Animefans are no strangers to controversy. While every popular series will attract its fair share of criticism, sometimes the backlash is so intense and widespread it becomes a full-on hate train. While hate isn’t always justified, there are times when it’s hard to disagree with the crowd, especially when shows cross major ethical lines, suffer from poor execution, or just fundamentally miss the mark.
The following ten anime aren’t victims of unjustified hate.Each one, for its own reasons, invited the criticism it received, and in many cases, earned every bit of it.From problematic portrayals to disappointing storytelling, these series sparked waves of outrage that fans couldn’t ignore, and honestly, they shouldn’t have.
10Solo Leveling
Solo Leveling is Overhyped and Emotionally Hollow
Solo Levelingcame into the anime scene with enormous hype, and while its visuals are undeniably stylish, the substance just isn’t there. Its protagonist, Sung Jinwoo, levels up like a video game character in a world that never challenges him emotionally or morally. Watching him steamroll enemies might look cool, but it’s shallow storytelling at best.
The supporting cast is paper-thin, and the lack of real stakes strips the anime of tension. The character development is practically nonexistent, and emotional arcs are replaced with constant power-ups. Fans who wanted a compelling hero’s journey got a highlight reel of boss fights instead. As a result, the backlash over its superficial plot is completely warranted.
9Black Clover
Black Clovereventually became a decent shōnen anime, but it took a long and painful road to get there. The series opens with Asta, whose constant shouting and one-dimensional personality drove countless viewers away within the first few episodes. His voice grated on even the most patient fans, and the story felt like a generic shōnen template.
While the show improves significantly in later arcs, many anime watchers had already checked out by then. It’s fair to say that the hate train wasn’t undeserved, it just came a bit early.Black Cloverdug itself a hole with its rocky debut, and while it did climb out, the damage was already done for a lot of potential fans.
8The Promised Neverland Season 2
A Masterclass in Wasted Potential Compared to The Promised Neverland Season 1
The first season ofThe Promised Neverlandwas a tightly plotted, suspenseful thriller that captivated viewers. So when season 2 abandoned nearly all of its carefully built narrative structure in favor of breakneck pacing and plot skips, fans were furious, and rightly so. What should have been a slow burn became a rushed mess.
Important arcs from the manga were skipped entirely, and compelling characters were either underused or never introduced. The animation remained solid, but that couldn’t save a plot that felt completely butchered. Season 2 wasn’t just disappointing, it was a betrayal of what made the original series great. The hate for this season isn’t only understandable, it’s earned.
7My Hero Academia
From Shōnen Darling to Divisive Disaster
My Hero Academiawas once hailed as the next big thing in shōnen anime, but over time, its reputation has become as polarized as its characters. While it still has passionate fans, the show’s flaws, especially regarding pacing, character treatment, and tone, have become harder to ignore. Its main characters have also become magnets for criticism.
Deku is often accused of being bland and overly idealistic, while Bakugo’s abusive tendencies and the show’s insistence on his redemption arc have pushed many viewers away. Endeavor’s redemption arc was the breaking point for others, especially given how poorly it handled his abusive past. And then there’s the questionable fan service of underage characters, which pushes the anime into indefensible territory. For many, the once-beloved series has become an ongoing disappointment.
6Sword Art Online
The Isekai Blueprint That Spawned a Genre Plague
Sword Art Onlinedidn’t just fail, it created a blueprint that others copied endlessly, leading to an entire wave of uninspired isekai anime.Sword Art Onlinewas one of the first modern anime to go viral globally, but its thin plot, overpowered protagonist, and terrible pacing drew criticism almost immediately after its debut season.
Things only got worse with the later arcs, especiallyAlfheim Online, which was so problematic that even fans of the first season turned against the show. Asuna’s sidelining, bizarre tonal shifts, and the show’s insistence on being “epic” despite nonsensical writing turnedSword Art Onlineinto a joke in the anime community. Its hate train isn’t just deserved, it helped fuel a decade-long backlash against the genre it redefined.
5Made in Abyss
Made in Abyss is a Beautiful Horror With Disturbing Lows
Made in Abyssis visually stunning and narratively rich, but it crosses lines that many viewers found deeply uncomfortable. The show’s depiction of children in extreme physical and psychological pain is haunting, but it’s the inappropriate jokes and scenes involving the kids’ bodies that pushed the anime into disturbing territory.
The show’s willingness to graphically depict trauma is artistically defensible, but its inclusion of moments that sexualize or joke about minors simply isn’t. It creates an uncomfortable contrast between harrowing adventure and exploitative writing. Even fans of the series admit the show could’ve told its story without these elements, and the hate it receives for including them is completely justified.
4My Dress-Up Darling
Wholesome Romance Marred by Inappropriate Content
At first glance,My Dress-Up Darlinglooks like a sweet slice-of-life romance about two teens bonding over cosplay. And in many ways, it is. But the series’ repeated focus on Marin, and other girls, in suggestive poses and skimpy outfits pushes it into uncomfortable territory, especially considering their ages.
The anime tries to walk a line between body positivity and fan service, but too often it crosses into perversion. What could’ve been a universally beloved romance gets bogged down by scenes that feel designed for male gaze rather than character development. It’s a frustrating case of a good anime making bad choices, and the criticism it receives is more than fair.
3Rent-a-Girlfriend
An Unbearable Protagonist in a Repetitive Mess
Few anime characters are as widely reviled as Kazuya fromRent-a-Girlfriend. Immature, self-absorbed, and spineless, he drags down every episode he’s in. Combine that with a premise that feels exploitative and uncomfortable, and it’s no wonder this show is hated. Even fans of the rom-com genre have a hard time defending it.
Despite this,Rent-a-Girlfriendcontinues to pump out new seasons, as if daring the audience to hate it more. Its plot loops in endless circles, its characters refuse to grow, and its emotional beats feel manipulative rather than earned. The sheer audacity of its continued existence is part of what makes it so frustrating, and such an easy target for justified scorn.
2The Seven Deadly Sins
A Promising Start That Went Up in Flames
The Seven Deadly Sinsbegan with a strong fantasy premise and a colorful cast, but the quality nose-dived almost immediately after season 1. Animation quality plummeted, especially during the final seasons, turning fight scenes into a meme-worthy disaster. What once looked like a new shōnen contender became one of the genre’s most infamous failures.
Worse yet, the story became convoluted, repetitive, and emotionally hollow. Meliodas, who was always creepy in his interactions with Elizabeth, became increasingly unbearable. Other characters devolved into tropes or lost narrative relevance entirely. As the story dragged on and production values collapsed, fans had no reason to stick around, and every reason to jump on the hate train.
1Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Mushoku Tensei Has Brilliant Animation, but an Irredeemable Lead
Mushoku Tenseiis often praised for its animation and world-building, but all of that is overshadowed by its disgusting protagonist. Rudeus Greyrat is portrayed as a sex-obsessed pervert who constantly targets minors, and the show never truly condemns his behavior. In fact, it often plays it for laughs, which has rightfully enraged viewers.
Even those who appreciate the show’s technical accomplishments find it hard to stomach Rudeus as a character. The anime tries to position itself as a mature exploration of growth and redemption, but the sheer volume of uncomfortable, predatory content makes that impossible. No matter how pretty it looks,Mushoku Tenseiwill always carry the stench of its protagonist, and it deserves every ounce of criticism it gets.
