When we watch anime, it is incredibly essential for us to understand every character and equally give importance to their backstory. The backstories of anime characters are pivotal points for their character development and understanding of where they come from, which gives us the watchers an understanding of their story as a character.
This list is going to give you an insight into the 50 Best Anime Characters That Have Tragic Backstories . These characters have built their way up into their respective lives from where they come from. These characters not only inspire us but also teach us that what you make out of life, no matter where you come from, makes you a remarkable human being.
Note: This list may contain spoilers regarding the anime or the character
1. Killua Zoldyck (HunterxHunter)
Killua Zoldyck is one of the main protagonists of the show Hunter x Hunter. He was born into the Zolyck family, which is known to be a family of known assassins. Knowing this information alone gives us a clear picture of how his backstory might have been.
Killua Zoldyck
From a very young age, he had already mastered so many murder techniques and is known to be one of the best assassins in the Zoldyck family. Killua was tortured since he was born, but he still manages to keep up a smile and always be cheerful.
2. Levi Ackerman (Attack On Titan)
Levi Ackerman is known to be the “strongest soldier of humanity.” He is the captain of the Survey Corps and is a crucial character in the Attack On Titan series. We understand in Season 3 of the anime about his tragic backstory as he has always lacked ties with his family. Levi’s mother, Kuchel, worked as a prostitute in the underground slum areas and didn’t get time to raise Levi as a child.
Levi Ackerman
After her death, he was all alone until his uncle Kenny taught him how to deal with thieves and various fighting techniques until he could survive on his own and abandoned him soon after. Levi’s personality reflects his tragic backstory and his upbringing.
3. Ray (The Promised Neverland)
Ray is one of the main protagonists in the show The Promised Neverland . He has always been a very distant character. He always cared for his siblings and did everything that he could for their sake. As a child, he was already well aware that his mother was feeding the kids to the demons.
Ray (The Promised Neverland)
The sad part about his backstory is that he had always been collecting inflammable items to make sure he would be able to kill himself and also be able to destroy the house.
4. Itachi Uchiha (Naruto)
Itachi always dreamed of having a world without wars and crimes, but to achieve that, he knew he had to get his hands bloody. From a very young age, Itachi was very observant and a brilliant child who viewed Konoha in the eyes of a Hokage.
Itachi Uchiha
When Itachi found out that the Uchiha clan was going against the village and they were planning to overthrow the village, he took it into his hands to execute his whole clan all by himself, which even included killing his own parents, only leaving his brother Sasuke alive.
5. Edward Elric And Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)
The Elric Brothers both had a pretty sad backstory as Alphonse had to face the truth of trying to bring his mother back to life which was a failure because of which his whole body was disoriented, and his brother Edward attached his soul to an armor suit.
Edward and Alphonse Elric
As far as Edward is concerned, his father left him when he needed him the most, and he became the sole caretaker of his family, and he had to look after his younger brother and mother.
6. Nico Robin (One Piece)
Nico has had one of the most tragic backstories in One Piece because, at a very young age, she was abandoned by her mother and was bullied by most of the people around her for possessing the Devil Fruit powers. She was tortured and mistreated all her life until the Straw Hats came into her life.
Nico Robin
7. Seras Victoria (Hellsing)
Seras’s father was a police officer who had gotten into an undercover mission where the people that he was investigating tracked him back to his house and managed to ruthlessly execute him. While this was happening, her mother was in the closet trying to protect herself from the group but soon came out of the closet to be killed by them brutally. She witnessed all of this go down in front of her eyes and was deeply traumatized by all this.
Seras Victoria
8. Guts (Berserk)
Guts from Berserk has one of the saddest backstories in all of the anime because the name gives out the reason for his birth: his mother was hanging from a tree just before his birth, and he lay there in a mass of human guts until some troops discovered him and saved him. Guts are cursed for his whole life to be tormented by demons every single night until he passes away.
Guts (Berserk)
9. Lelouch vi Britannia (Code Geass)
Lelouch is the main protagonist of the series Code Geass . As a child, Lelouch saw his own mother be assassinated, which not only traumatized him but left his sister paralyzed. In the midst of all this, he was abandoned by his father. As a child, he developed hatred towards his father for abandoning him and the whole of the Britannia Empire.
Lelouch (Code Geass)
10. Akame (Akame Ga Kill!)
Akame was from a poor family where her parents decided to sell her and her sister to the empire. Where they were forced to take part in a horrific test where it involved being in a dangerous forest with deadly beasts, and the only objective was to make it out alive. Her parents abandoned both of their children and did not care if their survival even meant killing other people.
