Anime has a unique narrative structure, commonly employing arcs to break down the overall story into distinct parts. This has sparked rankings among fans, as each story arc is distinguishable and unique. While arcs are entertaining and push the story forward, sometimes a touch of darkness can enhance the plot, making it more memorable.
Shows likeBleachandDragon Ballhave many classic arcs, but they lack a darkness to put the audience on edge. This list ranks ten of the darkest anime arcs based onwriting, gore and violence, subject matter, themes, animation, story, moments, deaths, and overall quality. Darkness is a great way to spice up an anime, making it an essential aspect that these arcs used well.
10Dressrosa
‘One Piece’ (1999–)
As one of the longest-running anime series,One Piecehas countless arcs, meaning one or two of them are bound to be dark. Dressrosa is shortly after the timeskip, with Luffy and Trafalgar Law teaming up to take down one of the seven warlords, Doflamingo. While this is to weaken Kaido, they quickly discover Doflamingo’s atrocities, making this battle personal.
One Pieceisn’t known to be the darkest anime, as most of its themes revolve around joy and freedom. However, this anime loves to sneak in some dark moments here and there, with Dressrosa housing more than a few. TheLaw, Doflamingo, Señor Pink, and Rebecca/Kyros backstories are all depressing, and the humans trapped in toys forced into labor are also shockingly dark, making this a surprisingly twisted story in one ofOne Piece’s best arcs.
9Chunin Exams
‘Naruto’ (2002–2007)
LikeOne Piece,Narutois also a long-running battle shōnen made for a teenage audience, meaning it isn’t supposed to be a dark anime. However, the ruthlessness of the world and situations provide for many gruesome moments, many of which occur during the Chunin Exams arc, which pits all of the aspiring ninjas against each other to see who gets promoted.
Most fans only remember the final tournament from the Chunin Exams, but it has many more layers, revealing a complex and dark aspect to it. The forest part had kids attempting to kill each other, showcasing the brutality of the ninja world with blood and death. Gaara also adds a new level of darkness toNaruto, making the Chunin Exams a dark series in ananime acceptable for all ages.
8Mount Natagumo
‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’ (2019–)
Wowing fans with its action since 2019,Demon Slayeris coming to its conclusion with a trilogy of movies, starting in 2025. However, the arc that brought the anime to its heights was Mount Natagumo. Now that Tanjiro is officially a demon slayer, he and his friends embark on a mission to eradicate a family of demon spiders, but it won’t be as easy as it sounds.
Every arc inDemon Slayeris dark, with killing, blood, and tragic backstories aplenty, but Mount Natagumo was the first instance fans got of the formula. Fans knew demons were awful, but this arc showcased their full strength and viciousness, killing countless slayers in horrific fashion. With the fights being the highlight of the arc and makingDemon Slayera perfect action anime, the darkness kept the balance and edginess.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
7Scars of Ishval
‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’ (2009–2010)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhoodis full of dark moments and episodes, but they rarely coalesce into a full arc. However, the Scars of Ishval arc is arguably the most heinous and gutwrenching in the series, with consistent darkness. This arc is a mix of flashbacks and modern-day developments, mainly following the tragedy and slaughter of Ishval.
While the Promised Day arc is undoubtedly the best in the series, Scars of Ishval isan underrated anime arcthat deserves more recognition, particularly due to its unsettling tone and narrative depth. Winry’s rage and cycle of violence are destructive, but the episode showing the slaughter of Ishval is nearly unwatchable.It follows some fan favorite characters mercilessly killing civilians, highlighting the horrors of war firsthand.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
6Bat Devil Arc
‘Chainsaw Man’ (2022)
Choosing just one dark arc inChainsaw Manwas nearly impossible, since they are all very sinister. While theupcomingChainsaw Manmoviewill feature the darkest arc, it isn’t animated yet, meaning the Bat Devil arc takes the cake. After Denji promises to help Power retrieve her cat for uncouth reasons, he engages in a bloody battle against the Bat Devil.
