Table of Content
21+ Anime with Disappointing Endings
Have you ever felt like the whole show you were watching just got ruined by a poorly written ending? Well, I certainly have, and it’s not a good feeling at all. This principle won’t apply to every anime, but sometimes, all that we have experienced along the way can feel pointless with no real follow-up.
In this list, I will be ranking the 22 most debated and disappointing anime endings of all time. They will be ranked on four aspects from 1 to 10: completely unexpected developments, the lack of emotional impact, no special reveals or too many pointless twists, and the missing conclusion of every storyline. 10 is the worst possible score in this case.
Table of Contents
Chotto Matte!!
Please understand that this list is completely subjective, and this is just my version of the worst ending rankings. No anime on this list is unwatchable or terrible, I have even put some of my favorites in because I wasn’t satisfied with the endings of those particular anime. Now, let’s jump right into it!
22. Monster
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
19/40 |
Monster was a fantastic psychological thriller, almost like a perfect story of a real criminal mind. Johan Liebert is considered the best anime villain by many, and he kind of deserves the title. Exploring how insane a human being can be, Monster should not make an appearance on a list like this.
Sadly, the last episode didn’t quite keep up the quality of the first 73. The final decision of the other protagonist, Kenzou Tenma just wasn’t reasonable (no spoilers), and the most open-ended ending was born on that day. But other than that, I can only recommend Monster.
21. Moriarty the Patriot
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
1 |
8 |
3 |
20/40 |
Moriarty the Patriot is quite similar to Code Geass, but their endings are not really the same. Sure, the former wanted to copy the famous Lelouch ending, where the protagonist sacrifices himself for a better world, but William James Moriarty wasn’t cut out for an act like that.
Albeit being an evil genius for most of the series, only serving for the justice of the people, he gave in at the last minute against the power of friendship. William faked his death to live as nothing happened, and it’s not a virtuous act from the one who killed many nobles while preaching about virtues.
20. Death Note
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6 |
2 |
9 |
3 |
20/40 |
Death Note is probably the most mainstream anime, and it was responsible for bringing this type of animation to the Western world. While the impact of this show is not up to a debate, the ending certainly is.
Many fans criticized the character Near from the last third of the series, claiming that he solved the Kira case too fast, and his whole reasoning was just a gamble. Madhouse sadly wrapped up that part too quickly, as in the manga the L part and the Near part would be almost equal in length. Meh, disappointing AF.
19. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
2 |
10 |
2 |
23/40 |
Gurren Lagann has a great reputation as a space-action and mecha series. The fans don’t really bring it up anymore nowadays, but mostly everyone is satisfied with the outcome. There is one minor issue though, the ending.
Endings don’t have to be positive all the time. We don’t need perfect happy endings to make an anime even better, dark conclusions are reliable choices too. But in this case, it’s a little different.
The protagonist, Simon, blew up an airship that powered an alien race that his bride, Nia belonged to, so she just faded away right there at the wedding. How can you make something like this?
18. KADO: The Right Answer
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4 |
5 |
5 |
9 |
23/40 |
KADO had the great opportunity to explore a different type of geopolitical anime: one where aliens arrive on the Earth. Their technology greatly affects the glow of our lives, and the presentation was realistic enough.
The ending alone wasn’t the problem by itself in this case. KADO started dropping the initial smart quality from the 9th episode, and the only thing that came after were some meaningless fights.
I mean, what more can you want, right? Meaningless fights are boring unless it’s Dragon ball. Because every fight is meaningless there. (KIDDING!)
17. Big Order
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
9 |
7 |
2 |
25/40 |
Big Order isn’t an easy one to talk about. The author of Future’s Diary jumped into action again with another highly controversial anime. You can tell that easily, as the two top reviews on MAL differ a bit: one is a 10, the other is a 1. Pretty opposite, right?
If you could wish for anything, what would it be? That choice should have never been given to Eiji, who didn’t tell us his wish, but he caused the „Great Destruction” with it.
As everything was falling apart, the show did too. But the ending gave it another slap, as Eiji just used the exact same wishing technique at the end, reverting the events to where they stood at the start. This alone made the whole story pointless, like waking up from a dream.
16. Kokoro Connect
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
8 |
6 |
2 |
25/40 |
Kokoro Connect chose a rather interesting theme for the main slice of life aspect. Involving mystery wouldn’t be a big deal by itself, but the events were so dark right from the start that you couldn’t tell that this is just a slice of life comedy.
The problem came around the last bits of the series. You see, the original season only had 13 episodes, but they ended off the show with an insane cliffhanger, and the answers only came in a four-part OVA release.
