As is the case with every medium, it’s only inevitable that some pieces of media would turn out to be controversial. Sometimes it’s intentional, while sometimes it’s not. In this post, we’re going to talk about our Top 10 Most Controversial Anime out there. I know there are a lot of them so if you feel like I glossed over a big one, feel free to let us all know in the comments section down below! Well then, with that said, let’s talk about them!
10-Goblin Slayer
Of course, everybody saw it coming. Goblin Slayer has always received hate for being too graphic when it comes to the portrayal of sexual violence, brutality, and just violence in general. It started with the very first episode where a few Goblins ganged up on a female adventurer and had their way before killing her. This sort of graphicness continues throughout the show, and often gets padded by panty shots and unnecessary fanservice which also ends up making a mockery of the horrors portrayed earlier. It’s a stupid combination.
9-Domestic Girlfriend
Domestic Girlfriend is an anime that gets backlash for the inappropriate nature of relationships. The protagonist had a crush on his beautiful teacher, but one day he ends up doing it with a girl from another school. It was meant to be a one-time thing, and just when he thought he was over it. His father comes home and shows him his new stepsisters. You guessed it, buddy, it’s his teacher and that girl he hooked up with. The start is hilarious but as the story goes on, it trenches deep into the pit of superficialness. There is spicy fanservice, but that’s all there is to it. Then, of course, there is the manga, I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say, the author received plenty of death threats for being too insensitive with the ending. However, I’d say, the people sending the death threats are being insensitive as well.
8-Jobless Reincarnation
Now, get this: a middle-aged Pedophile is always watching sketchy stuff even when there is a funeral. Though one day, he dies trying to protect someone and gets reincarnated as a little baby in another world. He still has the same mind and memories, so, the first thing he does is sexualize his new mother. Unfortunately, the worst part of this anime is the protagonist’s perverseness. The world-building is spectacular, however, the way the insincere acts are portrayed as something to laugh about is often deemed offensive by the viewers. Especially since the protagonist gets involved with underage girls as well.
7-Devilman Crybaby
Devilman Crybaby usually only gets two kinds of reactions. Either it’s a work of art, or just straight-up garbage. Unless you are in the rare minority, you’ll fall into one of those two categories. But why are the opinions so conflicting? It’s primarily because the anime relies heavily on sexual violence and straight-up profanity, it displays the unadulterated ugliness of humans, and is absolutely thorough about it. To the point that either it’s art or just mockery. What about you? Have you watched it? What do you think?
6-School Days
School Days is infamous for having a complete and utter piece of trash as its protagonist. He starts off as a normal boy who has a crush on his classmate, but things go south, after their relationship begins, he starts making out with every female in sight. The element of apathy is monumental. Of course, the two girls he was the most involved with finally lose it. One of them kills him, while the other kills her and then proceeds to live her life together with his decapitated head. It may sound interesting, but the execution is terrible.
5-Excel Saga
Alright, now we’re entering the territory of Classic Controversial anime. First, we have “Excel Saga.” On the surface, it seems like a corny anime with funny characters, but that’s only if you are able to look around the violent, pornographic, and offensive content. It isn’t even the entire anime. It’s the last episode in particular that earned it such a reputation. The last episode was simply too obscene to warrant a broadcast, it never aired and so the series only got even more popular. Some sources say that the director of the anime was deliberately too daring with the last episode because he knew it would end up getting banned, and that will only make the series more unforgettable. Talk about planning.
4-Paranoia Agent
Paranoia Agent is somewhat of an exception in this list. The anime was banned for exploring unpleasant themes, and not just because it glorified sexual violence. Though I’m not saying it doesn’t have that as well. It was deemed too “Harsh” if that makes sense which is why it never received the green light to be broadcasted on television, however, this suspenseful Avant Grande is still out there. Of course, it is. You can check it out and see for yourself if the Japanese Government was right to keep it from their Television. Though be warned, it’ll definitely leave a strong impression in one way or another.
3-Redo of Healer
Come on, I’m sure Redo of Healer is the anime that popped into your head after reading the title. It’s a tale of revenge, but it crosses pretty much all the lines. The story doesn’t have much substance and relies heavily on shock value, but that’s the thing, the world-building and sequence of events, not to mention, the questionable fanservice can hook you enough to either keep going or be genuinely angry. This anime caused quite a loud uproar and for very good reasons. What do you think? Is it okay for an anime to glorify crossing the line? I mean, unlike Berserk it doesn’t have the substance to back up the horrors it glorifies. Not to mention, Berserk never does that. Berserk is hailed as a Masterpiece, not because it is also just as violent, but because it isn’t insensitive.
2-Midori Shoujo Tsubaki
Ok, back when this anime was released, it left the majority of its viewers completely traumatized. Imagine that! The context and the portrayal are just that graphic. It was taken off the broadcast, never to be out again, but a few years later, it managed to break through and made a strong impression yet again. As for why it’s such a menace, well, it’s because of the insanely inhumane physical, psychological, and sexual abuse it displays when it comes to children and animals. Furthermore, the context is also too dark and depressing. The anime doesn’t rely on violence, in fact, it uses it to further intensify the impact of its plot. Calling it controversial may very well be an understatement. And yes, I do not recommend watching this anime.
1-Ishuzoku Reviewers
Now, this anime is a recent one. Although, not as recent as Redo of Healer. The premise is based around a group of folks who go around doing it with women of all sorts of races. That’s right, it’s a hentai plot, and since the uncensored version is also unavailable, most of the complaints are about why is it being released as an anime? Plus, it crosses the line in every single episode. By swapping genders, age, and please excuse me, I’ll leave everything to your imagination.
Another reason why I have put it at number one is that it is truly controversial in every sense of the word. So much so, that Twitter exploded with discussions, both hate and praise, that Funimation stopped streaming it entirely. Furthermore, a few YouTubers triggered a phenomenon where hundreds of thousands of people raided Anime databases like Myanimelist to rate the anime 10 out of 10. As a result, it ended up gaining the title of the highest-rated anime ever for a few minutes. I was there, I was refreshing the page during those moments. I saw it happen right in front of my eyes…It took several days’ worth of hard work to fix everything.
Now guys, what do you think of all these anime? I’m eager to read your thoughts so go wild in the comments section.
If you like our Top 10 Most Controversial Anime list make sure to check out our other top 10 lists here!
