The success of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train significantly boosted the anime movie industry. While popular series like Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia were already planning films – often original stories or spin-offs – Demon Slayer‘s success led many other major franchises to create movies that continue the storylines from their TV anime series.
The anime movie world isn’t all hits – like any form of entertainment, there are plenty of failures. Some, like Appleseed, were okay when they came out but haven’t held up over time. Others are simply poor quality. And then there are the truly awful movies that are so bad, they’re actually enjoyable. Here’s a look at some of the all-time “best worst” anime films.
Garzey’s Wing
The English Version is the ‘Best’ Experience
| Japanese Title | Byston Well Monogatari: Garzey no Tsubasa |
| Studio | J.C Staff |
| Year | 1996–1997 |
Garzey’s Wing, an anime created by Yoshiyuki Tomino – the creator of Gundam – began as a three-part series called an OVA. While it wasn’t originally a movie, it was often shown as one in many countries. This ‘movie’ version combined all three episodes into a single 90-minute film.
The story centers around Chris, a young man who keeps failing his college entrance exams. Unexpectedly, he’s whisked away to a different world called Byston Well and becomes Garzey, a powerful warrior – a classic setup for a fantasy story from the 1990s. A tribe has summoned him to liberate them from slavery, but he has no idea how to fulfill this request. To complicate things, a version of Chris still exists back in his original world, and the two versions are connected by fate.
I’ve heard this anime called one of the worst ever created, and honestly, I can see why. The story just doesn’t flow well, and the animation quality is pretty rough, even for its time. The initial idea wasn’t bad, it actually had potential, but it just wasn’t executed well. But the English dub? That really took things to another level. The dialogue was awful and somehow made the already confusing plot even harder to follow. Watching it is… an experience, to say the least.
Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack
Once Again, Bad Junji Ito Anime
| Japanese Title | Gyo Ugomeku Bukimi |
| Studio | Ufotable |
| Year | 2012 |
The anime Gyo is based on the manga by Junji Ito, but it deviates from the original story and doesn’t quite capture the same feeling. Unfortunately, adaptations of Junji Ito’s work haven’t been very successful with fans, as they often make significant changes to the plot.
The film is set in Tokyo and follows a strange outbreak where people are infected by a mysterious bacteria, turning them into smelly zombies. The infection initially appeared in sea creatures, like walking fish and sharks, before spreading to a couple named Kaori and her boyfriend after a frightening encounter with these mutated animals. This marks the beginning of a bizarre pandemic.
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This movie was an early attempt at using 3D models, but they don’t quite fit with the traditional animation, resulting in a somewhat awkward and unnatural look. It also relies heavily on graphic violence. While the original creator, Ito, is known for disturbing imagery, the movie deviates from the plot to showcase these scenes. Ultimately, it’s a visually shocking film that, despite being very different from the source material, has gained a following as a delightfully over-the-top horror experience.
Aerial Condemnation: Skelter+Heaven
All-Female Squad Fighting Aliens
| Japanese Title | Tenkuu Danzai Skelter+Heaven |
| Studio | Idea Factory |
| Year | 2004 |
This movie is truly awful – one of the worst anime films ever made. The good news is it’s short, clocking in at under 20 minutes. It’s an OVA originally created by Idea Factory and King Records to advertise the 2004 game Aerial Condemnation: Skelter+Heaven, but they probably should have spent more effort on the animation quality.
This short film begins with the deployment of an all-female team from Japan’s highly classified Alta Mira Agency to combat an alien invasion in Tokyo. Led by Otsuya Funagai, the team faces a dangerous situation when it’s revealed that one of the pilots has a personal connection to the alien invader, potentially jeopardizing their mission.
Many people consider Skelter+Heaven to be hilariously bad. In just 19 minutes, it features truly terrible animation, using outdated early 2000s CGI. The plot doesn’t make much sense, and it almost seems like the filmmakers intentionally made it bad, rather than it being a mistake.
Mars of Destruction
More Aliens, But They’re Even Weirder Now
| Japanese Title | Hametsu no Mars |
| Studio | WAO World |
| Year | 2005 |
Mars of Destruction proves you don’t need a long movie to create wonderfully silly entertainment. It’s a short animated OVA created by Idea Factory and King Records in the early 2000s as a promotional tool for their visual novel.
Tokyo is under attack by aliens, and the only hope for the city is the powerful MARS mecha suit. But piloting this giant robot isn’t easy – it requires a specific genetic makeup. That’s where Takeru Hinata comes in, reluctantly joining forces with a special police unit called AAST to pilot the MARS and fight off the invasion.
I went into this mecha anime expecting a typical sci-fi story, but it was… something else. Honestly, it was so strange and confusing that it felt like there wasn’t a plot at all. Add to that really clunky animation and characters that, even if they’d had more time, probably wouldn’t have been very interesting. The direction felt off too. And somehow, all of that combined… it was actually brilliant. It was just perfectly, wonderfully weird.
Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show (Midori)
The Most Banned Anime of All-Time
| Japanese Title | Chika Gentou Gekiga: Shoujo Tsubaki |
| Studio | Mippei Eigeki Kiryuukan |
| Year | 1992 |
Despite its flaws, Midori is a surprisingly heartfelt project. It was a labor of love for Hiroshi Harada, who spent five years single-handedly creating it after failing to secure funding. The film is based on the manga Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show by Suehiro Maruo, the author also known for his adaptation of The Strange Tale of Panorama Island.
I watched the story unfold, and it was quite dark. It centered on Midori, a young orphan who unfortunately fell into a situation where she was essentially forced to work for Mr. Arashi, the man running a traveling show of unusual performers. He wasn’t a pleasant employer to anyone in the show, but Midori seemed to bear the brunt of his harshness. Because she didn’t have any special talent to display, she ended up as a sort of housekeeper and caretaker for the others.
This movie is banned in many countries due to its graphic violence, abuse, and disturbing content, making it hard to come by. While the story is meant to be unsettling, the animation itself is low-budget and somewhat clumsy, which ironically enhances the uncomfortable atmosphere. Despite being intentionally unpleasant, the film has gained a dedicated following among horror enthusiasts.
As much as I’d love to binge these, it’s a bummer that none of them are currently streaming anywhere in the US! There’s a small chance Gyo might end up on Crunchyroll eventually, since Aniplex of America has the license, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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2026-04-04 14:36