What's the Most Brutal Anime You've Seen?

[BleedingPride]

Deadman Wonderland is up there, definitely. My next choice would be Elfen Lied.

 

[Azure23]

Definitely Baccano!

The plot is all about immortals (the kind of immortals that, after getting their heads blown off, slowly reform the bone and muscle tissue and skin) fighting for dominance in 1920'2 era new york and chicago. Its incredibly brutal, a large part of it takes place on a train and one of the characters preferred methods of execution is grinding people down on the rails. This particular character actually becomes so drenched in blood its pretty much his costume for the majority of the show.

Out of all the violent anime's listed on this thread so far, I'd say that Baccano!, while probably the most visceral, is also the least disgusting. Elfen lied in particular I couldn't stand due to the rape scenes, and Berserk had a good thing going up until the end. In the anime it was bad enough, but the manga's version was honestly horrific and actually made me feel physically sick with anger. And Hellsing, while cool, is pretty much the definition of all flash and no substance. Baccano is like a good Guy Ritchie movie; brutal mob executions, comedy, and an awesome ensemble cast conflicting and crossing paths in entertaining ways.

Seriously, go watch it, it's great.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I am going to agree with those that said Deadman Wonderland, just the shear hopelessness of the protagonist's situations shocked (well "shocked" is not quite the right word, but it's the closest word I can think of) me to the core.

 

[SteamboaTravis]

Shigurui. The most horrifically violent anime that I've ever seen, and I have seen quite a few. The series is incomplete in anime form, but has reached the end as a manga. Shigurui contains the most graphic depictions of the horrors feudal culture. There is graphic disembowelment, dismemberment, disfigurement, and everything beyond. Don't watch or read unless you have a strong stomach.

 

[Dr. Cakey]

No, it's not present in the DVD's. And it's perfectly possible the unsensored versions have been broadcast on TV as well in certain places.


But I should remind you that there are 2 English dubs. One created by 4Kids, and the other by Funimation.

I've never seen much of the 4Kids version, but I did see a comparison of a scene from the two on youtube, and it did pretty much gut large parts of the story. (And in the example given drastically changed the implications of the story in the process.)

Just because you've never seen the censored version, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And no, online streams and DVD releases aren't likely to be based of of this.

Japan might have strict laws, but that depends on what you're showing, and at what time of day. I'm in the UK, and the unedited varsion of naruto varies between '12' and '15' ratings. (parts of seasons 3 and 4 having higher ratings.)

But I'm fairly certain 4Kids tried to get it into a lower ratings category than that...

Regardless of that point, Naruto remains relatively violent given what kind of age group it's really aimed at.

You're clearly confusing Naruto with One Piece. Somehow.

Most brutal anime intended for children? Narutaru

I haven't read past the first couple chapters of Narutaru, but I checked what magazine it was serialized in, and it was serialized in Afternoon, a seinen (15+) magazine. So the same would go for the anime.

 

[RJ Dalton]

I never really got the point of the ultra-violent animes, though anime was never my thing in the first place.

I have a sort of knee jerk reaction against those who call it "mature" though.

With the knee jerking into the groin?
Personally, I find a certain humor in the fact that we call it "mature" but really only the very childish would take enjoyment from it.

When it actually is mature, I can go for ultra-violence. For example, the brutality of Jin-Roh is a very strong punctuation to a solid examination of police and government overreach. But in that case, it works because the violence is an outgrowth of the situation, it isn't the point of the movie. My reaction to anime that are essentially just long strings of gory violence is the same reaction I have to American films that are all action and no brain. I am not entertained by violence and I become irritated when films throw it at me like it's all I want to see. The violence is nothing without the meaning behind it.

 

[Rylingo]

Elfen Lied is pretty brutal with the first scene in particular. Baccano had its moments too.

 

[CrystalShadow]

No, it's not present in the DVD's. And it's perfectly possible the unsensored versions have been broadcast on TV as well in certain places.


But I should remind you that there are 2 English dubs. One created by 4Kids, and the other by Funimation.

I've never seen much of the 4Kids version, but I did see a comparison of a scene from the two on youtube, and it did pretty much gut large parts of the story. (And in the example given drastically changed the implications of the story in the process.)

Just because you've never seen the censored version, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And no, online streams and DVD releases aren't likely to be based of of this.

Japan might have strict laws, but that depends on what you're showing, and at what time of day. I'm in the UK, and the unedited varsion of naruto varies between '12' and '15' ratings. (parts of seasons 3 and 4 having higher ratings.)

But I'm fairly certain 4Kids tried to get it into a lower ratings category than that...

Regardless of that point, Naruto remains relatively violent given what kind of age group it's really aimed at.

You're clearly confusing Naruto with One Piece. Somehow.

