Top 10 Best Dark Fantasy Anime To Watch – Hey guys!. In this post, I’ll be discussing a list of Top 10 Best Dark Fantasy Anime To Watch. Anime with a fantasy theme is usually very closely related to the adventures of the main character in finding the missing thing in him, of course, with elements of comedy and romance typical of fantasy anime. However, if you pay closer attention there are sub-genre fantasy with heavy stories and make you think about watching them. Dark fantasy, is one type of sub-genre fantasy that usually focuses characters deeper on the dark past, this genre will often explore the most basic aspects of the human soul, like things related to death or mental illness. Today I’ve picked up the best dark fantasy anime. So, let’s get started.
10. Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist is an adaptation of the Japanese dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa, which was published in Square Enix’s monthly Shonen Gangan shonen manga magazine between July 2001 and June 2010. The series was first adapted into an anime in fall 2003 with 51 episodes in total. The anime itself has 2 versions, Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, where Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood airing in spring 2009 has the same storyline as the original manga. Set in the world after the European Industrial Revolution, located in a fantasy world where alchemy is the most practiced sciences. As Alchemists, they have abilities with the help of patterns known as Transmutation Circles. The story begins with the Elric brothers who live with their mother and father, who then one day find their father leaving the house without a reason and their mother finally dies from an illness. After the Elric brothers learn alchemy techniques, they want to revive their dead mother again. They can’t revive her and in the end the transmutation process becomes a disaster for both of them. Where Edward loses his left leg, while his younger brother Alphonse loses his body. This makes Edward do an exchange by sacrificing his right arm to retrieve Alphonse’s soul, which ultimately leaves the soul in an empty armor. This is the story of the Elric brothers journey to find the Philosopher’s Stone and try to get their bodies back, but what they get on the way are facts darker than ever.
9. Vinland Saga
In Vinland Saga anime, perhaps it’s inspired by the famous Icelandic explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni. Thorfinn is known for his expedition to find a country called Vinland based on the story of the first European explorer to set foot on the American continent, Leif Ericksson. The anime series itself is an adaptation of the historical manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura, published by Kodansha and first appeared in the Weekly Shonen Magazine. The anime adaptation itself aired in summer 2019 with 24 episodes in total. Vinland Saga is initially set in England in 1013 AD, which has been largely conquered by the Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard. Young Thorfinn grew up listening to the stories of old sailors who had traveled the ocean and reached a legend place called Vinland. The war between England and Danes is getting worse every year. Death has become commonplace, and the viking mercenaries love every moment of it. Allying with both sides will cause a huge swing in the balance of power, and the Vikings are happy to make names for themselves and take the spoils they gain along the way. In between the chaos, Thorfinn must take revenge and kill Askeladd, the one who killed his father.
8. Dororo
What we are talking about is the remake of the original Dororo anime which aired in 1969. By using black-and-white animation, maybe this anime still looks normal, but after the remake anime aired in winter 2019, Dororo began to show a sadistic and dark side according to the storyline, which could be considered depressing. Dororo anime itself is a television series adapted from the manga with the same title by Osamu Tezuka, and aired in 2019. Although it is a remake, the adaptation of this anime series is slightly different from the original manga, but still follows the same premise of the story. The story is set in Japan during the Sengoku era, where there is a Ronin named Hyakkimaru and a poor boy named Dororo. It is said that the two of them travel and have to face various demons who have taken several of Hyakkimaru’s limbs in order to get them back. The unlikely pair of castaways now fight for their survival in an unforgiving, demon-infested world.
7. Goblin Slayer
Goblin slayer is an anime adapted from a Japanese dark fantasy light novel series, written by Kumo Kagyu and illustrated by Noboru Kannatuki. Then a manga adaptation by Kosuke Kurose was serialized in the Monthly Big Gangan magazine, and the 2nd adaptation by Masahiro Ikeno. In a fantasy world, adventurers come from far and wide to join the Guild, in order to complete contracts for whatever available work. An inexperienced priestess joins her first adventuring party, but caught in danger when her first task of eliminating the goblins ends horribly. After her party is wiped out, she is saved by a man known as the Goblin Slayer, an adventurer whose goal is to finish off the goblins with extreme prejudice. Although the story of the main enemy focuses on goblins, usually weak monsters in other universe, this is different from the goblin slayer anime. The goblins are given a pretty dark portion of the story, starting when adventurers and knights are too focused on chasing the Demon King, the Goblins freely attack residential areas. A massive-numbers of them kill and destroy the entire village. Even worse, they kidnap women to become “breeders” to bear more goblins.
6. Hellsing Ultimate
This anime itself has several sequels and alternative versions, one of them is the famous Hellsing Utimate, which aired between 2006 and 2012 in a separate OVA format. Hellsing anime is based on the manga by Kouta Hirano starting in 1997. The Hellsing series is arguably the spinoff story of a novel by Bram Stoker entitled Dracula. If in Bram Stoker’s version the Dracula is hunted and dies at the hands of Quincey Morris, then in the Hellsing version Kouta Hirano tries to tell about what will happen if Dracula isn’t killed but captured by van Helsing. It is told that a creature of the darkness covered with evil, is ready to devour humans. Hellsing is an organization dedicated to destroying supernatural forces that threaten the existence of mankind. Its leader is Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who commands a powerful military and spends her life fighting the undead. However, Integra’s vast army is nothing compared to her ultimate weapon: the vampire Alucard, who works against his own kind as a Hellsing exterminator. With his new vampire servant, Seras Victoria, by his side, Alucard must battle not only the monsters, but all those who oppose Hellsing.
