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Several anime series have very beloved characters dying suddenly or without warning. In many shonen anime, these deaths are typically loved ones and are necessary as they act as a catalyst for character development.
However, lots of non-Shonen anime tend to go overboard with the amount of unnecessary carnage in their series. Much of the bloodshed and death are only used to build up the atmosphere of the anime.
Note: This article contains major spoilers for each series mentioned. Also, many of the embeds have depictions of gruesome fictional violence, so reader discretion is advised.
Nine anime series that have death everywhere
1) Devilman Crybaby
Devilman Crybaby is an infamous original net animation (ONA) and is not for the faint-hearted. It has ten episodes of various supernatural elements and has a 7.77 rating on MyAnimeList (MAL).
The story follows high school student Akira Fudo, his lover interest Miki Makimura, and his childhood friend Ryo Asuka. After a journey to an underground nightclub goes awry, Akira becomes the powerful Devilman.
The series features death as far as the eye can see. Demons killed many people before the apocalypse that Ryo Asuka, also known as Satan, started, and many others were killed by their fellow humans after it. Earth is eventually destroyed and recreated by an army of angels that come down from Heaven.
Devilman Crybaby shocked many anime fans who decided to watch it, mainly due to nobody winning in the end. Ryo killed Akira, his best friend and the only one he truly loved, to cleanse the world of humanity. Although Ryo did succeed in ridding the world of humans, he lost overall with Akira dying. He wanted to spend eternity with his best friend but was unable to in the end.
2) Akame ga Kill
Akame ga Kill is one of the most infamous action and dark fantasy series in anime. The series consists of 24 gory, action-packed episodes with an overall rating of 7.47 on MAL.
The show features Tatsumi, a fighter from a village in extreme need. He ventures to the Capital with his two friends to obtain the financial capabilities to help his town. Unfortunately, he has a rough time in the Capital after failing to enlist in the army and being scammed.
He is then taken in by a noble family hired to protect them. However, when Akame and Leone attack, it is revealed that the noble family tortured and killed his friends and planned to do the same to him. This causes him to join Night Raid, a group of rebels that fight back against the Capital's tyranny.
What makes this anime incredibly infamous is that most members of Night Raid die by the end of the show. Akame ga Kill's bittersweet ending results from Night Raid accomplishing their mission to end the Capital's tyranny, but only Akame survived.
3) The Future Diary
As is true of many battle royale/survival animes, Future Diary has many killings associated with it. One of the show's central themes is death, and by the anime's end, nearly all the participants have been killed. Future Diary consists of 26 full-length episodes and has a rating of 7.45 on MAL.
The series follows Yukiteru Amano, an antisocial middle schooler who tends to write down his daily life in a digital diary. One day, his friend Deus Ex Machina, the God of Time and Space, decides to transform his phone into a Future Diary, a device capable of predicting the future for up to 90 days.
However, he was not the only one who gained Future Diary. Eleven others, alongside Yukiteru, were forced into a dangerous survival game and forced to kill each other. The goal is to win and become the next God of Time and Space, thus preventing Apocalypse.
Luckily for Yukiteru, a yandere named Yuno Gasai is willing to sacrifice everything to protect him during the survival game.
4) Another
Another is another (pun not intended) incredibly gory entry on this list. Many deaths shown in the anime have made even the most hardened anime fans gag in disgust. It consists of 12 mystery-filled episodes and has a rating of 7.49 on MAL.
Another follows junior high transfer student Kouichi Sakakibara and his unexplainable attraction toward Mei Misaki, a mysterious girl with an eyepatch. Despite having an appearance that should draw everyone's attention, nobody notices her besides Kouichi.
After befriending her, he became conscious of the many rumors and terrible tragedies surrounding Class 3-3.
By the end of the anime, most of the students in Class 3-3 had tragically died. Each death occurred mysteriously and helped Kouichi and Mei come closer to solving the big mystery.
5) Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
Corpse Party was animated by the same studio that did Future Diary but had more horror. It is an OVA with four episodes and a MAL rating of 6.47.
The anime follows nine high school students who gather at night to say their final goodbyes to their friend. They use a set of paper charms to perform a customary ritual to remain friends forever.
However, the students did not know that these charms were connected to the infamous Heavenly Host Academy. The students are sent to an alternate dimension filled with vengeful ghosts and gruesome mysteries that they must solve to escape.
Many anime fans have dropped this anime due to how much blood and death are shown. The show includes many people who have already died but also shows a large number of the main characters' deaths.
They are killed by ghosts seeking revenge and the other demonic inhabitants of the alternate dimension they were sent to.
6) Btooom!
Btooom! is similar to Future Diary in that it is also a survival/battle royale anime. Despite there being no horror, it is filled with death. It has 12 episodes and a rating of 7.31 on MAL.
The show follows Ryouta Sakamoto, whose only achievement in life is being the greatest Btooom! player in Japan. One day, he and many others find themselves mysteriously transported to an uninhabited island. They soon find out that someone has decided to enact a game of death by recreating the game Btooom! in real life.
Many of the characters featured in Btooom! died as a result of the battle royale they found themselves in. It was the survival of the fittest, and everyone adopted the "kill or be killed" mentality. The fighters used whatever they could get their hands on as weapons or shields.
7) Basilisk
Basilisk is not like the other show mentioned in this list. It is a historical anime that takes place around the Edo Period, so most deaths happen as a result of war. It stopped airing after 24 episodes and has an overall rating of 7.56 on MAL.
Basilisk features Gennosuke Kouga and Oboro Iga, heirs to two powerful clans, falling in love with one another. Unfortunately, before the two can solidify their relationship, their clans go to war with each other once again.
The two must lead their clans against one another but are torn between their leadership duties and the love they feel.
8) Texhnolyze
Texhnolyze is a hidden gem and the most underrated show on this list. It is a psychological sci-fi series that does not hesitate to make the audience think deeply about a range of philosophical questions. It has 22 episodes and a MAL rating of 7.76.
The people of Lux live in constant fear of the criminal factions plaguing the underground city. Lux is also a place where socioeconomic class matters greatly.
Here, a mysterious individual known as Kazuho Yoshii starts committing crimes to stir up tensions between the factions. This causes many problems for everyone living in the city, leading to one of the worst conflicts that the town has ever known.
The conflict between the criminal factions in Texhnolyze led to the deaths of many civilians. However, others in the anime die due to the horrible prizefighting industry in Lux. There tend to be no restrictions, and fighters can use as much force as needed to win a fight.
9) Neon Genesis Evangelion
Despite airing over two decades ago, anime fans, young and new, all know Neon Genesis Evangelion. The series is one of the most iconic mecha anime of all time and contains a psychological aspect.
Evangelion has many adaptations with varying episode counts, but the original has one of the highest MAL ratings in the series.
The original Evangelion show follows a boy named Shinji Ikari after the Second Impact, a cataclysmic event, 15 years ago. Despite being traumatized and terrified, Shinji is forced to pilot Evangelion Unit-01 to defend against an Angel attack.
He successfully defends Tokyo-03 from the attack despite the immense psychological trauma caused by piloting Evangelions. This marks the start of his mecha piloting journey and the various dark and emotional scenes shown throughout the show.
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinions.
