Polarising anime shows are always a topic of discussion at some point or another.
They’re the type of anime shows that:
- Piss people off.
- Anger anime fans.
- Cause fans to argue over their quality.
- Diss or disrespect.
- Debate.
- Are controversial.
And ultimately discuss what makes an anime something or other with a lot of passion behind their words.
Let’s talk about polarising anime that fits that description.
Here’s a list.
1. Naruto S1 and S2
Naruto in the early days (S1) is praised for a lot of things, and it’s why the anime has become one of the greatest anime of all time.
Or at least that’s how it’s seen in the eyes of many.
But at the same time, both S1 and S2 are polarising to this day. That’s why people still talk about, debate, dispute, and argue about certain parts of Naruto like:
- The pain arc.
- Sakura Haruno as a character.
- The last portion of Naruto (war arc + Madara, etc).
Or earlier scenes in the first Naruto as swell.
2. Redo Of Healer
This one goes without saying. It’s an anime series where the MC is r*ped, abused, tortured, and traumatized beyond reason. And then he finds a way to redo time by 5 years and gets his revenge, which also involves r*pe.
It’s hurt people hurting people, justified or not.
Some fans, mostly those who are edgy will praise and sing to the clouds about Keyaru the MC and the anime being high quality.
Some will praise it for what it is and what it represents, which is an anime that shows you the end result of revenge and karma.
And then there are those who flat-out disagree with the anime and will call people “incels” and other nonsense because it turns them the wrong way.
It’s not about who’s right, only about the fact Redo Of Healer is polarising.
3. Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail will always be an anime I’ll love. I’ll never forget it for its memorable characters, large cast, fights, comedy, laughs, and all the rest of it.
Some people can’t stand Fairy Tail because of its:
- Fanservice.
- Moments of characters being so-called “damsels”.
- Disliking the character Lucy.
And the fact that from time to time, it shows “skin” even though the anime does this for male characters as well which is never mentioned.
Fairy Tail is successful, but it’s a polarising series no doubt.
4. Attack On Titan
Attack On Titan in the beginning stages wasn’t even polarising in the slightest. If anything it was an anime that surprised people with its quality, the tian aspect, the violence, and the story.
People hated Eren Yaeger but that’s about it.
Then as the series progressed and reached where it is today in 2023, fans started:
- B*tching.
- Moaning.
- Complaining.
- Arguing.
And even getting mad at the studios for its so-called “poor” story, ending, and animation quality.
AOT is polarising because of its fanbase rather than the anime’s content.
5. Sword Art Online
SAO (Sword Art Online) was released way back in the 2000s and was the Isekai anime that became world-famous and set the stage for the Isekai trend we see today (MCs with a certain style, etc).
The whole fighting for your life inside a VR game was a new and fresh idea that felt and looked good.
SAO is polarising because some believe how it was written was poor, and then there’s the good old fan service argument.
Whichever side of the fence people are on, SAO is no doubt polarising and always will be because of the trolls and the hate train + clickbaiting YouTubers who took part in it.
6. Food Wars
Food Wars is an Ecchi series with a high-quality story and visuals. No doubt about it.
It’s about food and cooking but in a shounen style format.
One thing the anime does is show how good the food tastes through visualization, where the characters exaggerate the pleasure they get from the food to the point of clothes flying off.
Women and men.
Plus the quality of Food Wars is argued to have dropped in later seasons.
7. Goblin Slayer S1
The first season of Goblin Slayer will always be baked into people’s memories, especially those who were against it like feminists, virtue-signalling “news” websites, and platforms like Twitter.
Either way, the first episode showing Goblins absolutely violating a woman, in particular, is why it makes the polarising anime list.
And this is only because of that ONE powerful episode, to say the least.
8. School Days
This anime series came out so long ago it seems, but its lasting effects will never be washed away or rinsed out in the sink.
It was too savage and too brutal, and the main character had too much audacity as he played girls like Halo while some willingly participated.
This is ultimately what gets the MC in deep shit down the line.
I’m not sure if there are people who praise this series, but I have seen some who liked it.
9. Fire Force
Fire Force suffers from the same criticism as Fairy Tail, but you could argue it was even worse during the time the first season aired.
You have Tamaki, who is essentially the only character who’s turned into a fanservice character at every opportunity. Even when it doesn’t make sense her clothes fall off.
Season 2 irons this issue out and gives her a proper backstory, but the anime is polarising for this reason.
10. Rent A Girlfriend
Rent A Girlfriend has been polarising since the beginning. The anime features Kazuya Kinoshita, a character who is a virgin, getting dumped by his “dream” girlfriend because she feels like it, and he is now depressed.
That is followed by renting out a girlfriend with money he has and that girl is Chizuru Mizuhara, and their “bond” starts to form.
Kazuya represents the average college student who can’t get any from the women he likes, and no one seems to approach him willingly. I almost feel like this is why so many people hate Kazuya because what they see in him is a reflection of their old or current selves.
The guy is a major simp and I don’t use the word lightly, but hating the character is extreme in this case.
11. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia has been getting bashed over the head for so many years despite its continued success. It’s only after season 6 that I’ve seen the hatted die down a lot.
