10 Controversial Anime Twists That Ruined The Series Forever

One of the most effective tools an anime can use to keep fans engaged and interested in its story is to shake the foundations by introducing course-changing plot points, characters, or events. These plot twists can be extremely successful, as proven by some of the best and most popular shows of all time. For example, Dragon Ball managed to turn its unique battle Shonen into an epic space adventure that still enchants fans every year.

Still, adopting this strategy can be quite risky, as doing it incorrectly can not only completely ruin the show's reputation, but also ruin the experience for viewers. Over the years, fans have seen great shows become virtually unwatchable due to the senseless decisions made by their writers. From world-shattering revelations to outright character assassination, these twists will forever color the legacy of their anime.

10

Kumamiko: Girl Meets Bear ruined everything with a bitter ending

When it was first released to audiences worldwide, Kumamiko was seen as the epitome of wholesome and comedic slice-of-life anime. The adventures of a socially awkward girl who dreamed of going to school and her talking bear friend were heartwarming and relatable. At least this was until the show decided to give the story one of the most abrupt dark endings in history.

Fearful of losing his friend, Natsu the bear prays to whatever deity will listen to ruin Machi's talent show. When the day of the event arrives, the girl mistakenly assumes that people hate her and becomes terrified to leave her sanctuary, much to the animal's satisfaction. This ending was so unexpected and cruel that it ruined the rest of the series for most viewers.

9

Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers changed genres for no reason

Instead of following the path of some of the best fantasy anime in history, Rokka decided to innovate the genre by introducing a murder mystery aspect to its story. When the legendary heroes destined to save the world from certain destruction met, they realized that one of them was an impostor, creating a truly tense state of suspense between the adventurers as they figure out who their enemy is.

Disappointingly, all the suspense was lost when the cute princess was revealed as the traitor, as not only had she done next to nothing, but it was an overwhelmingly unsatisfying ending. Not only that, the show went on to reveal a second intruder among the heroes, one that would never be revealed, as the anime never received a sequel.

8

Naruto Shippuden introduces Aliens and Killed The Story

Arguably one of the best Shonen anime of all time, Naruto is a series that is almost perfect, if not for the outlandish finale it was given.During the final battle against Madara, as the members of Team 7 prepared to go all-out against the villain, Black Zetsu joined the fray to reveal the shocking truth. The Uchiha was never meant to be the true final antagonist, as there was another fighter waiting to join the fight.

Unexpectedly, Madara was absorbed by an alien woman named Kaguya Otsutsuki, who revealed that the entire series had been orchestrated by her to one day revive and absorb all the chakra on the planet. The introduction of a race of aliens was not only unexpected, but it seemed to come out of nowhere, causing many fans to ditch the show immediately. Recently, the members of the Otsutsuki clan have become central to the world of Naruto, a decision that has greatly hurt the success of the franchise.

7

Charlotte deleted the entire plot

At first glance, Charlotte can be seen as a unique anime that takes an unconventional but not unwelcome approach to superpowered teenagers. Most fans believed the same idea until the main character's sister, Ayumi, died. From that point on, the series went from a light-hearted comedy to a thriller involving sinister government organizations, time travel, and major tragedies.

This sudden change culminated in protagonist Yuu taking his older brother's ability to return to the past and erasing the entire timeline of events that composed the show. Because of this, many fans felt cheated, as the finale practically nullified the many hours they had spent following the heroes. While the series is still hailed as one of the best time-loop-centric anime, a large portion of the fandom jumped ship soon after the final episode.

6

Guilty Crown is guilty of a bad ending

Created by the team behind one of the studios that cemented the foundation of the anime industry at large, Guilty Crown is one of the biggest examples of how an ending can make almost any fan unhappy. Although the show began as an epic yet emotional tale of a group of rebels trying to survive an apocalyptic Japan, the finale threw most of the story out the window to become a dark and chaotic campaign anime.

One of the heroes betrayed his friends without any explanation and assumed the role of the main villain. The female lead, Inori, developed powers out of nowhere that conveniently solved the problems faced by protagonist Shu and allowed him to survive what could have been a tragic but beautiful ending. While many fans still care about this show, there's no denying how much of a mess it became.

5

Tokyo Ghoul √A abandoned the manga and ruined its story

After what can be considered one of the biggest successes of the last decade, Tokyo Ghoul anime announced a second season that would follow a completely original path. This decision was made due to the manga being published at the same time as the show, giving the studio almost no material to adapt. Sadly, this decision caused everything to go wrong for Studio Pierrot's latest hit.

Unlike the manga, where the hero Kaneki sticks to his ideals and starts his own vigilante group, √A decided to have the boy join the same organization that kidnapped and tortured him. Many important plot points were completely abandoned and instead focused on shocking and violent scenes that added nothing to the overall story. Most fans accept that this show would benefit from a modern and manga-adjacent remake.

4

School Days' Ending is So Bleak, It Killed The Series

Widely regarded as one of the worst yet funniest shows in history, mostly for how bizarrely its story unfolded, School days is a sure contender for the most unexpected finale in the business. What began as a dark critique of the harem genre and its tropes quickly descended into an awkward and hilariously nonsensical quest for revenge.

After realizing that her boyfriend, Makoto, was cheating on her with a classmate named Kotonoha, the main love interest, Sekai, decides to kill her once dear lover. Afterwards, she decides to remove his head to show it to her rival before trying to kill her. Not only was this ending traumatic for most, who could never have seen such a violent finale on the horizon, but it also left a bad taste with those unfortunate enough to see this cruel twist ending.

3

Samurai Flamenco got too dark for its own good

For many decades, experts and beginners have Super Sentai series have reveled in the tropes and over-the-top stories that these shows have to offer. As such, it is not surprising to learn about anime satirizing the adventures of these colorful heroes, as was the case with Samurai Flamenco. Hazama's life took a drastic turn when he decided to use his fortune to become a real-life superhero.

His journey began as a street-level vigilante, taking care of local crime with the help of some friends in what many describe as hilarious yet heartfelt scenes. Yet these enchanting stories ended when the show decided to involve its heroes in dark and dangerous missions against cruel aliens and corrupt government organizations. This shift in tone quickly turned many fans off, as it clashed with the original premise.

2

Wonder Egg Priority ruined a wonderful premise

One of the best anime fans can enjoy during Pride Month, due to its amazing trans and gender nonconforming representation, Wonder Egg Priority was sold to audiences as an emotional journey of grief and healing. The series followed Ai and her friends as they hunt down dangerous monsters to protect innocent civilians in hopes of one day getting a personal wish.

Just before the end of the series, this moving action was changed to a fight against a rogue AI that never had a proper ending. The finale left most of the remaining story threads unanswered, cruelly and unnecessarily tarnished Ai's dream, and left the door open for the heroine to suffer even more. Despite being one of the best Magical Girl anime ever, most fans agree that the ending should be skipped.

1

Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna destroyed everything that fans loved about the original series

The Digimon franchise is arguably one of the biggest and most successful of all time, with decades of experience bringing joy to fans of all ages. Most of this popularity is undoubtedly thanks to what is widely considered to be the best series under the IP, the original Adventure. Because of this, fans were overjoyed when a series of films to celebrate the anniversary of this classic was announced.

Most of these films were by no means what fans expected, with underwhelming stories, bland characters and undeserved suspense. Worst of all was, by a wide margin, Latest developments Kizunaan entry that relied heavily on Tai and Matt's grief over losing their partner Digimon due to their age. This plot twist not only goes against the franchise's established lore but was also irrelevant, as the end of 02 confirmed that the heroes would see their Digimon again one day