Animeis one of the most popular mediums in the world, and it only gets bigger every year. Its stunning animation and creativity make it a unique form of TV that draws mass appeal. Shows like One Piece and Dandadanprove why anime is getting more mainstream. However, anime also has a distinct art style that, while evolving, many still consider cartoonish or kid-like, with many series having an innocent/wholesome look.
However, just because a show may look cutesy and wholesome doesn't mean it is. Many anime shock fans with how gruesome and disturbing they can be, with the difference between art style and content making it all the more unsettling. This list will rank the ten most worrisome anime compared to their wholesome art style. It will not rank the shows based on how good they are; instead, it will focus solely on how disturbing they are.
10
'The Future Diary' (2011)
Studio: asread.
Image via asread.
A diary is common for students, with Yukiteru writing down his daily life despite not having many friends. When he learns that the contents of his diary will happen in the near future, he uses it to benefit greatly. However, The Future Diary really kicks off when ten contestants enter a survival game, using their diary to eliminate the other players and become the diety's successor in a gruesome battle royale.
Many anime fans are aware of the dere tropes, which categorize characters based on their basic personality. The yandere trope involves a character who is initially sweet and innocent but is actually unhinged and violent, similar to this show. Yuno popularized this trope, shocking audiences with her violent outbursts and horrific murders. The Future Diary is a dark romance anime with an upsetting series of events.
9
'Land of the Lustrous' (2017)
Studio: Orange
Image via Orange
Just because an anime is popular or well-received doesn't mean it will get a second season; just ask Land of the Lustrous fans. This gorgeous CGI anime follows a group of humanized gemstones that fight against the Lunarians, who wish to wear them as jewelry. Phos is a fragile Gem who wishes to help in the war but must complete tedious tasks, prompting her to take her destiny into her own hands.
This disturbingness can be felt more in the manga, which is why Land of the Lustrous only ranks ninth, but it is still shockingly dark in the anime. The gorgeous gems, bright colors, and stellar animation all play a part in the wholesome look of the anime, but witnessing the characters be torn limb from limb is disheartening. Although there is no blood or gore, the psychological toll is evident, making Land of the Lustrous a disturbing show with some of the best animation in anime.
8
'From the New World' (2012)
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Image via Anime Network
Also known as Shinsekai Yori, From the New World is a popular horror anime set in a supposed utopia free of crime and evil. However, after psychic school, one of Saki's classmates suddenly disappears. After investigating her disappearance, they uncover the dark truth behind their world as well as a mysterious race of Monster Rats, sparking a dangerous and terrifying journey for survival and truth.
From the New World doesn't have an overtly wholesome feel, but it is typical enough that many consider it somewhat cutesy. However, it makes this list because of how horrifying the contents are, making it a perfect anime to watch on Halloween because of its frights. Whether it be gore or psychological trauma, this show is plenty disturbing, made worse by the innocent-looking anime characters.
Protagonists are arguably the most important part of a story, but many shows feature lousy leading characters. School Days features the worst protagonist in anime, Makoto Itou, as he falls in love with the class's beauty. When another girl discovers this, she tries to set them up, creating a weird friendship that quickly devolves into a horrific love triangle of murder.
As one of the older shows on this list, School Days embodies that classic early 2000s anime style with even more exaggerated eyes than usual. This typical art style is made worse after witnessing how visceral and brutal this anime is, with plenty of blood and gore. This anime can get pretty disturbing, but the quality is almost scarier, as School Days is one of the worst anime of all time, meaning fans should avoid this series.
School Days
6
'Another' (2012)
Studio: P.A. Works
Image via P.A. Works
Another isn't just another typical anime, even though it might look like one; instead, it is shockingly terrifying. When Koichi returns to school, he befriends the reject despite classmates telling him not to, but all of a sudden, the class is subject to a curse. While they investigate the curse, horrible mishaps begin for the students, creating an anime that makes more sense after reading manga.
If fans find The Final Destination disturbing, then they can imagine Another as that movie, but it is set in a high school with wholesome-looking anime characters. The shocking and intensely gruesome deaths are enough to unsettle any fan with exaggerated gore. While these deaths can sometimes be comedic and over-the-top, this anime isn't a fun treat but a disturbing and uncomfortable ride.