The polarising nature of the anime’s MC Deku, who’s seen as a “crybaby”, not to mention Bakugo, who’s seen as an absolute asshole can’t be denied (the polarising nature of it).
One thing that can’t be denied is the anime’s quality and success, and the madness that happened in S6 that changed everything.
12. Bleach
Bleach is one of the big 3 shounen that gets disrespected a lot. This disrespect was obvious before the anime finally got a new adaptation with the Thousand Year Blood War Arc.
Even then, if you ask which anime is better, watch how polarising it is to recommend Bleach over One Piece or Naruto.
Naruto is also a polarising series, but Bleach is polarising for different reasons.
13. Mushoku Tensei
With so much controversy surrounding Mushoku Tensei, especially in the beginning, it’s no wonder the anime has some polarising stigma attached to it.
The anime is based on a guy who in the real world turned into a p*edophile, and would view the kind of porn that would make a moral person vomit.
He was severely bullied in life and became the loser he was treated as, and then now he’s in a new world with a new opportunity, but he maintains his perverted nature which is clear.
The anime is about redemption and Rudeus Greyrat (MC) becoming a better version of his old self which he is ashamed of, but that still makes it polarising to certain people.
14. Demon Slayer
Kimetsu No Yaiba as it’s called in Japanese, is an anime series that started in 2019 (adapted from a manga) and then it took off like no one expected it to do.
It aired around the same time as Fire Force, which to me was a lot better.
Once Mugen Train came out (the demon slayer film), the anime became the best-selling movie of all time, breaking all the records and even dominating the US charts.
To this day people feel Demon Slayer is overrated and overhyped, myself included, despite the fact that the anime is decent. But nothing more than that.
Either way, Ufotable is laughing to the bank.
15. Domestic Girlfriend
Domestic Girlfriend has a lot going on for a romance series if you wanna call it that. The whole “incest” or “step sister” type of vibes are going on here, and some fans actually enjoyed the series.
Depending on who you are though you’ll find this anime detestable and not likeable at all.
It has a polarising effect.
16. Black Clover
Black Clover used to be hated a lot during let’s say, the first 50 or 80 episodes it had. But over time as I expected, the anime started to get the love and appreciation its hard work demanded.
Not a personal fan of Black Clover myself, but many treat the anime like it’s a load of shit, similar to the Fairy Tail treatment that used to be more prevalent.
17. Dragon Ball Franchise
Dragon Ball Z is one of the most successful anime of all time, as is the franchise without question. Naruto fanboys and the like get mad at Dragon Ball despite the franchise influencing their favourite shows and making them possible.
Still, with DB Super being the modern DBZ, it has become even more polarising than ever because of its animation, art style, early f*ck ups, and how everything has been rewritten as far as power levels, logic, and whatnot.
The franchise is still legendary, but there are some polarising elements as time has gone by.
18. Ishuzoku Reviewers
Ishuzoku Reviewers is an obvious choice. The anime caused mayhem during the pandemic when it aired, and it even rose to the top of the MAL charts.
This was then shut down by MAL staff and demoted, which is interesting because this is exactly how shows like Fullmetal Alchemist are able to keep their rating because of elitists.
Either way, this anime features prostitutes, monster girls, brothels, and men who visit them and leave their positive reviews about the places after they’ve done their business.
So it’s bound to be polarising.
19. My Dress Up Darling
Depending on who you ask, this anime can be a lot of things. Some will look at the cosplay element of My Dress Up Darling and think it’s a good excuse for fan service.
Some will boil down the series to it only being that.
Then there are those who recognize it for what it is. It’s artistic and passionate, and the cosplay scenes are necessary to tell the story.
It’s just a double standard of getting mad when women are half-naked getting dressed but not getting mad when it’s the other way around.
20. Akame Ga Kill
And then there’s the Shounen masterpiece Akame Ga Kill if you ask me.
This anime does what most Shounen are terrified of doing, and that’s killing their characters not for the sake of it, but because it’s more realistic.
Characters don’t get to rely on “the power of friendship” or any mysterious bullshit powerup that can’t be explained that somehow saves the character’s life.
In Akame Ga Kill, just like in real life, death is death and bad luck is bad luck.
For fans like myself, this is why the anime is solved and appreciated despite the sadness. But for others, they see it as “violence porn” so to speak, and feel conflicted.
21. Shield Hero
The first season of Shield Hero upset a lot of feminists and those who virtue signal hard enough to ignore the real message behind the series.
Highlighting false accusations had a polarising effect on the anime series.
Season 2’s quality was a lot lower than season 1, and that caused another polarising effect for the franchise.
Season 3 is doing a lot better, but in short, Shield Hero is either an anime you like or you don’t for more than one reason.
22. Scum’s Wish
This is a romance series that turned ugly. It can’t be compared to your average romance since many fo those have happy jolly elements and even evolve into more than that.
But Scum’s Wish is like a different version of School Days but not quite.
The title of the anime, or the word “scum” is key here.
Some will enjoy this anime for its dark content, but others will find it conflicting and polarising.
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