Hmm... You know what? I thought I knew what was going on, but every thing I do to verify what I thought I knew throws up new questions. Even examining my DVD collection is confusing.

My (UK) Naruto DVD's are from 'Manga Entertainment'. That isn't so surprising though given what I thought was going on, because so are a lot of the others on my shelf. Including many which were dubbed by Funimation. - For instance, their UK site mentions One Piece... (But indeed, Naruto doesn't mention Funimation anywhere, while a lot of the other 'Manga Entertainment' DVD's do. - they don't in fact mention anything other than the japanese copyright holder... )

Internet searches do lead to evidence of their being multiple versions of Naruto (including multiple DVD releases with different editing). Some of them heavily edited. (such as for use on a disney channel)

Unfortunately, even the video I thought I had access to I can't find. (Either because I don't have it bookmarked, it's been removed from youtube, or possibly both.)

Ehm. I give up. Clearly something's completely off about what I thought I knew.

But it still seems my principal point more or less remains true...

 

[dvd_72]

Most brutal I'd have to say Berserk. Oh sure there are bloodier anime out there, but none that I have seen seem as... achievable as in Berserk.

Spoiler

I found it clearest when guts is killing 100 men. In many anime Guts sword would easily be slicing clean through the men, armor and all. In Berserk though Guts sword cuts deep, but never clean through. I find it lends his swings a real sense of weight that you don't often see.

 

[KaosuHamoni]

[HEADING=1]PI-PIRU-PIRU-PIRU PI-PIRU-PIIIIIIII[/HEADING]

Spoiler: Naw, seriously though, probably Elfin Lied.

I mean, the first episode has Lucy hacking people to bits within seconds. Never mind when she 'removes' Nana's arms...

 

[BishopofAges]

As much as Higurashi, Gantz and whatnot have been posted I will mention one scene I found brutal in Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The anime was tame and neat for quite some time, then

Spoiler

Mami gets her head bitten off by a witch, that's not the brutal part. Later in the anime We learned that they are essentially liches with souls bound to gems, so unless they know the trick to turning pain off, they feel all the pain of their bodies without dying, passing out, etc. So with that in mind, not only did Mami get her head bitten off, she felt EVERYTHING up until that thing broke her gem...

So yeah, with that in mind, I now believe any and all magical girls are liches, Dungeons and Dragons status liches.

 

[Dr. Cakey]

Just saw the first 4 Kara no Kyoukai movies. Those were fairly brutal. Or at least, they had the habit of holding shots for brutally long.

Hmm... You know what? I thought I knew what was going on, but every thing I do to verify what I thought I knew throws up new questions. Even examining my DVD collection is confusing.

My (UK) Naruto DVD's are from 'Manga Entertainment'. That isn't so surprising though given what I thought was going on, because so are a lot of the others on my shelf. Including many which were dubbed by Funimation. - For instance, their UK site mentions One Piece... (But indeed, Naruto doesn't mention Funimation anywhere, while a lot of the other 'Manga Entertainment' DVD's do. - they don't in fact mention anything other than the japanese copyright holder... )

Internet searches do lead to evidence of their being multiple versions of Naruto (including multiple DVD releases with different editing). Some of them heavily edited. (such as for use on a disney channel)

Unfortunately, even the video I thought I had access to I can't find. (Either because I don't have it bookmarked, it's been removed from youtube, or possibly both.)

Ehm. I give up. Clearly something's completely off about what I thought I knew.

But it still seems my principal point more or less remains true...

Well, I know nothing about anime dubbing and distribution in the UK other than that Manga Entertainment exists, but in the US Naruto belongs to Viz Media, and they haven't released multiple DVD versions as far as I know. Any censorship is of course the responsibility of individual broadcast channels, but if it was widespread I feel like I would have heard about it. Censorship is a touchy subject, particularly for anime - people have gone over every single episode of every Yu-Gi-Oh! series with a fine-tooth comb to identify each and every alteration 4Kids made over the years.

Speaking of which, One Piece was originally dubbed by 4Kids. Which was...amusing, I assume (I wasn't watching at the time). Through some sort of divine intervention, Funimation gained the license for it - it's actually jointly held with Viz, or something - and that's the story of the anime with two dubs.

 

[knight steel]

Hmm.

Well, of the anime I've seen, Elfen Lied is definitely up there as being brutal.

'She, the ultimate weapon' (the title varies a bit, so I'm not entirely sure what to call it) is... Also quite messed up, though perhaps not in a way that could be described as brutal as such.

Oh, but going with 'kids' anime...

Naruto. Seriously, that's been heavily edited for western audiences to make it more child-friendly, but when you see the unedited versions, you see why.

Naruto (and many of the other characters) get the crap kicked out of them on a regular basis, and often in quite sadistic ways.
I mean, a lot of the core premise of the series (when it isn't being silly) is about using other people for your own ends, and whether or not you should care about what that does to them...

