What is this genre all about? A rotten world is a setting or situation where the jaded notion that "anything that can go wrong will go horribly wrong" almost always applies. Oppression, perpetual warfare, lawlessness, despair or other forms of mental instability, and other highly undesirable factors tend to be rampant.
We present you the list of Rotten World anime you should watch right now.
Try our anime quiz: Anime Characters Guessing Quiz/Game
Top 18 Rotten World anime you should watch right now. [2024 List]
- 18. Kenpuu Denki Berserk
- 17. Black Lagoon
- 16. Highschool of the Dead
- 15. Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage
- 14. Shinsekai yori
- 13. Gakkou Gurashi!
- 12. Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
- 11. Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
- 10. Death Note: Rewrite
- 9. Blassreiter
- 8. Dimension W
- 7. Now and Then, Here and There
- 6. Gungrave
- 5. Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
- 4. Gunnm
- 3. Speed Grapher
- 2. Golgo 13
- 1. Madlax
18. Kenpuu Denki Berserk
Born from the corpse of his mother, a young mercenary known only as Guts, embraces the battlefield as his only means of survival. Day in and day out, putting his life on the line just to make enough to get by, he moves from one bloodshed to the next.
After a run-in with the Band of the Hawk, a formidable troop of mercenaries, Guts is recruited by their charismatic leader Griffith, nicknamed the "White Hawk." As he quickly climbed the ranks in order to become the head of the offensive faction, Guts proves to be a mighty addition to Griffith's force, taking Midland by storm. However, while the band's quest for recognition continues, Guts slowly realizes that the world is not as black-and-white as he once assumed.
Set in the medieval era, Berserk is a dark, gritty tale that follows one man's struggle to find his own path, while supporting another's lust for power, and the unimaginable tragedy that begins to turn the wheels of fate.
Berserk has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: 剣風伝奇ベルセルク, Kenpuu Denki Berserk, Kenfu Denki Berserk, Sword-Wind Chronicle Berserk, Berserk: The Chronicles of Wind Blades, Berserk: Sword-Wind Tales, Berserk: SWORD-WIND ROMANCE
17. Black Lagoon
Within Thailand is Roanapur, a depraved, crime-ridden city where not even the authorities or churches are untouched by the claws of corruption. A haven for convicts and degenerates alike, the city is notorious for being the center of illegal activities and operations, often fueled by local crime syndicates.
Enter Rokurou Okajima, an average Japanese businessman who has been living a dull and monotonous life, when he finally gets his chance for a change of pace with a delivery trip to Southeast Asia. His business trip swiftly goes downhill as Rokurou is captured by a mercenary group operating in Roanapur, called Black Lagoon. The group plans to use him as a bargaining chip in negotiations which ultimately failed. Now abandoned and betrayed by his former employer, Rokurou decides to join Black Lagoon. In order to survive, he must quickly adapt to his new environment and prepare himself for the bloodshed and tribulation to come.
A non-stop, high-octane thriller, Black Lagoon delves into the depths of human morality and virtue. Witness Rokurou struggling to keep his values and philosophies intact as he slowly transforms from businessman to ruthless mercenary.
Black Lagoon has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: BLACK LAGOON, Black Lagoon
16. Highschool of the Dead
It happened suddenly: The dead began to rise and Japan was thrown into total chaos. As these monsters begin terrorizing a high school, Takashi Kimuro is forced to kill his best friend when he gets bitten and joins the ranks of the walking dead. Vowing to protect Rei Miyamoto, the girlfriend of the man he just executed, they narrowly escape their death trap of a school, only to be greeted with a society that has already fallen.
Soon, Takashi and Rei band together with other students on a journey to find their family members and uncover what caused this overwhelming pandemic. Joining them is Saeko Busujima, the beautiful president of the Kendo Club; Kouta Hirano, an otaku with a fetish for firearms; Saya Takagi, the daughter of an influential politician; and Shizuka Marikawa, their hot school nurse. But will the combined strength of these individuals be enough to conquer this undead apocalypse?
