Rating: 5
Author: Akhlaq Ansari

Spoilers Ahead! You have been warned.

When it comes to anime, the unanticipated turns and twists are a defining feature, keeping viewers engaged and in suspense right up to the very end. Plot twists are a potent weapon in the narrative. The best stories have unexpected twists that even the authors are surprised by.

Astonishing story twists and dramatic character introductions are only two ways that anime manages to keep its audience captivated until the very end.

These are the turns that astounded viewers, caused them to gasp in astonishment and turned them into devoted followers. Every turn changes the course of the story, making each episode a thrilling and surprising experience.

Here are seven of the most brilliant anime plot twists that completely blindsided viewers:

Code Geass – Lelouch’s plan

Synopsis: In the alternate universe where Code Geass is situated, the Britannian Empire has already captured more than a third of the world, including Japan. A British student named Lelouch Lamperouge is thrust into a series of events in said Japan, now known as “Area 11” and its inhabitants & “elevens,” that consequently lead to him receiving a power known as the “Geass,” a power allowing him to make anyone obey any order he gives to them. He exploits his newly discovered powers, coupled with his hatred for Britannia to win supporters and, ultimately, start a battle against the repressive Britannian Empire.

Lelouch appears to have been shot and killed by one of his old allies in the series finale of Code Geass. In a startling turn of events, it is discovered that Lelouch had planned his own demise as part of a broader scheme to bring about world peace and unification.

Madoka Magica – Things are not as they seem

Synopsis: Kaname Madoka, the main character, is an ordinary eighth-grader. She is content and loved just the way she is, despite being extremely bashful. Her life, however, takes a dramatic change when, while visiting the mall, she saves Kyubey, a cat-like creature who was being pursued by an enigmatic black-haired female. As a reward, Kyubey offers Madoka and Sayaka (one of Madoka’s pals) a special deal: in exchange for granting any of their desires, they would turn into Magical Girls. And that is how a world of magic and witches is introduced to Madoka and the audience.

When Kyubey, the creatures that bestow magical powers, are revealed for what they truly are, Madoka Magica soon takes a darker turn from what originally seems to be a fun magical girl anime. Kyubey is a cunning monster that takes advantage of the feelings and desires of young girls to further its own agenda; it is not a cute and harmless creature.

Death Note – L’s Death

Synopsis: Light Yagami is a brilliant high school student who is utterly bored. He comes upon a notebook one day that contains instructions warning that if the owner writes a person’s name while imagining their face, that person will pass away. At first, Light is dubious, but after testing it out on a few people, he comes to believe in its abilities. He also witnesses the appearance of the notebook’s previous owner, the apple-addicted shinigami Ryuk. As Light plans to use the notebook’s abilities to purge the globe of criminals, the international police force and a mysterious detective by the name of L become interested.

Death Note has always kept the audience at the edge of their seat with its thrilling plot, twists, and reveals. What happens at the end of the first arc shocked everyone, even after all the mind-blowing brain-scratching moments. Which is killing off one of the protagonists. It almost seemed like the end of the story.

{The psychological thriller anime Death Note has a convoluted plot that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. A high school student named Light Yagami has acquired a lethal notebook that may kill anyone whose name is written in it. L, the finest detective in the world, has been given the mission of apprehending Light Yagami. Viewers are shocked when L is ultimately defeated by Light after multiple bloody confrontations between the two.}

Attack on Titan – The true nature of the Titans

Synopsis: Humanity was nearly wiped off by monster humanoids known as Titans centuries ago, forcing people to hide in dread behind vast concentric walls. The fact that these giants’ appetite for human flesh seems to have been sparked by pleasure rather than hunger is what makes them so incredibly horrifying. Once the remnants of humanity started constructing protective barriers to ensure their existence, there were no giant encounters for a hundred years. A massive Titan manages to breach the ostensibly impregnable outer wall, breaking the delicate calm, and reigniting the struggle for survival against the man-eating abominations.

