Anime has always had the tendency of taking on more challenging issues than its Western contemporaries. It is a medium that welcomes discussions of all kinds with one recurring theme being the conflict between the powerless masses and a corrupt elite. It's the classic David and Goliath story told through a societal scale and, in anime, often with giant robots and aliens.

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Seeing the hero overcome massive odds and rally the support of the disenfranchised is always such a cathartic experience. However, these stories can only be as entertaining as the obstacles are challenging, and there are certainly quite a few challenging anime regimes out there that just make people's skin crawl and define what it means to be the 1%. This list will be running down some of the best, as it looks at the 10 most corrupt anime regimes.

10 Gintama

Gintama, the Shonen comedy giant, is oddly not always all fun and games. There's a deep hierarchy within the world that both builds from the past experiences of Japanese history as well as responds to the fears and issues of today. All of that is represented by the series' Bakufu, the ruling class during the Edo period that surrendered its borders to the incoming Amanto, much to their citizens' dismay.

This would not only lead to Joi War (which the Bakufu inevitably won) but also a long-lasting relationship between a protected, puppet Japanese elite and the ruling, alien power that practically conquered them.

9 Shimoneta

It's one thing to try and censor material to try and protect the kids. Weird stuff is out there, and not everyone is well equipped to sit down with their kids and talk about it. However, the world of Shimoneta takes those sexual hangups to an extreme.

The governing forces one day deemed that all sexual content was detrimental to society and not only banned anything that was remotely perverse but also dedicated billions of dollars worth of resources to monitoring the people and enforcing the weird law. Something definitely needs to be fixed in the world if there has to be panty raiding revolutionaries.

8 The Rising of the Shield Hero

There's no giving anyone a break within the harsh world of The Rising of the Shield Hero. Instead of being the nice escapist fantasy that any other isekai anime would try to be, this is a series that is constantly trying to place its main character and the viewer in harsher and harsher situations. And much of this is due to the fact that the people running the kingdom are kind of just jerks.

Not only do they decide to constantly pick on just one of the guys literally brought in to try and save the world, but the king is pretty much guilty of everything that they pinned on Naofumi. He's lecherous, incompetent, and just a downright bully.

7 Attack on Titan

attack-on-titan explanation of the walls

Attack on Titan's world is the very definition of everything not being fine. It's rulers and governing systems are a constant fire that can only ever be cooled but never really put out. For the initial parts of the series, the Royal Government was under the Fritz regime, a self-interested group that did everything in their power to secure authority from the true heir of the kingdom, Historia Reiss, as well as maintain their own comfy living.

Though they would later be deposed, the governing system is still afflicted with corruption, betrayal, and everyone just generally being mad about Eren.

6 Guilty Crown

It does seem like every year there's this new outbreak and illness that could be seen as apocalyptic. The world of Guilty Crown doesn't take it very well. To be fair, when something is called the Apocalypse Virus, one does want to take extreme measures. That would be the GHQ, a UN created force meant to help handle and mitigate the chaos Japan was going through.

A new governing system was essentially placed which the Japanese people didn't take all too kindly to, especially given the fact that the military and police forces seem to handle those infected with incredible bias. This means soldiers and quarantines everywhere and mass executions among those slightly starting to pop some crystals.

5 Akame ga Kill!

general esdeath in akame ga kill

Has no one learned anything from Star Wars? If the leading forces are simply called "The Empire," chances are that they're probably not the good guys. Case in point: a ruling nation once known for its advancements and weaponry is turned upside down by civil war, leading to the corruption of the modern regime as they struggle to keep everything together.

This has come to mean those in authority selfishly trying to facilitate their own pleasures while empowering murderous, dogmatic broods to fight in their favor. Seriously, anyone that supports Seryu Ubiquitous can't be good.

4 Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

In all honesty, the overlying system within the world of Kaiji isn't exactly rigged. Everyone has earned exactly what they deserved, whether that means the vast fortunes of the rich or just the clothes on a struggling man's back.

However, what really lands them on this list is the fact that the rich in this series really revel in that financial gap. While they simply could just be rich, they decided to use their money and resources to create death games to poke fun and abuse the poor, often rigging these games to laugh even more at their fruitless efforts. The rich just get meaner.

3 Fullmetal Alchemist

Does this really need to be spelled out for anyone? Nazis. The ruling regime is comprised of Nazis, a strict group that conspired to find their way into power, perform inhumane experiments on people, commit mass genocide, and literally work with the Seven Deadly Sins.

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Maes Hughes himself is proof that even our heroes working within the policing forces aren't immune to the moving pieces at hand, his death being both a signal and a reminder that there's always someone lurking in the shadows.

2 One Piece

The World Government of One Piece is one afflicted with every detestable act that a corrupt regime could have. They conspire to maintain government secrets. They blindly follow the ignorant pleas of the nobles, even if that means committing mass genocide. They even facilitate slavery right under their own noses.

The kings and queens of each individual kingdom aren't even the real kings and queens. The ones who formed the World Government literally ditched their home countries to live safely and comfortably in Marie Jois. There's no wonder that pirates are the good guys in this series.

1 Code Geass

Emperor Charles

Who else could reach the top of this list than the instant classic of political and moral turmoil that is Code Geass? The Holy Brittanian Empire invaded Japan with its advanced technology, subjugating its citizens and demoting the people as simply "Elevens."

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Within their own complex monarchy, there's descent relating to the mysterious death of Lelouch's mother, leading his father to unilaterally banishing him and his sister. Working both personal levels of entitlement and the grander scale of reclaiming identity and freedom, the Holy Brittanian Empire is a villainous force burning the candle at both ends.

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