High School of the Dead has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 学園黙示録 HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD, Gakuen Mokushiroku: Highschool of the Dead, HOTD, HSOTD
15. Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage
Rokurou "Rock" Okajima has joined the Lagoon Company, a pirate mercenary group which operates out of Roanapur, Thailand. Despite his initial protests, this filthy slum of depraved souls and merciless criminals now serves as the former salaryman's home. Stranded, with nothing left of his past life but the clothes on his back and his inner morality, Rock is forced to perform jobs alongside the other members of the Lagoon crew. Berated for his lack of spine as he wades through the underbelly of society, he must decide whether to continue on amidst the gunfire and ruthlessness or risk everything he has in an attempt to be free. Whether he chooses the comfort of a familiar land or the freedom of being an outlaw, his decision will have lasting consequences on the crew who gave him a home.
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: BLACK LAGOON The Second Barrage, Black Lagoon 2nd Season, Black Lagoon Second Season
14. Shinsekai yori
Following a sudden outbreak of psychokinesis in 0.1% of the population, a rapid transformation swept the world. The godlike ability to manipulate matter remotely turned many power wielders to violence, inciting a long period of upheaval. Finally, after a chaotic era shaped by the rise and fall of oppressive regimes, the psychic humans were able to achieve a fragile peace by isolating their society, creating a new world bound by complex rules.
In the town of Kamisu 66, 12-year-old Saki Watanabe has just awakened to her powers and is relieved to rejoin her friends—the mischievous Satoru Asahina, the shy Mamoru Itou, the cheerful Maria Akizuki, and Shun Aonuma, a mysterious boy whom Saki admires—at Sage Academy, a special school for psychics. However, unease looms as Saki begins to question the fate of those unable to awaken to their powers, and the children begin to get involved with secretive matters such as the rumored Tainted Cats said to abduct children.Shinsekai yori tells the unique coming-of-age story of Saki and her friends as they journey to grow into their roles in the supposed utopia. Accepting these roles, however, might not come easy when faced with the dark and shocking truths of society, and the impending havoc born from the new world.
From the New World has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: 新世界より, Shin Sekai yori
13. Gakkou Gurashi!
SCHOOL-LIVE! Focuses on the lives of 4 girls who decide to stay over at school: Yuki Takeya, Kurumi Ebisuzawa, Yuri Wakasa, and Miki Naoki. Along with the school adviser Megumi Sakura, they suddenly find themselves to be the final survivors of a zombie attack, and continue to live and survive at the school.
School-Live! has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: がっこうぐらし！, School Live!
12. Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
Japan, 1955: Mario Minakami has just arrived at Shounan Special Reform School along with six other teenagers who have been arrested on serious criminal charges. All assigned to the same cell, they meet older inmate Rokurouta Sakuragi—a former boxer—with whom they establish a close bond. Under his guidance, and with the promise that they will meet again on the outside after serving their sentences, the delinquents begin to view their hopeless situation in a better light.Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin follows the seven cellmates as they struggle together against the brutal suffering and humiliation inflicted upon them by Ishihara, a sadistic guard with a grudge on Rokurouta, and Gisuke Sasaki, a doctor who takes pleasure in violating boys. Facing such hellish conditions, the seven inmates must scrape together all the strength they have to survive until their sentences are up; but even if they do, just what kind of lives are waiting for them on the other side?
Rainbow has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: RAINBOW 二舎六房の七人, Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
11. Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
It is Universal Century 0153. On the space colonies located at Side 2, the Zanscare Empire has come to power and it holds onto that power through liberal use of the guillotine. With its forces invading the Earth and its space fleets preparing to subjugate the other Sides, the Zanscare Empire has nothing to fear from the weakening Earth Federation. It is opposed only by the League Militaire, whose state of the art mobile suits and young pilots comprise the only real resistance movement. Now, thirteen-year-old Uso Evin has been dragged into the war by a battle near his home in Eastern Europe. As the Newtype pilot of the Victory Gundam, he fights not only to defeat the Zanscare Empire but also to find out what has become of his parents, who left him behind when they went into space.
