The following article discusses sensitive themes. Reader discretion is advised.
Anime as a medium has something for everyone, which is what makes it so great. From the youngest of viewers to adults of all kinds, anime has a story perfect for any kind of viewer. And while some of the world’s best and most famous anime are geared for younger viewers, there are still plenty released strictly for adults. But the thing is, there are adult anime, and then there are dark anime.
These are the anime that redefined what adult content could be in the animated medium. Displays of bodily violence are not just depicted — they’re celebrated. Psychological terror is commonplace. The darkest corners of the human psyche are pulled out and not just examined, but vivisected and put on display for the world to see. These are anime that should not be watched by younger viewers, with a few being so grim even the strictest of parental guidance isn’t enough to justify young eyes from viewing them.
10 Mad Bull 34 Blows the Bad Guys Away in Truly Spectacular Ways
Not Currently Streaming
The 34th precinct may be the most crime-ridden section of Manhattan, but that doesn’t stop freshly graduated NYPD cop Daizaburo Ban from tightening his belt and getting to work. The only catch, however, is he becomes partnered up with John Estes, aka Sleepy, aka Mad Bull. Mad Bull doesn’t just stop crime: he obliterates it with zero compunction with what gets damaged in the process. Mad Bull is a one man army with a heart of gold and a love for breaking all the rules in the name of justice.
Mad Bull 34 wouldn’t seem to be a “dark” anime in terms of aesthetics, setting, and hefty amounts of humor, but the absurd levels of violence, sex, and crime-related content make it a series that is absolutely for adults only. Many of the cases Daizaburo and Mad Bull tackle involve drug use, physical and sexual abuse, and even torture. Looking past the shocking nature of its action and humor reveals an anime covering some incredibly grim material which helps keep the narrative structured and grounded. Gallows humor and buckets of blood are what make Mad Bull 34 an unforgetable buddy cop action fest.
9 Ergo Proxy Utilizes Nihilistic Philosophy in Lieu of Graphic Violence
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Far into the future, Earth has become a post-apocalyptic wasteland in Ergo Proxy. The humans who have managed to survive the cataclysmic conditions of Earth live within the safety of massive domed cities. Alongside them are AutoReivs, androids who exist to serve humanity. But when a mysterious virus begins to give the AutoReivs a deadly sense of autonomy, Inspector Re-L Mayer is sent to investigate the matter. What she uncovers is a truth so radical it could upend every facet of human life on Earth.
Ergo Proxy is not an overtly violent or extreme anime; while it does have some sequences of violence, its focus is instead on the psychological effects of Re-L’s investigation and how it fits into the larger dystopian setting of the narrative. As an anime, Ergo Proxy is extremely heady, sometimes so much so it nearly buckles under the weight of its own pretense, but it manages to stick the landing at the end despite its deeply philosophical themes. It is a cerebral anime set within oppressive tones of black, grey, and brown, with little to no humor or light to soften itself. Ergo Proxy is a decidedly mature and dark series best suited for older viewers comfortable with its themes and tone.
8 Doomed Megalopolis Fused Supernatural Horror Into Historical Drama
Streaming on AppleTV
Based on the first four books of Hiroshi Aramata’s novel Teito Monogatari, Doomed Megalopolis tells the tale of how the spirit of Taira no Masakado, a vengeful and powerful entity existing within the city of Tokyo itself, is used as an engine of destruction by the evil Onmyoji, Yasunori Kato. By using powerful dark magicks, Kato wreaks havoc and chaos across Tokyo, engaging in battle with several other individuals over the course of many years. As a historical fantasy, Doomed Megalopolis lends a dark fantasy explanation to a series of real-life disasters which befell Tokyo throughout the 20th century.
The anime for Doomed Megalopolis is much darker, more violent, and contains more sexually explicit content than its novel inspiration. Grotesque monsters, vengeful spirits, and the demonic visage of Yasunori Kato mark the film clearly as a horror film for adults. It lacks the more ultraviolent content of other horror anime, but Doomed Megalopolis, from its grounded historical narrative, to the imagery of its supernatural violence, is an anime younger viewers would do best to avoid.
