Anime content in the 80s and 90s were so violent that American media companies hesitated in distributing them. As an effect of the VHS era, these violent anime films made their way into the underground market.
They came to be known for their ghastly ideas and morbid plots that were too twisted for the average audience’s comfort. They encompassed a wide array of genres ranging from post-apocalyptic horror to nihilistic cyberpunk. The only thing common between them- gore!
In this video, we will take you through some of the craziest ultra-violent anime from this Golden Era of Anime. If you are easily offended or disturbed by extreme forms of graphic violence, now is the time to look away because this is going to be one mean ride!
Apocalypse Zero
Set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, two siblings Harara and Kakugo are being trained to take on some monsters that have taken over the city. To fight the beasts, they are given the Fortified Armored Shells made from the soul of deceased warriors.
However, things take a turn for the worst as Harara changes her loyalty and becomes an evil entity out to wipe out humanity. Now it is upon Kakugo to halt his evil sister and defeat her in an excruciating battle to save all of humanity.
This is one of the most hated anime titles, but we feel that harsh criticism is somewhat unfair. It is true that the Manga version has a much bigger and more comprehensive storyline that has been chopped and edited to fit into this short narrative. Even then, the characters and exciting plot make it pretty enjoyable for the viewer.
We particularly loved watching the evil nature of Harara, which was so effective in this anime. The protagonist Kakugo has an impressive stoic personality and will remind you of Kenshiro. One of the reasons that made Apocalypse Zero acquire a lot of hate is the rampant violence and sexual imagery.
There are moments where blood and guts splatter everywhere, and there is one particularly disturbing scene where a young girl is squished by a giant mutant. The short series isn’t perfect and barely covers 1/5th of the actual source material. However, with unusual character designs, the cult atmosphere, and the tension-filled storyline, this can be a fun anime to watch!
Demon City Shinjuku
The city of Shinjuku is seen falling apart after a diabolical psychic Rebi Ra opens the portal to hell unleashing the hellish demons. Kyoya has already lost his father who died fighting Rebi Ra and now he must take the baton and finish what his father started.
As he battles the deadly forces unleashing terror in the city, he also manages to save a woman from impending doom. His ultimate goal is to defeat Rebi Ra, but will he succeed in this impossible mission?
This is certainly not for those who look for some food for thought in their anime. The rather simplistic plot is all about excitement and is filled with violence and vulgarity. There are some endearing characters who make the viewing a fun experience, and one of the interesting ones would have to be Theres Mephisto, the mysterious character who helps Kyoya but is uncertain which side he is on! One of the drawing points for this anime was the quality of animation that can put some of the modern-day anime to shame.
The vibrant dark color that has been used is perfectly suited for the theme, and the fight scenes are fun to watch. The aesthetics and atmosphere will keep your eyes glued to the screen. This is one of the earlier works of the famous anime director Kawajiri, and while it does lack the finesse, it shows glimpses of his genius. Watch it for the cool demons and tons of action!
Devilman: The Birth
An ordinary high school kid Akira is often tormented by his bullies until one day when his friend Ryou comes to his rescue and they eventually head out to a nightclub to catch up. At the nightclub they witness rather strange phenomena as the partygoers start transforming into monsters when provoked with violence.
A demon Amon saves them and instead possesses Akira making him the Devilman! Akira manages to retain his compassionate nature while bearing the strength of a devil. Can he save the humans from the evil demonic forces?
Based on the Manga Devilman, this OVA film marked the debut of the director, Umanosuke Iida. While it is an impressive effort, there are some glaring issues with the pacing of the anime. Some scenes do take the spark out of the storyline where Akira and Ryou are just staring at each other for no good reason!
Where the anime shines is the artwork that has gone into the making. The landscapes towards the beginning are scenic, and the character sketches are simply spot-on. We also loved the look of the monsters, and do keep your heart ready for the super gory action scene at the end!
There are shortcomings in terms of the bizarre dialogues or the awkward pacing, but the anime is worth your time if you are willing to enjoy the trippy unnatural atmosphere that perfectly colorizes Nagai’s iconic horror Manga.
Mad Bull 34
John Estes, also known as Mad Bull for his harsh and violent methods, is a tough cop with the most righteous of intentions but rather volatile and ‘unpoliceman-like’ in execution that gets him in trouble. He is partnered with a newly recruited rookie officer. Together they must work to keep the city safe at a time when the crime rate is off the charts.
