Top 10 Most Memorable Anime Plot Twists

Should I even say Spoiler Alert?

We've all had that one moment in anime when we were completely taken aback by a plot twist. Not all plot twists are good, though. Some can mislead the show in a whole other direction, while others can make the show even better.

Which one was more jaw-dropping?
The Top Ten
1 L Dies (Death Note)

L's death was one of the saddest and most unexpected in any anime or manga. I loved his Sherlock Holmes-type of quirky character so much and truly believed he was the hero of the story who would persevere. And in a way, I guess he did through his disciples. But the thought of him truly dying hadn't hit me until it happened. I kept thinking L was just pretending, but nope - he was gone for real.

I think Death Note was one of the first mangas I ever read where I wasn't rooting for the main guy's side to triumph because everything was twisted around. The main character was the evil one, and the guy chasing him was the good guy. Now, there are plenty of mangas where I don't like the main character, but it was nothing like how Death Note was. To be honest, I lost a lot of interest once L was gone. I read through the rest, but I felt like the story never recovered from the fatal blow of losing L. I was happy with Light getting what he deserved, but it felt bittersweet that L wasn't the one to do it.

2 Itachi's Reason (Naruto)

When you find out the truth about Itachi, it totally makes you rethink his whole character, Konoha, and the Uchiha clan all at once. I knew there had to be more to Itachi's story, but I was not expecting everything that was revealed. Initially, I was wearing rose-colored glasses when looking at the village of Konoha. I mistakenly placed them morally higher than they were and forgot the cunning of shinobi. And we as viewers had no prior knowledge of the Uchiha clan's plan and thought they were murdered for sport. But then, boom! Itachi throws us for a loop - a true and loyal shinobi to the bitter end.

It was especially heart-wrenching when Sasuke finds all this out after Itachi dies. In my opinion, Itachi's character and story arc is one of the most riveting and well-crafted of the entire Naruto-verse. If only every arc and character held up as well.

3 Lelouch Dies (Code Geass)

This is one of the saddest anime deaths in history and one of the biggest plot twists of the series. Just when it seemed like Lelouch was at the top and nothing could break him down, he is killed by Zero. Then it turns out Zero is Suzaku and that Lelouch planned this from the beginning. This is one of the most unforgettable anime scenes in history, and I'll never forget it.

I was recommended Code Geass by a friend 5 years ago, and I have to say, if I had watched this when he originally recommended it to me, I might have never taken a hiatus from watching anime. This show is 50% Gundam and 50% Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes.

4 Yuno's Plan (Future Diary)

Yuno's real plan was a twist for me. I knew she was hiding something, but I couldn't tell what it was. Then the episode reveals the truth, and I can just hear M. Night Shyamalan squealing, What a twist! Plus, who Yuno really was and her entire goal this time were the last things I expected to happen.

People dying - not surprising. People doing the things Yuno did for the reasons she did - thoroughly shocking and entertaining.

5 Kamina's Death (Gurren Lagann) Kamina is a fictional character in the anime series Gurren Lagann, known in Japan as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, animated by Gainax and co-produced by Aniplex and Konami. It was also directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and written by veteran playwright Kazuki Nakashima.

Like Mami's death, I knew about Kamina's death way before I watched all of Gurren Lagann. Regardless, I was still shocked and saddened by his untimely but bittersweet death. When he first died, he pulled himself back up with his fighting spirit to help Simon in their last fight together against Lordgenome's forces. To see him die again, even after a mighty turning point, made his death one of the saddest anime deaths I've ever witnessed.

6 Mami Dies (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

I'd heard long ago about Mami dying in Puella Magi Madoka Magica before deciding to watch the entire anime series. What shocked me was not only her death itself, but how sudden and unpredictable it was when, out of the blue, her head just got bitten off as if it were an ice cream cone. Under all that rainbow and sunshine lollipops lies a dwelling core of darkness and grief, folks.

Did not expect that. Despite the cute appearance, this series could get surprisingly dark and mature. Mami dying horrifically certainly stunned me into silence. She was decapitated and eaten by Charlotte. Wow, don't judge an anime by its cover.

7 The Last Episode of School Days

I don't like School Days, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't mind-blown a few times. From Makoto's death to Sekai's death, and Makoto's head being loved by Kotonoha, it was shocking. The best part was when Makoto died, and the anime ended.

That ending was so satisfying for a god-awful anime. I wanted to see the bastard die, and he shockingly did.

Saw it coming. Such a twisted guy is bound to die sooner or later.

8 Kanade's Heart Was Otonashi's (Angel Beats)

Kanade has Otonashi's heart? Huh? It was confusing and very surprising when that happened. I've heard theories that Otonashi was the original creator, and that the system he created crashed, so he ended up back here again. He was given another chance to love, and then Kanade moved on... Dang it.

THIS WAS SO SAD. Although in the last few episodes where we learned Otonashi's backstory, we kinda saw it coming.

9 Ace's Death (One Piece)

The series spent over 100 episodes dedicated to saving Ace from his execution. Luffy even sacrificed 20 years of his life to get to the war deciding his fate. So many important characters died, and Ace was even set free, but in the last moments of the escape, he ended up dying anyway. There hadn't even been many important character deaths before this, so a death as important as Ace's was definitely a shock and a major plot twist.

This death had a huge impact on Luffy, and it started a new era of pirates. However, I was astonished to see this death play out and realize that Ace was truly going to die.

10 The Eclipse (Berserk)

16...? Excuse me while I contemplate the anime community.

The Contenders
11 The Timeline (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)

Every arc in this anime is usually pretty eye-popping and disturbing. The second season's revelation at the start was what took me off guard. All of the arcs are connected, and Rika has been experiencing the same tragic event, repeatedly being reborn into another one. Then it ends the same horrible way as before. I felt sorry for Rika...

12 Heathcliff Was the Creator of SAO (Sword Art Online)
13 Aizen's Betrayal (Bleach)
14 Archer Was Emiya (Fate/Stay Night UBW)
15 Eren Gets Eaten by a Titan (Attack on Titan)

Ahem... A more accurate way to describe this plot twist would be Eren getting eaten by a Titan and then suddenly transforming into one himself as he emerges out of it.

16 Natsu is E.N.D. (Fairy Tail)
17 Zeref Kills Larcade (Fairy Tail)
18 Sanji is Revealed to Be a Prince of the Vinsmoke Family and is Set to Marry Big Mom's Daughter (One Piece)
19 Light Yagami's Death (Death Note)
20 Stocking Kills Panty and Reveals That She is Actually a Demon (Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt)

Gainax, if you're reading this, I know you've probably seen this millions of times, but WE NEED SEASON 2! How can you end a beautiful series like that?

21 Jyugo is Sent into a Coma (Nanbaka)

After the incident, Hajime is suspended for 3 days by the Warden, and the other supervisors and inmates were pissed at Hajime's harsh way of handling Jyugo.

This was supposed to be a comedy. One of the guards nearly kills him, and he is sent into critical condition for three days.

22 The Pope is Revealed as the Gemini Saint (Saint Seiya)
23 Hohenheim's Plan (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
24 Pyrrha Dies (RWBY)
25 Roman is Eaten Alive by a Grimm (RWBY)
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