Dark anime shows may not be as popular as other anime genres, but they are certainly entertaining to watch. If you don’t like the “typical” anime show and want to watch something darker then this article is for you. Even though anime has become popular in recent years, many people still believe it is a childish medium. They believe it’s all in good fun. The hero swings in beats the bad guy saves the day, and so on. To be fair to them, they’re kind of right because most of the popular shows today are shonen anime. They happen to be quite light-hearted and don’t exactly focus on topics that rein in mature audiences. So here’s a list of the Top 20 Best Dark Anime of all Time
Deadman Wonderland
What would you do if you were incarcerated for a crime you did not commit? Ganta Igarashi was on his way to a park-style prison. That place entertains its visitors by forcing inmates to perform a variety of crude acts. Ganta could not have been more wrong in his assumption that it would be a typical day. When he arrives, a man in red slaughters everyone in his class. As the sole survivor, Ganta is immediately identified as the perpetrator. To his surprise, he is imprisoned in the same facility; Deadman Wonderland. Join Ganta in his struggle to escape the prison, where danger lurks around every corner. It is one of the top most dark anime of all time.
Another
Yomiyama North High School will never be the same after the death of a young girl in 1972. Kouichi Sakakibara recently transferred to Yomiyama North. He notices that everyone in his class seems to avoid a particular girl, Mei Misaki. Despite their and her warnings, Kouichi tries to befriend Mei. This sends everyone down a dead end, as they are drawn into the tragic mystery surrounding Yomiyama High’s class 3-3. Another is a shocking story of unavoidable suspense and gore that will leave you unsettled and intrigued at every turn. It is one of the top most dark anime of all time.
Hellsing / Hellsing Ultimate
This would not be a dark anime list if I did not include this fantastic show. In a world where creatures of the night threaten humanity, only Hellsing is capable of stopping them. Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing is the legendary group’s leader. However, all of its members pale in comparison to Integra’s trump card. Alucard is a vampire and an overpowered protagonist on a mission to exterminate his kind. In both Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate, you will also quickly realize that the enemy of your enemy is not always your friend. It is one of the top most dark anime of all time.
Akame Ga Kill
This anime is one of the best dark anime shows. It follows a teenage boy named Tatsumi as he embarks on a journey to save his impoverished village. Tatsumi is deeply moved by the actions of Night Raid, a revolutionary assassin group, after a series of unfortunate events. Their goal is the complete liberation of their empire from the clutches of the greedy and devious Prime Minister Honest. Tatsumi joins Night Raid to help them with their mission. Soon discovers that retribution is meted out equally to friend and foe when one walks the assassin’s path. It is one of the top most dark anime of all time.
Devilman: Crybaby
Akira Fudou has always been a frail boy with a delicate heart. One day, his friend Ryou asks for his assistance in locating devils. Devils are beings who use humans as hosts to wreak havoc and mayhem. Their search leads them to a party full of perverse acts, where devils suddenly take over the partygoers. Akira is possessed by the all-powerful devil Amon. Amid the unleashed carnage and discovers that if one’s will is strong enough. One can overpower the devil and use its powers, at the cost of having their primal desires run wild. This gripping story about a crybaby trapped in a nearly indestructible vessel is as tearful as it is gripping! It is one of the top most dark anime of all time.
AJIN: Demi-Human
There have been beings who have walked the earth indefinitely since time immemorial – Ajin, people who cannot die. They are regarded as freaks despite their extraordinary vitality. Enter Nagai Kei is a brilliant young man. He has no interest in these beings because he is too busy trying to become a medical doctor. Kei is hit by a truck on his way home from school one day and presumed dead. Until a black mist appears around his body and restores him. The sign of being an Ajin. As his humanity is constantly put to the test in this epic of morality and self-discovery survival is no longer his main concern. It is one of the top most dark anime of all time.
Psycho-Pass
This story takes place in the distant future of the 22nd century, where crime is now measured on a scale. The government can determine an individual’s threat level based on their mental state using the Sybil System. Those who dare to harbor any evil thoughts are brought to light, often with force, by Inspectors. Akane Tsunemori, the newly inducted Inspector, is partnered with Shinya Kougami, the Enforcer – inspectors whose crime level qualifies them for criminal status but who are granted freedom in exchange for doing the dirty work. These two soon discover the dark truth of this world, as the Sybil System is not what it appears to be. It is one of the top most dark anime of all time.
Tokyo Ghoul
Ken Kaneki is a sweet college student whose only passion in life is reading. He notices a pretty lady who happens to be an avid reader like himself while at a café with his best friend Hide. Rize, the lady, takes a liking to him, and they’re soon walking home together. Unbeknownst to Kaneki, she is about to drag him into the world of Ghouls, supernatural entities that feed on human flesh. This spine-chilling horror story is a masterfully crafted experience that no one should miss. It is one of the top most dark anime of all time.
Death Parade
The concept of heaven or hell is non-existent in the mysterious anime Death Parade. Those who die will end up at Quindecim, a bar where they will play various games against other recently deceased people under the watchful eye of the bartender, Decim. Watch these dearly departed souls battle it out, whether it’s darts, air hockey, or even bowling because those who win will safely reincarnate to their next life, while those who don’t will be cast into the void. This establishment has been run in this manner for all eternity until the arrival of a certain man causes even the ever-patient Decim to question himself. It is one of the top most dark anime of all time.