Chainsaw Manis a dark anime, and any arc would be valid; however, from the first season, the Bat Devil arc had the highest ratio of dark moments to humorous moments. The overall undertones, overtones, and vibe of the anime already make this arc dark, butthe subject matter, disturbing imagery, and gory violencemake it much more dreadful.
Chainsaw Man
5Koku You Campaign Arc
‘Kingdom’ (2012–)
Kingdom, unfortunately, isn’t the most popular anime, but it has significantly improved compared to the first two seasons, with the fifth season being one of its best. After Qin had some time to rest and regroup its troops, it set out to claim a strategic territory for itself and Zhao. The two nations battle for the hills, which may swing the tide of war in one of their favor.
Kingdomis a historical anime, and while it dramatizes everything, it remains grounded in reality, making the moments hit even harder. The Koku You Campaign is specifically dark because of Huan Yi’s (Kan Ki) torturous methods, includingslaughtering innocent villagers and making a bloody art show of their corpses. This darkness and goriness added to the fear, helping make this season ofKingdomone of thebest anime shows of 2024.
4The Shibuya Incident
‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ (2020–)
Like many modern anime,Jujutsu Kaisenis very dark for a battle shōnen, but this just seems to be of major appeal for the contemporary audience. Its most recent season shocked fans with non-top perfection in the Shibuya Incident arc, following the sorcerers trying to stop Geto and Mahito from enacting their destructive plan.
The Shibuya Incident isthe best arc inJujutsu Kaisen, and it’s the darkest, not afraid to get its hands dirty and kill some characters. Somefan-favorites depressingly lost their lives in this arc, adding to the innumerable civilian deathsalready in play. The mass death and dark themes, combined with mature subject matter, create a harrowing yet wildly entertaining arc in modern anime.
Jujutsu Kaisen
3Golden Age
‘Berserk’ (1997)
While the manga is much better than any of the anime adaptations, the 1997 version ofBerserkis still decent. The Golden Age arc follows Guts' past, from working as a mercenary with a group to joining the Band of the Hawk. There, he meets people he can actually call family, including Griffith and Casca. However, their journey is full of hardships, atrocities, and trauma.
Berserkis one of the darkest anime, meaning every arc is likely to be disturbing and twisted, but the Golden Age arc, especially, knows how to hurt fans. The only reason it isn’t number one on this list is that there are numerous enjoyable moments and bonding between the characters. This all comes crashing down with the single most depressing moment in anime, highlightingeverything disturbing aboutBerserk, from gore to sexual assault and unsettling themes and imagery.
2Chimera Ant Arc
‘Hunter x Hunter’ (2011–2014)
Most battle shōnen are targeted at teenagers and, therefore, feature more entertaining content. And whileHunter x Hunteris a delightful show with plenty of goofy characters and situations, it has a darker tone compared to the rest of its genre, particularly in the Chimera Ant arc. This follows Gon and Killua meeting with Kite, who team up to investigate and eradicate an invasive ant species that threatens the world.
Hunter x Hunterhas always featured the death of characters and a darker feel, reflecting the contrast between adulthood and Gon’s childlike innocence. But the Chimera Ant arc doubled down on everything dark in this anime, withmore deaths, scarier characters, and mature subject matter.It is one of thebest arcs in anime historybecause of its enhanced darkness and grittiness.
Hunter x Hunter
1War for Paradis
‘Attack on Titan’ (2013–2023)
Earning the number one spot on this list as the darkest arc is War for Paradis fromAttack on Titan. It is the final arc of the series, where Eren’s revenge manifests with brutal results. As he enacts the Rumbling to flatten humanity, his friends and the residents of Marley band together to stop him and his supporters.
While fans have mixed opinions about the finale, this arc was consistently dark from start to finish, which is another reason whyAttack on Titanis considered a masterpiece. The subject, themes, and philosophical discussions are inherently dark, seeping their way into the plot and characters to make the show even darker. Thepsychological trauma and mass violence/goreadd another level of unprecedented darkness, annihilating an entire civilization in gory fashion. The wayAttack on Titandepicts all of these dark happenings makes it even more traumatizing, not shying away, but giving the audience a brutal look at the violence and death.
