What makes an anime truly stand out? It often comes down to a compelling story that unfolds at the right speed, beautiful animation that enhances key scenes and characters, and a soundtrack that perfectly complements the visuals. Creating a fantastic anime is challenging, and things can easily fall flat. However, even with imperfections, many shows still manage to meet some of these expectations and earn the love of fans.
While the 2010s were a fantastic era for anime, filled with popular shows like Attack on Titan and Your Lie in April, some series didn’t live up to expectations. These 7 anime, for various reasons, are now considered among the worst of the decade and are often avoided by viewers, even long after their initial release.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
The follow-up to the popular Naruto series is a mixed bag for fans. While many were excited for a continuation of the story, the way it was handled left a lot of viewers disappointed. A major point of contention is Boruto, the new main character, who often speaks negatively about Naruto, a beloved figure from the original series. Although Boruto does undergo character growth, the show includes so many unnecessary episodes that many fans struggle to stay engaged long enough to see it.
Boruto struggles because it follows the hugely popular series, Naruto, and is constantly measured against it. Unfortunately, issues with the show’s speed, uninspired character looks, and too many unnecessary episodes make it a disappointing experience for shonen fans.
Tokyo Ghoul:re
Let’s be honest: past attempts to adapt Tokyo Ghoul haven’t been great. The series is mostly known for being a disappointing take on a fantastic manga. While the first two seasons weren’t perfect, they were at least enjoyable. However, “Tokyo Ghoul:re” quickly became a confusing and disjointed mess, skipping over important details and leaving viewers lost and confused.
Unfortunately, the animation quality declined as the anime went on. By the end, action scenes lost their impact, looking unpolished and failing to engage viewers due to a hurried plot. Ultimately, Tokyo Ghoul:re feels like it simply served to conclude an anime that wasn’t well-made.
Divine Gate
The anime Divine Gate is based on a mobile game and aimed for a sci-fi fantasy feel, but it doesn’t quite resonate with audiences due to a very weak storyline. While the show explains its core ideas and introduces characters with histories, it doesn’t do so in a compelling way. Furthermore, there are simply too many characters, and they’re introduced so quickly that even when they die, it doesn’t feel meaningful.
While Divine Gate features impressive animation, it isn’t enough to overcome the show’s other weaknesses. The characters aren’t well-developed, and the ending feels rushed and doesn’t quite fit. With so many characters – both major and minor – the story feels cluttered and prevents anyone from truly shining. Ultimately, Divine Gate doesn’t quite succeed in telling a compelling and original story.
Isekai Cheat Magician
Isekai Cheat Magician unfortunately falls into the trap of being another predictable anime in the isekai genre. It’s held back by average animation, characters that feel uninspired, and a plot that doesn’t really stand out. Even the core idea of having overpowered magical abilities isn’t fully utilized, as only one of the two main characters benefits from it.
This anime tries a fresh take on the common ‘isekai’ story – where someone is reborn or transported to another world – by sending two characters instead of just one. However, it doesn’t quite become something special, as one of the characters, Rin, quickly feels like just another face in a standard harem setup.
Who’s That Character? 
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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High Score: 0 —
Endride
Honestly, I was pretty disappointed with Endride. It’s another isekai story, and it just doesn’t really do anything new with the formula. The art is… fine, nothing special. It follows Shun as he gets thrown into a new world, and almost immediately starts bickering with Emilio, who’s basically the co-lead. It’s frustrating because their arguments feel pointless and don’t add anything to the story. Then Alicia joins the mix, and sadly, she doesn’t really shake things up either. It all just feels a bit…flat.
I have to say, the action sequences weren’t great, and the idea of ‘Warp Relics’ just didn’t land for me – the weapons felt a bit weak. But honestly, the biggest problem with this anime was the sound design. It really dragged down the already okay fights and left everything feeling flat. Overall, it’s one I’d suggest isekai fans skip.
Hand Shakers
Watching Hand Shakers, the first thing that really jumped out at me was the animation. It felt…unfocused, like the art style couldn’t quite decide what it wanted to be. They used a mix of 2D and 3D, and combined with some unusual camera work, it honestly looked a bit low-budget. The story didn’t really help things either. The premise – two people who risk death if they hold hands – was interesting, but unfortunately, neither of the main characters grew or changed much throughout the series. They pretty much stayed the same from beginning to end.
The story adds more characters, but they feel flat and simply serve as obstacles for the protagonist. While the anime sets up a goal – meeting a god and receiving a wish – this storyline doesn’t go anywhere. Ultimately, despite aiming for originality, the anime falls short and feels disappointing.
Pupa
Despite featuring horror and mystery, Pupa is categorized as a shonen anime. However, it’s widely considered one of the most unsettling and baffling anime series of the 2010s. While it has 12 episodes, each is only 4 minutes long, preventing it from covering even half of the story from the original manga. The plot remains confusing throughout, with abrupt events that aren’t explained well. The series also takes a surprisingly cheerful turn in the final episode, switching from disturbing horror to a lighthearted slice of life.
These anime all have significant problems that make them hard to enjoy. Some look bad, while others have confusing storylines. As anime improves, it’s best to leave these shows in the past. Can you think of any other action-packed anime that should be on this list?
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2026-03-26 01:36