One of the great things about Crunchyroll is the incredible size of the streaming service's catalog. With so much anime to choose from, there's virtually something for everyone, including those searching for more mature content. As TV age ratings continue to evolve, sometimes even those with a TV-14 rating may have mature themes, visuals, language, and portray things like graphic violence, drug or alcohol use, and sexual content.
Maturity may also reflect deep or disturbing themes or messages that won't be found in anime more suitable to younger viewers. Deep dives into the systematic flaws in society and fighting inner-demons while searching for the meaning of life and staving off feelings of despair or emptiness just aren't going to make sense to a younger audience. Fortunately for the mature viewer, Crunchyroll has plenty of anime to satisfy those searching for a little more depth.
10 Hell's Paradise Uses Death Row Inmates Like Disposable Pawns
Streaming on Crunchyroll
As one of modern anime's Dark Shonen Trio, Hell's Paradise has as many graphic and gory scenes as it does mature themes. An unstoppable assassin, Gabimaru is sentenced to death for his crimes, but there is one way even this relentless killer could cheat death: retrieve the Elixir of Life from a dangerous island from which no one's ever returned alive. The proof of the mysterious elixir's existence is all it takes for those calling the shots to round up the world's most infamous and brutal murderers and send them to their death. After all, they're going to die anyway, but if they can bring the elixir back, they may walk away from a death sentence and return to their lives.
Driven by longing to reunite with his wife, Gabimaru has nothing left to lose. That being said, nothing could have prepared him for the horrors that await him on an island inhabited by brutal gods who will stop at nothing to protect their treasure. Themes and visuals in this anime are incredibly mature, with so many blood-spattering combat scenes in every episode. Coupled with the dark questions posed about life and death, Hell's Paradise is one of the most mature anime on Crunchyroll, hands down.
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Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku
TV-MA
AnimationAction
Adventure10/10
- Release Date
- April 1, 2023
- Network
- TV Tokyo
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
9 Tokyo Revengers Brutality Push Beyond Its TV-14 Rating
Streaming on Crunchyroll
At times, the shonen action anime Tokyo Revengers feels carefree as the 14-year-old characters goof off and have fun as middle school-aged pals, but that's the exception. Overall, Tokyo Revengers is a remarkably mature anime, including its violent scenes. There is no magic or anything supernatural in Tokyo Revengers, but that actually makes the violence more impactful, not less.
Viewers can practically feel Takemichi Hanagaki's pain as he endures many bloody beatings, and he's not the only one, either. Tokyo Revengers hits hard with its depiction of realistic violence among delinquents who express themselves with force, and it's not clean or censored for the sake of young eyes. Tokyo Revengers also feels mature during Takemichi's time in the present, dealing with criminals who regret their past actions or watching as people get shot.
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Tokyo Revengers
Action
Drama9.1/10
- Release Date
- April 11, 2021
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8 Psycho-Pass Asks if Freedom is Worth Giving Up For Security
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Cyberpunk anime like Ghost in the Shell and Psycho-Pass explore society's relationship with technology in mature, thought-provoking ways. Sometimes it's personal, such as transhumanism, but it can also be society-wide, like in Psycho-Pass. Viewers will be challenged to take a stand on the use of heavy surveillance and preventative anti-crime measures, which is better suited to more mature audiences.
In Psycho-Pass's world, privacy is sacrificed for the sake of security, and that's something deep for mature audiences to ponder. Younger viewers simply won't have the context or experience to comment on that much, however. Also, Psycho-Pass featured some truly bloody death scenes as cops like Akane Tsunemori use high-tech weapons to dispatch criminals right before those wrongdoers commit the crimes they're apparently about to carry out.
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Psycho-Pass
TV-MA
AnimationAction
Crime
Thriller- Release Date
- 2012 - 2018
Cast
-
Kana Hanazawa
Akane Tsunemori
-
Miyuki Sawashiro
Shion Karanomori
-
Noriko Hidaka
Donimator
-
Shizuka Itou
Yayoi Kunizuka
7 Platinum End is an Edgy Anime About the Value of Life
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Even if the Platinum End anime has some flaws and a rather strange ending, no one will deny how mature and dark its narrative is. Chiefly, the Platinum End anime dares its unhappy heroes to reassess the lives they were about to willingly end, trying to find joy and purpose in their human existence. That kind of existential crisis is definitely best for mature audiences, rather than kids.
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The Platinum End anime is also mature and dark because its characters are often depicted attempting to end their lives or discussing that particular phase of their lives, which never makes for easy viewing. And even with angels actually swooping in to save the day, characters like Mirai Kakehashi have plenty of woes on their hands, including a death game to find the next God. That, in turn, leads to new questions about what God really is and what it means to have such a role.
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Platinum End
TV-14
DramaMystery
Anime Fantasy Thriller- Release Date
- 2021 - 2021
- Network
- TBS
Cast
-
Miyu Irino
Mirai Kakehashi (voice)
-
Yui Ogura
Nasse (voice)
-
Shoya Chiba
Mizukiyo Minamikawa (voice)
-
Mao Ichimichi
Saki Hanakago (voice)
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6 Chainsaw Man Subverts Shonen Anime With Gory Battles and Quiet Despair
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Subversive anime series can lightly poke fun at certain genres, such as Zom 100 or Mashle: Magic and Muscles, but others use that subversion to show the dark side of familiar narratives. That is what makes Chainsaw Man such a compelling watch, including mature narratives such as the flaws of human beings and trying to find the meaning in a meek, depressing life.
