Anime is a diverse and distinctive media category full of incredible, memorable exemplars that stick with the viewers way past the moment the final credits roll. With such a wide variety of series to watch, the audience's consensus on which series are considered the top tier of the genre help guide the newer fans to the best shows the medium has to offer.
However, even the most incredibly written, gripping, and outstanding anime series are not without faults. Sometimes, watching some of the most universally acclaimed and praised shows can leave the viewers regretful of ever picking up the title in the first place. While some series don't live up to the hype, others exceed the expectations only to fall flat at the last moment. From unexpected letdowns to controversial narrative choices, these remarkable anime series leave the fans feeling regretful.
10 Ouran High School Host Club Left The Fans Hanging With No Continuation In Sight
The hit 2006 series Ouran High School Host Club is an outstanding reverse harem romance, well-known for its quality and influence even among those who weren't around for its original release. The comedic shenanigans of the androgynous and hard-working schoolgirl Haruhi and the male members of the pretentious Ouran Academy Host Club made countless fans laugh, cry, and fall head over heels for the series.
To the immense regret and disappointment of every fan, the show's 26 episodes only scratched the surface of Haruhi's story. Unfortunately, the series seems destined to disappear forever with no hopes for a second season.
9 Tokyo Ghoul's Unfaithfulness To The Source Material Led To A Significant Drop In Quality
The first season of the horror fantasy seinen Tokyo Ghoul took the community by storm, becoming a defining series of its decade and introducing countless fans to a darker, more mature side of the medium. The Tokyo Ghoul manga held the high-quality bar throughout its serialization.
Countless seinen fans consider the anime's solid first season a must-watch. However, things took an unexpected turn, changing the story for the worse in its following installments. As a result, most fans turned away from the adaptation and settled for the much stronger source material.
8 Being A Fan Of One Piece Is A Lifelong Commitment Not Everyone Is Ready For
The definitive king of shonen, One Piece, has been in serialization for nearly 25 years, drawing countless fans to the Straw Hats' journey across the endless Grand Line. Despite creator Eiichiro Oda claiming that the series is about to enter its final arc, there are more than a thousand episodes currently out and no ending in sight.
Catching up on One Piece is a daunting challenge for any new fan. While spending so much time on a show only to be forced into agonizing anticipation of every new episode or chapter can be rueful, it is far more regretful to deny yourself the pleasure of experiencing one of the best adventures in anime history.
7 Soul Eater's Finale Undermines The Beauty Of The Story's Underlying Themes
Throughout its run, the Soul Eater anime adaptation was a high-quality, joyful ride, adored both by anime-only fans and manga readers. It built a surprisingly large cult following, only to lose its substantial portion over the polarizing and shocking finale, which came out of nowhere and bent the rules of the established universe.
The crucial elements of Soul Eater were always teamwork and inventive battle techniques. Seeing Maka save the day on her own by simply punching the final boss in the face was unfaithful to the source material and very thematically jarring.
6 Assassination Classroom's Finale Was An Unexpected Gut Punch
On the surface, Assassination Classroom appears to be a relatively simple, amusing, and exciting shonen series about a group of delinquent school kids training to defeat their monstrous teacher, Koro-sensei. The fans who got into the show because of its witty humor and unique premise did not expect it to end on such a dramatic note.
Fans were rooting for the children to kill their alien teacher, who claimed to be a threat to human civilization. Nevertheless, learning more about Koro-sensei makes both class 3-E and the viewers become attached to him. When the kids are inevitably forced to take Koro-sensei's life, both the viewers and the class feel overwhelming regret and despair.
5 Attack On Titan's Shocking Narrative Changes Weren't To Everyone's Liking
Pleasing every fan is impossible for any creator, especially for the authors of highly popular and beloved franchises. The early fans of Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan, a gruesome shonen about humanity's battle against giant man-eating monsters, were drawn to the show by its mind-boggling mystiques and original setting.
When the series gained momentum and switched gears into an intense militaristic drama, many fans were left regretful and confused by the creator's narrative choices. However, the tonal changes were nothing compared to the polarization caused by the manga's controversial finale.
4 The Emotional Rollercoaster That Is Clannad Will Leave Every Viewer In Tears
The sadness finishing a particularly effective tearjerker brings to the audience is a bittersweet, remorseful feeling. Some treasure those emotions forever, while others regret ever getting invested.
Clannad is a particularly notable example of a series that started as a quite mellow high school romance drama, only to transform into one of the most grueling and heartbreaking tragedies in its second season, Clannad After Story. While countless fans declare this show a masterpiece for that exact reason, others never expected it to depress them so brutally, regretting ever giving in to the countless recommendations.
3 The Promised Neverland's Second Season Was A Disappointing Letdown
The first season of the horror anime The Promised Neverland was an unexpected hit, gripping the viewers with its unsettling and thrilling storyline about a sinister orphanage and its kids trying to shed light on the place's darkest secrets. After the season's conclusion, the manga fans were excited to see the plot expand and experience one of its best parts animated.
Unfortunately, the second season brought nothing but regret and disappointment. The rushed adaptation skipped some of the manga's most crucial plot points and finished the series with an underwhelming anime-original conclusion.
2 Madoka Magica Isn't A Series For The Fans Of Classic Magical Girls Narratives
The magical girl genre has been around for decades, attracting fans of all ages and genders with its feel-good stories and pleasant characters. As with any popular genre, the constant repetition creates a demand for deconstruction media, which turns the well-established tropes on their head and subverts the audience's expectations.
For those looking for such an experience, Madoka Magica was a breath of fresh air, a gruesome and sinister take on a lighthearted concept. However, those who were drawn to the show because of its cutesy art style and expected it to be just another pleasant magical series were horribly disappointed and possibly traumatized.
1 Nana's Lack Of A Conclusive Finale Shouldn't Bring Regrets To Those Who Love The Series
Ai Yazawa's mesmerizing story of love, friendship, heartbreak, and the hardships of adulthood, Nana, captured the hearts of countless readers. In 2006, the series received a gorgeous anime adaptation, which covers most of the manga up to the date of release.
Unfortunately for the fans of Nana across all media platforms, the manga went on a prolonged hiatus in 2009 due to Ai Yazawa's health complications. Considering how many people fell in love with this magnificent story, the creator's illness and the manga's lack of continuation were a painful blow to countless fans. However, in the case of Nana, the story might be more important than its final destination.