It was an anime original, the story just didn’t connect with the previous events, and everything that happened was unreasonable.
15. Scum’s Wish
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
5 |
5 |
9 |
26/40 |
Scum’s Wish/Kuzu no Honkai is not a bedtime watch, and I could only recommend it to the mature audience, those who can understand the projected meaning of the disturbing scenes in this anime. It is very unique, and I have been searching for a long time to find something similar to this.
The ending sadly didn’t give us any reasonable conclusion, and everything that happens is just the worst outcome imaginable. The characters constantly made bad decisions, but the level of meaningless crap happening at the end was disappointing.
14. Akame Ga Kill!
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
9 |
3 |
7 |
26/40 |
Akame Ga Kill! was a pumpy shonen action from the start. The events weren’t thought out perfectly, but things like that aren’t needed in a series like that. We had memorable characters, like General Esdeath, and plenty of humor to fill our days with.
The story derailed from the adapted original work at the end, and it made no sense to the people who actually spent attention on the story. For those who didn’t, it wasn’t a big deal. Anyway, the ending was unreasonable and left many with distrust towards anime like this.
13. Hyouka
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
7 |
3 |
8 |
26/40 |
Hyouka always comes under the radars for some reason, so I’ve decided to include it even though the main topic is not a positive aspect of this show. Hyouka might be the most realistic anime out there, as really nothing happens besides the inspection of rather mundane but beautiful student life.
Hyouka was adapted from a light novel, and not every part of the original work got to be included in the anime.
This basically means that there wasn’t a conclusion planned from the start, and knowing that a second season never came out, and probably never will, we couldn’t see one bit of romance between the mains in a romance anime. It is mainly a slice of life of course, but this outcome angered the fans.
12. Magical Warfare
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5 |
9 |
5 |
8 |
27/40 |
Magical Warfare is the proof that Madhouse can make mid anime too. The title perfectly indicates what this series is about: magical warfare, but sadly nothing else. The show lacks every kind of logical buildup, and the action part can be criticized too.
There is not much to say about it, the fans were quite pissed off too. Poor writing can rarely be fixed by other elements, but in this case, we have nothing. The ending was also just a massive cliffhanger, and as you can guess, and a sequel never came. Not as if it would have been better.
11. Soul Eater
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10 |
9 |
5 |
3 |
27/40 |
Bones always does a good job with action, but they tend to edit their scripts quite a bit and they sometimes rewrite the events of the adapted work. The quality won’t change that much, as they are talented people, but some stories might lose their meaning in the process.
Soul Eater is still a pretty popular show, people tend to bring it up from time to time, but the ending just wasn’t right.
The whole story puts emphasis on the power of teamwork and the skills of using magical weapons, but in the last fight, Maka defeated the boss with just one punch in the face, while her comrades were just watching from the sideline. Call that uneventful, huh!
10. Osomatsu-San
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
4 |
8 |
8 |
28/40 |
You’ve heard about the Quintessential Quintuplets. This anime features six completely useless main characters, who are all identical siblings. While their personalities are different, they can all agree on one thing: laziness is fine.
None of them can get jobs, girlfriends, or anything done, but the tone slowly shifts in favor of improvements. Watching them is quite fun along the way, but in the last episode, every bit of change is thrown out of the window. The characters are back to square one from their respectable progress due to dumb reasoning and without answers.
9. FullMetal Alchemist (2003)
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
3 |
8 |
8 |
28/40 |
While almost everyone knows of Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, the original adaptation often fades into the void. It isn’t a question why the remake turned out better, but the first one wasn’t so bad either.
As most of the content in this work was anime original, Bones decided to spice it up to the max. The outcome was so dark, so depressing, and unfulfilling in every way that the ending wasn’t even the scariest part of it.
Fans still couldn’t forgive such a cruel conclusion to the story where no one could actually find happiness. I believe that it’s a good anime, but you have to be prepared for a wild ride.
8. Charlotte
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10 |
3 |
9 |
6 |
28/40 |
Charlotte is a hard one to fit into any list actually, as fans would argue about its worth for ages. Some say it’s underrated, some say it’s overrated, but the ending is simply horrendous.
Charlotte featured many interesting concepts of superpowers throughout the show, but it failed to connect each one of them to the main plot. It feels like that every action in this anime was pointless, and this idea later actually gets proven by the main character.
After a while, his real power gets revealed, which isn’t just body-hopping or time travel, but he can collect every superpower for himself. The last episode feels like a completely different show, and it was just crazy, to begin with.
7. Wonder Egg Priority
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
9 |
5 |
8 |
29/40 |
Wonder Egg Priority was one of the big guns of the 2021 Winter Season. While it wasn’t picked up immediately, the quality soon went head on head with the more popular shows of the time.
