It is given that not all anime on the internet is liked by everyone. Some fans make peace with how badly their favorite manga was animated, while others go on a rage. Some fans overhype a certain anime that others wouldn’t like. It also happens that fans love an anime so much that they want more of it only to hate what they receive. However, the worse kind among these is the anime that had a pretty good start and was going extremely well, only to end with a bad ending. In this article, we will be looking into 10 Anime that had a good start but sadly gave us bad endings.
This list may or may not hurt the sentiments of the readers. Thus, I declare that this list is solely based on subjective opinions. Besides this, this list isn’t a suggestion to drop the anime. In fact, I encourage each reader to watch the mentioned anime and form their own opinions on it. Furthermore, feel free to give us your opinions in the comments. Without further ado, let’s get to the list of anime that have a good start but also a bad ending.
Tokyo Ghoul
This one definitely has to be the first one on the list. Tokyo Ghoul’s manga has one of the most intriguing storylines. It also had a pretty good start with season 1. However, it all went downhill with season 2, consequently having a bad ending. It introduces us to a world where Ghouls prey on humans. The first episode was enough to get you hooked as the main character turns into a ghoul. However, as the series progresses, the viewers are lost because half the plot from the manga is missing in the anime. When it comes down to it, the remaining seasons of Tokyo Ghoul feel like an advertisement for the manga more than an anime adaptation.
Future Diary
Mirai Nikki or Future Diary is another anime with a very good start. It introduces us to various characters that are participating in a deathmatch-like game. However, this is just the surface plot of the storyline. Think of it as the main story having another story before it. The latter of these stories focuses on the dark side of one of the main protagonists Yuno Gasai. As the anime progresses, Yuno is not only playing the game but also preventing Yuki from finding out the “big truth”. So far, we can tell that the story has potential, and it is enough to be known as one of the best anime with an interesting twist.
However, fans were not only unhappy but very much confused with how the anime ended. This is because the story introduces us to 3 Yunos from parallel worlds. In the end, we are confused with who survives and who doesn’t, and even if they survive, we are left with “why and how” questions. Luckily, the OVA after the anime clears some questions for the viewers, so don’t forget to watch it.
Death Note
Many fans agree that Death Note had a pretty good start, but sadly, a bad ending. The anime begins with a boy named Light Yagami starring out of his class window when suddenly a book falls from the sky. When he takes the book home, he realizes that this book isn’t like any other ordinary notebook. Soon he begins to see the Shinigami, or God of death, Ryuk. It is later revealed that the notebook belonged to Ryuk and that it contained the ability to kill people by just writing their names in it. Light then takes it on himself to redeem the world of evil by killing off all criminals under the name “Kira”. This, however, leads him to kill innocent people as well in order to hide Kira’s true identity. Interesting, right? It gets better… or worse.
We are then introduced to L, a detective genius who likes cake. He is the only person closer to suspecting Light as Kira, but sadly, Kira kills him off. This is where things kinda get on the bad side when it comes to the storyline. The plot suddenly shifts and introduces us to Near and Mellow, who were deemed to be L’s successors. People disliked the last arc because L was easily replaced by Near. Not only that but the whole dynamic of the plot changes to the point where it feels like it is being dragged on. In the end, Light meets his tragic death, but again, we are introduced to a new Shinigami looking for Ryuk. Fans have been wondering if that is Light or not. So, while overall, Death Note as an anime is pretty good, its start can be considered good, while its ending is looked at as a bad one.
Charlotte
This is an anime that contains a lot of characters with various superpowers. It tells us the story of a boy named Yuu Otosaka and his ability to take over people’s bodies for about 5 seconds. He uses this power to cheat his way through his tests. Soon we are introduced to Nao Tomori, who has the ability to turn invisible to one person at a time. Tomori stops Yuu from misusing his ability and makes him join Hoshinoumi Academy, where people with powers like Yuu study. There he joins the Student Council and helps Tomori and the rest in finding similar people. The anime, then, introduces us to new characters and uncovers many secrets that lay beyond the surface.
Towards the end of the anime, Yuu’s true powers are revealed. Instead of overtaking people’s bodies, he can steal the abilities of other people. Although this is an amazing discovery in the anime, which makes it more interesting, it also is the reason why it made it to this list. In the end, Yuu travels around the world, taking people’s power in order to stop people from abusing them, causing harm. This move wasn’t appreciated by many fans, yet it is an understandable one. In the end, Yuu seems to have lost all his memories but is slowly seen accepting his ‘new’ life.
Re: Zero
Re-Zero’s ending is more like 50% good and 50% bad. The anime’s start, however, was extremely good as it gets you hooked in the first few minutes of episode 1. It introduces us to the character Subaru, who dies but then comes back to life. As the anime progresses, he dies again and again and keeps coming back to life. However, when he returns from the dead, he wakes up in another world. In this world, he meets characters like Emilia, Rem, and Ram. He immediately falls in love with Emilia and makes it his main goal to save her life.