This 4-part anime series is full of political incorrectness that can easily offend uptight audiences. However, it is a pretty funny action-comedy series that you will love if you don’t take to seriously. In many ways, it is somewhat like an anime version of Lethal Weapon and is full of graphic violence that is not for the squeamish to handle.
Mad Bull is quite a character, and it starts off with him having differences with his partner over his methods! Slowly, just like in buddy cop movies, the mismatched duo manages to work together, and the action heats up.
The anime series is bulked up on misogyny, racial stereotypes, and anti-heroes who have a minimum moral compulsion. It shows the Japanese warped view of American culture, and as much as you can criticize the trashy narrative, you will enjoy the thrill-ride for sure!
Wicked City
A treaty that was forged hundreds of years ago ensures that peace prevails between the two realms of Earth and the Black World. Now when the time has finally come to renew the teaty some evil forces decide to come together to stop that from happening. The onus is now on
Taki Renzaburo and a sexy demon named Makie to protect the diplomat who is the central in keeping the peace between the two worlds for once and for all. Being hunted down by an army of multidimensional assassins, they will have to do their best to protect the diplomat and ensure that peace between the two worlds is preserved.
Wicked City is one such anime that would certainly get the Hentai tag had it not been for the solid plotline. The makers have carefully woven the adult content within the story, and although the narrative goes overboard with the gory violence and nudity, it is still an intriguing watch.
The director is Kawajiri, the same guy who made Demon City Shinjuku, and while the names might sound similar, the two anime are completely unrelated. Some gruesome moments will remind you of the horrors of H.P. Lovecraft, and visually it can be pretty unforgiving for the audience.
There is also some extreme sexual content alongside a partial rape scene that will give you the jitters. What makes the dark atmosphere all the more terrifying is a remarkable animation that will blow your mind! It is really tough to explain the experience of watching Wicked City, and you really have to watch it yourself to get the hang of things!
Crying Freeman
The film is premised on a ruthless assassin working for a secret organization. After a young woman witnesses him in action, he is obliged by the rules of his business to finish her off to remove any possible evidences.
However, the tables turn when she falls for her and goes on to protect her from impending harm. His lady love is being hunted down by a local criminal gang which has connections with the Tokyo police as well. The duo is placed in a difficult situation where they must keep their wits running to protect one another and survive.
This ultra-violent anime was based upon a best-selling manga, and the focus was on the Portrait of a Killer arc of the story. The protagonist is as interesting as you would find, and he gets his name from his nature of yearning to be free even though he is programmed to act emotionless.
His relationship with the young lady is the turning point, and the romantic elements in the story are pretty dramatic. Bloodshed is rampant, and Freeman fights against the attackers sent to stop him.
Despite the use of colors, this anime manages to capture the black-and-white drawings in the manga with amazing accuracy. Later, the popularity of this anime prompted the movie Crying Freeman starring Mark Dacascos. While the movie is entertaining as well, it can’t beat the charm and brutality of this original version.
Angel Cop
A fearsome communist terrorist group that goes by the name Red May has gone on to become a threat to peace and stability. To stop this deadly organization, a Secret Security Force is assembled and ensured with the task of doing so.
Angel is one such officer who has just been recruited to the anti-terrorist squad but she witnesses rather strange things happening as the members of Red May start dying in a gruesome fashion under unknown circumstances. She believes that a third party may have been involved in the scheme of things. Can Angel get to the bottom of things and find out who is behind the brutal killings and why?
This six-part direct-to-video anime series is a hard-hitting cyberpunk show which culminates into an uncompromisingly violent gore-fest. However, it is not mindless violence, and the makers have clearly focused on aspects like plot building and character development.
Conceptually, Angel Cop is unique and ahead of its time, and even with the limited resources, the presentation is praise-worthy. This non-stop action romp witnesses everything from heads popping out, dismemberments, and flesh burning! We loved the slow-mo shootouts, psychotic superhuman killers, and the vengeful cyborgs in action.
The moments of dark humor will lighten the mood, and political correctness is completely absent here. The animation quality is surprisingly good for the times, and the eerie music will actually get to you sometimes! If you are up for an adrenaline-pumping action anime that tests your limits, we would recommend trying out Angel Cop!