The Titans are portrayed throughout the series as mindless beasts whose only goal is to devour human beings. The entire concept of the story is called into question when it is discovered that the Titans are actually people who have been turned into these monsters, in a surprising turn of events. And the reason they consume humans is to gain the titan-shifting power from a human containing it and turn back into a human again. All these have been hinted throughout the entire series. The biggest twist is that we, the audience never realized it sooner.

One Piece – Ace’s Death

Synopsis: One Piece takes place in a world completely dominated by maritime travel that’s currently experiencing something known as the “Golden Age of Pirates.” This age was brought about by the death of the so-called Pirate King, Gold Roger, and his final words about where he’s put his entire life’s fortune. Whosoever finds his treasure, the eponymous “One Piece” will then become king of the pirates. Following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Luffy and his crew travel across the Grand Line, experiencing crazy adventures, unveiling dark mysteries, and battling strong enemies, all in order to reach the most coveted of all fortunes—One Piece.

Following several seasons of character growth, Ace, Luffy’s older brother, is captured by the marines and sentenced to death, just like his father Gold Roger. A massive war takes place that changes the tide of the whole world in order to save Ace. Luffy after much struggle managed to save Ace, which gave the audience a sense of relief, only to turn that upside down. This turn of events gave the series a new emotional depth that devastated viewers and created the most hated villain of all time, Admiral Akainu.

Naruto Shippuden – Zetsu’s Origin

Synopsis: Naruto is a story about a boy named Naruto set in the world of Ninjas. The world is divided into several nations each having its hidden ninja villages where they train ninjas for many purposes, from doing odd jobs to bodyguarding, escorting, carrying out assassinations, and forming military armies. Naruto, born and growing up in the village hidden in the Leaves of the Fire nation, wants to be the toppest ninja in his village and become the Hokage where everyone will acknowledge him. Naruto starts off with no family, friends, or the talent to realize his dream, where no one to support him; with nothing but his overwhelming determination. He is hated and ostracized by everyone, even his classmates because he carries the demon fox sealed inside him who caused havoc in the village. Later, he proves to everyone and changes them through his good deeds and heartfelt interactions. The biggest challenge of Naruto is not becoming the strongest but rather overcoming the hatred he and the other characters harbor due to the life they experienced. Naruto later learns that becoming Hokage doesn’t make one acknowledged; being acknowledged is what makes them the Hokage.

The 4th great ninja war breaks out between the five great ninja nations and the Akatsuki and the orchestrator behind this war is none other than Madara Uchiha. His goal is to collect all the 9 tailed beasts sealed inside 9 ninjas including Naruto to create the 10 tails and cast a spell that will put everyone in an illusion of his perfect world. Near the very end when Madara was cornered, Zetsu whom he thought he created using a jutsu, turned on him and reveals that everything that ever happened right from the beginning was all according to his plan. And he manages to revive Kaguya, the creator of chakra and mother to all ninjas to ever exist. This spawned a lot of heat among the fans and divided the fanbase; all because of a terrible narrative choice that seemingly retconned everything, including the brilliant characterization of Madara throughout the entire series. This is something probably even the author himself never saw it coming.

Steins; Gate – Suzuha’s Identity

Synopsis: The Mad Scientist, Okabe Rintarou, is the central character in the story. After observing a specific situation one day, he finds himself in a loop. A temporary time machine that will transport his texts back in time is the reason. Afterward, he learns that the initial message significantly changed the future. After that, he continues to support his buddies by fulfilling their dreams. The only issue is that in order to fix things, he will now need to go through different time periods. Then he discovers his special ability that aids him both before and after time leaps.

