Remember when Sword Art Online began as the roadmap for isekai anime and then suddenly everyone started hating it after some arcs or how Tokyo Ghoul became a punching bag after its second season? Not every anime that faces criticism truly deserves the hate it gets. But some series are misunderstood, overhyped, or judged too harshly with herculean expectations. Here’s a list of the top 10 overhated anime of all time, which became the victim of backlash and criticism.
10. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Release date – Spring 2017
Genre – Shounen, Action, Adventure
Reason for hate – Unfair comparison to its predecessors
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is an after-story of the main series, Naruto. The series revolves around another protagonist, Boruto – Naruto’s son, and shows his own specific journey and battles all along the show.
The reason for its hate is quite common in the anime community, i.e., over expectations and unfair comparisons. Moreover, fans found its early arcs slow; the arrogance of the protagonist and the excessive number of fillers in the show break the momentum and hype for the main show fans.
9. Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie
Release date – Spring 2022
Genre – High School, Romance, Comedy
Reason for hate – Over Hype and Expectations
Shikimori San Is Cutie is a high school romance with a peaceful yet funny plot about the everyday life of a perfect girlfriend with a clumsy boyfriend. This show is being hated for multiple reasons, but among the most grounded ones are over hype and expectation.
The plot is found to be “too generic” for the romance setup, the repetitive dynamics with no character growth and also the unfair comparison to similar series like “MY DRESS-UP DARLING” or “KOMI CAN’T COMMUNICATE”.
8. Charlotte
Release date – Summer 2015
Genre – Supernatural, High School, Fantasy
Reason for hate – Wasted Potential
Charlotte, being a supernatural anime with a unique plot, was too innovative and cool for its era. It also started off pretty, but lost many fans along the way to its end. It focuses on a high school student, Yuu Otosaka, who possesses the power to take over other people’s minds and bodies.
The reason for its hate stretches with its story, for its rushed pacing, sudden tonal shifts and wasted potential. What began as a promising, unique plot of superpowers spiralled into chaos with too many ideas packed into 13 episodes, with a satisfying ending.
7. Tokyo Ghoul
Release date – Summer 2014
Genre – Seinen, Action, Horror, Dark Fantasy
Reason for hate – Poor Handling
Tokyo Ghoul is one of the anime getting hate, not because of the story, but for how it was presented. It is a story of a boy named Ken Kaneki, a shy college student who becomes a half-ghoul after a date with a girl named Rize and navigates the world of ghouls who live in secret among humans and eat their flesh.
The reason for its hate is the poor handling done by the animation studio, which deviated the anime fromthe manga. Later seasons cut crucial storylines, wasted important characters and lost the impact and dark psychological depth that made the first season so gripping.
6. Sword Art Online
Release date – Summer 2012
Genre – Isekai, fantasy, Romance, harem
Reason for hate – Divisive storyline
Sword Art Online or SAO is one of the most famous and original anime of its time with a modern plot and beautiful characters. It is also being referred as the guidepost of isekai animes which revolutionized the isekai genre and introduced millions to anime.
Despite all the glories, some criticism still knocks on the door. As the show gets hate for its overpowered protagonist and uneven storyline. Many fans felt Kirito’s perfection and the rushed romance with Asuna made the series lose depth towards the end. Which eventually made the show a topic for discussion on the platforms.
5. Wonder Egg Priority
Release date – Winter 2021
Genre – fantasy, Psychological, horror, drama
Reason for hate – A messy finish
Wonder Egg Priority is a beautiful, creative anime that sadly faces criticism for its messy ending. It story focuses on Ai Ohto, a junior high student who, after her friend’s suicide, is led to a mysterious “Gachapon” machine that gives her a wonder egg.
The story earned hate for the unclear storyline as it began with a stunning, emotional masterpiece but stumbled with rushed pacing, confusing symbolism and an unsatisfying finale. Production and unanswered plot holes left fans disappointed after such a strong start.
4. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
Release date – Spring 2016
Genre – Steampunk, Dark fantasy, Zombie Apocalypse
Reason for hate – Sequel Burnout
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is a steampunk, Dark fantasy anime with a gore concept. The story is set during the Industrial Revolution, where humanity is threatened by “Kabane”, a zombie-like creature, which can be defeated by slicing their iron-protected hearts.
Despite having this awesome concept, it didn’t get the attention it deserved. Instead of glory, it faced hate and criticism just because of being called a shadow of AOT, i.e., Attack on Titan. It was made by the same studio, “Wit Studio”, and was directed by Tetsuro Akari, the one who directed Attack on Titan. As a result, it couldn’t bear the burden of AOT’s success.
3. Fairy Tail
Release date – Fall 2009
Genre – Shounen, Action, Adventure
Reason for hate – Repetitive Story Concept
Fairy Tail is, no doubt, one of the most famous anime of its time. It’s also often compared to the big three among the fans, but some allegations are inevitable. The story revolves around a girl, Lucy Hearfilia who starts her journey as a wizard in the infamous guild, Fairy tail and navigates missions with her companions.
The reason for its hate is the repetitive storyline, excessive “power of friendship” moments, and lack of real consequences with few lasting stakes or character deaths. Many also criticised it for the overused fan service and predictable arcs.
2. Darling In The Franxx
Release date – Winter 2018
Genre – Sci-fi, Romance, Fantasy, Drama
Reason for hate – Inconsistent Plot
Darling In The Franxx is often regarded as one of the most mentioned anime for newcomer fans in the anime community. The story revolves around some artificially created children called parasites who live in mobile cities and pilot giant mechs called Franxx to fight creatures called Klaxosaurs.
The show is hated mostly because of the inconsistent stability in the plot throughout the storyline. The anime started strong with amazing visuals and emotional depths, but soon fell apart in the second half as it rushed in pacing and met an unclear end.
1. Rent A Girlfriend
Release date – Summer 2020
Genre – Ecchi, Romance, Comedy, Harem
Reason for hate – Character Criticism
Rent a Girlfriend is basically a rom-com anime with a funny plot. The story revolves around a college student named Kazuya Kinoshita who, after a messy breakup, hires a beautiful rental girlfriend to impress his family and friends.
The reason for its over-criticism is for its frustrating protagonist and repetitive drama; many viewers find Kazuya, the protagonist, extremely unlikable. The storyline drags in a circle with no progress due to the indecisive personalities of the characters. Some fans think it promotes toxic behaviour in romantic relationships, which often leads to unacceptable consequences and hate towards the show.
To conclude the list, All the anime in the list are undoubtedly good in their own fields, and no one deserves the hate or criticism they earned just because of the misunderstandings, over expectations, unfair comparisons and excess hype created by their respective fans. At the end of the day, every viewer’s experience is subjective and personal. Moreover, what one person calls “trash”, another might treasure as a “masterpiece”.
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