Akame (Akame Ga Kill!)
11. Sakata Gintoki (Gintama)
It is a surprise how Sakata Gintoki made it into the list because of his funny and relatable nature, but the actual truth is he spent his childhood searching for food to keep himself alive and also looked for weapons to protect himself. As he would search for food and wouldn’t find it, sometimes he was known to be the Corpse Eating Demon.
Sakata Gintoki
12. Hyakkimaru (Dororo)
As a child, Hyakkimaru was ditched by his father, but Jukai later raised him. His father was so brutal that he offered his own kid’s limbs to win the demon’s favor. In return, Hyakkimaru got demonic abilities. Hyakkimaru has to live his life with a deadly curse that haunts him till his death. This curse is way worse than death itself.
Hyakkimaru
13. Kakashi Hatake (Naruto)
Kakashi is the sensei of Team 7 in Naruto. He is one of the most loved anime characters, but his backstory is really tragic. Kakashi’s mother died when he was still a child, and his father, on the other hand, committed suicide. Even though his backstory was tragic, he made sure to stay optimistic most of the time and always be a great mentor to his students.
Kakashi Hatake
14. Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler)
Ciel is shown to be a very happy and cheerful kid, but later his whole family is brutally murdered, and he is kidnapped soon after. He went through a lot of abuse when he was held captive, which left a lot of trauma for him.
Ciel Phantomhive
15. Koro Sensei (Assassination Classroom)
Koro Sensei being on this list almost breaks everyone’s heart as he is one of the most lovable characters in all of the anime, but when we understand about his past, we learn that he grew up as a child all alone not knowing who his parents were or even his own name. Koro sensei’s backstory is really sad, and it is extremely difficult for one to watch it without tearing up.
Koro Sensei
16. Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto)
We are all well aware that Naruto has one of the most tragic backstories as he grew up to be an orphan, and the people in his village discriminated against him and looked down on him, knowing that he was sealed with the nine-tail fox which had destroyed the whole village and started seeing Naruto as the monster.
Naruto Uzumaki
He lived alone, and his only life purpose was to become the Hokage of the village which he strived for and finally achieved after going through a lot of hardships and gaining a lot of respect and love from his fellow villagers who once used to hate him.
17. Shouto Todoroki (My Hero Academia)
Todoroki went through a lot of severe domestic violence since his childhood. He was made to train day and night even when his body physically couldn’t train anymore. His father never showed any kind of love towards him as a child, and because of this, he deeply resents his father as he grows up.
Shouto Todoroki
18. Gaara (Naruto)
Gaara’s childhood was spent in isolation as he was the Jinchuuriki of the one-tailed beast, and the village was terrified of him as they called him a monster. His father thought that Gaara was unable to control his powers as a Jinchuuriki and ordered his uncle to execute him. His uncle showed a lot of love towards Gaara , and this was when Gaara thought he was also capable of feeling loved and appreciated.
Gaara (Naruto)
19. Kurapika (HunterxHunter)
Kurapika belonged to the Kurta Clan. Kurapika lived for one reason only, and that was to avenge his clan, who were murdered by the Phantom Troupe. He was the only sole survivor of the clan. The Kurta Clan was known for their scarlet eyes, and the Phantom Troupe had pierced out their eyes from them, and Kurapika sought revenge for his clan.
Kurapika (HunterxHunter)
20. Eri (My Hero Academia)
Having a quirk was considered to be very lucky in the MHA world, but for Eri, it was the complete opposite. She had a pretty abusive childhood, and her quirk awakened when she was really young, which led to the accidental death of her father. That was the reason why her mother left her with her grandfather, and many tried to misuse her quirk as it had a very powerful ability.
Eri (My Hero Academia)
21. Meliodas (Seven Deadly Sins)
How To Watch Night Doctor And Episode Schedule’s curse was immortality. He was in love with Elizabeth, and they were bound to fall in love each time and die once she remembered the memories from her past life. The only way was for Meliodas to watch the love of his life die over and over again, which was almost like an abuse that lasted for years and years.
Meliodas (Seven Deadly Sins)
22. Crona (Soul Eater)
Crona is the main antagonist of the series Soul Eater. Crona was always nervous about making any mistake as he was always punished by his mother no matter what and had to go through a lot of abuse. In the manga, Crona has been shown to suffer way more than what has been shown in the anime, as they had to censor it.
Crona (Soul Eater)
23. Hatori Chise (The Ancient Magus’ Bride)
Chise’s parents were blessed with The Sight, which was responsible for captivating a lot of good and bad spirits. Her father tried to keep this away from her until one fine day. He ran away with her brother leaving her mother and Chise alone.