Unlike many teenage shonen heroes, Denji is not meant to be inspirational or motivational. He is a more grounded, twisted, and saddening view of what it's really like to be a lost youth who has everything to gain. Chainsaw Man is an unflinching look at how heartbreaking, violent, and strange such a life can be, all with devils and betrayal thrown in. Such narrative weight makes Chainsaw Man rank in the middle among Crunchyroll's most mature anime.
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Chainsaw Man
Action
Horror17 8.1/10
- Release Date
- 2022 - 2022
- Writers
- Tatsuki Fujimoto
Cast
-
Ryan Colt Levy
-
Fairouz Ai
5 FMA: Brotherhood's Traumatic Horror and Scenes of Genocide Are Chilling
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is deep, mature, and memorable thanks to the weighty themes it explores, many of which have painfully real analogs in the real world. Edward's quest to find the Philosopher's Stone involves the likes of hearing about brutal genocide, inhumane experiments to create the Philosopher's Stone, and the grim duality of human nature.
Edward and all anime viewers get to see both the best and worst in humanity in the story of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, all reinforced with solid dialogue, a carefully balanced tone, great fights, and robust character arcs. That makes the themes in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood dark but bearable, leading to a generally hopful shonen narrative where humanity's bright side can always outshine the deepest, darkest side of it all.
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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Action
Adventure FantasySci-Fi
Shonen
9.6/10
- Release Date
- 2009 - 2010
Cast
-
Maxey Whitehead
Alphonse Elric
-
Vic Mignogna
Edward Elric
4 Berserk's 2016 Anime Follows Guts as He Fights His Inner and Outer Demons
Streaming on Crunchyroll
The various anime adaptations of the original Berserk manga may not be perfect recreations of the original story, but they do benefit from its best narrative beats. That includes a heavy, grim, yet inspiring story of Guts the mercenary hero in his highly mature adventure as the "Black Swordsman." For the most part, Berserk is mature because it deals with the effects of trauma, even if Guts' and Casca's traumas aren't directly shown that much.
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The 1990s had several great and gritty anime, but many of these, despite who ended up watching them, weren't at all meant for young children.
4
Any anime that smartly and carefully deals with personal trauma is bound to be mature and painfully relatable for some, no matter Berserk's high fantasy setting. Berserk's Conviction story arc is also mature because it addresses humanity's cruelty and abuses of power, most of all with Father Mozgus. Then there's Farnese, who must question her devotion to the Holy See and reassess what she stands for.
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Berserk
Action
Adventure5.5/10
- Release Date
- 2016 - 2016
3 Black Lagoon is Like a Quentin Tarantino Anime
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Many of the characters in the TV-MA-rated Black Lagoon anime feel like Quentin Tarantino characters, featuring delightfully rough dialogue, a grim antihero view on the world, and most of all, a willingness to shoot or stab anyone who gets in their way. The entire narrative of Black Lagoon is a violent and mature one, with the leads being antihero mercenaries who are fully immersed in a world of crime and horror.
There are no "good guys" in anime like Black Lagoon, just different parties with their own interests, and they will always follow the money -- or seek revenge at gunpoint. The Black Lagoon anime will also shock both protagonist Rock and viewers with scenes of true horror or trauma, such as underaged fighters who internalized their brutal world in ways Rock was not ready to deal with.
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Black Lagoon
TV-MA
Action
AnimationCrime
Thriller- Release Date
- 2006 - 2006
- Directors
- Sunao Katabuchi
Cast
-
Brad Swaile
-
Maryke Hendrikse
-
Brain DRummond
-
Dean Redman
2 Jujutsu Kaisen Balances Horrific Elements and Gory Brutality
Streaming on Crunchyroll
All three anime in the Shonen Dark Trio earned their categorization honestly, and Jujutsu Kaisen's horror elements, dark themes, and gory brutality are just the tip of the iceberg. One of the things that makes this anime mature, beyond its TVMA rating, of course, is how hard it works to corrupt an otherwise innocent young character by throwing everything imaginable at him. As far as protagonists go, Yuji Itadori is right up there with Demon Slayer's Tanjiro Kamado in the pure-of-heart department, even after swallowing the most corrupt of cursed objects in the entire jujutsu world. With the "King of Curses" sharing his body, a little bit of corruption is expected, but from start to finish, Yuji maintains the kindness that defines him as a person.
Two seasons into the JJK anime, and Yuji has been forced to helplessly watch as the monster taking up residence inside him wreaks havoc on Tokyo with Yuji's own hands. He's witnessed the maiming and death of so many people he cares about, and with four full story arcs and nearly 150 chapters of the manga yet to cover, things are only going to get worse going forward. One thing that makes this anime standout as one of the better mature series on Crunchyroll is that despite the blood, gore, machinations, and darkness, there is a sense of hope fans can't get enough of.
1 Attack on Titan Tackles Gore, Horror, Ethnic Struggles, and Real-World History
Streaming on Crunchyroll
In many ways, the famed anime series Attack on Titan is the most mature anime on Crunchyroll, not to mention one of the best. The story of Attack on Titan is quite mature on a superficial level, throwing anime fans into a bloodsoaked, desperate world of swords, cannons, and man-eating Titans who show no mercy. There are also gut-wrenching scenes of graphic deaths and beatings not suitable for young viewers.
Attack on Titan is also mature with its worldbuilding, plot, and real-life analogs in terms of ethnic tensions, genocide, and human groups fearing and hating one another as "devils." In fact, the most mature and darkest narrativ elements have caused controversy, such as the distinctive armbands all Eldians wear in their internment zone. Attack on Titan is an anime world where humanity is always at war with itself, and the human suffering in all ages is unspeakble.
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Attack On Titan
TV-MA
Animation AdventureAction
55 9.3/10
- Release Date
- 2013 - 2023
Cast
-
Matthew Mercer
-
Josh Grelle
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