7 Wicked City Is a Sumptuous Blend of Eroticism & Violence
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Unknown to most humans, there exists a parallel dimension to our own in Wicked City. Known as the Black World, this other plane of existence is populated by demons and spirits; striving to maintain peace between the two worlds, humans and certain demons have worked hard to prevent one side from attacking the other. But when Renzaburo Taki is teamed up with a woman named Makie in order to keep an old mystic safe, a terrible plot is revealed which could sow untold chaos across both worlds.
Wicked City is the pinnacle of sleek, stylish erotic horror, courtesy of the legendary Hideyuki Kikuchi. The opening sequence of Taki engaging in sexual relations with the woman Kanako, who reveals herself to be a giant spider demon, sets the tone for the film perfectly. It’s dark, its bloody, and it certainly doesn’t shy away from sex, but the theme of true love resting at the heart of Wicked City is what makes it truly exceptional.
6 Ninja Scroll Is Visceral Ninja Action in All Its Glory
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
A plot involving secret gold, a murderous warlord, and a team of highly skilled ninja is what Ninja Scroll is all about. When a team of ninja are sent to investigate the gruesome death of Shimoda Village, they are attacked and killed by the Eight Devils of Kimon, a team of supernatural ninja. When the lone survivor, Kagero, is captured by a brutish ninja, the wanderer known as Jubei appears and rescues her, inadvertently involving himself in Kagero’s investigation.
Ninja Scroll is an action masterpiece from beginning to end. Everything from its character design, action choreography, and storytelling is top-notch. Ninja action doesn’t get any better than this, even if it’s one of the most unrelentingly mature ninja anime of all time. Mutilation, sexual assault, and graphic dismemberment are on full display in Ninja Scroll, making it an exceedingly adult anime. Younger viewers can definitely stick with Naruto and Boruto while Ninja Scroll is on.
5 Akira Defined Cyberpunk Anime Action
Streaming on Crunchyroll
In the distant year of 2019, Akira‘s Neo-Tokyo is a cyberpunk megalopolis, a sprawling city of concrete, neon, and decay. The youth run rampant and without order, while the powers that be work in the shadows to further their own goals. When Kaneda, the leader of a bike gang, watches his friend Tetsuo become abducted by the military, he has no idea how every facet of the world around him will change forever.
Akira is, with no exaggeration of hyperbole, one of the greatest anime of all time. It is a pivotal and seminal anime which helped establish anime in the West, set the stage for other series such as Dragon Ball and Pokémon to find a footing, and helped define cyberpunk culture in popular fiction. The quality of its animation, the detail of its art, and the caliber of its narrative and action are second to none. All this being said, it is one hundred percent not for children. Akira is an extremely graphic anime, depicting scenes of gore, sexual assault, and widespread violence. Tetsuo’s transformation alone is a testament to what the anime has in store for its viewers.
4 Devilman: The Birth Is a Blood-Drenched Ride Into Absurdity
Available For Purchase on Crunchyroll
When the young boy named Akira Fudo is visited by the mysterious Ryo Asuka, the boy commands Akira to join him to his large estate and the two set off, away from the city. When they arrive, Ryo brings Akira down into the basement of his manor, where a debaucherous and violent rave is occurring. What happens next transforms Akira — literally — into the demonic force of vengeance known as Devilman. As Devilman, Akira becomes the sole force capable of battling against the encroaching forces of darkness which threaten to consume all of Earth.
Devilman is extreme in every regard. Its English dub is the stuff of legends, rife with profanity and expletives, and its violence is almost comical in its relentlessness. Humans transform into bizarre and malformed demons in extraordinarily graphic ways, violence is dished out without worry or thought, and Devilman himself simply revels in physical confrontation. As far as anti-heroes go, few come as close to Devilman in terms of skirting the line between good and evil. Devilman: The Birth contains easily one of the most excessively violent parties in all of anime, which, while great for older viewers, is not at all suitable for kids.
