10 Bait-and-Switch Anime That Completely Defied Expectations

There’s a growing trend in anime of shows not being entirely honest with the viewer. It isn’t exactly new, as something like Neon Genesis Evangelion took its famous sudden left turn towards philosophical subject matter nearly three decades ago, abandoning much of what made it so popular earlier on.

However, more shows today are intentionally doing something similar than ever before. Whether they market themselves one way only to turn out completely different from what anyone thought, or naturally grow into something they weren’t at the start, it seems more and more anime series are aiming to take their viewers by surprise, and these 10 shows did it best.

10

Zombie Land Saga

Animated by MAPPA, Original Anime Series

A title as eye-catching as Zombie Land Sagaanimated by the famed studio MAPPA couldn’t sound like a more exciting time. Undead thrills from the studio responsible for the gory action of Chainsaw Man and the stylish high-paced battles of Jujutsu Kaisen could make for one of the best zombie anime series of all-time. However, Zombie Land Saga is about idols.

Not just any idols, either, but six girls from various time periods in Japan’s history, all resurrected by one man who seeks to put together an all-zombie idol group that could rock the nation. The premise is absurd, but highly entertaining when all is said and done. Ultimately, it seems MAPPA sought to deliver a bit of a different experience with Zombie Land Saga.

9

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You

Animated by Bibury Animation Studios, Based on the Manga by Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa

There are dozens of anime rom-coms released every year, with only a select few able to leave a lasting impression, while the others typically fade into obscurity following their initial airing. They’re always fun, but most in the genre follow a similar structure and can be somewhat predictable.

On the surface, that’s exactly what The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You appears to be, until the series makes it very apparent that it’s more of a parody of the genre than anything else. Like all great parodies, it’s clear that those crafting the story have a deep love and understanding of anime rom-coms, and know exactly what makes them tick.

The series is often laugh-out-loud funny, and anyone who has ever enjoyed a dumb-fun romance series in the past is sure to get something out of it.

8

Aggretsuko

Animated by Fanworks, Original Anime Series

Anime fans typically know what they’re getting from a Sanrio-based production. Hello Kitty is an icon in her own right, while other characters like My Melody and Kuromi are currently starring in their own cozy anime series. Aggretsuko, however, is likely the last thing anyone would expect from a show based on the cute lineup of Sanrio characters.

The situations Retsuko finds herself in are incredibly relatable for those just starting their lives, and the series doesn’t pull any punches.

Rather than sending its protagonist on a whimsical adventure, the titular Retsuko the red panda is a 25-year-old accountant learning how to be an adult. The situations she finds herself in are incredibly relatable for those just starting their lives, and the series doesn’t pull any punches. Like other tired adults, Retsuko needs to scream sometimes, and does so in death metal karaoke.

7

Kotaro Lives Alone

Animated by Liden Films, Based on the Manga by Mami Tsumura

Everything about Kotaro Lives Alone, from its cute aesthetic and protagonist, to its out there premise, signals that viewers should expect a wholesome and cozy experience. And that’s largely what they’ll get. However, Kotaro Lives Alone isn’t afraid to show the darker sides of a four-year-old living on his own in a big city.

Kotaro moves into an apartment by himself and prefers to be independent, though when his new neighbors realize that something isn’t quite right with his living situation, they chip in and take turns caring for the boy. The series leans into comedy rather often, though when it’s time to get serious, it can really become quite an emotional watch.

6

School-Live!

Animated by Lerche, Based on the Manga by Norimitsu Kaiho and Sadoru Chiba

School-Live! is a classic example of the anime bait-and-switch that’s become popular over the past 20 or so years. It markets itself as another classroom slice-of-life series following the everyday experience of high school girls, and even begins that way in its earliest moments. However, it doesn’t take long for the series to reveal its true colors.

The cheerful lives of Yuki Takeya and her friends are all a delusion by School-Live!‘s protagonist, who is actively repressing the trauma of a recent zombie outbreak that has trapped the girls in their school. While she’s occupied with fun school activities, her friends work to keep her safe from the danger that’s lurking around every corner.

5

Talentless Nana

Animated by Bridge, Based on the Manga by Looseboy and Iori Furuya

Talentless Nana, like School Live!, takes a direct approach to deceiving its audience. The series begins in what appears to be any other shōnen superpower school setting, following a protagonist who does not have a ‘talent’ as it’s called in the story. Viewers would likely suspect that the powerless Nana would struggle to fit in before becoming helpful to her schoolmates.

Rather than the endearing shōnen hero’s journey the series appeared to have in store for viewers, it leans into suspenseful psychological thrills.

That isn’t the case in the slightest. It turns out Nana is an assassin, and was sent to the school as part of a government plot to exterminate the talented. Rather than the endearing shōnen hero’s journey the series appeared to have in store for viewers, it leans into suspenseful psychological thrills.

4

Attack on Titan

Animated by Wit Studio and MAPPA, Based on the Manga by Hajime Isayama

There haven’t been too many titles with as much widespread fanfare and success in the last decade and a half as Attack on Titan, and much of that hype was there from the very beginning. The anime’s first season captured the attention of the entire community, and kicked off the movement that eventually made anime cool in the 2020s.

However, Attack on Titan was a much different show in 2013 than it was when it ended in 2023. What began as a revenge story featuring kaiju-like titan battles in a post-apocalyptic setting eventually turned into a political war story that ended in more than half the world’s population being killed. Eren Yeagar and his wide-eyed friends turned out nothing like fans in 2013 had hoped.

3

Samurai Flamenco

Animated by Manglobe, Original Anime Series

On release, Samurai Flamenco had some trouble connecting with Western viewers in 2013. At its start, the series follows a male model who one day decides to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a superhero. He has no superpowers, or any advanced technology that might help in the vein of Batman. Instead, he’s reminiscent of the heroes in something like Kick-Ass.

That is, until he one day has a run-in with an antagonist who very clearly does not belong to the real-world. The series then dives headfirst into the Tokusatsu superhero tropes that have made heroes like Ultraman, parodying how ridiculous those properties have become over the years.

Few expected the series to make Masayoshi Hazama a bona-fide superhero, and such an absurd one at that.

2

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Animated by Shaft, Original Anime Series

Where shows like School-Live! and Talentless Nana participate in the growing trend of shows directly misleading their viewers, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is largely credited with being the show that started that trend. The series is marketed and appears to be just another ordinary magical girl show, but ordinary it is not.

The magical girl genre was never the same after Madoka’s arrival, and few shows have been able to pull off the classic bait-and-switch quite as effectively.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica eventually reveals all the dark secrets of the lives of magical girls, and can be brutal in its more disturbing moments. The cutesy artstyle will also occasionally give way to more experimental, disorientating, and downright awesome visuals.

The magical girl genre was never the same after Madoka’s arrival, and few shows have been able to pull off the classic bait-and-switch quite as effectively.

1

Made in Abyss

Animated by Kinema Citrus, Based on the Manga by Akihito Tsukushi

Made in Abyss, on the surface, appears to be a fairly standard adventure series with an overly cute art-style. It markets itself as such and gives viewers no reason to believe any differently. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from reality. The series takes its cast of child characters into the titular abyss and puts them through hell.

More than a fair share of scenes in Made in Abyss are highly disturbing, and made even more so by the fact that children are the ones enduring such horrors. The anime is not for everyone, and any recommendation should come with a strong content warning, but despite its incredibly dark elements, there are quite a few hopeful moments in the series as well.