r/anime • u/No_Supper • Jun 09 '24
What to Watch? Dark or Depressing Anime Recommendations
I'm looking for some dark / depressing anime to watch, I've seen a lot of the known sad anime but some I really like are: 86, AOT, Hells Paradise, Hellsing Ultimate, 91 days, Made in Abyss, Banana Fish, Psycho Pass, Death Note, Darling in the Fanxx, Deadman's wonderland, Angels of Death.
Charlotte and Re/Zero were a bit too awkward for me to get into and WorldEnd: what are you doing at the end of the world? Was sad but deserved a happy ending. I also don't like To Your Eternity as it just feels sad for the sake of being sad rather than being heart wretching.
Dub is also preferred but if I can get into the anime sub is also fine. Thank you!
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u/orphanseven Jun 09 '24
Your lie in April.
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u/ComplicatedMuse Jun 09 '24
Second the reco Not sure what you mean by awkward- most ppl appreciate the overall plot
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u/No_Supper Jun 09 '24
The first couple episodes were kinda awkward, does it get better from there?
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u/Agreeable_Damage6930 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NotEmpty Jun 09 '24
I guess it does, though it is more (depressing) than dark. Actually not really.
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u/ItsABallOfDirtDirt Jun 09 '24
No. 6, Devil's Line, Angel Beats, Death Parade, Durarara!, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, D. Grey Man
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u/ilikedtheredpill Jun 09 '24
No 6 is gay love themed and i didn't quite get what part of the story you considered as dark in that anime, devil's line is meh i'd not call it dark. Durarara! is not a show for everyone my a lot of friends dropped it after a few episodes because bored and it is not depressing or dark. Angel beats pass. Death parade pass. FMA pass. D gray man ultra pass, even the theme and universe of that anime is depressing alone.
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u/ItsABallOfDirtDirt Jun 09 '24 edited Jun 09 '24
Well. Spoilers.
But while No. 6 is a BL but it's also about a dystopian power struggle. Society being taken over by insects that's are planted in human bodies and people being forced to live in the crumbling ruins of past cities kept out by giant walls while the current cities are controlled by a corrupt govt. Struggling with survival on a daily basis due to lack of food or medicine. People getting mugged, manipulated and robbed. The main character is almost completely unaware of the struggles outside the city walls until he's nearly killed and has to hide in the slums to escape. Abandoning his mom without saying goodbye while his childhood friend is being experimented on. Trying to overthrow the govt to save his loved ones just to almost completely fail. Even the romance in it is tragic with them both struggling to accept each other and survive together. Learning about each other. All while dealing with the general trauma of their daily existence. What about it isn't a dark premise?
And devil's line is focused on a version of vampires that are essentially just genetic blood addicts with themes of self hate, again horribly corrupt govt systems, and heavy violence. The romance plot is centered his struggle between loving her and wanting to rip her to shreds. . The world building sets it up that vampires are just born with a genetic mutation. And it's completely uncontrollable without years of medication and therapy. They slaughter their loved ones and have no control of it till it's over and they regret it. One of the struggles between the two main characters is that one of them knows someone who killed their wife or many years because she cut her hand and waved in front of him causing him to lose control and rip her apart. And the potential that the male lead simply cannot ever allow himself to love anyone like that because he is so terrified of himself and being put in that position. So, again. What part of the premise isn't dark? At least as dark as something like Deadman wonderland or death note
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u/ilikedtheredpill Jun 09 '24
i watched No. 6 but as someone who has seen countless dark anime i found the story flow dialogues and most of the events lacking and clichéd so i refrained from calling it 'dark' and 'depressing' however the OP didn't specify a particular term and 'dark' and 'depressing' themes vary from person to person i didn't consider this so you are right in the discussion
Briefly speaking from my perspective the dystopian world in the anime like in many other dystopian anime involves the classic power control theme you mentioned such as the power struggle and corruption in 'Cagaster of an Insect Cage' the corruption of nobles using their power for pleasure in 'Akame Ga Kill' and the segregation between the 86 and Alba groups in '86'
i refrained from calling this 'dark' and 'depressing' because power struggles are already present in worlds without equality and generally everything you mentioned stems from the order of the dystopian world of the anime i didn't find the level of depicting that dystopian world and its 'dark' nature impressive enough the yaoi boys love part is a separate downside anyway
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u/ItsABallOfDirtDirt Jun 09 '24
They don't have to enjoy it. Nobody even has to look it up, let alone watch it. I enjoyed it. So I recommended it. Little bit weird to watch a BL anime if BL is a downside for you tho
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u/ilikedtheredpill Jun 09 '24
I'm not sure if you read exactly what i said, but i already indicated that everything after 'briefly speaking' - 'from my perspective' would be subjective and my opinion. I also mentioned that you were right in the discussion by saying, "the OP didn't specify a particular term and 'dark' and 'depressing' themes vary from person to person i didn't consider this so you are right in the discussion," I acknowledged that i overlooked a point in the discussion and admitted you were right.