3 Angel Cop Starts Off Explosively Bloody & Never Lets Up
Streaming on Cruncyhroll
With Japan as the world’s leading economy, countless people in Angel Cop would love to see the powerful nation topple. When radical communist terrorists launch a series of attacks to destabilize Japan, the Special Security Force is formed to counter them. You “Angel” Mikawa is a member of the Special Security Force and gets the job done regardless of who she kills in the process. But as You gets to the heart of the terrorist activity, she learns of a greater and deeper threat looming behind the scenes.
Angel Cop is sheer ultraviolent ludicrousness from beginning to end. The levels of profanity and violence it contains have to be experienced to be believed. One of the most famous moments from the anime occurs in the first episode when a terrorist gets shot in the head, because it isn’t just another typical scene in an adult anime, but rather an explosively and deliriously absurd display of ultragraphic violence — and that’s only the first episode. Angel Cop continues to tackle themes of violence, nationalism, and terrorism in manners which lend some credence to its absolutely bananas of an ending. Seriously, the headshot at the beginning is nothing compared to how it ends.
2 Genocyber Depicts UltraViolence Without Feeling or Remorse
Streaming on Roku
In the future, a biological weapon known as the Genocyber is created by the fusion and harnessing of two psychic sisters powers. When a young girl named Elaina comes into contact with the Genocyber, it sets off a series of cataclysmic events which eventually leads to the destruction of the human race. As an unstoppable force of pure power, the Genocyber is a weapon from hell serving humanity the justice it so rightfully deserves.
Genocyber is relentless in its depictions of violence and depravity. Gore and dismemberment of the most extreme nature, sexual abuse, and the graphic depictions of children coming to harm are all in Genocyber. What makes the series bearable and even worth watching is that beneath its shocking content is a story exploring the uselessness and destructive nature of war and conflict. It’s one of the most unapologetic anti-war anime ever made due simply to how unrelenting it is in depicting the horrors of armed conflict.
1 Violence Jack Is the Most Viscerally Violent Anime of All
Streaming on PlutoTV
In Violence Jack, the Great Kanto Hellquake has destroyed the entire Kanto region of Japan. With the rest of the world unable to gain access to the survivors, life for the survivors is a literal hell on Earth. The weak are preyed upon by the strong, and with no law enforcement or military to protect them, the weak are consumed whole by vicious gangs of barbarians and criminals. It is in this lawless world that a single man walks as the purest incarnation of violent justice imaginable. His name is Violence Jack, and he is an unstoppable force of utter destruction for all wrongdoers and criminals.
Violence Jack was originally a manga series by Go Nagai and served as a companion piece to Devilman. The manga received three different OVAs, 1986’s Harlem Bomber, 1988’s Evil Town, and 1990’ Hell’s Wind. Each of these OVA’s is among the most extreme anime a viewer can ever watch. Nothing is sacred and nothing is off limits. The most brutal and extreme depictions of violence are not only on display, but almost celebrated in how viscerally they are carried out. Of the three, Evil Town is by far the most infamous and hardcore of the OVAs, containing an endless depiction of animalistic physical and sexual violence. Depravity only begins to describe the lengths of sadism contained in this OVA.
But, just like Genocyber, Violence Jack is watchable due to the fact that every villain gets the exact punishment they deserve. Violence Jack eviscerates, tears, and wrenches villainy apart, showing them the same mercy they gave to their victims. Violence Jack is kind to women and children and goes out of his way to protect and avenge them as needed, however, proving he’s more than just a killing machine. It’s an extreme means of exploring the depths of the human psyche, but Violence Jack does have a purpose for its content. Even for mature viewers, though, Violence Jack is not for the faint of heart.