Another (2012)
Release Date
January 10, 2012
Cast
5
'Happy Sugar Life' (2018)
Studio: Ezola
Despite being a relatively new anime series, Happy Sugar Life isn't popular, flying under many fans' radar. Satou is a high school girl who gets around constantly having a new boyfriend every week, but her mentality suddenly changes when she experiences love for the first time. However, the love of her life is a child, with Satou doing anything to protect this "perfect" new life.
Happy Sugar Life features a typical and innocent anime design, making many of the characters look wholesome. The range of colorful hair also adds to this feeling of wholesomeness. However, this anime disturbs viewers on multiple levels, with its gory murders, psychological trauma, and unsettling age gap. Happy Sugar Life has one of the scariest anime episodes, highlighting the disturbing nature of the show.
Happy Sugar Life is not available to stream or purchase in the U.S.
4
'Corpse Party: Tortured Souls' (2013)
Studio: asread.
Image via Asread
Based on the horror game of the same name, Corpse Party: Tortured Souls is a gory horror anime that follows a group of students fighting for survival in a new world. Paying homage to a friend through a ritual, a group of friends suddenly find themselves trapped in an alternate reality. With vengeful ghosts and spirits killing them, the students must find a way out or become one of the damned.
Anime elevates the horror and disturbingness of a show by making it a high school setting, with Corpse Party following suit. The murders of these innocent-looking teens are horrific and unsettling, making it one of the scariest anime of all time. The kills are graphic and over-the-top, making it hard to get through the entire series and only for viewers who can handle excessive blood.
3
'Made in Abyss' (2017)
Studio: Kinema Citrus
Image via Sentai Filmworks
Made in Abyss is one of the most popular and well-received anime on this list, wowing viewers with its dark story, gripping mystery, and expansive worldbuilding. The anime follows a young girl traveling down into the dangerous Abyss with Reg, a robotic boy made in the void. They encounter mysteries and horrors, with every death and sexual encounter made more unsettling because of their young age.
The fantastical environment and giant creatures don't make it look too wholesome, but the cutesy and young character designs make everything in this show ten times more disturbing. It has one of the most visually stunning anime worlds, which means the animation is also great for traumatizing scenes. This anime features some of the most brutal and gruesome deaths in anime, making it an upsetting show fans can't help but watch.
Made in Abyss
Release Date
July 7, 2017
2
'Higurashi: When They Cry' (2006)
Studio: Studio Deen
Image via FUNimation Entertainment
Based on the popular visual novel Higurashi: When They Cry, the story follows a family moving to a small village in 1983, with the daughter quickly making friends. With the village festival slowly approaching, the father learns of some mysterious disappearances connected to the festival. Without getting any answers, he and his family are thrust into paranoia and madness, with tragedy and horror soon to follow.
There aren't many excellent horror anime series, but many fans consider Higurashi to be the best. While the show has mystery and haunting visuals, it captures its fright through the consistent pacing and starting difference between its look and vibe. Witnessing wholesome-looking middle school bash each other's brains with a baseball bat is a horrific sight. Higurashi is a dark anime, with innocent children dying in overly gory ways.
Higurashi: When They Cry
Release Date
April 4, 2006
1
'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' (2011)
Studio: Shaft
The magical girl genre is popular among young girls, with examples like Sailor Moon revolutionizing anime. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a magical girl anime aimed at anyone besides kids, from its mature themes, scary content, and traumatizing deaths. When Madoka eagerly accepts a mysterious cat's invitation to become a magical girl, she quickly suffers, learning this fun dream is actually a nightmare. A new Madoka Magica movie is coming out in 2025.
One look at this show and fans would assume it is a cutesy magical girl anime aimed at young girls. With brightly colored and fancy-dressed middle school girls, that would be the correct assumption. However, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is disturbing on more levels than one. Whether fans find the traumatic and brutal deaths more upsetting or the psychological damage each girl suffers, the show as a whole is disturbing from start to finish. Compared to the content, the cute aesthetic and focus on young girls is the most significant gap on this list, easily making Puella Magi Madoka Magica the most disturbing yet wholesome-looking anime.
Image via AT-X
Image via asread.
Image via Orange
Image via Anime Network
Image via TNK
Image via P.A. Works
Image via Asread
Image via Sentai Filmworks
Image via FUNimation Entertainment
English (US) ·