10 Gore Anime That Will Give You Nightmares

When asked to think about anime, many people who aren't as well educated in the medium might think of cute characters, massive powerups and a ridiculously goofy sense of humour. They aren't wrong about that, as a lot of anime's biggest tropes rely on such concepts. But they are only the tip of the iceberg, as there is a whole darker side to the genre that is anything but cute.

Animation is a perfect avenue for creativity, as there is so much you can achieve when given a blank canvas and a skilled artist, which is why some creators go to extreme lengths in their products. This has manifested itself in many ways within the anime community, but one of the most exciting - and horrifying - is in overly gruesome shows, or gore anime, as they are better known.

Gore is an excellent aspect of a series, as it gives the tone a nightmarish vibe and delves into some truly adult material. There have been some incredible examples of this throughout the medium, with the best making even the stoutest of viewers feel queasy, and the following ten are the best of these.

It makes sense to start this grotesque list with Tokyo Ghoul, as it's one of the most popular animes that will be featured and brings messed-up anime to the mainstream. The action-packed and gore-drenched show is an excellent exploration of a hypothetical sci-fi future that combines awesome neo-aesthetics with almost folkloric fantasy elements.

The story follows Ken Kaneki, a young student who unfortunately encounters a flesh-devouring creature known as a Ghoul. After surviving an attack from this killer beast, he becomes part Ghoul himself and now has to live with the consequences it brings whilst also surviving as a fugitive.

Due to the titular monster's propensity for devouring human flesh, the show is filled to the brim with disturbing images of humans being eaten. The Ghouls are animated in such a ferocious way that seeing them chomp down on an innocent human with splatters of blood filling the screen is barbaric yet fascinating.

There is even grotesque body horror and torture to boot. Even at its tamest, audiences will still be grossed out, as the characters crack their knuckles all the time, which is bound to catch some viewers out.