Ergo Proxy
Ergo Proxy is an anime that explores humanity’s darkest secrets, set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian world ravaged by mother nature. The story takes place in Romdo, a dome city that is one of the human race’s last hope for survival. Androids were created to alleviate the burdens that people face daily; however, these “AutoReivs” become infected with a virus that grants them sentience, encouraging rebellion against their masters. We are thrown into the deep end as we follow the protagonist Re-l and her AutoReiv partner Iggy on a dark journey to discover the source of the virus and unwittingly become entangled in one of humanity’s greatest sins.
Drifters
In this bloody isekai fantasy, the legends of old come out to play. The story follows the exploits of war hero Toyohisa Shimazu while he is on the verge of death. Toyohisa then finds himself in a white corridor surrounded by hundreds of passages, with a strange man named Murasaki standing in front of him. Before he knows it, Toyohisa is whisked away into a mysterious land to fight as a drifter, warriors from a bygone era that this world requires to repel the evil known as the End. Other historical figures, such as Oda Nobunaga, join him in freeing this corrupted land from the End and informing these unwelcome visitors that the continent is off-limits.
Goblin Slayer
Kumo Kagyu’s dark fantasy epic has no more self-explanatory title. Our hero, simply known as the Goblin Slayer, has a vendetta against the foul creatures that exist for no other reason than to bring misfortune to others; goblins. After seeing his life turned upside down by these atrocities, he decides to pursue a career dedicated solely to their abolition. And he has no qualms about using whatever means necessary to achieve his goal. As the audience is given an insider’s look into the dark side of your run-of-the-mill fantasy anime series, this gripping revenge story will keep you on the edge of your seat and appalled at every occurrence.
Dororo
Lord Daigo Kagemitsu’s land will perish during the samurai era. In a desperate attempt to survive, he bargains with demons for a high price: the body of his firstborn son. Soon after the land prospers, the child is born, blind, deaf, deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly de He is thrown into a river. Still, as luck would have it, a medicine man comes across this abandoned baby. The man gives him prosthetics to help him fend for himself, and he transforms into a living weapon. Now grown, the boy is accompanied by the lost orphan Dororo on a grueling hunt to kill the demons who stole everything from him and reclaim what was rightfully his.
Mirai Nikki
Future Diary, also known as Mirai Nikki, is what happens when unrequited love and a terrifying amount of power collide. Yukiteru Amano is the protagonist of this dark story, and his daily life consists of writing in his diary to keep himself company. His diary, on the other hand, has other ideas. Deus Ex Machina, the God of Space and Time, throws him headfirst into a game of death. He has nothing to rely on except his diary, which contains uncannily accurate but random information about the future, and his psycho stalker, Yuno Gasai. The deeper you delve into this twisted romance, the more you realize that not everything is as it appears.
The Promised Neverland
Gracefield’s orphans live their lives being cared for in a loving environment surrounded by those they’ve come to call family. These children spend their days fantasizing about being adopted into the ideal family until our beloved protagonist Emma discovers the grotesque secret that this orphanage has kept hidden from them their entire lives. The Promised Neverland is a dark coming-of-age story that embodies the youthful lust for freedom in the most sinister way possible, as we watch a group of gifted and brave children struggle to find their place in a world that is constantly against them.
Hell Girl
Hell Correspondence is a mysterious website that opens its doors at midnight to those who have a strong resentment toward someone. Once granted access, users can write down the person’s name, and the mysterious Ai Enma and her strange straw doll ability will kill and send them to hell. Whether the person who has been marked deserves it or not, this heinous entity takes their life. But all of this comes at a cost; those who request this agent of death must also spend their afterlife in hell.
Death Note
Death Note is one of the best anime shows ever, and it revolves around our prodigious protagonist Light Yagami’s dark descent into the world of crime and retribution. The plot revolves around Light’s life, as he comes across a mysterious notebook titled after the series. He soon discovers that whoever wields this book has power over the laws of life and death, and he embarks on a deadly crusade that will change his life forever. We see Light’s transformation from a model high school student into a being whose actions are so systematic and malicious that it takes the world’s greatest detective, L, to solve his case.
Elfen Lied
Lucy is a special breed of human with immense psychic power manifested in invisible hands. This ability lands her in the hands of the government, where she is subjected to a variety of inhumane experiments. When she gets the chance to escape, she doesn’t waste any time destroying the lab where she was imprisoned, as well as everyone in her path. However, she suffers severe brain damage, resulting in the development of a split personality that conceals her homicidal tendencies. When Kouta and Yuka, two college students, discover her unconscious, they unknowingly provide shelter to this fugitive. With a ticking time bomb at their disposal, these children’s lives will never be the same.
Shiki
Shiki’s story revolves around the rural town of Sotoba, where the death of a local girl precipitates the town’s descent into a dark and twisted epidemic. The villagers of Sotoba quickly reach the limits of their mental fortitude and begin to question everything. In this chilling subversion of the vampire concept, which we’re all familiar with, good and evil, trust, and even familial bonds are put to the test. It’s up to medical doctor Toshio Ozaki and antisocial youth Natsuno Yuuki to figure out what’s causing this rumored disease before their town is overrun by creatures of the night.
Berserk
The legend of the Black Swordsman is not for the faint of heart. He is quickly introduced to a life of constant hardship after being born from the dangling corpse of a woman hanging from a tree. After being betrayed, he is fated to battle demons until the day he dies. He gains people he can finally call allies as a result of his constant fighting. Join Guts on his quest for vengeance against the man he once thought was his closest friend, armed with Dragonslayer, a sword too large and heavy to be called a sword.
That’s all folks! These were the Top 20 Most Dark Anime of all Time. If you know any more awesome anime do mention them in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!
Also checkout -> Top 30 Sports Manga
