Some anime moments are so shocking, they can barely be explained.Anime can have some of the biggest, most unexpected moments that nobody could have seen coming, either for better, or more often, for worse. Shocking moments in anime are rarely good. Once they happen, it’s usually impossible to return to a normal time. Everything changes in shocking anime moments in an instant. Whether Paul Greyrat fromMuskhou Tenseiwants to save his son or Madara gets betrayed inNaruto: Shippuden,shocking moments can be permanent.
There are countless series willing to push their viewers to their emotional limits. Some shows, likeDragon Ball Z,are relatively straightforward, making their shocking moments hit even harder for their infrequency. No matter how often shocking moments happen, they’re always devastating,leaving the main cast of characters with an entirely new situation in their hands.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnationis a very divisive series. It features a 34-year-old man reincarnated into the body of a newborn, retaining all his memories from his previous life. He grows up with a new family in his new world.His dad, Paul, is another complicated character.He’s a womanizer who’s prone to putting too much weight on his son’s shoulders, expecting the world from him because Rudeus is gifted. Past his flaws, Paul is a decent dad who loves his son Rudeus greatly.
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When Rudeus found out his mother was trapped in a labyrinth, he raced to save her. The labyrinth was dangerous though, and Rudy almost lost his life. In the middle of battle,Paul saved his son from danger, sacrificing himself in the process.Nobody saw Paul’s death coming for a couple of reasons. First, it doesn’t make sense to trade one parent for another. Second,the episode he died in aired on Father’s Dayof all days,making it even more shocking.
Narutois a pretty straightforward shōnen series that doesn’t have too many twists.Madara’s death was one of the most shocking moments inNaruto: Shippuden,and also one of the worst in anime. Up until this point in the series, Madara has been nearly untouchable. None of the heroes can get close to him, and it seems like he may finally be able to achieve his goals. Out of nowhere, Black Zetsu stabs Madara in the back, ending his life in deus ex machina fashion.
The fact that one ofthe best villains inNarutodidn’t get a proper death was heartbreaking. Zetsu also revealed the existence of ninja aliens and ninja gods,two more wildly shocking factsthat really took the momentum out ofNaruto: Shippuden’sfinal arc. To this day, Madara’s death is one of the most unbelievable moments in anime.
Ainz Ooal Gown is in a league of his own inOverlord.It’s hard for most other characters to comprehend just how powerful the leader of the Great Tomb of Nazarick is.During the skirmish between the Empire and the Kingdom, Ainz was able to give everyone a sample of his immense power. He used the level 90 spell ‘Ia Shub-Niggurath’ to kill 70,000 of the enemy’s army in seconds. Not only did Ainz instakill his enemies, but their deaths were used as fuel for his next spell.
He then summoned the god Shub-Niggurath’s children, the Dark Young. They require 14,000 sacrifices per entity, making their power level on par with Ainz’s own. After he summoned the Dark Young, they killed another 100,000 troops by trampling them or throwing them high into the air, causing them to fall to their deaths. It’s one of thebiggest events of mass destruction in animeand defines the series as a whole.
Askeladd is one of the most complicated characters in anime. He starts the series as a pure villain, killing Thorfinn’s dad in the most underhanded way possible. By the end of the first season, however, he’s ironically become adecent father figure towards Thorfinn, guiding him on and off the battlefield. Thorfinn’s main goal has never changed though. He still wants his revenge on Askeladd for killing his father. Unfortunately, he’ll never get it.
When King Sweyn reveals his plan to invade Wales, Askeladd has something to reveal too. He claims his real name is Lucius Artorius Castus, a name his mother gave him in honor of a Welsh hero. He beheads Sweyn before he himself gets killed by the king’s guards,ending Thorfinn’s goal of avenging his father before he really had a chance.
Future Trunks' arrival to the present timeline is easily the most shocking moment in Dragon Ball.It’s actually multiple shocking moments wrapped up into one sequence.First, Future Trunks reveals the existence of both an alternate timeline and time travel, two new concepts inDragon Ball.He also reveals that Goku will get a heart virus and die, taking out Earth’s strongest hero and letting the new Androids run wild.
