Anime, like any TV series, needs to draw in the audience with the first episode. The initial episode is vital to the show's success because that's when many viewers will decide whether they are going to stick with it or drop it.
There are plenty of anime that jump right into the action, which is a completely valid way to start a show. However, there are also some great first episodes that present a calmness before the storm. It's not until the end of that first installment when the story really ramps up and throws a curveball at the audience.
10 An Unconventional Love Story (Scum's Wish)
Scum's Wish probably stands out the most in this list. The first episode starts with presenting to the viewer what appears to be a romantic comedy/slice-of-life story. However, by the end, the true narrative comes to light.
The two main characters, Hanabi and Mugi, are not truly in love with each other. Mugi is in love with his tutor who is also a teacher at their high school, and Hanabi has fallen hard for her childhood friend who is also a teacher. The two of them, realizing their loves will likely never be requited, resolve to use one another as replacements, both sexually and emotionally. Not exactly the healthiest start to a relationship.
9 Light Strives To Become A God (Death Note)
Death Note starts off right away by introducing shinigami and explaining what exactly a Death Note is. However, it's not until the end of the episode when Light Yagami reveals his intentions for using the notebook.
Light is a high schooler, the very model of an honor student. He's not someone that would ordinarily be suspected for being a mass killer. However, the final scene tells the viewer a lot about his mental state. Light truly believes himself to be humanity's savior and says that he is going to become a god through the use of the Death Note.
8 Not The Average Butler (Black Butler)
Black Butler's opening scene is the protagonist, Ciel, in some sort of void, asking a being to grant his wish. This scene clues the viewer into something more fantastical going on, but the truth is not revealed until later.
Other than that initial sequence, the first episode plays out more or less normally. Ciel is a thirteen-year-old earl of the Phantomhive family, a very rich and high-profile family. His butler, Sebastian, is actually a demon and Ciel's personal bodyguard, who takes care of any task, no matter how sinister, including intimidating the head of a toy company trying to scam the boy at the end of this episode.
7 Solving A Mystery Spanning Decades (Erased)
Erased starts like a slice-of-life anime with a supernatural twist: the protagonist, Satoru, is regularly and involuntarily sent back in time several moments to prevent disastrous situations.
The first episode seems fairly innocent at first, but about midway through, Satoru's mother is suddenly and brutally murdered. The show becomes very bloody, very quickly. When Satoru discovers his mother's body and hears police sirens, his unique ability activates itself and sends him back in time - eighteen years prior. The series then becomes a murder mystery with Satoru trapped in the past.
6 Man's Best Friend Is Loyal To The End (To Your Eternity)
To Your Eternity is a fantasy anime that hits the viewer with a gut-punch right off the bat. The story revolves around a mysterious deity sending a shapeshifting orb to Earth to gain new experiences and stimulation.
One of the first forms the orb takes is that of a wolf, who belongs to a boy in a nearby village. However, by the time the newly transformed wolf arrives at the village, all of its inhabitants except for the boy have either left or died. The two of them venture out in search of the missing villagers. However, all they find is a mass gravesite and the boy injures his leg. They head back the way they came, and the boy eventually dies from the injury and begs the wolf to remember him.
5 The Black Swordsman's Bloody Debut (Berserk, 1997)
Berserk is one of the most famous and influential fantasy manga, and its 1997 anime adaption has a very memorable first episode. It's a bit of a slow burn, first showing the forging of Guts' iconic sword and a brief bar brawl that he is involved in.
The climax of the episode is a battle between Guts and the Snake Baron, a humanoid that shapeshifts into a giant serpent creature. Guts defeats the Baron, then brutally tortures him before finally leaving him to burn to death.
4 Kaneki Goes On The Worst First Date (Tokyo Ghoul)
Tokyo Ghoul's first scene shows a powerful ghoul, Rize, eating a human being and then getting into a fight with another ghoul. The anime jumps straight to 100 much faster than the other shows on this list. The next part of the episode is calmer, introducing viewers to the protagonist, Ken Kaneki.
Ken has a crush on a girl he regularly sees at a local coffee shop, and he ends up asking her out on a date. As it turns out, the girl is Rize, and, at the end of their evening together, she attempts to eat Kaneki. Ultimately, the pair are crushed by falling construction components and Rize's organs are used to save Kaneki, transforming him into a half-ghoul, half-human hybrid.
3 Tanjiro Saves The Last Of His Family (Demon Slayer)
The first half of this episode of Demon Slayer gives the audience time to get to know Tanjiro and his family. The young boy leaves home to sell charcoal in a local town. When he returns, he sees that his whole family has been slaughtered.
Tanjiro's sister, Nezuko, attacks him, having been turned into a demon. He refuses to fight back, believing that she can still be saved, even going as far as to protect her from a demon slayer. This sets in motion Tanjiro's journey to restore his sister's humanity.
2 A Violent & Traumatizing Premiere (Attack on Titan)
The first episode of Attack on Titan is another example of a slow burn, at least in the beginning, where the show takes its time introducing the main cast of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. It is in this episode that Eren first expresses his desire to join the Survey Corps and it sets up the plot point of Grisha, his father, keeping something secret in the basement of their home.
However, the anime's action really ramps up in its final few minutes, in which the Colossal Titan appears and smashes through the wall. Smaller Titans begin to invade, and Eren is forced to watch as one takes his mother and eats her.
1 The Devil Is In The Details (Devilman Crybaby)
Devilman Crybaby's first episode revolves around longtime friends Ryo and Akira trying to document the existence of demons and reveal it to the world. To do so, the two of them attend a nightclub where sex and drugs run rampant.
Ryo, in an attempt to draw out the demons, begins to attack the patrons with a broken bottle. When the demons arrive and begin to kill everyone in sight, Akira himself transforms into a half-demon, half-human hybrid. His newfound power allows him to protect his friend and gives them an advantage in fighting the many demons they will soon encounter.