Join us as we count down the top anime for adults only, featuring shows with graphic violence, mature themes, and explicit content that's best left to grown-ups.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're counting down great anime that for one reason or another,
00:15you should keep far away from the eyes of children.
00:27Number 10 – Youmungand
00:37Anime violence comes in many flavors, and while kids love nothing more than to see animated
00:42characters get to blasting, we're not sure an in-depth look at the inner workings of
00:47armed dealerships would be up their alley.
00:55Coco's Trade of Death covers everything from arms races, casualties by the thousands,
01:13and even has a former child soldier acting as her ward.
01:17With blood and bullets aplenty, this action-fest is for those who enjoy their anime carnage
01:23with a bit more grit.
01:32Number 9 – Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex
01:36While the original flick featured an abundance of nudity and minor body horror, and admittedly
01:41its series spin-off is far tamer, there's still enough here to ensure SAC gets slapped
01:47with that big R-rating.
01:48Cyberterrorism, actual terrorism, limbs getting blown off, Major Kusanagi in the tightest-fitting
01:56leotard you'll ever see…
02:09This anime is very much for daddy's eyes only.
02:12Look, if you wouldn't dream about showing your kids the movie, just take the series
02:16out of the equation as well.
02:18Now excuse us while we watch Magoto shoot down that armored tank again.
02:30Number 8 – Golden Kamuy
02:40Everyone loves a good treasure hunt, though rarely do they contain a bunch of wanted criminals
02:45with a treasure map inked onto their skin.
02:48Sugimoto's journey to uncover a hidden stash of ancient gold leaps between bizarre and
02:53bloody at a moment's notice.
02:56With so many sadists waiting in the winds, the violence is the furthest thing from campy,
03:10even if it does have some crazy comedic chops on it.
03:15An underrated gem by any standards, you just have to get past that horrendously animated
03:20CG bear at the beginning.
03:23Number 7 – Kaiji
03:27While this anime will do wonders about teaching the importance of financial responsibility,
03:32it certainly isn't the kind of PSA young fans of the medium should be casually watching.
03:43After losing every bit of cash he has to his name, Kaiji is thrown from one hair-raising
03:48situation to the next that almost always ends in some manner of torture or death.
03:54Those without wealth are used as playthings by the elite before being tossed aside to
03:59often dismal fates.
04:01And while Kaiji certainly makes for a compelling lead, he is hardly what you'd call a role
04:06model given the non-stop gambling.
04:14Number 6 – Psycho-Pass
04:17The future is here, and it's a bleak sight.
04:32While adored for its meditation on humanity's obsession with security and the sacrifices
04:37made in pursuit of it, this sci-fi slam-dunk is about as adult as it gets, especially when
04:43it comes to the violence, even if you forgo the bleak and unsettling Orwellian commentary.
04:54Kogami and Akane's investigations against those rebelling against the all-controlling,
04:59all-problematic civil system leads them from one bloodied crime scene to the next.
05:05And if that's not visceral enough, their assigned weapons cause limbs to expand and
05:10eventually explode.
05:12Doraemon, this is not.
05:26Number 5 – Hellsing Ultimate
05:28You know an anime is hardcore when the blood-sucking vampire with two hand cannons isn't even
05:34the most salacious part of the series.
05:43In service to an organisation that slays what goes bump in the night, Alucard is a menace
05:49to all who get in his way, tearing limbs and blasting body parts with little interest in
05:54who is guilty or innocent.
05:56The fact he's taking on both zealot Catholics with a mission of murder in mind, along with
06:02the resurrected Third Reich, now turned into vampires themselves, is just the edgy icing
06:07on top that makes this show a delight.
06:16Though again, it is the strictest of R ratings.
06:20Even adults can barely handle some of the nightmarish content that befalls our cast
06:24along the way.
06:25Number 4 – Black Lagoon
06:27They don't make them like these anymore.
06:35Following a small group of smugglers living on an island where crime is the main export,
06:41this series holds nothing back.
06:42There's the usual suspects such as guns, murder, torture, blackmail, and everyone cursing
06:49a mile a minute, but then you're introduced to the identical twin-child serial killers
06:54pretending to be vampires, as well as Nazis showing up again.
07:01Black Lagoon is a must-see for those who pride themselves on being an action anime fan.
07:06Just be warned that it has zero filter.
07:14Number 3 – Vinland Saga
07:25You can't paint a somewhat historically accurate picture of the life and times of
07:29Vikings without alluding to a hell of a lot of violence and brutality.
07:35And Vinland Saga does not hold back.
07:37Torfinn's epic tale of revenge and eventual redemption has plenty of bright spots that
07:43display the value of hope and peace, but it's also surrounded by a sea of bodies.
07:49Between the invasions, sword fights, decapitations, depictions of slavery and abuse, both the
07:55best and worst of humanity are put on display here.
08:07Make no mistake, as soon as your child turns 18, you show them this anime.
08:19Number 2 – Monster
08:27It may not be the bloodiest anime out there, but thanks to its villain and his sinister
08:31antics, this explanation of the darkness in the hearts of man is one that requires both
08:37maturity and experience to be fully appreciated.
08:40Also, there's Nazis.
08:42Again, sort of a running theme.
08:45Following a conscientious decision to save a child over a political figure, Dr. Tenma
08:50unwittingly unleashes the likes of Johann Liebert onto the world.
09:05A psychopath with zero empathy and extreme intellect who can cause a person to end themselves
09:12after a single conversation, the series battles with questions of morality and the nature
09:18of killing like few can.
09:21And while the experience will take you to some dark places, it is well worth the venture.
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09:52Number 1 – Berserk
10:01Whether you're a connoisseur of the medium or a partial partaker, everyone should watch
10:05this adaptation of one of dark fantasy's greatest entries at least once in their life.
10:13Because Berserk is unrelenting in its portrayal of sorts and savagery.
10:18Going from battlefield to battlefield ever since he was a child, the series follows Guts
10:23as he finds himself joining the mercenary group known as the Band of the Hawk, leading
10:28to a whirlwind of combat, camaraderie, love and devastating loss.
10:38The writing is as sublime as the content is unnerving.
10:42And while every vicious act of it is earned and plays a crucial part in the overarching,
10:48endlessly bleak narrative, just know that nothing is shied away from here.
11:03Which anime would you recommend to adults only?
11:06Interspecies reviewers maybe?
11:08Let us know in those comments below.