Outside of news from his own home, Future Trunks arrives in time to handle Mecha Frieza. Mecha Frieza is another plot twist inDragon Ball Z.Not only is Frieza still alive, but he has a father who’s equally as evil.On top of all of that,Future Trunks is the second Super Saiyan in the series and easily blows Frieza apart.It’s a single shocking moment that is actually comprised of more than half-a-dozen shocking moments all in one.
Oshi no Ko’sfirst episode was more like an event than an episode of anime.It featured the vivacious Ai Hoshino for over an hour and a half, making fans fall in love with the idol. The first episode featured Aqua and Ruby in their past lives and their first few years as babies being raised by their mom, Ai. The episode took an unexpected turn whenan obsessed fan found out where Ai lived and stabbed her in the abdomen, killing her in front of her children.
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To say Ai’s death was unexpected would be an understatement. She was on all the promotional material for the show,leading anyone who hadn’t read the manga yet to believe she’d be part of Aqua’s and Ruby’s lives for a long time. Herdeath is one of the saddest in anime.
Shou Tucker is one of the most hateable anime characters of all time. He desperately wants to be an alchemist and will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He initially got his acclaim when he created the first ever chimera that was capable of human speech. He hasn’t made anything since though, and his status as an alchemist is being called into question. When Ed and Al first meet Shou, he’s a caring dad with an adorable daughter named Nina and a dog named Alexander.
When they come back to meet Shou again, he has a brand-new chimera that can speak yet again! During Ed’s excitement, he realizes all too well what’s happened. In an absolutely disgusting act,Shou used his dog and daughter for the chimera experiment.He fused them together to create an abomination, losing his status as an alchemist and gaining the status of one of the worst dads in anime.
3Itachi’s True Intentions - Naruto: Shippuden
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Itachi’s revelation is one of the only good shocking moments in anime. Itachi was a figure hidden in the shadows at the beginning ofNaruto.Itachi was part of the terrorist group Akatsuki,but before that, he was the lone Uchiha who killed his entire clan. His brother Sasuke rightfully hated Itachi for the heinous act he committed and dedicated his life to killing his brother.When he was finally able to, he learned the truth behind Itachi’s actions.
Itachi’s sacrifice is one of the hardest decisions anyone has had to make. His clan was going to start a coup within the village, leading to the deaths of many. Itachi was tasked with slaying his own clan to protect Konoha, a job nobody should have to do.Sasuke then gets to know the man his brother really isbefore Itachi is finally able to pass on to the afterlife.
Rachel is another character who has easily earned her spot among the most hated characters in anime. She startedTower of Godas a mysterious character who was helpful, albeit a little suspicious.Baam, as kind-hearted as he is, never saw her suspicious signs and instead chose to see the best in his future betrayer.He was tasked with defending Rachel during the Submerged Fish Hunt Test, a task he was only assigned because he wanted Rachel to climb the Tower with the rest of their team.
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Out of nowhere,Rachel pushes Baam off the platform they were sharing into the depths below.She tried to kill Baam for an unknown reason and then returned to his friends to lie. Luckily, Baam survives the fall, but not before he suffersone of the worst betrayals in anime.
Reiner and Bertholdt are two of the strongest soldiers the Scouts have to offer. They’re smart, dependable, and very strong. They’ve been through thick and thin with Eren and the rest of the scouts, so when they’re revealed to be the Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan respectively, Eren’s world is shattered. Reiner can’t take the pressure the lies he’s telling are building and lets the Scouts know that it was he and Bertholdt who caused all of their misery.
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Eren flies into an understandable rage, turning into a Titan and leaping at Reiner.It’s a moment so shocking, it’s hard to watch.Eren shared meals and fought on the same side as the two men responsible for his mother’s death. The betrayal is so brutal, it’s not surprising that Eren later goes insane and decides that the only real way for the world to understand his feelings is to crush it.
