Ten (10) Dark recommended Animes
18th of March 2022
10. Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo ghoul is pretty much a popular anime at this point. But when it comes to the dark genre of anime, it's almost a rule not to ignore this murder mystery of ghouls and humans. Tokyo ghoul happens in an alternate world where ghouls live among humans and survive by feeding on their flesh.
The protagonist Kaneki gets invited to a date by a rather popular ghoul and she has him for dinner. She literally has him for dinner. Luckily an accident prevents it, but in surgical operation Kaneki’s damaged organs are replaced by the ghoul organs. Thus, transforming him into a half-human half ghoul. The story then follows him as he gets dragged into a human ghoul way. The story's dark factor comes from its very setting and the psychological horror it delivers. Kaneki often has a change of personalities and there is also some brutal torture scenes. Tokyo ghoul
9. Hellsing Ultimate
The theme of vampires has basically been played in every medium ever to exist on the planet. What I liked about Hellsing and its later series Hellsing ultimate was the way it managed to show raw violence along with the character of Alucard.
Hellsing is an organization that is dedicated to stopping evil entities such as vampires and the organization has a great tool in their possession called Alucard. Alucard is if you notice Dracula’s built backwards and is currently the most powerful vampire up to date. He is the character that gives the show a more adult and mature feeling. He's not only an overpowered character but also a remorseless killer.
The show also contains scenes of psychological torture and has enough bloodshed to flood the whole of Japan. Overall if you want a show with gore mystery and a dark and mature tone, Hellsing is for you. Hellsing Ultimate
8. Mirai Nikki
It's about a boy named Yukiteru Amano who is forced into a battle royale with twelve other opponents. Each of them gets a diary which has its own power. The one Yuki gets is the future diary, a diary which can predict any event that is happening in the future.
This show combines psychological elements with mystery and adding that to a death game means you get some extra suspense and action along the way as well. The show gets a more mature and brooding feeling because of yunu Kosai the psycho girlfriend/ It also handles mature themes like rape, suicide, incest and even features of the end of the world.
7. Another
Based on the popular horror story light novel series, Another has more of a gripping and peculiar plot. In 1972, a girl called Misaki dies but the teacher and the students act if she was still alive. This leads to some mysterious events at graduation.
Skipping back several years, we are now at the spring of 1999 where a boy called Koichi Sakibara gets transferred to the same class. Shortly after, the students and their relatives begin dying in strange accidents in very gruesome ways. Koichi gets together with a girl named Mae in finding out the truth about these murders and reveals some dangerous secrets that are buried in the past. Another
6. Akame ga kill
Akame ga kill is a part action mystery that talks about a rebellion, and another part of it is a dark show that discusses the dangerous side of power and politics. Many fans of this show like to call it the game of thrones of anime because it has a habit of killing the characters at unexpected moments.
It is about a boy named Tatsumi who joins a rebel group called the knight raid and fighting against the cruel rule of the government. The night raid carries Tegu which are powerful weapons they use in their battles. The first moments of the show can seem like a genuine light-hearted comedy with an interesting plot but the darker part of it comes in the later episodes when characters are slain in brutal ways. Sometimes the show also tackles more mature themes. Akame ga kill is overall the darker side of action anime out there. Akame ga kill
5. Taboo tattoo
Taboo tattoo might be difficult to get into but if you're a fan of dark shows then this would fit right into your watch list. Taboo tattoo is about Segi who receives a mysterious tattoo after defeating some thugs. This gets him pulled into a war between a special us army unit and the kingdom of Celesten. They all search for power crests which are weaponized artifacts which can change the tide of the war and even change the fate of the whole world.
The show has many similarities to Akame ga kill with some character’s deaths being violent and some scenes being especially violence heavy. It also gets grouped into the dark fantasy genre so that means something. Taboo Tattoo
4. Shiki
It happens in a rather rural Japanese village called Satoba where vampiric creatures plague the village bringing unfortunate and brutal deaths to its Inhabitants. We follow the story of Natsuno Yuki who soon gets dragged into these mysteries and is haunted by these vampires.
Unlike many other stories, everything about Shiki is related to horror. The mystery in the story starts when a girl is suddenly killed after visiting a certain mansion. The show gradually expands the horror and mystery factor of the show with each episode.
Most episodes end with a cliff-hanger as well so it is one of those series you best binge watch but don't say I didn't warn you, this can very much be the conjuring of anime. Shiki
3. School days
Shiki tells the story of Makoto a first-year high school boy who gets infatuated with Kotonoha Katsura, a girl who shares the train with him to school. Another girl in the school named Sekai Saionji helps him get to Kotonoha but also falls in love with him during the process.
This is one of the darkest psychological animes out there. The plot may come out as a simple love triangle but after the first half of the series the show takes a much darker turn.
It is based on a visual novel which had multiple endings but the showrunners decided to pick out the darkest and worst ending to the series which is one of the reasons that make this show much darker and horrifying. School days
2. Elfen lied
This is one of the old classics that became popular simply because the first episode featured a child killing an entire army of soldiers. This series is about a species called Diclinius who resemble humans but have powers known as vectors that act as powerful telekinetic invisible arms.
One such Diclinius named Lucy escapes from a lab and is founded by two locals named Coda and her cousin Yuka. The special military forces soon send out armies to capture Lucy and the two cousins now get trapped in a war and protecting one of the most dangerous species on the planet.
One of both the praises and criticisms aimed for the show was director Mamoru Kanbe's raw directing and doesn't shy away from depicting the violent parts of the show. There are beheadings, brutal murders, psychological horror and so on. Elfen lied
1. Higurashi when they cry
If any of the previous mentioned anime is dark anime, then Higarashi is the mother of all dark anime. Similar to school days, it was adapted from a visual novel as well but is much more horrifying and brutal and sometimes makes school days look tame with its violence.
It happens when a boy called Keichi travels to the fictional village of Hinamizawa and befriends four girls with a rather mysterious background. He soon gets to know about a mystery in the village that people are being killed or disappearing at the end of the Watanagashi festival soon. He realizes that the murders are linked to the lives of his own four childhood friends and before long he is dragged into this dangerous murder mystery as well.
Higarashi has been labelled as psychological horror and some scenes can nearly give you the chills and Nightmares. It is far darker than any other anime mentioned in this list, and I personally believe it is one of the darkest anime to ever exist. Higurashi when they cry
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The first one is very attractive and dark...I like that most