10 most cringe anime shows of all time

As a medium, anime has always been known for its storytelling. The compelling visuals paired with unique subjects make for some of the most entertaining viewing experiences. Today, anime has become a mainstream TV genre and has made it to the big screens even in the West. Titles such as Paprika have even inspired certain events that take place in some of the biggest Hollywood movies like Inception.

Thus, it’s safe to say that this medium has come up with some of the best stories one can experience. However, not all anime series turn out to be that way. Some shows are underwhelming to the point that viewers reconsider continuing them. It can be due to poorly-written characters, bad setting, terrible animation, or a combination of all such reasons. As such, this article will list 10 such anime shows that have earned the reputation to have cringey content.

Rent-A-Girlfriend and 9 other anime series that will make you cringe

1) Rent-A-Girlfriend

A still from Rent-A-Girlfriend featruing the main character (Image via TMS Entertainment)

Rent-A-Girlfriend is the type of show that makes people question why they return every week to watch the show or read the manga. As the title suggests, the anime series revolves around a college student who avails of a woman’s services wherein she pretends to be his girlfriend.

The main character is not likable and constantly gets himself in trouble throughout the series. Moreover, he is one of the most disliked rom-com characters and is often the topic of discussion among viewers of the show when it comes to how bad a character can get.

2) Domestic Girlfriend

A still from Domestic Girlfriend featuring the main characters (Image via Diomedéa)

Popular YouTube anime content creator Gigguk describes this series as a “dumpster fire” since the premise of the show is the perfect recipe for a disaster of huge proportions. The main character gets intimate wit a student from a mixer while having a crush on his high school teacher. His mother died years ago, while his father remarried. One might wonder how these events are connected. The girl he made love to and the high school teacher he has a crush on are siblings.

To make this more awkward, these siblings are daughters of the woman that the main character’s father marries. The interactions that take place throughout this anime series will make viewers cringe. The only reason that compelled people to watch this show is the opening soundtrack performed by Minami, which the anime community considers as the bait of the century.

3) Watamote!

A still from Watamote featuring the main character (Image via SILVER LINK.)

Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!, aka Watamote, is considered as one of the worst anime series that makes viewers cringe. The audience have constantly complained about the secondhand embarrassment that they experience while watching Tomoko’s over-the-top plans backfire.

Unlike many shows, this show was designed to be cringe, hoping that it would fall under the category of “so bad that it’s good.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t able to do that, and a majority of the viewers found it difficult to get through.

4) Uzaki-Chan Wants To Hang Out

Official poster of Uzaki-Chan Wants to Hang Out (Image via ENGI)

Uzaki-Chan Wants to Hang Out is one of those shows that viewers will either love or hate. The entire story is about how a high school student bullies her senior and jokes around with him. However, a weird friendship blooms between them.

A good portion of the viewers find the interaction annoying, while others seem to enjoy it. However, there isn’t really much to the show as it gets redundant. The overall viewing experience isn’t that great. In addition, the main character will certainly make viewers cringe at some point in the show.

5) Mars of Destruction

Key visual of Mars of Destruction (Image via WAO World)

Mars of Destruction is one of the worst anime series, and there aren’t many people who will refute this. The voice acting is awful, the characters aren’s well fleshed out, the plot doesn’t really have much depth, and the animation is poorly done.

Moreover, the series is one of the lowest-rated anime on most forums, including MyAnimeList. There aren’t any redeeming qualities to this series, which makes for a terrible viewing experience.

6) Tenkuu Danzai Skelter+Heaven

A still from the Tenkuu Danzai Skelter+Heaven series (Image via Minami Machi Bugyousho)

This is another series that is popular for its low rating on numerous forums. The show defies the very fundamentals of storytelling, and the plot is not conveyed effectively at all.

That, paired with the subpar animation and voice acting, certainly makes a combination that viewers don’t want while watching the show. Tenkuu Danzai Skelter+Heaven is certainly a show to avoid, unless people wish to watch shows with no substance in it.

7) Berserk (2016)

A still from Berserk featuring Guts (Image via LIDENFILMS, Gemba, and Millepensee)

Berserk (2016) is a meme in the animanga community at this point. The manga is iconic, and it is unanimously loved by most people who have read it. Moreover, the art style in the manga is intricate and beautiful, which is juxtaposed with disturbingly serious themes.

The anime however, was nothing like the manga. The terrible CGI ruined the show, and fans could not enjoy it at all. Those who have read the manga will cringe at the anime adaptation, should they decide to watch it.

8) Classroom of the Elite

A still from Classroom of the Elite featuring Ayanokoji (Image via Lerche)

Classroom of the Elite has cliche tropes that fans are already tired of. The main character is extremely overpowered and hides his true abilities. Most people secretly call him a genius, and a few who dare to challenge him end up getting humiliated.

However, this trope has repeatedly been used way too many times, which is why anime viewers don’t really like the show. Furthermore, other characters are poorly written and the show lacks luster.

9) Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions

A still from the anime series featuring Rika Takanashi (Image via Kyoto Animation)

The show is made in a way that reminds people of their past actions that were cringe-worthy. At some point, plenty of us imagined ourselves to be characters of a fantasy RPG game and behaved as though we had powers.

The main character is no different, and he decides to shift to a high school far away from his area with a revised attitude. He leaves that life behind because he is embarrassed by it. In addition, one of his classmates, Rika Takanashi, is a spitting image of himself in middle school, and their interactions are funny. However, Takanashi’s actions either remind the viewers of their past cringe-worthy actions or experience second-hand embarrassment.

10) Rosario + Vampire

A still from Rosario + Vampire (Image via Gonzo)

Rosario + Vampire is another series with decent source material but a terrible anime adaptation. The plot isn’t top notch, but it isn’t bad either. The manga’s pacing is good and the overall reading experience is fairly decent, to say the least.

However, the animation studio had leaned into the “fan service” aspect of the show and spent too much time and attention on that. Besides that, the characters are s*xualized, which viewers didn’t like at all. As such, those who have read the manga will certainly cringe at how the animation studio adapted the source material.

These are some of the most cringe-worthy anime series that one can watch today. Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.