10 Darkest Moments in Shonen Anime History

Shonen anime series are ostensibly targeted at a young male audience, but that fact may be hard to believe once one has seen how dark some of these series can get. By depicting the depravity of humanity, or hopeless futility, or a horrific mass slaughter, these series didn’t shy away from the dark realities of the world, and instead embraced them fully, showing the true horror for all to see.

These dark moments can simply be the darkest in a series that’s overall quite dark, or shockingly dark moments from series that aren’t usually all that dark. In either case, these scenes were incredibly shocking to viewers, and are often among the most-discussed moments from their respective series. Needless to say, these dark moments are often very plot significant, so there are some SPOILERS ahead.

10
Shigaraki Proves The Darker Side of Superpowers

My Hero Academia Episode 111, “Tenko Shimura: Origin”

My Hero Academia doesn’t shy away from the darkness that’s required for someone to call themselves a “villain,” and nothing exemplifies this more than Shigaraki’s origin story. As a child named Tenko Shimura, his Decay Quirk suddenly manifested, causing him to instantly kill his family dog. While screaming and panicking as any child would, he then proceeds to touch his sister, killing her as well. One by one, young Tenko murders each member of his family, not knowing what’s going on… until his father arrives, ready to beat him, and Tenko chooses to kill him on purpose.

Knowing that he was responsible for the deaths of his entire family was a key element in turning Tenko into the monstrous Tomura Shigaraki. Almost anyone would lose their mind after such a horrific incident. Worse still, there’s an implication that with the way Quirks work, this kind of thing could happen to any child in this world at any time.

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9
Madoka Establishes Consequences Early

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Episode 3, “I’m Not Afraid of Anything Anymore”

Madoka‘s early twist episode is now infamous, and it sets the tone for the rest of the series moving forward. In what has otherwise been a fairly typical Magical Girl series, Madoka watches as magical girl Mami battles it out against a Witch known as Charlotte. Mami is doing fantastically well… right up until she isn’t. Caught by surprise when Charlotte transforms into a caterpillar-like creature, Mami is decapitated by the witch’s jaws.

The death of Mami almost comes out of nowhere, and quickly establishes that this won’t be a fun romp with magic powers. Fighting monsters means putting one’s life on the line, and as the series goes on, it becomes clear that no magical girl’s life ends happily. It changes the entire direction of the series, turning it into one of the most effective genre deconstructions ever.

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8
Kamui’s Decision to Save Humanity is Immediately Ruined

X/1999 Episode 12, “Alternative”

X/1999 is an apocalyptic series by CLAMP which follows the prophesied confrontation between two groups: The Dragons of Heaven, who fight to save humanity, and the Dragons of Earth, who aim to wipe out humanity to preserve the planet. Protagonist Kamui Shiro is forced to choose between the two sides, and initially doesn’t care much, but decides out of love for his childhood friend Kotori and his friendship with her brother Fuma to choose to save humanity. This magically forces Fuma into the opposite role and leads to him killing Kotori, robbing Kamui of everything he hoped to save.

It’s a brutal moment that sends Kamui spiraling, and threatens to bring apocalyptic destruction upon all humankind if Kamui can’t get himself together.

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7
A Father Experiments on His Own Daughter For Clout

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Episode 4, “An Alchemist’s Anguish”

The fate of Nina Tucker is one of the darkest moments in Fullmetal Alchemist for many reasons. At risk of losing his State Alchemist certification, Shou Tucker secretly combines his daughter with his dog to create a talking Chimera–and it’s not the first time he’s done such a thing, either. The episode spends time getting to know lovable young Nina before saddling her with this dark fate, making the eventual turn hurt all the more. Ed and Al’s reactions are perhaps the most heartbreaking of all, with Ed so disturbed he begins beating Shou Tucker with his bare hands.

It’s almost a relief when Scar kills the pitiful creature, as there was no hope of reversing the process. If Ed and Al’s attempts at reviving their mother didn’t warn you that Fullmetal Alchemist gets dark, poor Nina Tucker really hammers the message home.

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6
Denji’s Death is the Tip of a Dark Iceberg

Chainsaw Man Episode 1, “Dog & Chainsaw”

Not a lot of stories start off with the death of their protagonist, but Chainsaw Man is still among the darkest even in this category. Denji is introduced as a boy saddled with a mountain of debt, doing whatever it takes to survive day-to-day. He’s betrayed by his Yakuza employer and taken to a warehouse, where he’s first stabbed, then brutally and viciously attacked by a mob of zombies created by the Zombie Devil. Denji’s life has been pure suffering, and his death is no different in that regard–a ruthlessly nihilistic portrait of its lead.

