Mature adult anime requires more than just blood and guts. Entertaining as over-the-top violence can be, it falls flat without a thought-provoking story. Take Berserk, a dark action anime filled with intense violence, but it's the complex rivalry between Guts and Griffith that keeps viewers hooked. Parasyte -the maxim- is another example, elevating the classic 'body snatcher' plot with extreme violence and a human lead's unraveling morality. Other dark action anime successfully balance carnage with stimulating messages.
About this list
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Attack on Titan appears in the 21 Dark Action Anime list.Attack on Titan takes place in one of the most dangerous locations in anime.Attack on Titan is a history.Set in a post-apocalyptic world, humanity hides behind giant concrete walls to stop monstrous humanoids called Titans. After 100 years of peace, a Titan breaks the “unbreakable” wall and eats the Shiganshina District citizens. Humanity loses its false sense of security and starts fighting the monsters that have terrorized them for over a century.
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Parasyte -the maxim- appears in the 21 Dark Action Anime list.Parasyte -the maxim- is about aParasyte -the maxim- features a scary alien raceParasyte -the maxim- involves parasitic creatures attacking humanity for food. Parasytes take control of human hosts by burrowing into the brain. A Parasyte named Migi fails to infect high-schooler Shinichi Izumi and lives in his right hand. As Parasytes eat humanity, Shinichi and Migi must fight together to save themselves and others from the alien attack.
Also ranks #11 on Best Anime Starting With 'K'
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Akame ga Kill! appears in the 21 Dark Action Anime list.Akame ga Kill! follows Night Raid, a team of revolutionary mercenaries fighting the corrupt government of The Capital. The Capital taxes its people into poverty, ignores hunger cries, and executes anyone who opposes its will by crucifixion. Tatsumi left his poor hometown to become a soldier in The Capital, but after almost becoming a victim of corruption, he joins Night Raid's revolution.
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Vinland Saga appears in the 21 Dark Action Anime list.Vinland Saga dramatizes the war between England and the Danes in 1013 AD. Thorfinn is a young mercenary dedicated to avenging his father, Thors. Thors was a former Viking commander who deserted a sea battle to live peacefully in Iceland. Thors’ past catches up with him 15 years later when a Viking named Askeladd executes Thors for abandoning his post. Thorfinn joins Askeladd’s crew hoping to defeat him in battle.
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The 1997 anime appears in the 21 Dark Action Anime list.Berserk appears in the 21 Dark Action Anime list.Berserk is a dark fantasy following a young mercenary named Guts. Known and feared as the “Black Swordsman,” Guts lives only on a battlefield. This changes after he joins the mercenary group, theBand of Hawk appears in the 21 Dark Action Anime list., and befriends their leader, Griffith the “White Hawk.” As Guts seeks his life path, Griffith’s desire for power and control leads the Band of Hawk down a path of pain and sorrow.
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A former businessman joins a rag-tag team of mercenaries in Black Lagoon.Black Lagoon appears in the 21 Dark Action Anime list.Rokurou “Rock” Okajima, used by business associates to smuggle goods in Southeast Asia, faces the mercenary group The Lagoon Company. The Lagoon Company turns Rock from a bargaining chip into a member after they cover up the smuggling by claiming he is dead. Rock adjusts to mercenary life and his bad relationship with the sadistic trigger-happy killer.A trigger-happy killer.Revy.
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Set in a medieval fantasy world.Claymore.Claymore tells humanity’s fight against Youma, shapeshifting demons. Half-human/half-Youman warriors called Claymore fight these flesh-eating creatures. Clare, a strong, silver-eyed woman, became the first Claymore, hunting the Youma that ruined her life.
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The cyberpunk anime.Psycho-Pass.Psycho-Pass explores a dystopian future where citizens face judgment based on their likelihood of committing crimes. Under the authoritarian rule of the Japanese government, militarized police use data analyzing mental well-being. The Psycho-Pass shows the criminal potential of a citizen, ordering law enforcers to act before a crime, sometimes fatally. While The Dominator is a cool anime gun,Authoritarian rule.The Japanese government uses collected data to analyze mental well-being. Militarized police forces use this data to determine criminal potential. The Psycho-Pass tells law enforcers to act before a crime happens, sometimes with death.A cool anime gun.Should one use such a destructive weapon for a pre-committed crime prophesied by questionable statistics?
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Ajin: Demi-Human.Ajin: Demi-Human is a thought-provoking anime with stunning computer-generated animation. Kei Nagai was an ordinary high school student until a deadly accident showed he was an Ajin. Humanity labels Ajin a threat, subjecting the mysterious immortal race to torment and discrimination. As Kei adapts to being an Ajin, he connects with others like him.
