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Sometimes, an anime will go in a certain direction just to take a sudden U-turn. Here are the most shocking plot twists in anime.
A great story always takes its audience on an unexpected journey that brings thrill and excitement. One plot device that authors, including mangakas, often use is a plot twist. It’s an effective and proven way to make a work of fiction engaging, including in anime.
The anime world has had some of the most well-acclaimed stories in its history. From a villain’s false pretense to a tragic history behind major events, these shocking plot twists in anime elevate their respective stories to another level.
7. King Has No Power in One Punch Man
If you’re a One Punch Man fan, you’re already familiar with this man. King, the Class S Rank 7 hero, was dubbed the strongest man on earth. His signature King’s Engine terrified any monster that accidentally stepped across his path. However, that is just what people see on the outside.
The second season of One Punch Man revealed that King actually had no power whatsoever. A manga reader might not be surprised by this fact, but for anime-only fans of this series, that was an unexpected turn of events. It is worth noting that the anime debuted back in 2015. However, the second season only came out in 2019.
Anime-only fans had to wait quite a long time just to see King’s lack of power. Despite that, his reputation had traveled far, even among the monsters. The lack of information on his supposedly real power also didn’t help debunk his widespread notoriety. So, instead of overwhelming his enemies with unstoppable force like Saitama, King inadvertently outmatched his enemies with his reputation and a series of misunderstandings. It’s a comedic and fitting gag throughout the story of One Punch Man.
6. Makima Was a Devil All Along
Makima is a villain in the Chainsaw Man story. Her interaction with the protagonist of the Public Safety Saga, Denji, began when she found him in the aftermath of his battle against the Zombie Devil. Under her leadership, Denji had a new hope for a better life than working for the Yakuza. For Denji, Makima was a breath of fresh air in his cruel life.
However, Makima’s real identity was not the woman Denji had in mind. It was first revealed that Makima had the power to kill a person remotely. However, it wasn’t clear from where she got this power—either she made a contract with a Devil or she took another unknown way to achieve it.
Her true identity was revealed later in the manga. In Chapter 75, it became crystal clear that she was the Control Devil, one of the Four Horsemen Sisters. The Control Devil was among the strongest devils to ever exist. The real reason why she chased Denji was because she wanted only the Chainsaw Devil and to put it under her command. All of Makima’s kindness and generosity was an elaborate scheme to reach her own goal.
5. Eren Couldn’t Alter His Fate
The ending of Attack on Titan threw anime fans off with how Eren reasoned with Armin. Starting from the attack on Liberio, the anime takes a different approach to Eren’s character. The audience simply sees Eren from a third-person perspective, with little to no glimpse of what he’s actually thinking. This change shifts the focus to the perspective of the other characters instead, making predicting what was in Eren’s mind even harder.
In the finale of Attack on Titan, fans finally got Eren’s unfiltered thoughts when Armin confronted him. Instead of the person craving freedom that he had been synonymous with, Eren revealed he was bound to make certain decisions. It’s because the power of the Founding Titan lay on Ymir’s shoulders, not Eren’s. At the end of the day, it’s Ymir’s decision that drives the story of Attack on Titan.
What might confuse fans is that Ymir hadn’t shown agency for herself; rather, she always obeyed King Fritz even after two thousand years. The Founding Titan also affected the holder’s perspective of time. Instead of perceiving time as linear, it all became simultaneous. So, Eren never had any choice other than moving forward to the path set by Ymir, with full knowledge of all the monstrosities that happened.
4. Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s Surprise for Muzan
The head of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, might give off the impression of someone with a soft-spoken and calm personality. Throughout the story, not even once did he raise his voice to anyone, even when speaking to Muzan, the source of all demons and evil in the Demon Slayer world.
In his dying breath, coughing blood and weakened, Ubuyashiki told Muzan of his determination to have Muzan killed. He also revealed to the demon king that they were actually from the same bloodline. Interestingly, Muzan lent his ears to Kagaya. He also noted that he didn’t feel any hatred or malice throughout the conversation. However, just when Muzan was about to end Kagaya’s life, the whole mansion exploded.
