respite from their tragic circumstances. But, when the students discovered the dead bodies of their classmates, they realized their last meal hadn’t come from the wildlife, after all. It’s a stomach-churning revelation, especially since the rest of the survivors are either too hungry, or too crazy, to care. Given all the trauma it left Amane with, she probably would have preferred to just starve.
#4: My Bloody Valentine
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“School Days” (2007) Following the dramatic conclusion of its core love-triangle, it was obvious that this romantic slice-of-life wasn’t heading towards a happily-ever-after. But, still, that doesn’t mean anyone thought Sekai would pick up a kitchen knife. Or that, in one jaw-dropping scene, she’d single handedly turn “School Days” from a grounded drama into a full-blown slasher film. Sure, the show had always been a bit dark, but even its bleakest moments don’t compare to the shock of this blood-stained ending. In fact, by the time Sekai successfully stained her hands red, it’s hard to say who was more surprised: Makoto, or those of us who watched it all go down.
#3: Out of Time
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“Steins;Gate” (2011) While celebrating the completion of their time machine, the Future Gadget Laboratory staff got some major party crashers - and they came ready for a fight. Then, before anyone even had time to blink, Mayuri was deemed “unnecessary” and sent to her grave. Just like that, with only a few seconds of warning, the show’s ostensible female lead was in a body bag. For better or for worse, this moment effectively split “Steins;Gate” into two distinct halves: before the raid, and after it. The tonal whiplash raised the stakes and set the whole series on a much darker path. But, even beyond all that, it’s unforgettable based on the pure shock-value alone.
#2: Atomic Aftermath
“Barefoot Gen” (1983) Based on its opening act, you’d be forgiven for assuming this classic anime film is an innocent coming-of-age tale. In fact,“Barefoot Gen” seems to almost intentionally lure its viewers into a false sense of security. So, when the Atomic Bomb suddenly drops on Hiroshima, it truly feels like things will never be the same. To really hammer it home, the movie doesn’t hold back from the ghastly realities of the situation, to the point it’s almost hard to stomach. With the knowledge that it’s all based on historical events, the only word left to describe this scene is “haunting.” And yet, it’s a must-watch precisely because it’s so hard to sit through.
#1: Sibling Squabble
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“Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” (2006-08) It’s almost poetic that one of Lelouch’s most pivotal acts is the result of an accident. No, he didn’t mean to use Geass on Euphemia, but it was still his powers that ordered the massacre. The ensuing bloodbath is so devastating that Lelouch has no choice but to end things - even though it means killing his innocent half-sister. There was already plenty of blood on his hands, but most of it had come from Geass. So, watching him pull the trigger personally is a completely different beast, especially considering it’s all his fault. At least Euphemia can take solace that, in an episode with plenty of astonishing death scenes, her’s still hits the hardest.
