Not all
anime conclude with a "happily ever after." Some opt for a dark,
tragic or directly disturbing outcome that remains etched in the memory of
fans. These endings, far from being forgotten, become part of the identity of
the series and, in many cases, the reason why they continue to be remembered
decades later. Below we review the 10 most disturbing anime endings of
all time.
Shiki: When the Vampire Hunt Becomes
Inhumane
What starts
out as a classic horror tale ends in a bloodbath where the villagers sink into
paranoia and hatred. The ending shows humans as monstrous as the vampires
themselves, leaving a bitter feeling: no one wins and Sotoba is devastated.
Space
Runaway Ideon:
The Total Apocalypse
Known as
"Kill 'Em All Tomino," the creator of Gundam took
tragedy to the extreme with this anime. The climax annihilates both humanity
and its alien enemies. Its impact was such that it inspired Hideaki Anno in the
conception of Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Berserk (1997): The Eclipse
The
anime adapts the Golden Age Arc, making its closure, the Eclipse,
all the more devastating. Griffith sacrifices his companions to be reborn as
Femto, and Guts and Casca suffer irreparable trauma. An ending so disturbing
that it still defines the franchise.
Grave
of the Fireflies: Tragedy in War
Studio
Ghibli surprised with this story without magic or hope. Seita and Setsuko's
futile struggle to survive the war ends in absolute tragedy. A story that
torments any viewer and, at the same time, a denunciation of the human cost of
armed conflicts.
Texhnolyze: absolute nihilism
This anime
is a spiral of hopelessness from the beginning, but its ending pushes it to the
limit: Lux is destroyed and most of the characters die, including Ichise. It is
a crude closing that functions as a philosophical reflection on human
self-destruction.
Devilman
Crybaby: The
Destruction of the World
Masaaki
Yuasa's reinterpretation brought to life the most faithfully devastating
outcome of Go Nagai's manga. The world is destroyed, Akira dies at the hands of
his best friend-turned-Satan, and the last scene shows a desperate Ryo
realizing what he has done.
The
End of Evangelion: humanity reduced to nothing
If the
original series left any doubts, the film offered a brutal ending: Humanity
merges into a single being during the Instrumentalization Project, leaving only
Shinji and Asuka in a ruined world. An apocalyptic closure for a series that
marked an entire generation.
Saikano: love doomed
Chise,
turned into a weapon of destruction, loses what was left of her humanity. The
ending sweeps the entire world, leaving Shuji alive only to condemn him to a
lonely agony. One of the cruelest tragedies in memory in anime romance.
School
Days: From
Romance to Massacre
What seemed
like a school romance anime became synonymous with a bloody ending. The love
rivalry ends in a multiple murder that left many viewers traumatized and
turned School Days into an "infamous classic."
Midori
(Shojo Tsubaki): The Forbidden Horror
This dark
cult film shows the life of Midori, a girl trapped in a circus of abuse and
cruelty. Its denouement, marked by despair and psychological collapse, sealed
the fame of the work as one of the most disturbing of all time, banned in
several countries.