Hatori Chise
Chise’s mother, devastated and not knowing what to do, tried strangling Chise to death, but when the realization hit her, she felt immensely guilty and instead jumped off the balcony, leaving Chise all by herself.
24. Trafalgar Law (One Piece)
Law’s backstory is pretty tragic in One Piece. He lived in “White City,” which got infected with Amber Lead poisoning. This led to the wipeout of the whole city, and Law witnessed his own parents die in front of him. His little sister couldn’t survive as well, and he was devastated as he left the place and went to Spider Miles.
Trafalgar Law
25. Tomura Shigaraki (My Hero Academia)
All For One tells us that Tomura means to grieve, which comes with sadness and separation. This gives us an understanding of his quirk of Decay. He accidentally awakened his quirk at a very wrong time, which made his whole family decay in seconds.
Tomura Shigaraki
He couldn’t comprehend his quirk and thought that his quirk was “broken,” but All For One took this as an amazing opportunity to take Tomura under him as his heir.
26. Rei Kiriyama (March Comes In Like A Lion)
Rei is the main protagonist of the series. Rei’s character is shown in a very realistic manner as a human being who suffers from depression. The relatability traces it back to his traumatic childhood, where he was constantly bullied and made fun of by the people around him, which made it very difficult for him to talk to people, and he remained alone most of the time.
Rei Kiriyama
His whole family died in an extremely tragic accident, which added to his tragic backstory.
27. Sakura Matou (Fate)
Zouken was responsible for abusing Sakura not only physically but also mentally throughout her life but not only that Shinji was also a part of the whole trauma that she faced. She was mistreated even in her adopted home, where she thought her life would be better than before but was proved wrong. All these events led to her personality change and her turning into what she becomes later in the series.
Sakura Matou
28. Momiji Sohma (Fruits Basket)
Momiji Sohma from Fruits Basket shows that despite his fun-loving and cheerful attitude, he has a pretty tragic family life. This is because when Sohma was born, his own mother disowned him immediately and regretted having him as her child. It came to a point where his mother begged Hatori to release all his memories from her mind because she believed him to be the biggest regret of her life.
Momiji Sohma
29. Iguro Obanai (Demon Slayer)
Iguro Obanai , a Hashira from Demon Slayer , had a really rough childhood. He was captured and kept inside a wooden cage for most of his childhood, because of which he would fall sick very often.
Iguro Obanai
The serpent demon had taken an interest in Obani, and he lived in fear every day, thinking about how his family would respond to his plans of escape and what he would have to go through if they understood the truth.
30. Zero Two (Darling In The Franxx)
Zero Two always lived alone from when she was a child and was seen as a “monster.” She would behave like an animal most of the time as she would eat messily with her hands and growl at people and didn’t act human.
Zero Two
The way she was mistreated by people around her as a child made her lose all trust in them and her personality molded into what she was because of her tragic backstory.
31. Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Ken Kaneki is one of the most broken characters since his early years of childhood. Ken had to go through a lot of emotional and physical trauma from his mother. He had lost his father, which is the reason why his mother would work long hours and would have immense tension/stress, which she would take out on Ken through various forms of abuse.
Ken Kaneki
Soon later, she passed away as well, leaving Ken alone. Despite the fact that all of this, Ken was a very sweet guy to everyone until things took a major turn later on in his life, which turned his life upside down.
32. Haruka Kotoura (Kotoura-san)
Kotoura-san is a comedy series, but when we understand Haruka, we learn that her ability to be able to read minds and not being able to control it gets her in trouble. She unknowingly reveals to her parents cheating on each other. Her mother abandons her leaving her all alone.
Haruka Kotoura
33. Ash Lynx (Banana Fish)
Ash from Banana Fish has a pretty traumatic backstory. He was adopted by a mafia boss Dino Golzine and was forced into child prostitution for several years. While Ash was just a teenager, he went to prison and was assaulted by the inmates, and was physically exploited. He grew up in such a toxic environment that, at one point, he got used to living like this and thought this was normal growing up.
Ash Lynx (Banana Fish)
34. Shouko Nishimiya (A Silent Voice)
Nishimiya is a deuteragonist in the anime movie “A Silent Voice,” where she is a deaf girl who is unable to properly communicate with her classmates around her because none of them try to understand things from her perspective and bully her because of her disability. She was not only bullied but also physically abused by one of her classmates, Ishida, who later grows up and apologizes to her and feels extremely guilty for what he did.
