Despite animation’s reputation as being for children, some The best anime is also the bloodiest. It may not be for everyone, but for those interested in blood and viscera, few media can beat anime. Without the limitations of live-action gore, anime can be incredibly creative and extremely detailed, with extremely high levels of violence.
However, instead of just being used to shock, gore also becomes a plot highlight in some cases, especially with anime series that focus on cannibalistic creatures, anomalies in the nature and other monstrous creatures. The imaginative scope that anime provides also allows anime studios to get creative with their hyper-violent content. The best bloody anime use the medium’s inherent strengths to create spectacle that would be impossible in any other medium.
10 Neon Genesis Gospels
The original anime was composed by Hideaki Anno and Studio Gainax
Year of release
1995
Episodes
26
Where to stream it
Netflix
Considered one of the saddest anime of all time, Neon Genesis Evangelion blends mechanical violence with profound concepts of religion and philosophy. The central conflict is between human-built mech suits called EVAs and giant alien creatures called Angels. With even the mecha suits secreting a red blood-like liquid, the battles appear to be extremely bloody with both EVAs and Angels being ripped apart with blood (and even organs) spraying everywhere . However, with some deaths occurring off-screen and the human stakes remaining limited, Neon Genesis Evangelion appears to be much darker in its exploration of human depression and trauma than brutal violence.
9 Terra Formars
Based on the Manga by Yū Sasuga and Kenichi Tachibana
Year of release
2014
Episodes
26
Where to stream it
Hulu, Crunchyroll, Tubi, Peacock
In the future of Terra Formars, six space explorers encounter humanoid bugs on Mars and are brutally killed by them. This leads to a full-scale war between the two races with scenes of constant killing and torture between creatures and humans. While the actual violence may be shocking to some viewers (as evidenced by the fact that some scenes are even censored on Japanese television), Terra Formars is relatively tamer by comparison as most the bloodshed takes place in quick battle scenes, so the viewer doesn’t understand. plenty of time to work out the fine details. Even so, a lot of bugs have been squashed!
8 Re: Zero, Start life in another world
Based on the Light Novel series written by Tappei Nagatsuki and Shin’ichirō Ōtsuka
Year of release
2016
Episodes
50
Where to stream it
Crunchyroll
Subaru Natsuki is definitely one of the saddest anime protagonists as he has to go through many deaths and carry the memories of each life with him. After being transported to another fantasy dimension and brutally killed immediately, he discovered that he had the ability to go back in time before his death. What follows is a tragic series of events with increasing bloodshed, especially after Natsuki encounters a murderous cult. There is no age limit for those subjected to violence, even children are severely dismembered. However, the film still isn’t too violent as luckily some of the more brutal deaths happen off-screen. Even when blood is shed, the obvious impact on each severed organ is not given enough attention.
7 Vampires in Tokyo
Based on Manga by Sui Ishida
Year of release
2014
Episodes
48
Where to stream it
Funny, Hulu
The ghouls in Tokyo Ghoul refer to zombie-like creatures that eat humans. When a young man named Ken Kaneki is attacked by one such vampire, he transforms into a super-strong human-ghoul hybrid and must run from the law to survive. Tokyo Ghoul is arguably brutal in its depiction of sustained violence and torture, but it makes clever use of other visual elements to mask the true extent of the violence. For example, the scene where a female vampire is eating multiple bodies, the bodies are hidden in the shadows. Similarly, a torture scene shows a character’s fingers and toes being chopped off, but the audience only glimpses the bloody implements. Overall, Tokyo Ghoul is scary but its violence is relatively low compared to other anime of the time.
6 Attack on Titan
Based on the Manga created by Hajime Isayama
Year of release
two thousand and thirteen
Episodes
88
Where to stream it
Hulu, Crunchyroll, Funimation
A show that focuses on meat-eating giants is bound to be bloody from the first episode. Throughout the iconic anime, Attack on Titan features scenes of humans being crushed or bitten by giant creatures, some of which are deliberately slowed down to annoy viewers. Sometimes, humans also resist chopping and dicing in creative ways. What’s interesting is that the original manga by Hajime Isayama is much bloodier than the anime. However, anime has become iconic for its brutal style of violence that is increasingly tied to its plot and fast-paced action.