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam has finished airing and it has 51 Episodes. It is also Known as: Kidou Senshi Victory Gundam, 機動戦士Vガンダム, Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
10. Death Note: Rewrite
1. Genshisuru Kami (Visions of a God)
A two hour episode of Death Note, mainly a compilation of the confrontations between Light and L, re-edited from Ryuk's perspective with new dialogue and soundtrack along with additional animation that could not be included in the original series. An Unnamed Shinigami comes to Ryuk to question him about his new story in the human world.
2. L o Tsugu Mono (L's Successors)
This story continues where the previous left off, continuing the story of Light. As the previous special told Light and L's battles, this story does the same with the conflicts between Light, Mello, and Near.
Death Note: Relight has finished airing and it has 2 Episodes. It is also Known as: ディレクターズカット完全決着版 〜リライト, Death Note Director's Cut: The Complete Ending Edition Special, Death Note Special, Genshisuru Kami, Visions of a God, L o Tsugu Mono, L's Successors
9. Blassreiter
Blassreiter takes place in an alternate version of modern Germany which is under siege from an outbreak of mindless, biomechanical creatures, known as Demoniacs, who are mysteriously born from human corpses. These creatures possess the ability to merge their bodies with technology, most commonly upgrading themselves with cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles in order to improve their physical capabilities.
In an effort to suppress the Demoniac plague, a task force called the Xenogenesis Assault Team (XAT) is formed. These individuals are responsible for responding to Demoniac incidents, finding themselves dispatched in order to protect the lives of the people of Germany. But the Demoniac threat has now taken a strange turn of events.
A number of living humans have begun to develop Demoniac powers and retain the ability to think instead of lashing out like enraged animals. Some of these individuals have decided to use their powers to defend humanity, while others have decided that mankind should fall to the Demoniac. One of these Demoniac will rise above the others and become the Blassreiter, but will this Demoniac leader save the world or destroy it?
Blassreiter has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: ブラスレイター, BLASSREITER -genetic-
8. Dimension W
In the near future, humans have discovered a fourth dimension, Dimension W, and a supposedly infinite source of energy within. In order to harness this profound new energy, mankind develops advanced "coils," devices that link to and use the power of Dimension W. However, by year 2071, the New Tesla Energy corporation has monopolized the energy industry with coils, soon leading to the illegal distribution of unofficial coils that begin flooding the markets.
Kyouma Mabuchi is an ex-soldier who is wary of all coil-based technology to the extent that he still drives a gas-powered car. Kyouma is a "Collector," individuals with the sole duty of hunting down illegal coils in exchange for money. What started out as just any other mission is turned on its head when he bumps in Mira Yurizaki, an android with a connection to the "father" of coils. When a series of strange events begin to take place, these two unlikely allies band together to uncover the mysteries of Dimension W.
Dimension W has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: Dimension W
7. Now and Then, Here and There
Shu is a typical Japanese boy, but has an unbeatable, optimistic and determined attitude. However, when he sees a mysterious girl with strange eyes named Lala-Ru up on a smokestack, he is soon pulled into a strange desert world. Shu soon discovers the true terrors of war, which includes genocide, brutal torture, hunger, thirst, and child exploitation. Now Shu is trying to save Lala-Ru, as well as his hard earned, and often reluctant, new friends from the insane dictator, Hamdo. Whether Shu can possibly accomplish saving those he cares about while still holding up to his values remains to be seen.
Now and Then, Here and There has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku, 今、そこにいる僕, Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku
6. Gungrave
Brandon Heat and Harry MacDowel, two friends so close they could be called brothers, receive an abrupt and violent reminder one fateful day of how appallingly merciless the world around them can be. Their whole lives before then were simple and easygoing, consisting largely of local brawls, seducing women, and committing petty theft to make a living and pass the time. What they failed to realize is that in this cruel world, happiness is fleeting, and change is inevitable.