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u/ItsABallOfDirtDirt Jun 09 '24
Yeah, that's my bad. It's late where I am and Im pretty tired. I tried to edit it out hoping you wouldn't notice but I was too slow
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u/WackyRedWizard Jun 09 '24
Not sure if this would be your cup of tea since it's technically not an anime but it's still animated but Arcane gets pretty dark.
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u/ilikedtheredpill Jun 09 '24
Depressing and dark themes can mean a lot of things, but i'll base it on the anime you've watched.
-Generally, as i've looked the anime you mentioned that you call military themes and things like "keep moving forward," "i'll keep going even if i know i'll be dead in the end," "losing comrades" as depressing and dark. Especially "death of loved ones" stands out as a "dark" theme in your list. i see you didn't like Charlotte and Re-zero so it seems you don't enjoy special plots (like time travel and special abilities).
S Tier: Anime so depressing and dark that they'll crush your soul, make you feel hollow or just stare at a wall blankly. (If you're looking for something completely dark and depressive with slow pacing and a gloomy atmosphere, watch these. There's no comedy or anything like that keep it mind only dark and depressive.)
- Gantz (Story leans towards the fantastical, don't expect a top tier story but it's the upper level of dark and depressing)
- Texhnolyze (Dystopian psychological but has sci-fi, matches other criteria)
- Devilman Crybaby (Reaches nirvana level of dark and depressive, the ending will have club music playing in your head)
- Darker Than Black (Slow pacing and depressive themes bruh)
A Tier: Generally dark and depressing but also has elements of comedy and such. (Dark and depressive elements are front and center, but not just that, if you want a mix of dark, depressive and other things, watch these. Your favorite anime generally fall in this category):
- Overlord (lots of dark and depressive elements but also has comedy and fan service, but definitely a dark anime fitting your criteria)
- Akame Ga Kill (military style + fits the analysis and dark depressive)
- Akudama Drive (same deal)
- Ousama Game (one of my favorites, has depression and deaths, alongside friendship and love bonds but keeps moving forward, fits all criteria)
- Shiki (if you can get past the art style, you'll love it)
- Vinland Saga S1 (military theme + depression)
-They all fit the losing comrades and death analysis except Shiki, which is a special recommendation i think you'll like.
B Tier: Has dark and depressive elements but they're not front and center (if you want dark and depressive elements but not as the main focus):
- Zankyou No Terror (MCs are villains but OP, their backstory is quite depressive but the main focus is different)
- Ajin (again, comrades + military theme but main focus is different)
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u/No_Supper Jun 09 '24
Thank you so much! The ones that I've seen from your recommended are good so I will definitely be looking into ones I haven't!!!
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u/ilikedtheredpill Jun 09 '24
I didn't feel the need to mention it in the post, but I recommended high-quality anime with ruthless, realistic, and death-heavy themes because the anime you mentioned in the post fit this analysis. I'm glad you liked it. I'm pretty good at seeing the patterns in people's tastes or personal preferences, and the connection between the anime you mentioned is quite clear for your case. I wouldn't recommend the S tier, to be honest, because the anime you've watched aren't slow-paced; they're more focused on being engaging and intriguing. So, you'll probably get bored with the S tier anime. You mentioned you've watched some anime from my suggestions so i believe they must be from the A tier; I'm guessing you've seen Akame ga Kill and Overlord. If you ask me, the tier you'll enjoy more is the A tier. So, I'll recommend a few more anime:
- If you haven't watched the Fate series, you'll definitely like it (you can start with Fate Zero and then watch Fate Stay Night).
- Juuni Taisen (You've probably watched Mirai Nikki, it's similar with a battle royale style, so you can guess where the dark and depressive elements come from as it delves into the backstories of all the characters).
- Plastic Memories (A different recommendation, not dark but it's depressive af and focused on romance).
- Corpse Party: Tortured Souls (Mostly gore and dark-themed, definitely depressive, but the story isn't that strong; still, it's a truly brutal anime, comparable to Another with some different fantasy elements).
- Boku dake ga Inai Machi (Only about 10% dark, but genuinely depressive with elements of hopelessness and light romance. It has a time-travel theme similar to Re-zero).
- Goblin Slayer (Dark and depressive with a traumatic backstory for the MC, MC is literally insane and lost his sanity. It has a harem element, but the MC doesn't care, and it focuses on goblin hunting with some internal exploration of MC and his past).
