Crazy is a great story that often leads the conversation when it comes to dark fantasy anime series. Written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, Berserk is a phenomenal story that has continued for decades and remains unfinished even now in 2026. It has received worldwide acclaim for its characters and storytelling. The story of Berserk is one of the scariest and darkest in mainstream anime, and while it is a masterpiece in many ways, there are other anime series that can easily rival it.
31 Best Seinen Anime of All Time, Rated
From Berserk to Kaguya-sama, the best seinen anime cover many genres and themes, be it action, comedy, romance or thrillers.
Attack on Titan
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Main Character: Eren Yaeger
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Genre: Shonen
Attack on Titan is a brilliant shonen manga aimed more at a younger audience. However, despite this, it is still a dark series. Attack on Titan follows the story of Eren Yeager in a world that has been decimated by the Titans, man-eating creatures. While Eren and his family lived in peace, everything changed after the fall of the wall.
Attack on Titan it showcases terrifying scenes involving the Titans, but also darker political issues, especially closer to the end. Attack on Titan has definitely become an iconic series over the years, and it's undeniable that it could easily rival Berserk in terms of writing and storytelling. After all, Eren and Guts are both cited as some of the best well-written main characters in all of anime.
Tokyo Ghoul
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Main Character: Ken Kaneki
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Genre: Seinen
Like the story of Berserk, Tokyo Ghoul falls under the Seinen category, which targets an older male audience. With this, Tokyo Ghoul is expected to be a darker series that will explore more mature themes. Tokyo Ghoul has become an icon in the anime world as one of the most popular seinen series of all time, rivaling Berserk in popularity.
Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida follows the story of Ken Kaneki in a world where ghouls exist, creatures that feed on humans. The anime for Tokyo Ghoul was a bit of a mess after the first season, but its manga remains a huge rival to the Berserk series in terms of writing and storytelling. In many ways, Tokyo Ghoul is even darker than Berserk, with countless character deaths and terrifying scenarios that unfold throughout the series. With dark secrets and gut-wrenching developments, this series keeps fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The manga for Tokyo Ghoul is even more intense and takes the gruesome nature of the story to a whole other level.
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The Vinland Saga
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Main Character: Thorfinn
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Genre: Seinen
The Vinland Saga is definitely a series that exceeds the expectations of the viewers. Thorfinn, the main character, loses his father and goes down a pretty dark path at the beginning of the story. However, at the end of the first season and after the second season, he undergoes a rather dramatic transformation and turns into a pacifist.
While The Vinland Saga isn't a series as horrible as Berserk and not based in fantasy, it's still a series that more than competes with it in the darker anime genre and does things even better. After all, when talking about the greatest Seinen series of all time, Berserk and the Vinland Saga are often the two most cited stories. Unlike Berserk, Vinland Saga actually has a pretty stunning anime adaptation and fans can't wait for the third season to air.
34 Best Gender-Bender Anime of All Time, Rated
Gender-bender anime have been around for a long time and span several genres. These great shows make the most of the trope.
Monster
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Main Character: Tenma
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Genre: Seinen
Monster is a series by the legendary Naoki Urasawa, a creator with many iconic stories. Monster is by far his biggest hit and the reason why is quite clear. Monster is a dark thriller about surgeon Kenzo Tenma, a Japanese doctor living in Germany who risks his career to save a young boy instead of his more prestigious patient.
Although Tenma's actions are honorable, this event changes his life for the worse. The child he saved turns out to be a serial killer and is heavily blamed. On the run from the police and trying to find the man he saved long ago, this marks the beginning of one of the most exciting series of all time.
Monster is one of the most legendary anime and is probably even better than Berserk. Its anime adaptation remains one of the most iconic stories ever.
Perfect blue
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Main character: Mina
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Genre: Psychological film thriller
Perfect blue is one of the most legendary anime movies of all time. It was released in 1997, created by the legend Yoshikazu Takeuchi. The story of Perfect Blue follows Mima, a former member of a pop idol who wanted to advance her career and become an actress. What she thought would be a great new beginning for her turned into a nightmare. The public's reaction to her shift and the creepy stalker who pursues her make for one of the most memorable dark thrillers. Perfect Blue's plot definitely broke a lot, and it's definitely a story that could rival Berserk, although of course its plot is much shorter because it's a movie.
Death Note
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Main Character: Light Yagami
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Genre: Shonen
Death Note aired only in 2006. Despite this, it remains one of the most popular anime series in 2026. When it comes to mystery and thriller series with dark twists, there aren't many series that have the depth of Death Note. The characters of Light and L have become icons and some of the most recognizable characters of all time, on par with Guts or Griffith.
The first installment of Death Note is at least definitely comparable to Berserk, if not far better. Although its second installment picks up in quality, Death Note certainly explores darker themes incredibly well, even if it's not as badass as Berserk. Although years have passed since its debut, Death Note continues to grow in popularity and will continue to hold its position as one of the most iconic stories of all time.
Claymore
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Main Character: Clare
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Genre: Shonen
When it comes to series like Berserk, there is probably no other story quite like it Claymore. Like Berserk, Claymore is set in a fantasy medieval world. The world of Claymore is infested with parasitic creatures known as Yoma. These Yoma are known as shape-shifting monsters that infect human bodies and feed on their hosts. A human-Yoma hybrid was created to fight these Yoma.
These became known as Claymores, a class of female warriors named after the great sword they carry. The story of Claymore it specifically focuses on Clare, a Claymore warrior who stands out as one of the most well-known dark shonen main characters.