Muzan deeply underestimated Kagaya’s resolve to put him to death. He put his guard down knowing that there was no guard to be found. Even more so, Kagaya’s wife and two of his children were around during the whole ordeal. Viewers were just as surprised as Muzan was when Kagaya and his family sacrificed themselves as bait for Muzan. It was a display of Kagaya’s determination to have the Demon Slayer Corps finish off the demon king.
3. Itachi’s Reasons for Wiping Out the Uchiha Clan
The Uchiha brothers had always been the most enigmatic characters in the whole Naruto series. Even since the beginning of the series, Sasuke was already cold, calculated, and mysterious. It’s later revealed he held a huge grudge against his brother, Itachi. Sasuke made it clear that he needed to be a capable ninja to strike down his brother. The reason why he wanted to kill his brother so badly was that Itachi had murdered the whole Uchiha clan five years ago.
Understandably, it made Sasuke’s character more compelling to root for. After all, he was seeking revenge for his clan, though sometimes it made him too fixated on getting stronger. However, it wasn’t as if Itachi did that horrendous act for no reason. The truth behind his action was one of the most shocking plot twists in anime.
In the past, the Uchiha clan had a stained record in the eyes of the Hidden Leaf village leaders. The village was formed under an agreement between two rival clans, the Uchiha and the Senju clan. However, the peace started to crack yet again when the Uchiha began scheming to overthrow the government.
At this time, Itachi served as a spy for the village advisor, Danzo Shimura. Hearing his own clan’s scheme, Itachi made his report and was commanded to end his clan. Danzo gave Itachi a deeply troublesome dilemma. If Itachi had sided with his clan, he would have risked civil war and endangered his brother. In the end, Itachi swallowed the hard pill and chose to secure a peaceful future for his brother.
2. Aizen’s Betrayal in Bleach
Aizen’s betrayal remains one of the most shocking plot twists in anime. His role in Bleach shaped the story and drove the plot into chaos full of twists and surprises. It all began after Rukia Kuchiki’s fate was put on the line. Rukia had to face capital punishment for transferring her Shinigami power to Ichigo.
Ichigo and his friends snuck into Soul Society and began their search for Rukia. But, suddenly, the fifth division’s captain of Gotei 13 was found dead, and the intruders were under suspicion of his death.
However, it was Aizen’s ploy to bring chaos and enable him to steal the Hogyoku from Rukia, which later he used to make hollows with Shinigami-like powers, the Arrancar. However, his main reason was that he wanted to ascend and replace the Soul King. Stealing Rukia’s Hogyoku and creating the Arrancar was merely a stepping stone to his grand plan.
1. Nina Tucker’s Gruesome Fate in Fullmetal Alchemist
Compared to the rest of the story in this list, Nina Tucker’s fate is shorter, with only a couple of episodes to cover it. However, it remains one of the saddest stories and shocking plot twists in anime of all time. Nina was the five-year-old daughter of Shou Tucker, a state alchemist who had an interest in chimera. At first glance, the father and daughter seemed to have a decent relationship.
However, Shou was at a low point in his career. He hadn’t presented a breakthrough in his research. Understandably, he was in constant fear of losing his research privileges and his state alchemist certification.
However, the protagonist, Edward, had his suspicions after he learned about Shou’s previous chimera experiment. But, all the chimera said was that it wanted to die, and it ended up starving itself to death. Not to mention, Edward had heard a conflicting narrative about Shou’s missing wife. So, he rushed into Shou’s house at night and confronted him.
In Shou’s basement, Shou showed Edward his newly created chimera. However, there’s something eerie in its appearance and the way it addressed Edward. It turned out, Shou had transmuted Nina and their family dog into a chimera. In the end, Nina ran away and was killed by an anti-alchemist vigilante named Scar.
Conclusion
These plot twists have been some of the most iconic moments in anime. Some made the respective stories even more memorable for fans and brought such an impact that drove most of the plots. Furthermore, they’re also a testament that the anime world is full of authors with imaginative minds.
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