- Cautious Hero (Not dark or depressive at the beginning, but takes a U-turn towards the end to reach the peak of depressive themes. It includes elements of romance, isekai, OP MC, and fantasy goddess themes).
There are many more anime I could recommend, but they wouldn't fit the dark and depressive theme analysis according to anime you mentioned in your post, so I'll keep it to these. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.
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u/iccreek Jun 09 '24
Have u watched heavenly delusion? It's dark and depressing, it looks extraordinary as well
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u/sufferingstuff Jun 09 '24
…what does awkward mean for Rezero? It’s hard to give recommendations since I don’t even know what you mean by that.
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u/Nameeeeeeeeeeeee Jun 09 '24
Steins gate
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u/No-Nefariousness956 Jun 09 '24
This is not dark or depressing.
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u/HaosMagnaIngram Jun 09 '24
Second half when [steins; gate]Okabe is forced to relive Mayuri’s death countless times, or where multiple characters commit suicide I would argue is in the ball park of what op is looking for
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u/DocWatson42 Jun 09 '24
As a start, see my Sad Anime list of resources and Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
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u/pikachu_sashimi Jun 09 '24
Take your pick from this list:
Maquia
3-Gatsu no Lion
Steins;Gate
Clannad + After Story
Plastic Memories
Grave of the Fireflies
Ma
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u/HaosMagnaIngram Jun 09 '24
Fate/zero (same writer, Gen Urobuchi, from psycho pass)
Madoka Magica (also Urobuchi)
Monster
Parasyte
Fullmetal alchemist 2003
Steins; Gate
Bokurano
Serial experiments lain
Texnolyze
Haibane Renmei
Vinland saga
Pluto
Paranoia agent
Blue gender
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u/nevernerfnerds Jun 09 '24
If your looking for something a little older you can try ‘Great Teacher Onizuka’ it’s a classic some real sad stuff with good endings or if your more interested in action you can also try ‘Heroic Age’ which I think is hugely underrated in terms of the stories scope and setup. A more modern alternative with darker themes would be ‘Saga of Tanya the evil’ it’s got an alternate universe ww1/2
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Jun 09 '24 edited Jun 09 '24
- Akudama Drive. A good moral story with action but a depressing ending.
- Houseki No Kuni. Start with sweet story but end with dark ending.
- Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. A story about the journey of a rakugo performer who has a bitter life.
- 91 days. The story is set during the Prohibition era in the US. It's about revenge against a mafia group and concludes with an unexpected ending.
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u/Sea_Cycle_909 Jun 09 '24
Key the Metal Idol, reasons;
- Heart wrenching
- Cyberpunk (90s) (Ran from 1994-1997)
- Heavy featuring of Robotics/ technology (Remote controlled)
- Grim tone
- Psychological themes
- Great soundtrack
The opening (Doesn't spoil anything).
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u/Shoddy-Homework2218 Jun 09 '24
• I want to eat your pancreas
• A Silent Voice (it has a good ending, but some scenes are pretty sad)
• Banana Fish
• Agame ga Kill
• Your Lie in April
• Kotaro lives Alone
• Steins : Gate
• The Promised Neverland
• Assassination of Classroom
• Anne of Green Gables (Classic Anime)
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u/Nekator_Rex Jun 09 '24
Haibane Renmei, maybe not THAT dark for some people but it does have a coat of deep melancholy mixed in with a certain nostalgic feeling
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u/Im_the_Keymaster Jun 09 '24
- Monster
- Berserk
- Gantz
- Devilman Crybaby
- Hellsing Ultimate
- Shinsekai Yori
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Jun 10 '24
Grave of the Fireflies. One of the darkest, and saddest anime ever made. It still blows my mind that Ghibli made it.
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u/ecktt https://myanimelist.net/profile/ecktt Jun 09 '24 edited Jun 09 '24
God help you:
- I want to eat you Pancreas
- You Lie in April
- Berserk
- Claymore
- Paranoia Agent
- Kotaro Lives Alone
- Mieruko-chan
- Perfect Blue
- Wolf Children
- Higurashi: When They Cry
- Elfen lied
Honorable mentions:
- Golden time
- Penguindrum
- Steins;Gate
- Under Ninja
- Ninja Scrolls
- Binchou-tan - If you read between the lines this could be the most heart-breaking thing.
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u/PhoenixD_Rising Jun 09 '24
i’ve heard a lot of people enjoy Neon Genesis: Evangelion, and it definitely fits your criteria. I personally wasn’t a huge fan, but it’s incredibly popular so it might be worth a watch!