Sadly, the conclusion didn’t come right away in the last episode, and the fans had to wait for months to put their hands on the final OVA. Let’s just say that it did not live up to the expectations. The whole 50-minute long episode was pointless as a whole, and most of the time it was just a recap of the previous events.
6. Digimon Adventure 2
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
5 |
9 |
7 |
30/40 |
As a big fan of the Digimon series, it was a hard decision to put the second season up this high. While it is nowhere near as good as the previous or upcoming works, overall it wasn’t a bad show.
The new cast of the Digidestined discovered new kinds of evolutions and types of Digimon, and some of the characters were just as fine as the original ones. To our surprise, the season didn’t end with them just defeating the final boss Digimon, but we were allowed to take a look at the characters’ futures.
Well, it was a whole mess. None of the cast members had jobs or activities matching their personalities and ambitions, and the main ship of the season, TK and Kari didn’t end up together. The creators likely have never seen anime before writing this. And, oh! Did I mention that this is a kid’s show?
5. Sword Art Online
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
4 |
9 |
9 |
31/40 |
I wouldn’t be the first person to complain about SAO, but as we are talking about bad endings, I had to include it. The ending was even worse than the regular show, which is a bold claim.
The fans of the series didn’t care about the meaningless and dumb plot anymore, and they happily consumed the new seasons of SAO over the years. But now, the series ended, with no conclusions whatsoever.
Kayaba, the main villain basically didn’t give an answer on why did he seal thousands of children in a video game. But he gave the code that allowed him to do that to Kirito, who made the brilliant decision to release it to the public. It is a nice option to produce more sequels, but dumb as hell.
4. Neon Genesis Evangelion
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10 |
2 |
10 |
10 |
32/40 |
Some people might still be haunted by this “masterpiece” even after 20 years of watching it. Evangelion is often regarded as one of the best psychological shows, spiced up with action and comedy. The story was very interesting, and the opening also deserves some praise.
The problems started where not even the creators knew what should come next. The last few episodes were insanely hard to understand. And the actual last one is either pure nonsense, or a genius study of the human mind, but I doubt anyone could really enjoy it like that. How can something be so absurd?
3. Tokyo Ghoul Root A
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7 |
7 |
9 |
9 |
32/40 |
Tokyo Ghoul rocked an interesting first season in 2014, and the manga is still considered pretty good work. Sadly the adaptations derailed over the years, and for seemingly no reason. Let’s explore it a bit!
Root A wasn’t a direct sequel to the outstanding first season, but an anime original. We, to this day, couldn’t have found a reason why it was made like that, as none of the developments made any sense. The ending was horrible as well, and don’t even expect a continuation to the story just yet!
Years later, another season was released, named Tokyo Ghoul: re. That had absolutely no connection to the previous stuff either, and it showcased a story that would happen if the parts of the second season had followed the manga. Absolute nuts.
2. Erased
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9 |
10 |
10 |
4 |
33/40 |
Erased is a wonderful story all around. Anyone interested in thrillers could find their enjoyment, and also have a time traveler concept at our hands! How could this be ruined?
It wasn’t ruined to the fullest for sure, but for psychological and thriller shows, the ending is key. The twisted storylines have to be concluded perfectly for it to make an impact, and that sadly just isn’t present in Erased.
Satoru travels back in time to save his friend from a murderer, and at the end of the series, he does corner the man. The serial killer on the other was just a simple tool for the author with no emotions, no motives that would make his character impactful. The catharsis never arrived in Erased, leaving a nice buildup hanging forever.
1. Made in Abyss
| Unexpected | Lack of Impact | Twist | No Precise Ending | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
8 |
8 |
10 |
34/40 |
Made in Abyss was a fantastic new release of 2017. Everyone was hyped about the interesting new concept, the exotic levels of the abyss, and the mysteries that were still left to discover. What could have gone wrong?
Well, in the first season not much really. If I wrote this list in 2017, I would never put Made in Abyss at the top, or even in the rankings. Sadly, after four years, the studio did nothing but make more and more pointless films that don’t explore the story any further, but they serve as great money-making moves.
I was invested to see what’s at the bottom of the abyss! That’s the main point of the franchise! But no, not even the manga is finished yet.
It could have been concluded sooner, and I can assure you that Made in Abyss would have gone down in history as a wonderful series, but like this, not a chance.
Which Anime has the Worst Ending? 😈
These were my picks for the worst endings. I hope that none of you feel like I ruined your favorite shows, this was just my opinion. Make sure to tell us your ideas about the worst endings in the comment section! 👇
Also, check out our other articles related to this topic!
