These 10 Anime Are Darker Than Anything You’ll See in ‘Gachiakuta’

2025 has been an incredible year for anime, with new shows such as The Summer Hikaru Died and new seasons like Solo Leveling proving that anime is only getting better. However, one of this year’s best new series is Gachiakuta, a dark shounen that follows Rudo’s aim to find the man who framed him for murder. They throw him down into a land full of trash, where he teams up with the Cleaners to use his divine artifact to get back to where he is from.

Gachiakuta has made a name for itself as a dark shounen series, but there are plenty of others that are much darker than this anime, which is why this list will highlight ten anime that are darker than Gachiakuta. Each entry will be ranked according to its dark themes in comparison to Gachiakuta, including story, subject matter, violence, gore, moments, sexual content, tone, and fan opinion.

10

‘Soul Eater’ (2008–2009)

Gachiakuta’s author, Kei Urana, was formerly an editor for Atsushi Ookubo, the creator of Soul Eater, which explains why fans can sense the similarities and inspirations. This anime follows a group of students attending Death Weapon Meister Academy, where they train to be Shinigami or death weapons. Their task is to take the souls of 99 demons and one witch, but that task is more complicated than expected.

While Gachiakuta’s manga gets much darker than Soul Eater, the anime hasn’t reached that level yet, meaning Soul Eater is the darker series for now. Gachiakuta has a lot of comedy and is still introducing new elements, while fans are familiar with the established darkness in atmosphere, moments, and story in Soul Eater. Either way, they are both incredible manga with great art styles, and fans should watch or read them both.

9

‘Demon Slayer’ (2019–)

Gachiakuta may be the newest big anime out right now, but it hasn’t reached the popularity of Demon Slayer, which reinvigorated the love for anime, ushering in millions of new fans. After the infamous demon Muzan turns Tanjiro’s sister into a demon, Tanjiro must travel across the country, getting stronger in order to defeat Muzan and cure his sister.

Like every popular battle shounen, Demon Slayer features plenty of comedic moments, but it is also a bit darker and more serious. With blood-hungry and maniacal demons at every corner, there is plenty of violence and gore in this anime, highlighting its dark nature through the ferocity of demons and their stamp on the world. Demon Slayer is bloody and somewhat mature, making it much darker than Gachiakuta so far.

8

‘One Piece’ (1999–)

Gachiakuta may be popular right now, but it still has a long way to go before it compares to One Piece, the biggest anime in the world. Monkey D. Luffy has ambitious dreams of becoming the King of the Pirates, but before he can find the titular treasure, he needs to make a name for himself and find a crew. The Strawhat Pirates build a reputation by defeating evil pirates, marines, and governments.

This may be an unconventional entry considering everyone knows One Piece for its goofiness and worldbuilding, but there is a much darker world and plot underneath. Oppression is a main theme, and this introduces heavy themes such as slavery, freedom, war, death, and genocide. It may be happy and fun on the outside, but One Piece can be surprisingly dark, which is what makes it one of the best manga of the last fifty years.

7

‘Attack on Titan’ (2013–2023)

After over a decade, one of the greatest anime series of all time came to an end, that being Attack on Titan. After Titans destroyed his village, Eren vowed revenge, only to get the ability to turn into a Titan himself. With his newfound power, he leads humanity outside the walls to take back what is theirs and declare war on their true enemies across the ocean.

Attack on Titan is naturally going to be darker than Gachiakuta since the former is more serious, has a dramatic plot, and is ingrained in violence and dark truths, whereas Gachiakuta can still have fun. From most of the characters dying in gory or horrific ways to disturbing plot twists and themes such as war and genocide, Attack on Titan is one of the darkest mainstream anime that fans love, regardless.

6

‘Jujutsu Kaisen’ (2020–)

Jujutsu Kaisen ended over a year ago with many complaints, creating one of the worst manga endings ever. However, the anime is still a beloved action series with some of the best animation in the medium. Following Yuji after he becomes entangled in the supernatural world, he must devour the fingers of an ancient demon or threaten a war between sorcerers, curses, and humans.