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Elfen Lied.Elfen Lied features disturbing content like nudity and gore. It uses these heavy themes to tell a story about discrimination. Lucy, a pink-haired woman with short horns, suffers cruel scientific experiments. Lucy is a Diclonius, a human breed with psychic powers like invisible telekinetic hands. After killing her way out, Lucy injures her head, developing a split personality of an innocent child. Two college students, Kouta and his cousin Yuka, rescue her, unaware of the danger they face.
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In.Deadman Wonderland.The corrupted justice system exploits cheap thrills. Ganta Igarashi, framed for killing his classmates, gets a death sentence at Deadman Wonderland. Deadman Wonderland functions as a prison and a sick amusement park, risking inmates' lives for public entertainment. Prisoners face poisoning from special collars; winning lethal games is the only way to survive.
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Darker than Black.This is a supernatural, political thriller. It sets its action ten years after Contractors appeared on Earth. Contractors trade their humanity for massive power. A mysterious group, the Syndicate, took down the United States as a superpower. The Syndicate uses Contractors for spying and killings. Hei, a Chinese Contractor in Tokyo, finds out the Syndicate plans to erase all Contractors.
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Based on the 1972 manga by Go Nagai.Devilman Crybaby.It is a.dark fantasy anime.This anime follows a softhearted human possessed by demonic powers. To save his best friend, Ryou Asuka, 'crybaby' Akira Fudou merges with the devil Amon to become the Devilman. Akira joins Ryou in fighting demons hiding in society, confronting the evil always present in people.Devilman Crybaby.This is a brutal story. It includes shocking images of horror.It shows shocking images of horror.
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Based on the revolutionary 1995 movie.Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.This cyberpunk anime sets action in a future where people trade human bodies for robotic shells. Though civilization is advanced, criminals and terrorists exploit this. Under Motoko 'Major' Kusanagi, Section 9 acts as an independent police force handling cyber terrorism cases, like the hacker "The Laughing Man."
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Gangsta.This gritty anime thriller features two hitmen in the city of Ergastulum. Nicholas Brown and Worick Arcangelo are 'handymen' taking dirty jobs from the mafia and police. Their violent yet comfortable life shifts after they save Alex Benedetto, a prostitute belonging to the gang they were hired to kill. Ergastulum is also a ground war against Twilights, superhuman beings created by a special drug.
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While Neon Genesis Evangelion...Neon Genesis Evangelion.This story starts as a "boy meets giant robot" tale. It becomes a study of broken people surviving in a broken world. Fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari gets manipulated by his absent father into piloting an Evangelion. These alien machines defend Earth against Angles, destructive beings. The lies, manipulation, violence, and death hurt Shinji, who is already self-conscious, and his co-pilots, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Souryuu, in huge ways.Neon Genesis EvangelionIt is dark and surreal.It is controversial and subversive in its character study of Shinji.The work studies Shinji's character.
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Denji is in bad shape. Stuck with his father’s debts, he sells body parts to survive. When things get worse, the yakuza betray him. Denji must become a devil to survive.
With a new life, he uses devil powers to hunt and kill devils threatening public safety. This seems simple. Darker things happen behind the scenes. Denji faces more death and betrayal than ever.
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91 DaysThis period piece is set in the Prohibition era of the United States. Angelo Lagusa’s life changes after the Vanetti mafia kills his mother, father, and younger brother. Angelo leaves Lawless. He takes a new name: Avilio Bruno. Seven years later, Avilio returns to Lawless and befriends Nero, the Vanetti don's son. Avilio's friendship with Nero pushes him toward revenge against those who ruined his life.
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GantzThis gruesome anime treats the afterlife like a video game. Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato wake up in a Tokyo apartment after saving a drunk homeless man from a subway crash. A black sphere called Gantz gives them missions, often involving killing green aliens with provided tools. Survive the mission, get points that might return them to normal life. Anyone who mentions Gantz after a mission has their head exploded.GantzGantz features disturbing subject matter.
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Inuyashiki: Last HeroThe story connects two very different but similar people. Ichirou Inuyashiki is a fifty-eight-year-old man. The world isolates him; his family disrespects him. Stomach cancer puts him near death. A mysterious light ray changes Ichirou into a superhuman cyborg. After saving a homeless man, Ichirou uses his new powers to help others. Hiro Shishigami, a sadistic teenager, also gets hit by the same light. Unlike Ichirou, Hiro uses his new powers to become a killer.
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The action takes place in 1614.Basilisk appears in '21 Dark Action Anime'.This brutal anime shows love and war. Years of peace end as the Iga and Kouga ninja clans fight over the Tokugawa Shogunate's ownership. A battle royale starts. Ten top warriors from each clan fight until only one ninja team remains. Gennosuke Kouga, Kouga heir, and Oboro Iga, Iga heir, fall in love amidst this war.
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