5. Claymore
Claymore is an anime adaptation of a Japanese dark fantasy manga series by Norihiro Yagi, which was serialized in Monthly Shonen Jump magazine, but since the magazine was shut down, claymore’s manga publication was moved to Jump Square in 2007. Claymore is set in a medieval era. Politically, in Claymore world there are many cities widespread and seemingly unrelated to one another, means that they are not part of a country. Humans are not the highest species in the food chain, because above humans, there are Yoma, a creature who has speed, strength, and endurance above ordinary humans and Yoma’s food is humans. Yoma can also disguise themselves as a human by eating the humans and their brain, a Yoma can have the memories and attitude of their victims, so detecting Yoma disguising as a human is very difficult, even impossible, except for a Claymore. In this world, Claymore is an anti-yoma warrior trained since childhood. By eating Yoma, the Claymore who was originally an ordinary human is transformed into half Yoma and can have Yoma’s strength, speed and endurance, even exceeded. The Claymores get their name from the giant Claymore sword they always use. The story centers on Clare, a claymore woman, who travels from city to city to defeat Yoma with a series of dark stories in it. This anime aired in spring 2007 with 26 episodes in total.
4. Akame ga Kill!
Akame ga Kill! is a Japanese manga series written by Takahiro and illustrated by Tetsuya Tashiro, which was serialized in Square Enix’s Gangan Joker in March 2010. The series also received an anime adaptation in summer 2014 with 24 episodes in total. The story focuses on Tatsumi, a young villager who travels to the capital to raise money for his home and in the end, he discovers the empire rottenness with a strong corruption. The assassin Group known as the Night Raid recruits the young man to help them in their fight against the Empire to end corruption. Night Raid is a group of assassination organizations from the various Revolutionary Army, a rebel group formed to overthrow Prime Minister Honest, whose avarice and greed for power have led him to take advantage of the child emperor’s inexperience. Without a strong and kind leader, the entire nation is left to sink into poverty, strife, and destruction. Even though the Night Raid members are all skillful assassins, they understand taking lives is far from commendable and that they will likely face retribution as they mercilessly finish off anyone who gets in the way of the revolution. A prequel manga focuses on the Akame backstory, titled Akame ga Kill! Zero, which began serialization in Square Enix’s Monthly Big Gangan in October 2013. Although it is adapted from the manga, the anime itself has many changes and differences because it is considered too sadistic to be adapted into anime.
3. Made in Abyss
Made in Abyss is one of the simple anime aired in summer 2017, with its emotionally captivating story, a story about the sacrifice and darkness that mankind can experience when emotions beat respect for other living beings. The anime itself is an adaptation of a manga by Akihito Tsukushi, that tells a girl who finds and befriends a humanoid robot and explores with him into the Abyss to find her mother. This manga series has been serialized online in Takeshobo’s digital publication, Web Comic Gamma since 2012. The story follows an orphaned girl named Riko who lives in Belchero Orphanage in the city of Orth, a city surrounds a strange giant hole they usually call Abyss. The Abyss stores artifacts and remnants of a long-lost civilization, and thus becomes a popular hunting spot for the so-called Cave Raiders, who make the arduous and dangerous journey into mist-filled pit to recover any relics they can find. Returning from the Abyss can be dangerous as “the Curse of the Abyss”, a mysterious and potentially fatal disease, manifests upon ascending. The deeper one goes, the more acute the effects of the curse with the level of disease dangerous for life. It all starts when Riko really misses her mother and wants to meet her to the depths of the Abyss, where she then finds a humanoid robot. The two of them finally begin embarking into the Abyss without knowing what awaits them below.
2. Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan, is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. The story itself is set in a world where mankind lives in an area surrounded by three layers of massive walls, protecting them from the giant man-eating creatures known as Titans. This manga is serialized in the Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine published by Kodansha since September 2009. Generally, the place of this anime is in an alternative history around 1800 years ago, when a human named Ymir Fritz turned into a human-like giant known as Titan, after made a deal with the devil, Ymir then took his form as a Titan. After 13 years passed and Ymir died, the titan power of Ymir was given to her daughters before being divided into nine individuals who established the Eldia Empire. The Pioneer Titan remained under the control of the Fritz family and they later conquered Marley’s country and ruled there for 1700 years. This is an anime story that has been going on for thousands of years, assuming they are victims of all that exists, and they must take revenge after what happened.
1. Berserk
Berserk is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura. Set in a medieval Europe-inspired dark fantasy world, the story centers on the character Guts, a mercenary. In 1988, Miura launched the Berserk prototype, and the series actually started the following year, which was serialized in Monthly Animal House magazine. The manga has been adapted into a twenty-five-episode anime television series covering the series’ Golden Age arc by Oriental Light and Magic, which aired from October 1997 to March 1998. A trilogy of films, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc, was released starting in the year 2012. A second anime television adaptation was broadcast in 2016 and 2017 with a total of twenty-four episodes.
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