8 Anime Plot Twists So Miserably Bad, They Made Fans Drop The Series
A great plot twist or two can make any anime series a true legend, from Sosuke Aizen’s surprise betrayal in Bleach or Yuji Itadori becoming Ryomen Sukuna’s living vessel in Jujutsu Kaisen‘s debut episode. Good plot twists take viewers by surprise and impact the story in fun ways, while iffy or downright terrible plot twists just confuse or annoy everyone. Those plot twists either botched a good idea or never should have happened at all.
Some of the most ridiculous plot twists in anime feel forced and unnecessary, ruining what was otherwise a fine story. At times, those bad plot twists felt like a desperation move on the creator’s part to keep the story going or shake things up for its own sake, or perhaps it was just wonky judgment that didn’t pay off in the audience’s mind. In any case, these disastrous plot twists may have convinced some viewers to ditch the anime, whether those twists arrived partway through the anime or during the big climax.
Kaguya Otstusuki’s Arrival Stole Madara’s Thunder in a Big Way
Plenty of plot twists in the Naruto anime were exciting and iconic, from Operation Konoha Crush’s launch to Gaara’s redemption to fans learning the truth of Itachi Uchiha. During the climax of Naruto Shippuden, meanwhile, the anime’s streak of cool plot twists fell off a cliff with the arrival of Kaguya Otsutsuki. She may have been powerful and distinct, but that didn’t make her welcome.
Above all, the issue with this turn of events is how Kaguya swiftly stole Madara Uchiha’s thunder as the primary villain. Madara was a worthwhile endgame foe who had plenty of hype-worthy buildup, but Kaguya had none of that. The anime abandoned Madara for a worse villain who was just there for a fight, and to this day, Naruto fans don’t like that. Kaguya did help expand on the otherwordly Otsutsuki clan, which Boruto has capitalized on, but not all Naruto fans even like Boruto anyway.
Yammy’s Rank as 0 Espada Was Silly and Entirely Unnecessary
Bleach has a mixed track record with plot twists and surprise reveals. Some of the twists are thrilling and intriguing, such as Aizen’s betrayal and the return of the vengeful Quincy tribe, while other twists felt contrived and unnecessary. One major example shook up the rankings of the ten Espadas, with Bleach fans having every reason to take those ranks seriously. During the climax of the Arrancar saga, the 10th Espada, Yammy Llargo, unveiled a weird surprise.
When Yammy finally released his zanpakuto, Ira, the “1” on his rank tattoo vanished to leave just the 0. Yammy infuriated Bleach fans when he loudly announced that the Espadas’ ranks went from 0-9 rather than 1-10, which felt ridiculous. It felt strange for Yammy to have the top rank after all, and worse yet, he didn’t even live up to those expectations. Captains Kuchiki and Zaraki handily defeated this supposedly top-ranked Espada in an off-screen fight, while it would have been much better to keep Coyote Starrk as the true top dog of the Espadas.
Ken Kaneki Shouldn’t Have Cooperated With Aogiri Tree
Tokyo Ghoul is a serious example of a franchise’s manga and anime going in opposite directions. It almost feels like the franchise is running a three-legged race with both contestants aiming for different finish lines, mostly because of this nonsensical plot twist. The anime and manga of Tokyo Ghoul aligned at first, but when Ken Kaneki faced the wrath of Aogiri Tree, the anime took another route. For thinly conceived reasons, Ken decided to become an executive in Aogiri Tree for a time, meaning he rubbed shoulders with his enemies and tormentors.
Tokyo Ghoul tried to make this a case of Ken keeping his friends close and his enemies closer, but no anime fan was sold on this idea. The original manga by author Sui Ishida makes far more sense, with Ken continuing to defy Aogiri Tree by forming his own group. For once, Ken was seriously tapping into the power of friendship as he fought alongside ghouls with mutual respect and trust. It’s little wonder the Tokyo Ghoul manga has a far higher rating on MyAnimeList than the anime does.
Asahi Saiba Didn’t Have a Proper Place in Food Wars!