Naruto, when you look at it is really messed up.

Couldn't agree more, I mean when you really get down to it the main premise of the show [at least in part 1] is about CHILD SOLDIERS!!.
I mean just look at Gaara's back story as an example, when he is born he had a demon sealed inside him so he could be a weapon causing his mother to die in child birth-this lead for him to grow up alone while the sand controlled by said demon prevents any harm to him but also attacks and butches other's around him-because of this the only person who loved him his uncle is ordered by his father the head of the village to kill him-this all leading to Gaara who's only a child to love only himself and validate his existence through killing!

 

[Iron_will]

Hence my questions, Escapists: what is the most brutal anime you've seen? Could be an entire series, or maybe just one episode of an otherwise not-quite-so-brutal series.

Well, the most recent one I've watched that was rather violent --if only for the end of the second episode-- was Muv Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse.

Spoiler: I'll let these series of .gifs describe it for me.

Spoiler: This was actually censored in the TV broadcast; the BDs have this particular scene in all its bloody glory.

I highly recommend not watching it. The anime itself... isn't very good. I only continued watching it for the mecha.

 

[Sylveria]

Elfen Lied was my first, but only because it really strives to be so.

Before Higurashi I would count Deadman Wonderland as the 2nd most brutal from the ones that I've seen.

Spoiler

There's a scene where one guy gets splashed with acid, his flesh starts to dissolve to the bone in a pretty nasty way, then he's sobbing and cries out for his mom before being slowly crushed feet first. Yeah I felt a little ill seeing that.

.

Yeah.. Deadman Wonderland probably tops for me to. It may not be as over-the top as some.. but the way it seems to take it's time with the brutality. Probably the only anime I ever had to stop watching cause the violence actually got to me. It's basically torture porn taken to new and different levels.

 

[Madara XIII]

- Hellsing Ultimate (Fanfucking tastic Anime)
- Baccano (Few select brutal scenes but a well done anime)
- Berserk (Need I say more!? It's so damn good)


- Elfen Lied (Brutal, but that anime's story can go fuck itself.)


And last but not least.

[HEADING=2]JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE ANIME [/HEADING]

SO BRUTAL! SO MUDA

I dunno about JoJo. It is AMAZING manga and (so far) great anime, but it is not all that brutal, compared to other existing examples of anime gore. I only thought that violence there is disturbing during scenes with dogs, but I always feel sorry for hurt dogs and cats.

I'll be mainstream and go with Elfen Lied. It's a rather crappy anime, but no other one made me so... Revolted by what I saw on a screen.

I listed JoJo's simply because of how violent things could get in parts 1 and 2 from the Manga and seeing the anime pull it off did wonders for me. But majority of the time Dio was ever on screen or the Pillar men were, I always expected some serious mutilation and was never disappointed.

Hell a main character always dies in JoJo's and not to mention that Dio spared a woman's life just to turn her into a vampire in which she ate her own baby.
That's kinda fucked up. But it's action and fabulous posing does balance out the gore. So I can understand where you're coming from.

 

[Cpu46]

Kurokami was pretty brutal. The first few fights conveyed momentum and impacts incredibly well, far better than most anime I have seen. Later on they introduced magic superpowers that made the fights feel less dynamic and physical but still keep a tone more brutal than any of the big 3. The tone was also pretty dark, if spastic, at times. There was once scene that went from lighthearted to pitch black with just once line of dialogue between the two. The second half really lost the brutal feeling though and started feeling more like predictable 'friendship beats all' anime.

... This thread makes me realize that I really don't watch brutal anime.

Oh wait, Hellsing. So brutal that I can't really put words to it.

 

[Angie7F]

EOE, Higurashi, Berserk. right now, I am into JoJo all over again.
Even Madoka Magica has its moments.
But I think that is the appeal of anime. Being brutal but not as gross as it would be in real life.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Spoiler: Fullmetal Alchemist

The scene towards the end of the first anime where King Bradley strangles his son to death. Despite the overall depressing nature of the series, that was the first scene to really make me go, "Shit...that's brutal." It doesn't even have to be visceral; it was more psychologically brutal than anything, because the kid just wanted to help his father.)

I agree with this too. The characters and emotions and pretty much every thing were just so well done in that show that every death was made into an actual tragedy, compared to something silly as Elfin Lied. That specific part you mentioned really stood out for me as well.

Spoiler: more FMA

As well the girl being fused with the family dog, watching Greed slowly dying like he was suffering, the town turning into stone or some shit, Crimson and Scar making people explode like it's nothing, Marta slowly pierced inside Alphonse, etc. It's pretty fucking hectic.

Indeed. Even though I prefer the Brotherhood anime to the 2003 anime, the 2003 anime still has its fair share of brutal scenes.