Shouko Nishimiya
35. Reiner Braun (Attack On Titan)
Reiner was initially an antagonist of the series Attack On Titan , but later we find out about his tragic past life where we get to know that he was not allowed to even see his father because he was a Marleyan while Reiner had Eldian blood from his mother.
Reiner Braun
He went through brutal training to become a warrior to fight for Marley and went through a lot of trauma and PTSD while he realized how peaceful life actually was back in Eldia.
36. Asahi Kobe (Happy Sugar Life)
Asahi was born as a result of his mother getting raped, and his father abandoned him for most of his life. He was absent most of the time but only returned when he heard his grandparents had passed away in a tragic accident and decided to run away again, taking all their property in his hands.
Asahi Kobe
His father again, after a few years, returned back and started abusing Asahi and his mother because he was unable to find a job and didn’t have any money.
37. Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Homura comes off as a very cold and antisocial character, but that all traces back to her being bedridden for most of the time as she had a heart disease. We aren’t informed much about her parents in the series. She is a really weak girl due to her heart disease. Her personality developed because she repeated the timeline over and over again.
Homura Akemi
38. Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
Sasuke is the deuteragonist of the Naruto series, where he had to witness a lot of trauma since his childhood. His whole clan was executed when he returned home on one fine day, and the one who executed them was his beloved brother Itachi Uchiha .
Sasuke Uchiha
He lived for only one reason only, and that was to kill his brother Itachi. When he later finds out the truth behind Itachi executing the clan and finally awakens his Mangekyou Sharingan.
39. Asuka Langley Sohryu (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Asuka was an artificially created child. Her childhood was extremely traumatic that left her scarred for life. Her mother went through such a psychological state that she started thinking that a mere doll was her daughter and forgot that she had a real daughter.
Asuka Langley Sohryu
This went on for about a while when her mother decided to hang her and the doll, which was seen by Asuka and left her pretty shaken for the entirety.
40. Vash The Stampede (Trigun)
This positive and cheerful character made it into the list of anime characters with tragic backstories is pretty shocking. Vash was always a very positive, driven character, unlike his twin brother Knives. Vash, on the one hand, always was for good and wanted to use his powers to save everyone, but on the other hand, Knives wanted to destroy humanity.
Vash The Stampede
Knives manage to kill their foster mother and kill thousands and thousands of people, but the blame is to be taken by Vash.
41. Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer)
Tanjiro has one of the purest souls when it comes to anime characters. Knowing that he has had a tragic backstory breaks everyone’s heart. One fine day when he returns to his town, he finds out that his whole family has been killed by a demon, and he is shocked at the gruesome sight, not knowing what to do as he searches his whole house to see if anyone is alive.
Tanjiro Kamado
The only member he finds to be alive from his family is his little sister Nezuko who has turned into a demon.
42. Vinsmoke Sanji (One Piece)
Sanji from One Piece had a pretty sad backstory. His mother was sick, and he developed this habit of cooking for her, which she would eat. Other people would make fun of him for not possessing any superhuman abilities, and his father saw this as a sign of utter weakness and no strength. After the death of his mother, his father didn’t regard Sanji as his son anymore by locking him in an iron mask.
Sanji
43. Kousei Arima (Your Lie In April)
Your Lie In April Is one of the saddest anime in the history of anime. Kousei has lost the ability to be able to hear the sound of piano playing anymore ever since he stopped playing piano which was a result of his traumatic backstory.
Kousei Arima
His mother was a former pianist who couldn’t play the piano after a certain amount of time because of her sickness. She forced her ambitions on him and forced him to play the piano for long tiring hours, even without his will to play.
44. Shinra Kusakabe (Fire Force)
Shinra loses his family and also his house in a fire which is pretty tragic in itself, but the reality hits when people start accusing Shinra of being the reason for the fire because of his ignition powers.
Shinra Kusakabe
It was understandable why people suspected him of being the reason for the fire, but he knew that deep down, he would never do such a thing that would cause his family any harm.
45. Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)
Ichigo had an ability that made him able to see things that other people couldn’t. This was something even he was shocked he could possess, and he questioned himself daily on the ability he had, but only his mother was the only one who would understand him no matter what. But later, she passed away while she was trying to protect him, but this was a loss that scarred him for his life.
Ichigo Kurosaki
46. Asta (Black Clover)
Asta didn’t grow up with parents and was an orphan, which was sad enough already, but he had a dying obsession with becoming the Wizard King without having any magical capabilities. Asta belongs to the Forsaken Realm, which made him face a lot of inequality and injustice in the world.
