Best Dark Fantasy Anime Ranked

Dark fantasy is anime’s most abused label and its most rewarding genre when done right. These are the series where the darkness actually means something.

The rankings

1. Berserk. The 1997 series remains the genre’s cathedral. Guts’ struggle is the standard every entry below chases.

2. Made in Abyss. Adorable art, bottomless cruelty, and the most fully realized hostile world in anime.

3. Re:Zero. Death as a game mechanic turned into psychological torture. Currently airing its fourth season and still finding new ways to hurt.

4. Attack on Titan. The complete story now stands as the genre’s biggest mainstream triumph.

5. Hell’s Paradise. Death row samurai in a paradise that eats people. The modern standard bearer.

6. Dorohedoro. Grimy, hilarious and violent in equal measure. Darkness with a sense of humor.

7. Clevatess. The new blood, proving the genre still has fresh angles: a demon lord, a baby, and consequences.

Speaking of suffering elegantly: our hardest Rem quiz goes live today at noon.

My take: Made in Abyss is the entry I respect most. Anyone can draw blood. Building a world where the horror grows naturally from wonder takes an architect.