Enter Millennion, the largest and most infamous mafia syndicate in the area, which accepts Brandon and Harry into their ranks and starts them at the bottom of the food chain. Harry has ambitions to ascend the ranks and one day replace Big Daddy as the supreme leader of Millennion, while Brandon only wishes to support his friend and appease Big Daddy who has taken custody of the woman Brandon loves.
Based off the third-person shooter video game under the same name, Gungrave is an epic story of friendship, betrayal, and avarice that spans the course of several years, ultimately tying back to the gripping and foreboding first episode, all the while building up to the story's thrilling conclusion.
Gungrave has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: ガングレイヴ, Gungrave
5. Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
Mafia is rife in America where assassinations are a regular occurrence on the streets. Inferno, a mysterious company, is behind most of these dealings through the use of their near-invincible human weapon, "Phantom."
One day, a Japanese tourist accidentally witnesses Phantom's latest murder. Desperate to escape, the tourist hides in a secluded building. However, Phantom, revealed to be a young woman named Ein, and the leader of Inferno "Scythe Master" captures the tourist and brainwashes him.
Given the name "Zwei," this once peaceful tourist is now a puppet of Inferno with no memories. Drawn into a world of lies, deceit, and violence, Zwei must fight to survive, hopefully to one day regain his memories and escape from this world where he is constantly on the brink of death.
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: Phantom 〜Requiem for the Phantom〜, Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom
4. Gunnm
Doc Ido, a doctor and mechanic who lives and works in the hellish, postapocalyptic "Scrapyard", finds the—miraculously preserved—remains of a female cyborg in a junk heap. After he revives and rebuilds her, the preternaturally strong, amnesiac "Gally" begins to forge a life for herself in a world where every day can bring a fight for life. Adapts the first two volumes of the "Battle Angel Alita" manga.
Battle Angel Alita has finished airing and it has 2 Episodes. It is also Known as: 銃夢 GUNNM, Ganmu, Tsutsu Yume: Gunnm, Battle Angel, Hyper Future Vision: Gunnm
3. Speed Grapher
Ten years after the Bubble War, the dichotomy between the rich and the poor in the world becomes more prominent and Japan is no exception. The rich seek to satisfy their desires and derive pleasure for themselves, and Tokyo has materialized into such a city as a result. Saiga, once a war photographer, works for Hibara Ginza in the capitalist state of Tokyo. He infiltrates the Roppongi Club, a secretive base located in the red light district of the city, to collect information about them. However, he was caught in the process and brought forward to a girl called Kagura who was in the midst of a ritual. His contact with Kagura awakens his special ability: the power to make things explode when photographed. In order to unravel the mystery behind the Roppongi Club and Kagura, Saiga begins his solitary battle.
Speed Grapher has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: スピードグラファー, Speed Grapher
2. Golgo 13
After assassinating the son of business tycoon Leonard Dawson, Golgo 13 finds himself prey to the CIA and the U.S. Army, whom Dawson has personally hired to kill the assassin. As days pass by, Dawson slowly loses his sanity as he continues to plot every attempt to kill Golgo 13 even without caring about who hired the assassin to kill his son.
Golgo 13: The Professional has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: ゴルゴ１３, Golgo 13: The Professional
1. Madlax
In the country of Gazth-Sonika, civil war rages. There, a mercenary called Madlax plies her trade, with almost supernatural skill. In the seemingly peaceful country of Nafrece, Margaret Burton lives a tranquil life. As separate as their lives may seem, the two are connected by ties of mystery, and by a holy book that is also sought by the shadowy organisation, Enfant. As Margaret and Madlax follow the path of their destiny, they come ever closer to uncovering the truth - with no guarantee that it is a truth they can bear to learn.
Madlax has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: マドラックス, Madlax
