Anime series can also be really brutal and disturbing. Some of them are justifiably only released for those aged 18 and over – we’ll introduce a few of them to you.
“Anime? Aren’t these cartoon series for children?” Many people have probably already experienced such a question or at least a similar question, usually paired with a condemning facial expression. It is clear to most fans that anime has a lot more to offer and is sometimes really deep and emotional. But some series are the complete opposite and not suitable for children at all. That’s why today we’re showing you 5 anime that have received the FSK rating “for ages 18 and up” in Germany.
Accordingly, you should stay away from these series if younger family members are around – because these 5 anime series are definitely not for children.
Elfen Lied
Alternative names: Elfen Song, Elfic Song, Elf Song
Genre: Action, Drama, Horror, Romance, Supernatural
Episodes: 13
Stream available on: Amazon Prime Video
Lucy is a special kind of person, she is a “Diclonius”. She is able to summon invisible hands to obey her will. This makes her the target of the government’s cruel experiments – at least until she can escape them and cause a bloodbath in the process.
During her escape she is seriously wounded in the head, resulting in a split personality. Unable to articulate herself properly, she stumbles into the two college students Kouta and Yuta, who take her in for the time being. But this help could prove to be a mistake, as the government does everything it can to bring Lucy back under its control…
Why is Elfen Lied 18+? The first two episodes of Elfen Lied in particular are characterized by very gruesome and detailed scenes of violence, which led to a rating of FSK 18 at the time. In general, the whole series is not squeamish and shows brutality as well as physical and mental cruelty in a lot of detail. Body parts are often chopped off and details, such as the protruding bones, can still be seen.
It wasn’t until 2022 that Elfen Lied was re-examined by the FSK and the rating was subsequently corrected downwards to “from 16” – but the series makes it easy to see why it was originally set to “from 18”.
The Eminence in Shadow
Alternative names: Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!, Shadow Garden
Genre: Action, comedy, fantasy
Episodes: 32 (2 seasons)
Stream available on: HiDive, Aniverse (Amazon Prime Premium Channel)
After his untimely death, Minoru is reborn as Cid in a fantasy world where he can finally live out his dream: leading the fate of the world as a shadow eminence in the background. What begins as a boy’s fantasy role-playing game turns into a major phenomenon almost by accident – as the Shadow Garden organization consists of members who loyally follow Cid’s instructions, even if he only meant it all as a joke.
At the same time, Cid, despite his excessive powers, tries to maintain the appearance of a “useless NPC” on the outside in order to experience how the story develops as just an observer.
Why is The Eminence in Shadow 18+? The ninth episode of The Eminence in Shadow is the reason for a FSK rating of 18. The reasons for this are the themes of “violence” and “injuries” – anyone who has seen the episode will know what it is about. The depiction of violence here is very graphic, it is described and at the same time glorified by the person carrying it out, even if it is a villain.
All other episodes would have “only” given the anime a rating of “16+” – but because the overall rating is assigned based on the highest individual rating, the entire series is 18+.
More anime over 18 can be found on the next page.