Anime is one of the most diverse art forms in entertainment. There are series with wonderful highs, brutal lows, and everything in between. Some series have a little bit of both, starting with light-hearted fun before quickly venturing into vicious territory. There aren’t many moretwisted moments in animethan those with a quick, dark turn. These turns are usually entirely without warning, stunning audiences with brutal events that nobody could have seen coming.
Dark moments can happen within all types of anime series, especially those that don’t normally feature dark themes. They’re a great way of reminding viewers of just how bleak life can get, especially in supposedly idyllic worlds that the shows start as. No matter what type of show dark moments happen in, however, they always make their respective series all the more memorablebecause of their grim inclusion.
15Emma and Norman Find Conny’s Body
The Promised Neverland
The Promised Neverlandhad one of themost gripping premiere episodes in anime. What started asa cute slice-of-life animequickly turned into one of the bleakest stories around through a simple, dark turn that nobody could ever forget. The story is set around what looks to be an orphanage, as a bunch of adorable and innocent kids run around like normal kids do.
When Conny gets adopted, she accidentally leaves her toy behind at the orphanage. Like good siblings, Emma and Norman go to return it,finding her lifeless bodyin the process. It’s a sudden, horrific turn that lets everyone know exactly whatThe Promised Neverlandis in a single episode.
14Ainz Kills 100,000+ Soldiers
Overlord
While most isekai series pit their protagonist in a new world and give them a good moral compass,Overlandwonders what would happen if the protagonist threw thatmoral compass out of the window.Ainz Ooal Gown is the titular overlord, ruling over his subjects indiscriminately and over his enemies through sheer domination.
When he steps onto Katze Plains in what looks to be a normal skirmish, he makes it anything but. Through one simple spell,he kills over 100,000 enemy soldiersin less than 10 minutes. It’s an insane,one-man-army momentthat truly defines Ainz’s place as the being above all within Yggdrasil.
13Naomi Misora’s Death
Death Note
Death Noteis often referred to as one of thebest anime series of all time. It’s a deep anime with several powerful themes found throughout. While it spends plenty of time philosophizing over right and wrong, it’s never too far from an insanely dark turn. Light Yagami, the protagonist, isthe furthest thing from a traditional herothere is, and he’s more than happy to prove it.
Naomi Misora, the girlfriend of FBI agent Raye Penber, who was killed by Kira, approaches Light in search of information about her beloved’s death. Thus begins a brief but intense cat-and-mouse game between Misora, who is wary of everyone who could be Kira, and Light, who has to learn her name to write it in the Death Note. When finally Misora drops her guard, Light gleefully reveals he is, in fact, Kira, because he has already written in the Death Note that the woman will kill herself. It’s arguablyDeath Note’sdarkest moment,as Light watches as Misora walks away to her inevitable death.
12Euphemia Invokes a Genocide
Code Geass
Code Geasswas a wonderfullystraightforward animefor almost all of its runtime. It starred Lelouch as he used the Geass to command people to do exactly what he wanted them to with no difficulty at all. Towards the end of the first season, however, his Geass acts without his control, resulting in the darkest moment in the entire series.
Lelouch jokes to Euphemia that if he asked her tocommit genocideagainst the Japanese, she would. His Geass must not have realized that he was joking, because its power activates and Euphemia goes on to do exactly that.
11Goku Black Kills Chi-Chi and Goten
Dragon Ball Super
TheDragon Ballfranchise is a lot of things: filled with great fights, home of thebest transformations in anime, and one of themost beloved series across the globe.It’s never been known to be dark (except forDragon Ball GT,maybe), but one moment inDragon Ball Superis easily the darkest in the entire franchise.
Goku Black is inherently a dark character, and not just because Black is in the name. Zamasu used the Dragon Balls to swap bodies with Goku. Before he could use Goku’s body, however, he killed Goku’s wife Chi-Chi and his son Goten. Goku’s realization that his family in another timeline died brutally is one of thesaddest and darkest events inDragon Ball.
10Several Re:Zero Moments
Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World
UnlikeDragon Ball, Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another Worldisknown for its darkness.The series is filled withSubaru’s horrific deaths, themes of hopelessness, and much more. While Subaru has died close to countless times thanks to one of the most bittersweet powers in anime, Return by Death, one death stands out more than most.
Subaru is walking through a field of snow when he sees a cute rabbit just ahead of him. As he goes to pet it, it bites his hand clean off. It gets worse from there, as a horde of rabbits swarms Subaru and eat him alive. Out of all the terrible ways Subaru has died inRe:Zero,his death to the rabbitsis the worst.
9Chainsaw Man Kills Everybody
Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Manis one of thebest anime series of the past decade.It’s equal parts hilarious and bleak, a feat few series can get close to pulling off. While Denji’s living situation and initial death in the first episode can be seen as one of the darkest moments in the series, nothing gets darker than seeing the entire Public Safety division get gunned down out of nowhere.
Chainsaw Man’s 10 Coolest Devil Designs That Prove Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Genius
Chainsaw Man features some of the most chaotic action in modern Shonen, and the devils that Denji fights showcase their creator’s genius.
It’s an odd moment that’s almost hard to understand the first time it’s shown on screen. No other series is aswilling to kill off so manyof its main cast asChainsaw Manis, further setting the series apart from other anime shows within shōnen.
8Ponzu and Pokkle’s Deaths
Hunter x Hunter
The Chimera Ant Arc inHunter x Hunterturned the theme of the series on its head. What started as a cute, fun adventure with some moments of darkness through everything adorable aboutHunter x Hunterout of the window.The Chimera Ants are vicious, cruel, and about as dark as any antagonists can get. Ponzu and Pokkle’s deaths in the series illustrate this darkness better than anything.
They’re twogood friends inHunter x Hunter,investigating the enigmatic country called NGL. In a way, they find what they’re looking for when they discover the Chimera Ants. Unfortunately, the Ants discover them as well. Ponzu getsgunned down viciously,while Pokkle gets lobotomized while he’s alive and eaten soon after.
7Most of Made in Abyss
Made in Abyss
It’s hard to pick a single moment withinMade in Abyssasthe darkest moment in the series.Overall, it’s earned its spot as one of thedarkest anime of all time, even if it doesn’t look like it on the surface.Made in Abyss,likeHunter x Hunter,starts as an adorable series about adventure before quickly turning into pure nightmare fuel.
One of the biggest proponents of the horror inMade in Abyssis the White Whistle Bondrewd the Novel. He’s willing to do anything for the sake of his experiments,sacrificing those around himand those who rely on him viciously and consistently.
6Unit-01 Eats Zereul
Neon Genesis: Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelionis known as one of thedeepest anime series of all time. It will leave any viewer withmore questions than answersafter the final episode, and one moment in particular will make people wish they had an answer.
Unit-01 is no stranger to defeating humanity’s enemies, the Angels, but it handles Zereul differently. Instead of just defeating the Tenth Angel,Unit-01 went berserk and ate it.It’s an insane moment that’s so dark, it’s hard to comprehend. Unit-01 turns into more of a beast than a machine, consuming the fallen Angel like a Lion would consume their prey.
