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Everyone’s definition of what makes an anime “gothic” is different, but the best manage to stand out no matter what. From their preoccupation with death and decline to their grimly fashionable characters, the anime in this subgenre embrace everything on the spooky side of things. Here are some of the best anime that lovers of all things gothic will enjoy.
Updated March 9, 2022 by Patrick Armstrong: Gothic is a style as much as a genre, capable of encompassing refinement and barbarism, cold confidence and gore. Gothic anime has its roots in other gothic art and literature, from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Francisco Goya’s Black Paintings. Even with the passage of time, the gothic aesthetic has changed little, and in many ways, anime is an ideal partner for the gothic aesthetic. New gothic anime appear every year, blending the bleak potential of dark literature and art. Sometimes it’s hard to put one’s finger on just what makes these titles gothic, and sometimes it couldn’t be clearer.
14 xxxHOLiC
Those who equate “gothic” with “depressing” should look elsewhere, as xxxHOLiC is far lighter and funnier a series than its serious aesthetic suggests. Though it may lean on slapstick comedy in ways that one doesn’t normally associate with the genre, xxxHOLiC has an undeniably gothic flavor, in particular in the style of its characters.
A high school student who can see spirits and a witch who owns a wish-granting shop are the ideal candidates for holding viewers’ interest in this kind of anime, and they don’t disappoint. Kimihiro and Yuko both have their share of great moments throughout the series, but it’s arguably Yuko who’s the star.
13 Tokyo Ghoul
Secrecy and violence are two elements common to gothic stories, and in Tokyo Ghoul they are on full display. In this series, humans unknowingly live side by side with flesh-eating monsters known as ghouls. These creatures hide their existence from humans in order to continue their gruesome feeding habit, preying upon the unsuspecting.
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Protagonist Ken Kaneki, along with many other major characters, exudes gothic style. His toothy, terrifying mask is of particular note. Not satisfied with simply slapping some black raiment on its characters and calling it a day, however, Tokyo Ghoul dishes out enough cinematic violence and distressing themes to please any lover of the dark.
12 Darker Than Black
An action thriller with distinctly gothic overtones, Darker than Black is excellent for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, though, is its premise: a spatial anomaly leads to the emergence of people with special powers, known as Contractors, so-called because each must pay a special price for their abilities.
Assassin protagonist Hei is an excellent lead, compelling and layered. He brings depth and interest to what could have otherwise been a conventional, albeit dark, story of the supernatural run amok. His character, combined with a series of compelling villains with interesting quirks, makes Darker than Black well worth watching for fans of gothic anime.
11 Death Note
Death Note, is for good reason, one of the most popular gothic anime of all time. It is the saga of Light Yagami, a high school boy who comes into possession of the titular notebook and thereby gains the ability to kill anyone whose name he writes in the book.
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Death Note is a brilliant cat-and-mouse series, bursting with mind games and plot twists. The intellectual rivalry between Light and L is unmatched. A highlight of the series is watching Light’s already tenuous grasp on morality slip away, as he justifies greater and greater crimes in the name of “justice.” On top of its dark themes and villainous protagonist, Death Note also serves up a healthy dose of gothic style in the characters of Misa and Ryuk.
10 Gosick
Even by the standards of anime, the school which students attend in Gosick is about as grand as they come. For ostentatious, stylized architecture alone, Gosick would rank among the best gothic anime, but it offers so much more.
There’s Victorique de Blois, a strange, doll-like little girl whom protagonist Kazuya befriends in the library. Her goth loli fashion is exemplary yet not exploitative, and her personality is interesting. The actual story is a series of old-school detective cases mixed with some slice-of-slice anime, which only lends to the overall atmosphere of intrigue. Gosick is a slickly animated Victorian tale that never gets too much its own way.
9 Hellsing Ultimate
Since Bram Stoker first introduced the world of literature to Dracula, it’s been hard to get much more gothic than vampires. As vampire anime go, Hellsing Ultimate is one of the best. Nor is the series shy about hiding its roots, going so far as to name the antagonist Alucard.
Strong art direction and music contribute to its lusciously dark atmosphere. It’s funny but gory, not an anime for kids, with intense fight scenes and a villain actually worth investing in. Though it is not without its flaws, Hellsing Ultimate is a wonderful dip into the ink-black pool of gothic fiction, paying homage to Stoker’s legacy and vampire fiction as a whole even as its carves its own niche.
8 Gilgamesh
If unsure of a good way to make an anime a little more gothic, end the world. Not every post-apocalyptic anime qualifies, for most do not milk their crumbling settings for the last drop of morbid value the way that Gilgamesh does.