Asta (Black Clover)
47. Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Yuji had only one relative with him, and that was his grandfather. He passes away at the start of the series, leaving Yuji all alone and with no family. His grandfather left him with just one message before his death, and that was to do good for the world using his strengths.
Yuji Itadori
Yuji decides to take this quite seriously as he then, later on in the series, swallows one of Sukuna’s fingers, making him fuse with the strongest cursed spirit.
48. Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail)
Erza did have a pretty rough and scarred childhood to begin with. She was forced to remain inside her mother until she could use magic on her daughter. She was left immediately when this didn’t work out. She then worked as a slave until she could build the Tower Of Heaven.
Erza Scarlet
She and her friends tried to escape several times, but their plan always failed, and Erza was the only one who would go through all the abuse.
49. Kotomi Ichinose (Clannad)
Kotomi comes off as a very introverted and shy character when first introduced. She and Tomoya were childhood friends but then later reconnected after growing up but witnessed a bus accident that scars Kotomi extremely.
Kotomi Ichinose
This is because she remembers the plane crash that killed both her parents and gets severe PTSD, and gets scared to talk to anyone again. Tomoya doesn’t leave her side, but the trauma that had affected Kotomi took him very long to bring her out of it.
50. Eren Yeager (Attack On Titan)
When Eren was just a kid, he witnessed his own mother being eaten alive by a titan that completely demolished his hometown. His only ambition as a kid was to exterminate all the titans so no one would ever have to suffer ever again, but he became what he hated the most, himself, a titan.
Eren Yeager
From thereon, the plot becomes really complex, putting Eren into circumstances that make us understand how tragic of a life a character can have.
For decades there have been talks about dystopic and post-apocalyptic scenarios, be it how we will survive or how things will turn out. There have been several books, movies, shows, and animes about the same.
And while jokes about the apocalypse, zombies, and the world ending have also been made ever since we even knew what they were, it is something that is not true, or we shall hope not. Although that may not be true as of now, we cannot help but agree that dystopian animes provide us with some of the best storylines that are not only engaging but also very unique and exciting in their own ways.
Here we have assembled a list of 35 Best Dystopian Anime one must definitely watch. We range from a zombie apocalypse to nuclear powers to even the life after ruins. Our heroes tackle various challenges in these. With that, here are some of the dystopian anime that one can watch to escape the real world and get lost in these fictional worlds.
Casshern Sins
This anime is a reboot of the classic anime from the 1970s called “Casshern,” about a world where robots have taken over the human world after they became self-aware. But somehow, these robots start losing their immortality, the main part of their character, and suddenly start dying.
Casshern Sins Poster = credit: IMDb
Suddenly a Mysterious character called Luna gets called in to save humanity and bring salvation to mankind. But Luna gets hunted down by cyborgs and ultimately dies to one of them called Casshern. We see how this Casshern disappears after the killing of Luna, but hundreds of years later, he returns again with no memory of Luna’s assassination. We follow along to this story and find out what happened and where the story will move to now.
Now and Then, Here and There
This anime, despite having a cartoon-like animation, is far from childish. This anime deals with serious and depressing topics like war and child labor, among many other disturbing topics.
This anime is about a young boy named Shu who finds a strange blue-haired girl one day who is being attacked for her magic pendant. But soon, they are both transported to another world suddenly where all the bad people are trying to find ways to use the girl. Shu decides that it would be his mission to save the girl.
Now and Then, Here and There Poster Credits: The Movie Database
Coppelion
This anime is about three girls, Ibara Naruse and her friends Aoi Fukasaku and Taeko Nomura, who, although they look like normal school girls are the only ones left in this ruined world which was whipped out by nuclear radiation that happened around 20 years ago.
Coppelion Poster Credit: IMDb
These girls get scouted by the health care team to scout Tokyo and find out humanity’s last remains. But as they wander around, looking for humanity, they start questioning their own. And the main question arises, how are they surviving the once nuclear-radiated city without any protective gear themself?
Dr. Stone
When everyone was frozen by a one-of-a-kind ripple effect that turned people into stone, destroying everything around 3000 years ago, a young genius boy named Senku Ishigami found a way to get un-stoned, one might say. He tries to bring back the humanity that once existed. This is a comparatively light-hearted show to watch. As you continue watching, you will learn a lot of things about the storyline.
Dr Stone Poster Credit: MyAnimeList
Deadman Wonderland
This anime is action-packed with many scenes of graphic violence, which makes it a big no for kids. This anime is filled with many dark tones along with some dark characters as well. The anime is like a carnival-style prison where money is earned via performances that are used to fund the Tokyo Recovery Project.