5 Deadly Wonderland
Based on the Manga by Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou
Year of release
2011
Episodes
twelfth
Where to stream it
Crunchyroll, Funimation
An innocent high school student is imprisoned for the mass murder of his entire class. But this isn’t even the worst part because he now has to participate in a deadly prison tournament to survive. Getting chopped by a knife is just the tip of the iceberg as all manner of weapons are used in Deadman Wonderland, from swords and guns to flamethrowers and bombs. The combat even involves fantasy elements with some characters being able to use their own blood as weapons or armor. However, this comes with the downside that the characters need to injure themselves first to release that amount of blood, a practice followed by zoomed-in shots of the graphic action.
The last 4 hells
Based on Manga by Kouta Hirano
Year of release
2006
Episodes
ten
Where to stream it
Hulu
Set after World War II, Hellsing Ultimate deals with Nazi vampires ravaging Britain while the anti-vampire organization Hellsing seeks to end this bloody rampage. The adrenaline-heavy series is filled with bodies being dismembered, stabbed, and blown up in full glory. As one of the most highly rated horror anime, the resistance of the bloodsuckers in Hellsing Ultimate knows no bounds as they not only bite their victims but also often burn them alive, shooting them down in raids. mass slaughter. As expected, the violent revenge against the villains is also said to be bloody. The final conclusion is that no matter which side has bloodier methods, peace will not come.
3 Blood-C
Created by Studio IG and CLAMP
Year of release
2011
Episodes
twelfth
Where to stream it
Hulu, Funimation
Blood-C deals with the daily life of a seemingly normal girl named Saya, who lives the life of a student by day and a monster hunter by night. Like other supernatural monster anime, gruesome deaths are clearly a recurring theme. Heads and limbs being ripped off are quite common in Blood-C. However, the bloodiest scenes are those of the monsters eating their victims, each killing having its own unique method. The terror is evoked not only by the splattering of blood and broken bones but also by the fact that no one in Blood-C dies quickly or easily. Everyone had to go through painful atrocities before breathing their last breath, with death lasting for many seconds (sometimes up to a minute). As the screaming victims are torn apart, viewers will certainly be reminded of the feeding scenes in Attack on Titan, but Blood-C takes a much more brutal approach.
2 chain saws
Based on the Manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto
Year of release
2022
Episodes
twelfth
Where to stream it
Hulu, Crunchyroll
Like the Chainsaw Man manga, the anime is bloody in every creative way. After all, viewers should definitely expect tons of blood splattering all over his skin since the main character is a demon-human hybrid with chainsaws literally popping out of his head and arms. The protagonist’s evolution into a chainsaw-wielding monster is accompanied by a painful evolution as the chainsaws cut through his own body. Even the death scenes are deliberately long and the main character needs time to kill people because the chainsaw takes time to crush human flesh.
1 genocidal person
Based on the Manga by Tony Takezaki
Year of release
1994
Episodes
5
Where to stream it
Currently not available on streaming
Increasingly detailed and disturbing, Genocyber is the bloodiest anime of all time for many people despite its limited number of episodes. The five-episode OVA series deals with the fusion of cybernetic constructs and the psychic control of humans. Featuring an evil scientist using two girls for his brutal experiments, the violence may be disturbing to some viewers. Horrifying physical transformations tread such nihilistic territory that gory anime works like Akira and Attack on Titan seem relatively tame. Although the extremely bloody violence is what makes Genocyber stand out, it can also be its weakness that causes many viewers to give up midway through. However, regardless of how viewers feel about it, it’s hard to deny that Genocyber is the bloodiest anime of all time.
Gore is often painted as a fool, a cheap trick used only for shock value. While that is undeniably the case with many anime that use gore, it is emphasizing the importance of extreme violence in anime. Yes, violence can shock viewers, but it can also be used to advance plot and characters. The The bloodiest anime every era is undeniably shocking, but they also use their gore in interesting ways.