Based on the original story by Shotaro Ishinomori and influenced by the original Epic of Gilgamesh, the series incorporates intrigue, music, and darkness. It is the story of an ongoing battle between the Countness and Gilgamesh, mixing psychic powers with frantic gunfire. Its characters’ fashion, motives, and speech are appropriately dark, and though it may not be a horror anime, the overall effect of the series is gothic in every sense.
7 The Mythic Archives Of Dantalian
Hugh inherits an old mansion from his grandfather — not a problem. But in the basement, he finds a strange girl with serious magical girl vibes — problem. It is this girl’s duty to store and protect the demonic Phantom Books, keeping them out of the hands of those that would use the dangerous powers trapped within.
The Mythic Archives of Dantalian has a Victorian setting and fashionably gothic characters, as well as a story of demons and the human thirst for forbidden knowledge. Though its writing and characterization could be stronger, The Mythic Archives of Dantalian remains an engaging anime for goth fans.
6 Soul Eater
The hard part of discussing Soul Eater is deciding which of its tremendous strengths to discuss, because there’s never space to cover all of them. Top-tier animation, a glorious cast of miscreants each with their own iconic style, and a deceptively simple premise that proves to be anything but, all define this show’s greatness.
Soul Eater is a hodge-podge of the spooky, the zany, the emotional, and the just plain excellent with a strong protagonist. Even if it lost all of its other winning qualities, Soul Eater would remain a great gothic anime simply by virtue of having a character named Death the Kid. Few anime take such pleasure in naming their characters. Every bite of Soul Eater is delicious.
5 Deadman Wonderland
Blessed with a spectacularly gripping opening and a captivating premise, Deadman Wonderland is easy to sink into and hard to crawl back out of. Replete with violence, fan service, and adult themes of every stripe, nothing about this anime is for kids.
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A sci-fi horror anime about a prison amusement park is gothic to the marrow of its bones, and that’s exactly what Deadman Wonderland is. Sometimes feeling like a fever dream thanks to the many mixed concepts, Deadman Wonderland is powerful if not always cohesive. On top of that, it squeezes a fair bit of pathos out of its tormented characters, and can put a dagger in the feelings of unprepared viewers.
4 Berserk
There are bright, cheerful, warm-hug anime that feel like an injection of sunlight with a sprinkle of sugar and a cherry on top, anime that want their viewers happy with themselves and the world. Then there’s Berserk. Everything about Berserk is engineered for misery. It is arguably the most cohesively gothic anime, because of how consistently bleak and negative it is. Even its animation is painful — but it’s all necessary for the story it tells.
This story of mercenaries in a medieval world with a powerful villain is absurdly violent, heart-breaking, and mean, which is exactly what it wants to be. For those that like their gothic anime with taste of ground glass and mud, Berserk is the fix.
3 Trinity Blood
Music has been an integral part of gothic art from Bach to Bauhaus, and the score of Trinity Blood is only one most exceptional example. In a vampire anime that feels like a mashup of Hellsing and Vampire Hunter D, having a suitably dark score infuses every scene with new life. Or, perhaps, unlife.
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Trinity Blood may not be original, but what it makes of its components is a gothic witch’s brew.The political intrigue it weaves into its plot is tasty, even when it comes off as convoluted. The series bites the best bits of its influences, taking a bit of horror there, a bit of macabre here, and stitching them together into a Frankensteinian patchwork of unpleasantness perfect for a gothic mood.
2 Ergo Proxy
If a single character’s style is enough to make an anime gothic, Re-L is enough for Ergo Proxy. As an investigator for Rondo’s Intelligence Bureau, Re-L is caught up in a chain of baffling incidents. Rather than detract from the fun, the guesswork involved with these confounding mysteries keeps viewers engaged.
Like Sword Art Online,the story is one of Ergo Proxy’s strongest points, but if not for the epitome of gothic excellence that is Re-L, the anime would not be all that it is. Her characterization is nuanced and thought-provoking, and from her makeup to her mannerisms, Re-L is goth perfection.
1 Black Butler
Some anime have all the gothic trappings but stories that don’t hold up. Others have morbid masterpieces for their plots, but boring aesthetics. Black Butler, meanwhile looks, sounds, and feels gothic in every sense.
The story of a 10-year-old boy who trades his soul to a demon in exchange for revenge against the people that murdered his family couldn’t be more gothic if it were written by Mary Shelley herself. What’s more, its protagonist, Ciel Phantomhive, has one of the greatest anime names ever penned. Ciel and Sebastian’s relationship is well-written, with many funny moments to break up the occasional dark doing. The second season doesn’t reach the heights of the first, but season one is not to be missed.
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