There is an abundance of dark and gritty anime available for fans to watch. Some of these stand out due to the fact that they do not start off dark. Anime that begin with a lighthearted tone, or even one that is at least typical of their genre, often fool viewers into thinking that the story will go in a certain direction.
The dark twist at the end of the first episode is meant to shock viewers, subverting the anime’s initial tropes and drawing fans in. This makes fans wonder where the series will go from there. Many series do an excellent job at surprising people watching it for the first time and make the plot all the more interesting.
10 Akame Ga Kill: The Protagonist Discovers His Friends Were Killed
Tatsumi had originally dreamed of making it big in the imperial capital. At the start of the episode, he took down a monster, proving that he was a capable fighter. Going into the imperial capital, he finds himself out of luck, unable to find a job or even a place to sleep. A seemingly kind noble girl, Aria, offers him a place to stay for the night, which he gladly accepts. Aria’s kindness was a ruse, as Tatsumi soon discovered that she and her family were responsible for torturing and killing his friends from his village, Ieyasu and Sayo. Overwhelmed by rage, he kills Aria.
9 Future Diary: The Protagonist’s Crush Is Quickly Revealed To Be A Yandere
Yukiteru Amano was a high school student who recorded his life in a diary on his phone. He was friends with the god Deus Ex Machina, who offered to play a game with him. As a result, his phone was able to reveal the future to him. Like most students would, he was eager to do well on his tests. The episode takes a dark turn after his phone tells him that a serial killer is after him. Although he initially thinks its Yuno Gasai, it’s revealed that she has a diary that tells her everything that Yukiteru is doing every ten minutes, showing that although she wasn’t the killer, she was frighteningly obsessed with him.
8 Sword Art Online: Thousands Of People Are Trapped In A Video Game In Which They Can Die
Kirito Kazuto and many other players were looking forward to entering SAO, a virtual reality game in which players get to experience diving into a fantasy world. Unfortunately for them, they learn that they cannot log out of the game. They are trapped inside, and if they die in the game, they die in real life. Even the removal of the NerveGear headpiece would kill them. After learning this, everyone goes into a panic, and many people lost their lives already at that point.
7 Shiki: The Original Protagonist Becomes A Vampire
In the first episode, Megumi Shimizu is the primary protagonist. The people in her village often make fun of her for dressing up in fancy dresses out in the country, and she finds herself despising being trapped in the middle of nowhere.
She longs to go to the city and meet like-minded people. Unfortunately for her, the episode ends with her on her deathbed, and the viewers quickly realize that her dream won’t be coming true.
6 Devilman Crybaby: Akira Fudo Transforms Into A Demon
Akira Fudo starts off as an ordinary high school student, albeit a little on the weaker side. When he tries to defend his crush from a gang of thugs, he needs to be saved by Ryo Asuka, his childhood friend. Ryo drags Akira to a nightclub, determined to gather proof that demons exist. When they get there, they see the proof for themselves, but the sight of demons attacking humans is shocking and gruesome. At the end of the episode, Akira turns into a demon.
5 Goblin Slayer: A Party Of Adventurers Are Killed After Underestimating Goblins
Priestess is a newbie who joins three other new adventurers in hunting down goblins who stole and kidnapped from a nearby village. They are confident that they will successfully handle the mission, considering the fact that goblins aren’t that powerful and have the intelligence of a child.
However, they discover that they underestimated them, leading to one of the most well-known and horrifying anime sequences. Although it started off as a typical fantasy adventure, the anime set itself apart by being incredibly dark.
4 Bleach: Ichigo Kurosaki Discovers That The Ghosts He Sees Are Actually Prey For Hollows
Ichigo Kurosaki often found himself in fights, due to his bright orange hair. However, one of his earliest fights had him beating up some guys for knocking over a vase left for a little girl who passed away. This established how nice of a guy he was very early on, and the fact that ghosts were harassing him for favors was more of a comedic element. The tone becomes much darker after the manga shows the little girl being eaten by a Hollow, and Ichigo is forced to accept Shinigami powers when the Hollow nearly kills his family.
3 The Rising Of The Shield Hero: Naofumi Iwatani Is Framed For The Worst Kind Of Crime
Naofumi Iwatani started off as an optimistic and kind individual. Unlike the other heroes, he was modest, although he wanted more appreciation from the kingdom that was asking him to save them. Malty Melromarc agrees to join his party, but she unfortunately backstabs him. She accuses him of sexual assault, which robs him of his ability to trust, and turns the entire kingdom against him. From that point on, he becomes a drastically different person.
2 Death Parade: A Couple Find Themselves In A Bar & Are Forced To Play A Brutal Game
A married couple are confused, as they suddenly find themselves in a bar with no recollection of how they got there. The bar appears to be normal, but bartender tells them that they cannot leave until they play a game. The game turns out to be far more brutal than they expected. The game was intended to reveal their true natures, leading to both sides becoming increasingly frantic and deranged as the game progresses.
1 The Promised Neverland: The Orphanage Is Actually A Farm
Emma, Norman, and Ray are friends who are being raised in Grace Field House. The children there are like family, who play in the fields and help their caretaker, affectionately called “Mama,” with the various chores. Every so often a child is sent to a new home. However, when Connie is sent away, Emma and Norman notice that she left her stuffed animal behind. They decide to follow her in order to return it only to discover that Connie has been killed and every child is livestock for demon-like creatures.
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