As he ventures on, the anime takes a dark turn because of his encounters with characters like Petelguese Romanee-Conti. The story is interesting and liked by many, but the ending to season 1 was sorta unsatisfactory. Why this anime made it to the list has many reasons. One of the reasons is Subaru’s preference for Emilia and not Rem. Yet, feelings are subjective, and it is understandable. However, Rem deserved better. It also left many questions unanswered, like who is Emilia in the first place. It seemed like the anime ended in such a way because there wasn’t any talk going on about making a season 2. So, for the time, the anime did have a good start and a bad ending, however, a season 2 did come out and answered most of the unanswered questions.
Seraph of the End
The first episode of the anime was an intriguing one, thus having a good start. However, as the story progressed, we headed towards a bad ending. From the animation to the gut-wrenching world, it made us want to know more about how things will turn out. We are introduced to a group of children under the age of 13, who are taken to live in a place where vampires live. These vampires use the children’s blood as their food. Among these kids, we have our main protagonists, Mika and Yuu. These two plan to escape the vampire place, but this move only leads to a tragic event. In the end, Yuu is the only one who manages to escape and is rescued by Guren and the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, who fight against these vampires. Yuu joins this army and goes on missions to eradicate vampires.
Fortunately, yet unfortunately, it is later revealed that Mika was turned into a vampire and now fights against the army Yuu is a part of. In an encounter, they both again meet each other, and Yuu is glad that Mika is alive. Mika then joins Yuu as he wants to run away with only Yuu, but the latter decides to stay. What made this anime get a bad ending is that it was rushed. Although season 1 had an alright ending, season 2’s ending wasn’t exactly lined up with the manga. Another aspect of the ending was that it left many questions unanswered. Sadly, there isn’t a season 3 either, so the only way to find out the reasons behind all the intriguing events that had taken place is to read the manga.
Parasyte
Fans have a love-hate relationship with this anime’s ending. Overall, Parasite is a great anime that again gets its viewers hooked from episode 1. It even has one of the best anime openings out there. In the anime, we are introduced to Shinichi Izumi. His right arm, however, is eaten by a Parasite who calls himself Migi. Migi and Shinichi decide to cooperate and fight against other Parasitic creatures. It is revealed that these creatures are supposed to invade the heads of human beings but Migi couldn’t do so because Shinichi stopped him.
The premise set for this anime is pretty good, and it makes you want to binge-watch it as events keep taking place. However, many fans did not like, or you could say were unsatisfied with the ending. They wanted to see more of Migi and Shinichi, but they both decide to go their separate ways, with Migi deciding to fall asleep forever. Thus, this ending was like a bittersweet moment for the fans.
Soul Eater
This anime introduces us to a Death academy with the headmaster being the Shinigami, the God of Death himself. In this academia, the students here are raised to be Death’s “Death Scythes”. Thus, these human hybrids can transform themselves into weapons, but only after they have eaten 1 witch and 99 evil beings. Together the students from this academy work together to protect the world from evil beings. Soul Eater was one of the anime that fans looked forward to.
Initially, it had everything in a good anime – good characters, good storyline, etc. However, the anime’s ending was rushed. Fans complained that the anime got rid of half of the story arcs from the manga towards the end. Not only that but the story was heavily altered, which did not keep up with expectations. This again felt like an anime made to promote the manga, and if so, it did not do a great job with it. So, it is easy to say that Soul Eater as an anime has a good start but a bad ending.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Another anime that gives us some amazing characters is Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, an anime that comes under the Mecha genre. It introduces us to an underground village. Living here are two boys – Kamina, who is free-spirited, and Simon, who is timid. When Simon comes across the key to a part of a huge robot while mining, Kamina and he use it to break to the surface. During this, they meet a girl named Yoko Littner. The duo then joins the girl to venture into the unknown land while fighting off “Beastmen” and “Gunmen” with her team. As the story progresses, this group discovers many secrets of why the world is the way it is.
This anime is one of the best anime that has won some awards. It was going very well until the ending was termed as unpleasing by fans. In the end, Simon gets to marry his love interest Nia and fans wish things would’ve ended here. However, due to unfortunate events, Nia fades away, leaving Simon heartbroken forever.
Naruto
Yep, Naruto made it to the list too. Most fans may not agree but ‘hear’ me out. Of course, Naruto as an anime has a good start, but as for its ending, it almost felt like a series of filler episodes. Moreover, it mostly focuses on the female protagonists’ goals of getting the guy they desired, which again is a separate debatable topic altogether. Naruto’s goal from the very first episode of the anime was to become the Hokage. As the anime progresses, his goal shifts to getting Sasuke back to the village, which is sorta interrelated to him being the Hokage. However, towards the ending, very little is shown of Naruto becoming the Hokage and achieving his dreams.
Besides this, it is also pointed out that the ending of Naruto sort of contradicts the whole concept. Naruto is introduced as a boy who fights through life trying to become someone great. He even is shown denying Neji’s words about one being unable to escape fate. However, when Naruto is revealed to be an incarnation of 2 great previous ninjas, he itself becomes an example of fate playing a greater role. Thus, Naruto was fated to become someone great whether or not he worked hard to wield the Rasengan. Basically, Naruto’s narrative shifts towards the ending from its initial intended goal, but regardless, fans enjoy it because of the attachment we have to its characters.
Also Read: 10 Anime You Never Knew Are Inspired By True Stories