Kite
A young orphan Sawa is used as an assassin by a corrupt cop. This young school girl is recruited by the crooked man with the promise of assuring her, her revenge. This cop makes her kill people by telling her of their crimes.
Everything goes almost smoothly until a teenage boy is recruited to work alongside her. Soon enough they develop a bond and heal each other’s trauma while planning to start a life far away from crime and murder.
There is a thin line where some explicit anime shows cross over into the world of Hentai. In the case of Kite, the line is barely even there, thanks to the graphic sexual content and violence. But in reality, it is a thought-provoking crime thriller that falls under the category of hyper-violent OVAs of the 90s.
The animation quality is smooth throughout the anime, and the detailing is pretty impressive. The fight scenes provide the viewer with some nail-biting moments, and you will relish the soundtrack that is mostly based upon jazz pieces. The scene where Sawa is fighting bodyguards in a public restroom and the fight sequence on the train will give you goosebumps.
We only have one complaint regarding the short duration of this anime, which was only two episodes and lasted about an hour in total! If you can brave the raunchy moments and extreme gore, you have a creative cult-classic that will show you how taxing watching anime can be!
Violence Jack
The world order has plunged into chaos after the Earth is struck by a comet. This catastrophic event has led infrastructure on the planet to be ruined beyond repair. As for the survivors, they are either oppressed or the oppressor!
In what is now a hellish post-apocalyptic planet where biker gang and violent criminals run free, there is only one man to stand up to them- Violence Jack. The lone hope for humanity, he has a rather interesting method of fighting where he counters violence with more violence!
As you can guess from the plotline, this anime series is a bloodbath that is certainly meant for a mature audience. It is considered to be a part of the Devil Man series, and the story is pretty basic.
You have a protagonist who almost behaves robotic with minimal dialogues and a couple of grunts and growls in action. The villainous characters are so notorious that you would actually celebrate their demise instead of feeling bad for their grisly ends. However, it is not just the violent part that keeps you shifting in your seats.
The sexual nature of some of this violence, rape scenes, in particular, are unpleasant and can be intolerable for some people. It is three episodes of absolute mayhem, and you might just give it a try if you have the stomach for such content!
Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend
The three worlds of the humans, the beast, and demon exist peacefully. However, their peace and order is soon to be threatened by a powerful demon called Overfiend who is supposed to be born after three thousand year. Following his birth, Overfiend will try to shape the World as per his liking. Will it be the end of the world as we know it, or can there be a way out from this sticky situation?
Have you ever watched something repulsive, and yet you couldn’t take your eyes off the screen? Well, this anime flick will make you experience the dilemma. The story is interesting, but the execution sometimes becomes a bit too much to handle.
For instance, the sadistic violence, rape scenes, and grotesque creatures with tentacle penises make it look like some documentary filmed in hell. It is a nightmarish representation of a bizarre turn of events that are hardly explainable in a sane state of mind. We also found it pretty disturbing that some of the voice-actors in this ruthlessly violent anime were children.
However, there is way more good stuff than flaws in this endearing anime, and the characters have been brought to life through some innovative artistry. The English dubbing is pathetic, and we would always recommend watching it with subtitles to enjoy it to the fullest!
Genocyber
Premised in a futuristic world, the concept of boundaries among nations is being eliminated while nations are being merged. During this process, the private armies of private corporations disrupt the peace and order.
The Genocyber is a deadly combination of psychic potential and cybernetics, and it has been devised by the Kuryu group that plans to utilize this to shift world power in their favor. But the manipulation of such monstrosity is never a good idea and soon enough, the World is engulfed in violence, the likes of which you haven’t seen before!
Genocyber is easily among the goriest and most traumatizing anime that you will ever see in your life. The plot can be a bit confusing for some, and it shows the attempt to try something radical and new.
This 5-part series might have some exciting content, but the violence is off-putting for many. The scenes with internal organs scattered around or dismemberments and beheadings are not a pleasant sight, and you might be disturbed for days! The scene where children are being shot to shreds is a bit too disturbing to handle.
In fact, after its release, it was banned in Japan for the questionable additions to the plot. We did, however, like the visual treatment given to this anime. The moments when cyborgs morphed into massively large mecha-monsters are sights to behold! This anime is quite atmospheric, complete with its eerie soundtrack, and you can explore Genocyber as long as you have a high tolerance level!