Deadman Wonderland Poster Credits: Rotten Tomatoes
On a trip one day, the whole class gets killed by a mysterious man in red, for which Ganta Igarashi, the main character, gets landed in this prison, being wrongly convicted for a crime he did not commit.
But this only ends up being the start of things for Ganta. He gets pulled into this world of sadistic people and power, where he has to play a series of games to survive while also living in constant fear due to the band around his neck.
Highschool of The Dead
When you think of post-apocalyptic things, zombies are one of the few things that definitely come to your mind. This anime consists of people trying to survive the zombie attack that comes in waves while the protagonists try to find cures, distractions, and, most importantly, try to survive.
Highschool of The Dead Poster Credit: IMDb
The main character, Takashi Kimuro, faces a lot of things, from having to kill his best friend after he was bitten to narrowly surviving the school only to realize that humanity has fallen. Despite all this, Takashi and the other students do not give up. They go out on a journey to find out what led to this and how they will be able to survive this apocalypse.
If zombie-themed animes are not a turn-off for you, this will definitely be your cup of tea.
Sirius the Jaeger
If vampires and werewolves are not your things, then Sirius the Jaeger isn’t an anime for you. This is an anime that brings back the stereotypical clash between vampires and werewolves. It is about the main character, Yuliy, who is the only surviving werewolf after his community is whipped out by the Vampires.
Sirius the Jaeger Poster Credit: Netflix
Using his werewolf strength, he decides to help Tokyo’s law enforcement hunt down these Vampires. He uses this helping out as a coverup for his real reason, locating the ark before it gets into the Vampire’s hands which could lead to mass destruction. This ark gives whoever has it massive powers. One might even say god-like powers. So Yuliy and his friends must locate it soon.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
While you can find various mecha anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of 90’s famous anime that talks about the post-apocalypse situation that people face. It is about a group of teenage kids who are personally recruited to become special pilot robots called the Evangelions, Evas, where they have to battle with monsters who are known as angels. This anime also talks about a very important topic that is faced by a lot of people who often cannot put a name to the feeling; of depression .
Neon Genesis Evangelion Poster
School-Live!
When the anime starts, it seems like any other typical high school life anime where these high schoolers have a mission on making the most out of their lives with one rule that they must live their lives on the school ground, but then you are made aware of the fact that zombies have taken over the world. This revelation makes a lot of things more understandable.
School Live! Poster
While everyone else in the anime is trying to stay alive due to this whole zombie apocalypse situation, the protagonist is still stuck in the phase where they believe that life is still all okay.
Guilty Crown
This anime’s storyline revolves around a strange virus that causes humans to develop a certain “void” when they go to sleep bringing utter chaos to the country. This specific void makes them change shapes. This is based on their personalities. The notable thing is that these voids sometimes cause the person’s body to crystallize, causing them to die, which implanted fear in the public’s mind.
Guilty Crown Poster
The United Nation helps out and sends GHQ to the country, which ends up removing every political power in the country and giving all the power to that organization. But years later, people are frustrated and tired of this organization that is controlling them, unable to break free.
This is when Funeral Parlor, a group that seeks to break free their country from the GHQ, decides to steal a “Void Genome”. This vile ends up coming into Inori Yuzuriha’s hands, who was being haunted by the GHQ. She gets saved by Shuu and ends up getting the “power of kings” when the genome shatters in his hand.
We follow along the anime to see how things turn out after all this happens, how Shuu will deal with this power after being dragged into something he was never a part of.
Made in Abyss
This is a mysterious story. Here, a gigantic hole is found right in the middle of the earth. This leads to multiple adventurers wanting to seek and discover it. Similarly, our protagonists, too, try to indulge and try to find out about it. We follow their stories as they discover many things while also trying to find out why the protagonist’s mother disappeared.
Made in Abyss Poster
Seraph of the End
We see a world where suddenly everyone older than 13 year of age start dying due to a virus when a saviour makes their way in the form of a vampire who gives these children a promise to protect them on the condition that they will give a child up occasionally that would be used as their cattle. In such a dire time, humanity accepts the deal.
Seraph of the End Poster
They give up one to save everyone, and our protagonist ends up being the one that is given up. We follow along the Who Does Rock Lee End up with in Naruto & Boruto Anime Series? to see how the protagonist tries to escape being stuck there as things get worse and worse.
Sunday Without God
As the name suggests, this anime is about a fictional world where God has officially given up on humanity. This further means that nobody can be born or die in this world. This is why everyone here is freaking out about not being able to die. Although, a plot twist is that before God left, he created people called the “Gravekeepers,” who are the only ones that can send the dead to the afterlife, and this is what the whole anime is about, amongst more.