The third season of Jujutsu Kaisen is arriving earlier than expected, releasing in January 2026, meaning fans will get more of this beloved dark shounen series. The anime has gotten increasingly darker, with uncomfortable deaths, dark subject matter, shocking plot twists, and violent imagery. Jujutsu Kaisen is another modern shounen with darker tastes, but it seems that fans like that sort of stuff.

5

‘Tokyo Ghoul’ (2014–2015)

Dark manga and anime started getting really popular around the early to mid-2010s, and a lot of that is thanks to Tokyo Ghoul, one of the most popular anime series of its decade. In a world where ghouls look like humans and must eat them to survive, Kaneki accidentally becomes one in a freak accident. He must now get used to life as a ghoul and all the trauma, violence, murder, and conspiracies that come with it.

Besides having one of the best anime opening themes of all time, Tokyo Ghoul is also renowned for its dark world and plot, which revolves around cannibalism, murder, and sinister conspiracies. Kaneki’s transition to a ghoul is torturous and cruel, with the slow, traumatic transformation being a grueling endeavor that highlights the darkness of this series. Tokyo Ghoul is one of the darkest anime series that still has an overwhelming fan base.

4

‘Dorohedoro’ (2020–)

After five years with no news, Dorohedoro is supposed to get a second season in 2025, but the more months go by, the less likely that seems to be. In the dark world of the Hole, wizards experiment on the residents, turning them into weird creatures. Caiman is one of said experiments, with the head of an alligator and no memories, prompting him and Nikaido to venture out and find the truth.

Like Gachiakuta, Dorohedoro employs plenty of humor to lighten the mood, but this is necessary, as the world, characters, events, and plot are a twisted, feverish nightmare of horrors. The messy art style, worldbuilding, and history create an overarching sense of dread, and the plot only continues the darkness with demonic figures, explicit content, and scary imagery that will make any fan squimish.

3

‘Hellsing Ultimate’ (2006–2012)

The early 2000s were a different time when the media could get away with a lot more, and such is the case with Hellsing Ultimate, a dark and gory vampire action anime. After a police officer becomes a vampire, she and Alucard help the titular organization fight demons, vampires, and any other monsters that threaten world peace, including a bunch of undead, immortal Nazis that plan to decimate England.

Many fans consider Hellsing Ultimate one of the greatest anime miniseries of all time because of its distinct action and unique atmosphere. However, its darkness overwhelms everything else, maybe too much in fact, as it features some of the goriest moments and kills in anime and features other traumatizing content such as rape, genocide, war, and mass murder. Hellsing Ultimate is unsettling, but that means it is easily darker than Gachiakuta.

2

‘Chainsaw Man’ (2021–)

After Chainsaw Man‘s debut in 2021, fans have eagerly awaited a second season, but first, they can go to the theaters in October 2025 and experience Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, which adapts the next story arc in movie format. After a devil-hunting organization brings Denji into their group, he gets to experience human luxuries he could only dream about.

Chainsaw Man is arguably the darkest mainstream shounen anime, as it has no fear of depicting traumatic events such as gore, violence, death, or explicit scenes including nudity and murder. This anime is one of the most unique and bizarre in a long time, separating itself from other series with its twisted sense of humor and dark overtones.

1

‘Devilman Crybaby’ (2018)

Most of the anime on this list featured dark shounen series, as seinen and other mature shows are on a level of their own, and just to highlight that difference, Devilman Crybaby takes the top spot. When his friend takes him to a Sabbath to investigate, a demon possesses the kindhearted Akira, who now must fight against the evils in this world, even if that means his friend.

Devilman Crybaby is arguably the darkest anime of all time, with the most disturbing anime ending that will make anyone sick to their stomach. This anime ticks all the dark boxes off, from extreme gore, violence, murder, rape, sexual assault, dark themes, motifs, plot twists, art style, tone, and moments. Devilman Crybaby isn’t for the faint of heart, as it can traumatize any fan.