The first four seasons of the culinary shonen anime Food Wars! hold up well, with Season 4 allowing Erina Nakiri to face her own father in a final cooking showdown. But just when it felt like Food Wars! had served dessert and was going to close the restaurant, another serving arrived in the form of Season 5, where the anime’s single worst plot twist unfolded in the early episodes.
Season 5 introduced Asahi Saiba as Erina’s surprise half-brother, which re-opened the can of worms that was the Nakiri family. Worse yet, Asahi held Erina hostage and wished to marry his own half-sister, which didn’t sit right with any anime fan. On top of that, resolving this strange plot twist involved yet another tournament where the cooking gimmicks and character designs finally became too ridiculous even for the wacky Food Wars! anime.
Malty’s Accusations Against Naofumi Were a Hugely Problematic Plot Twist
The Rising of the Shield Hero had a well-earned reputation for controversy and sheer edginess with its first season. The anime has since stabilized as a more approachable and “normal” isekai on most levels, but that early plot twist may have prompted some viewers to ditch Naofumi Iwatani’s isekai adventure as soon as it began. The problem was simple but serious: Princess Malty fabricated accusations of assault against Naofumi, and everyone believed her over the innocent Naofumi.
That was problematic on every level there is, and it made the anime’s double-length debut episode the final episode for some viewers. And even if anime fans stuck around, they had to put up with Malty’s unbearable character for some time and watch Naofumi struggle with an unfair situation. The plot needed Naofumi to be a misunderstood outcast, but the method for making that happen left everything to be desired. It was just as bad as The Rising of the Shield Hero‘s bad habit of depicting the slave trade in a morally ambiguous light. Too many bad isekai tropes are in this anime to make it worthwhile to most viewers.
Mirai’s Actions at the Start of Platinum End Launched the Anime on a Distasteful Note
Fans might say that the entire Platinum End anime is one bad plot twist, and it didn’t take long for the anime to prove it. The very first episode opened on a distasteful note, with the miserable teen lead Mirai Kakehashi deciding that life was not worth living. He tried to end it all, only for the angel Nasse to save him and thrust him into a tournament to decide who the next God would be. It was a shockingly clumsy exploration of God and humanity from the famed creators of Death Note.
The first plot was handled badly in a few ways, including the fact Mirai wasn’t even interesting enough for his attempted suicide to have any real effect on viewers. Worse yet, the anime didn’t do enough to address Mirai’s psychological state as someone who tried to end his own life, with Mirai merely shuffling into the angel-based tournament while telling viewers too many times that he wishes to live a humble, normal life to find simple happiness. Mirai was not in a good place mentally, and Platinum End merely treated his suicide attempt as a plot device and little more.
Mello and Near Didn’t Live Up to L, Even When Combined
Death Note had plenty of outstanding plot twists in its runtime, such as how L enrolled at the same college as Light Yagami to observe him in person, or Light and Misa giving up their memories to fool L while in captivity. Then, Part 2 arrived, and it wasn’t nearly as strong as the first, partly because the two villains couldn’t live up to L himself.
Near and Mello did serve the purpose of bringing down Light as Kira in the end, which needed to happen, but the execution was lackluster. This arc did have some strong moments, but fans might not have gotten that far, since Mello’s and Near’s surprise arrival might have convinced some viewers to set aside Death Note then and there.
Darling in the Franxx’s Big Twist Distracted Viewers From the Best Plotline
Darling in the Franxx is an off-beat mecha anime that almost stuck the landing, if it weren’t for the arrival of the hostile alien VIRM. VIRM’s arrival wasn’t properly foreshadowed, making it feel sudden and artificial, even if VIRM’s arrival did help shed new light on other plot elements. For example, VIRM revealed the truth of the APE group, combining to form VAMPIRE.
Until then, Darling in the Franxx was like a dystopian YA novel as the heroic teens fought to reveal and resist the truth of the oppressive, adult-run world around them. It was a rousing story of fighting back against a rigid world order as the young heroes sacrificed security for much-desired freedom and personal expression. Then, VIRM’s arrival took over the plot, and it even separated Zero Two and Hiro from their friends as the other mech pilots worked hard to build a newer, more honest world with their own two hands.