Sunday Without God Poster
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Back in 2008, this anime was awarded the “Best Television Program” by the Tokyo Anime Awards and for all the right reasons as well. This anime is known for its epic fight scenes . It is about a protagonist and his childhood friend that lives in an underground village and finds a robot that can send them to the earth’s surface, but upon reaching, these two boys are directly in danger, and they try to survive.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Poster Credits: MMO Culture Youtube
Attack on Titan
One of the most, if not the most, famous anime on the list is Attack on Titan . Whether you are an anime fan or not, you would have definitely heard of it. This anime is set in the post-apocalyptic world where there are only a few remains of humanity that are living behind a great wall, trying to survive and stay protected from the Titans. We see as one Titan follows the protagonists and how they survive or try to.
Attack on Titans Poster
Somali and the Forest Spirit
This wholesome anime is about a lonely young girl who has had a difficult and tough journey. She somehow meets a kind-hearted and sweet golem who decides that he will protect her. The golem acts like a father figure to that little girl. This is one the softest yet heartwarming anime on the list.
Somali and the Forest Spirit Poster
First of the North Star
If you were wondering when a classic anime would come, then we have this for you. First of the North Star is a simple story of our protagonist trying to get his fiancée back from the villain, or one can say his rival, while the world around him is all ruined. We follow along the anime to see him go on many quests as he fights along.
Fist of the North Star Poster .
Berserk
No dystopian world can be talked about without mentioning Berserk. Berserk is a dark anime that has a lot of dark themes like gore , nudity and betrayal, and a messed-up world, among other things.
Guts, our protagonist, is destined to be hunted by demons until the day he dies, so he starts a journey to defy this fate. As he goes forward with his journey, he has to face a lot of things, and he vows to bring vengeance with his blade, and dragonslayer, and hunt down the man he once considered a friend.
Berserk Poster Credits: Comicon
Along his way, he meets people and starts forming this group that will face a lot of danger, one might even say unlike anything before.
A fun fact about Berserk is that this anime was initially in adult magazines.
Ergo Proxy
An anime about the post-disaster world where it is almost impossible to live on earth anymore. Here, because of the situations, humans are forced to adapt to harsh conditions with the great help of robots that help them out with daily tasks.
Ergo Proxy Poster
But suddenly, some robots start acting bonkers in a city called Romdeau. The protagonist makes it her mission to find out what is happening. One thing we can say about Ergo Proxy is that this anime was above and beyond its time. You might have to rewatch it a couple of times to understand what is happening.
Planetarian:Hoshi no Hito
Planetarian: Hoshi no Hito Poster
In this anime, a lot of people die from the nuclear fallout creating this post-apocalyptic world in ruins. The main focus of this movie is the talking robots who hold a lot of interesting stories they suddenly start telling those. The protagonist travels with a mobile planetarium projector that shows people the stars. There are a lot of talks about astronomy as well.
Sky Blue
Sky Blue Poster
Set in 2142. Where the world is filled with contaminated air making the world dreadful to live in and has led to a breakdown of human civilization, somehow, a technologically advanced city called Ecoban was built that gave mankind a chance to live again. However, Ecoban is reluctant to acknowledge all the new individuals. The people that reside inside Econad are either elites or labors with no space.
But Shua, our main character, wants another life for himself, and he needs to get through all the people who don’t want that to happen.
Darling in the FranXX
Darling in the FranXX Poster
This is an anime where the world gets ruined by the monsters called Klaxosarus. These dangerous monsters force everyone to retreat to fortified cities for safety. But even humanity has things up its sleeves as they form units to fight these monsters while also learning many things along the way.
Girl’s Last Tour
Girl’s Last Tour Poster Credits:Prime Video
This is an anime about two young girls’ adventures after they wake up to a post-war world that barely exists anymore. We see the protagonists, Yuuri and Chito, journey along the city, or rather what is left of it. This anime was also gifted the award for “Best Slice of Life” in 2018 for its amazing storyline. Do note that you would have to read the manga after the final episodes, as those scenes haven’t been added to the anime.
Psycho-Pass
Psycho-Pass Poster
Psycho-Pass follows the protagonist, Akane Tsunemori, a young woman who seeks justice anywhere she goes, but we see as she works along with Shinya Kougami, she gets to learn about a lot of things she never knew about the system and realizes things weren’t as perfect and straight as she thought. We see her question of what justice actually is and whether justice can push past this corrupted system.
