When we think about anime we usually think about action-packed sequences fantasy lands, thriller storyline and beautiful adventures. But nowadays, the enemy fan base is lining towards darker and more psychologically intense narratives. People nowadays are more interested in mind – game based anime, strategy anime, survival, anime, etc. Fans want more than just action and fantasy, they want stories that mentally disturb them, scenes that question their sense of right and wrong, making them rethink their own moralities. Dark anime is no longer a genre that is rare but a genre that is loved by all.

In today’s generation, people feel more connected to storylines that are flawed or dark or contains characteristics who are broken and imperfect.  Along with this social media also has a great influence to our day to day life. With these psychological dark anime being edited and posted on social media, their popularity has increased significantly. Best of all is the part where the audiences feel more connected to morally grey characters, which feel more realistic with the current status of the world. A morally grey character is usually a character who seems to blur the line between what is socially right and wrong. They walk on the line that the divides good and evil. These characters usually commit questionable or unexpectable acts but with justifiable reasons, therefore making us question our own morals.

Fans tend to like anime that makes them think and use their own intelligence to figure out the plot of something they’re watching rather than just staring at flashing lights. With attention spans lowering everyday anime that makes them think and keeps them on the edge of their seats are the anime that grabs the interest of this generation. It is these plots and storylines that give way to theories and help keep the interest of the fan base for years to come. It is observed in the coming generations how audience prefer emotionally damaging storylines, rather than predictable happy endings. Happy endings have now become quite monotonous. So when a storyline shows something so realistic, it tends to connect with the audience more. Though emotionally damaged due to the deaths of their favorite characters (JJK fans, stay strong) these are the anime that are one time experiences.

There has been a spike in modern audiences enjoying stories about trauma, survival games, manipulation and identity crisis such as seen in anime like ‘Death Note’, ‘Monster’ and ‘Tomodachi Game’. It is characters like Light Yagami from ‘Death Note’ and Johan from ‘Monster’ that leaves such an impact on the audience. Dark anime has also see a great influx of older audiences due to it  more mature content therefore increasing the fan base. One of the main reasons why the modern audience enjoys dark and psychological anime is due to the current state of the world. These anime bring out the true ugly nature of the society and human greed, addressing issues of the real world.

Dark psychological anime leave a great impact on the audience long after it is over. These are anime that you think about without even consciously focusing on them. The anime community no longer wants anime that just provides entertainment, they want anime that emotionally scars them, stories that are mind bending and characters that make them question their lives.