Suzuha, one of the main protagonists and a time traveler from the future, is unexpectedly revealed to be the daughter of one of the other characters, dramatically altering the group dynamic and bringing a new level of complexity to their relationships.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood – The true identity of Father

Synopsis: In a world where alchemy is an ability that allows the user to turn one matter into another, with scientific logic and with a philosophy, “To obtain something of equal value must be lost”. Edward and Alphonse Elric try to revive their dead mother by transmuting with alchemy but pay a severe price that scared them both for life at a young age. Transmuting human life is a taboo of the alchemy since it’s never possible and sort of like playing God. Edward then swears to get their lives back no matter what and the Elric brothers go on an amazing journey that makes them face a lot of philosophical and moral questions.

The story of Fullmetal Alchemist explores various aspects of alchemy, along with mind-bending thrilling adventures. Unknown as “Father,” the series’ main antagonist is a mysterious being with mystic abilities and a god complex. In an unexpected turn of events, it is discovered that Father is actually the product of the series’ heroes’ unsuccessful attempt at human transmutation. The narrative gains a new level of complexity as Father’s true identity is revealed, completely altering how viewers perceive the figure.

Attack on Titan – Eren’s True Intention

‘You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.’

This seems to be especially relevant to Eren Yeager’s role in Attack on Titan. We have watched him grow and mature throughout the course of the series from a youngster who has been through numerous significant incidents that have had a significant impact on him.

Eren sided with Zeke because he wanted to make use of the Founding Titan’s powers. This was only possible if he was in contact with someone who had royal blood. Most of the Scout Corps were aghast by Eren’s betrayal and his actions in Marley. They felt betrayed, angry, hurt, and confused by his decisions. Some of them even died while supporting him in his attack on Liberio.

Eren has become a radical as he sees this struggle as a game of chess. He will sacrifice any number of Scout pawns to capture the enemy king, and the Scouts soon picked up on this. Fans have different reactions to this development; ranging from shock, anger, sadness, confusion, admiration, or sympathy. Some fans think that Eren is still a hero who is trying to save his people, while others think that he has become a villain who is willing to sacrifice everything for his twisted idea of freedom.

Marley might be intimidated out of taking action by this display of might, but that’s what everyone anticipated would happen following Eren’s assault on Liberio, and now Attack on Titan season 4 is in the midst of a full-scale invasion. How far would Eren go to see that his friends are let free like birds?

One Piece – Raizo is Safe

This is your last warning. Turn back, watch it, then come back.

Storytelling in One Piece is a brilliant masterpiece tackling different aspects of the shounen action genre. Loyalty is a thin curtain that can easily tear off given the right circumstances. Following the events of Dressrosa, the crew arrives on the island of Zoe, where so much has happened. The city is emptied with signs of battle and destruction that took place not too long ago. One of Kaido’s commanders, Jack came looking for an escapee, samurai Raizo on this island. He used poison to incapacitate the minks (the island’s inhibitors), tortured them for almost a week, and massacred the entire population, demanding to hand over Raizo. But everyone insisted that they never heard of him even when they were at death’s door. After the invaders leave and Sanji’s group arrives, they help the minks to recover. The straw hats also came to look for Raizo but if the minks know about it, they will hold it against them since they suffered through a lot because of this Raizo. When the samurai with Luffy’s group makes it to the island, everyone gathers up to confront them. Luffy and the crew assume that they would have to fight to defend their samurai allies. But what happens next, astounds the whole crew and makes them drop to their knees.

“Raizo is safe.”

The moment the words are uttered, shocked the audience and sent chills down the spines. Usopp then says in tears,

“Raizo was here?! You all knew?! You all almost died, the ancient city is ruined…”

He continues crying. Then Nekomamushi says,

“No matter what be ruined, we’d never sell out our friends.”

This is something that’s unfathomably awe aspiring. This moment proves that One Piece can still bring unexpected and fresh experiences that no one has ever seen, even after all the emotional and impactful journeys we’ve been through. It’s truly a masterpiece. And One Piece continues to amaze the audience like that. The anime handled this moment just right. With the perfectly orchestrated OST, storyboarding, and sound design, everything spoke volumes of this. Some other great anime moments including this are mentioned in this post, check it out if you can.