While anime is often limited to a stereotypical image centering around “kawaii” and “yamete kudasai” (please don’t tell me you can hear it), this medium houses countless fictions that are so ‘kowai’ that it might affect you. That’s how well-written the darkest fictions of anime are. It can be so twisted that you will be forced to ask, ‘Is this the true nature of the human psyche?’
To recommend such anime, I have curated a list for you. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into the list of Top 10 Twisted and Dark Anime.
10Talentless Nana
Mankind is threatened by the ‘enemies of humanity.’ To fight against the enemy, teenagers with supernatural powers called ‘Talents’ are sent to train in a secluded island’s academy. Among them, Nanao is bullied for being the only one without any talent.
Soon after the arrival of two transfer students, the class is threatened by mysterious disappearances. In this anime, the one with information will dominate and manipulate the one without it.
9The Promised Neverland
Orphans live happily in the Grace Field House surrounded by forest and a designated boundary one can’t cross. Isabella, lovingly called Mama by the orphans, takes care of the orphans. Every few months, one child is adopted; on one such day, the oldest siblings, Ray, Norman, and Emma, go to give a parting gift to the one who got adopted and faces their worst nightmare.
The only thing I’ll say about The Promised Neverland is to watch only the first season, then continue to read the manga from where the anime left off because the second season was a hot mess.
8Wonder Egg Priority
When presented with a chance to save her late friend, Ai Ooto comes across an egg, to be precise, a wonder egg. Upon breaking the egg, she is tasked to save people.
Doing so will take her a step closer to her friend who committed suicide, but is it as simple as it looks? Fear, Trauma, Anxiety, and Regrets; Wonder Egg Priority is a one-of-a-kind psychological drama you must watch if you’re looking for twisted and dark anime.
7Terror in Resonance
After a terrorist attack at a nuclear facility in Japan, police departments are in chaos to catch these terrorists but come to a dead end. Six months later, these two terrorists challenge the police while they continue spreading absolute chaos across Tokyo.
Terror in Resonance is cinematic and will make you question if MAPPA’s recent originals are regressing in quality to provide quantity. Oh, and it’s a Shinichiro Watanabe work.
6Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Madoka and Sayaka are two middle school girls. They are offered to become a magical girl by Kyuubey, a cat-looking magical creature, in exchange for granting one of their wishes. However, another girl named Homura asks them to decline the offer, knowing well about the hidden consequences. But the two didn’t take her advice seriously, leading them to a path filled with despair.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a game-changer in the magical girl sub-genre and is critically acclaimed globally.
5Devilman Crybaby
Akira Fudo tags along with his childhood friend Ryo Asuka, who is visiting Japan just to meet him. To Akira’s surprise, Ryo takes him to a party of degenerates and summons real devils. During the chaos, Akira merges with a devil named Amon and becomes a Devilman. The duo’s goal is to kill all the devils that threaten humanity.
Devilman Crybaby can dial the meter up when it comes to disturbing elements, but if you’re looking for such extremely dark anime, then this one’s for you.
4Higurashi: When They Cry
Keiichi moves to Hinamizawa, where he befriends Rena, Mion, Satoko, and Reka. As the annual festival closes in, Keiichi learns about the murders and disappearances surrounding it and asks his friends to get no answer in return. The more time he spends in this village, the more he is engulfed by paranoia.
Very few anime come close to being as dark and twisted as Higurashi: When They Cry. So, if you haven’t watched it, take this as a wake-up call.
3Attack on Titan
Mankind has been forced to live behind enormous walls thanks to man-eating gigantic monsters called titans. After a century of peace inside the walls, they were breached one day by these man-eating abominations.
Amidst the bloodbath, Eren Yeager loses his mother to one such titan and vows to kill every single titan on earth; to do that, he joins the Survey Corps to train as an elite soldier along with Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert.
The amount of layers Attack on Titan has is incredible, the world-building fascinates you but throws you into endless despair. It’s twisted and dark and shows the bitter truth of reality through war.
2From the New World
If you’re weak-hearted, then From the New World isn’t for you. This psychological thriller can be described in two words– dark and twisted. It can be so disturbing that you might want to stop watching it, but you won’t be able to.
Saki Watanabe is a late bloomer and is the last among her friends to awaken her psychic powers and join the special psychic school. However, when children– unable to awaken powers –begin to disappear, Saki asks all the uncomfortable questions one would knowingly ignore. As she stumbles upon one answer after the other, she gets close to the disturbing reality of her world.
1Monster
Monster displays the vulnerability of the human psyche. It shows the ugly and the beautiful sides through one of the most well-written casts ever in anime. In the end, you’ll be surprised to see how many supporting characters you remember by name.
Kenzou Tenma is a neurosurgeon at a renowned hospital engaged to the hospital director’s daughter. While it helps him climb the ladder, he has become a puppet operating on the rich rather than the needy. One day, he does the right thing by operating on Johan Liebert, an 11-year-old, instead of the town’s mayor. He loses everything, from his esteemed rank to his fiance. Things take a turn for the worse when the director is killed, and he becomes the suspect.
Final Thoughts
Everyone has their description and understanding of what’s twisted and dark for them. Because of that, the dark element varies from one person to another. With that in mind, I’ve curated this list so that you can find at least a few to watch. Comment below if you have any titles to add or replace any anime on this list.
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