Of course, Denji is revived by making a contract with Pochita, the Chainsaw Devil, but all this really does is set him up to be used by others, like Makima. Denji is rarely treated as a person, and his first-episode death is the ultimate proof of how dark things can get when people are dehumanized.

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5
Shinji Kills the Only Person Who Cares for Him

Neon Genesis Evangelion Episode 24, “The Final Messenger”

Evangelion has been through plenty of dark moments by its end, but one of the darkest and most memorable is undoubtedly the death of Kaworu Nagisa. Kaworu appears as the Fifth Child, and quickly befriends Shinji, who has struggled to connect with anyone throughout the series, by telling him things like he’s worthy of sympathy and that they should be friends. It’s then revealed that Kaworu is actually the final Angel, and he begins descending, on a mission to destroy humanity. Shinji is forced to kill him with his EVA’s hands, even as Kaworu tells him that humanity is worth saving.

Killing Kaworu is the final straw that breaks Shinji’s already fragile mental state, and he never really recovers from this. Kaworu became a wildly popular character due to their interactions in this episode, to the extent where people are surprised to learn he only appears in one episode. Effectively murdering a friend in cold blood, this is the depths of despair that Evangelion ultimately sinks to.

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4
Euphemia Orders a Genocide

Code Geass Episode 22, “Bloodstained Euphie”

Code Geass‘s darkest moment happens entirely by accident, and that makes the disaster which follows all the more tragic. While speaking to his kind sister Euphie, Lelouche tries to explain how his Geass power works, and accidentally triggers it with the awful example statement, “Kill all the Japanese.” Euphie fights it initially, but soon makes a public statement ordering the genocide of the Japanese subjects. Lelouche, knowing there’s no way to reverse the Geass, is forced to kill his own sister to end the bloodshed, but not without hundreds of deaths in a senseless massacre.

As with many of these dark moments, it marked a major turning point in the series–Lelouche has to live knowing that he caused this, even if it was accidental, and his original goal was always to save Japan from the Britannian Empire. This prompts a broader rebellion, which Lelouche had hoped for, but the cost was far too high.

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3
Pokkle and Ponzu Die a Brutal, Thoughtless Death

Hunter X Hunter Episode 80, “Evil X And X Terrible”

Pokkle and Ponzu are two recurring characters in the series, first seen way back in the Hunter Exam arc. They reappear in the Chimera Ant arc, where they find themselves attacked and captured by the Ants, with most of their group killed off in the attack. Neferpitou experiments on Pokkle, cutting open his skull and manipulating his brain to force him to share the secrets of Nen. Ponzu attempts to escape, and even manages to get a message away, but is brutally shot in the back, and then shot repeatedly after she’s already down. The ant then eats her body, adding insult to injury.

For such long-running characters, their deaths were narratively unsatisfying and senseless, but deliberately so. These are characters who trained and grew alongside the heroes, and yet they didn’t even get to go out in a blaze of glory or a heroic sacrifice. It’s just cold reality.

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2
Prushka is Made into a Living Cartridge

Made in Abyss movie, “Dawn of the Deep Soul”

Made in Abyss has dozens of horrifically dark moments to it, but one of the worst has to be the fate of Prushka, a young girl who Riko and Reg meet, and who lives with a dark scientist named Bondrewd. Bondrewd reveals he has managed to find a way to avoid the Curse of the Abyss–by forcing it onto others, whom he transforms into still-living “Cartridges.” This fate befalls poor Prushka, infuriating Riko and Reg and prompting a confrontation with Bondrewd. Prushka dies as a cartridge, unable to be returned to how she was.

The only glimmer of hope is that Prushka’s friendship with Riko and Reg led to her remains creating a Life Reverberating Stone, which is eventually sculpted into a White Whistle that Riko carries with her. Prushka’s soul lives on in the whistle, able to communicate with Riko even after death.

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1
Nearly Every Human is Killed by the “Hero”

Attack on Titan Episode 88, “The Rumbling”

The protagonist of Attack on Titan undergoes a radical shift near the end of the series. He unleashes the Titans hidden in the walls, which number in the millions, and leads them on the attack, intent on wiping out everyone who doesn’t live on Paradis Island. This was an event known as the Rumbling, named for the last time it happened 2,000 years ago, and Eren understands full well what he is doing. The other main characters are forced to band together and kill Eren to put a stop to it.

Already a preposterously dark series from its very premise, Attack on Titan managed to outdo itself with the Rumbling. Countless people are killed by Eren’s actions, a character who viewers had previously been rooting for, twisting the knife further. The scale of such an atrocity makes it undoubtedly one of the darkest moments in shonen anime history.

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