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
One of the must-watch anime on this list is, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. This anime is often compared to Attack on Titans for various reasons. Some of them being the theme being giant monsters attacking humans.
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Poster
In Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, you see a story about monsters who hunt and infect humans who were forced to live inside these fortified walls. The protagonist ends up becoming a human-Kabane hybrid which gives him a lot of power that he would use to get revenge on Kabane, who attacked his village.
Expelled from Paradise
Expelled from Paradise Poster
Earth is completely ruined in this anime which makes people turn to the VR world where everyone present ditch their bodies to live in the alternative reality located on a space station, but what happens when a hacker suddenly hacks their virtual reality? It makes our protagonist return back to the ruined earth to get the hacker and chase him out.
God Eater
God Eater Poster
Monsters called Aragami started killing and whipping out the human population. But with time, we find out a weapon that could kill these monsters, and it is no other than the protagonist, Lenka Utsugi, who is ready to fight these human-eater monsters and bring peace to humanity. This anime is filled with a lot of gore and sad content.
Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoul Poster
As an anime lover, it is impossible for people not to have heard of Tokyo Ghoul. It is an anime about Tokyo being ruined by blood-thirsty ghouls. Our protagonist, Kaneki , becomes a half-ghoul after a date with a Rize, who ends up being a monster. Kaneki faces a lot of suffering due to his transformation, stuck on the fine line between being a human and a ghoul at the same time.
Humanity Has Declined
Humanity Has Declined Poster
This anime brings you back to your middle-aged roots with a simpler life. Where everyone has turned back to farming and agriculture. Here human civilization has low birth rates, but the only unique thing is the miniature fairies that live along with these human beings. Unlike all other post-apocalyptic animes, this one is fairly light and funnier. You will see many funny things that will make you laugh and just enjoy this optimistic side of the apocalyptic world.
Akira
Despite being almost thirty years old anime, Akira has gained a lot of popularity for its unique and epic storyline. This sci-fic post-apocalyptic anime follows a boy who suddenly got psychic power which resulted in the occurrence of WW3.
Many years later, when the city is reborn in the form of Neo Tokyo, another person gets psychic power which makes everyone worried in case a repeat of the past occurs. We follow along with the anime to find out what happens.
Akira Poster Credits: Forbes
Black Bullet
This anime starts with a deadly virus spreading all around, which, if infected, would turn you into a monster. To eliminate this monster, one would need special materials. Therefore, the government decides to inject some females with this virus and use them as a protective barrier, as any female with even traces of the virus grants them inhuman superhuman abilities.
Black Bullet Poster
Revisions
This dystopian sci-fi anime is set in the future, where they have mechanical monsters called Revisions that destroy the city and everyone in it. The protagonist and his friends make it their mission to fight these monsters off. Revisions is a cool anime with interesting episodes and a commendable narrative.
Revisions Poster
Blame!
This movie is set in the distant future, where AI has finally been constructed with fully automated cities, and as one can predict, they have turned against us. The protagonist, a young girl named Zuru, sets out to find food to feed her hunger. Where she and her team end up triggering the AI’s defense program and gets attacked by those machines, where she is saved by another character called Killy. Zuru and Killy end up partnering together and go on board on a mission to find mankind’s last hope of survival.
Blame! Poster
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
What is the next best dystopian topic after zombies? That’s right. It’s nuclear fallout. This Studio Ghibli production is one of the best post-apocalyptic anime movies ever.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind talks about a world where after a nuclear war, the world is left in ruins. This world gets attacked by various things like monster bugs, dangerous breezes from trees, and a lot more.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Poster
The Valley of the wind resides near the sea with the queen Nausicaä as they find it more peaceful, but things are never as peaceful as they may seem when they see something again.
The Promised Neverland
This list cannot end without The Promised Neverland , my personal favorite dystopian anime. Although the story may seem happy and heart-warming at the start, it is just as quickly taken away. It may sound like an exaggeration, but this anime follows a story of
The Promised Neverland Poster
This anime goes from children having fun together in the orphanage to us finding out that it is not really an orphanage but rather a farm that is ripening their brains so the monsters can feast on them. The protagonists of this anime decide that they will be escaping from this hellhole, and we see how they prepare for that, among many more difficulties.
It is easy to say that you will definitely be on the edge of your seat while watching it. Every episode is jampacked with mind-blowing content and story. Again, this anime is a roller-coaster ride from start to finish and is definitely worth watching at least once in your life.
Memes of the Day
Mama x Holic: Miwaku no Mama to Amaama Kankei
