Worst Anime of 2025, Ranked – Investment Policy

Like any anime season, 2025 had its share of hits and misses, despite a lot of excitement beforehand. It was a strong year with popular continuations like The Apothecary Diaries, My Dress-Up Darling, and Dandadan receiving excellent feedback. New series such as Clevatess, Gachiakuta, and The Summer Hikaru Died added even more great shows to the mix. No matter what viewers were looking for – romance, horror, thrills, comedy, or action – there was something for everyone. While it might not have been the best year for anime ever, 2025 offered plenty to enjoy as we look forward to 2026.

Even with many successful anime in 2025, a few series didn’t connect with viewers. Several factors could have caused this, including issues with production, slow or rushed storytelling, unoriginal plots, and forgettable characters. Sometimes, a show might seem promising, but still fall short of expectations. While these anime weren’t completely bad and had some positive aspects, many fans considered them the weakest of the year.

9. The Beginning After the End

Many predicted The Beginning After the End would be a major hit this year. Based on a popular webcomic that’s been running for ten years, this fantasy series gained a following thanks to its interesting magic system, relatable characters, and resemblance to popular shows like Solo Leveling. However, despite high hopes when it launched in April, the show quickly disappointed viewers, mainly due to problems with its animation.

Originally, the first season of The Beginning After the End was supposed to have 24 episodes, divided into two parts. However, Crunchyroll later announced it would only have 12 episodes. The second season is expected in April 2026, and fans are hoping Studio A-Cat can improve the series. The first episode was so disappointing that a petition for a complete remake quickly gained over 40,000 signatures.

8. Your Forma

Many anime fans were eagerly awaiting a new sci-fi series to get excited about, and Your Forma initially appeared to be a strong contender. The show centers around a new technology created after a widespread illness – a brain implant that records all of a person’s experiences. Echika and her android companion, Harold, use this technology to access clues and solve crimes. Despite positive feedback on the characters and world-building, the series ultimately failed to capture a large audience.

As a big fan of Your Forma, I was honestly pretty disappointed when the anime skipped over the entire first light novel volume! It left those of us who’d read it feeling frustrated, and newcomers were totally lost when it came to understanding the world and what was going on. And honestly? The cases Echika and Harold were dealing with just weren’t that exciting. They didn’t really feel like there were any real stakes, and nothing really stood out as particularly memorable.

7. Farmagia

Gamers who enjoyed the 2024 action RPG Farmagia were initially thrilled to hear about an anime adaptation planned for early 2025, but that excitement quickly faded. The game, developed by Marvelous – the creators of Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons – combines role-playing adventures with the relaxing gameplay of a farm simulator, and is currently available on Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC. Despite the anime featuring character designs by Hiro Mashima, known for Rave Master and Fairy Tail, many believe the game itself is the more worthwhile experience, proving that strong visuals don’t always guarantee success.

Rather than being outright terrible, Farmagia is simply a letdown. It suffers from uninspired characters and relies heavily on predictable anime clichés. Fans of Fairy Tail will find the plot entirely foreseeable, and the music and creature designs are easily forgettable. Ultimately, your time is better spent watching something else.

6. The Shiunji Family Children

If you enjoy harem anime, you’ll likely enjoy The Shiunji Family Children. However, the show’s unique premise might not appeal to everyone. The 2025 romance anime centers around Arata Shiunji, who’s given up on finding love. Everything changes when he discovers he’s not actually related to his five sisters, and they unexpectedly become potential romantic partners.

The animation is decent, and fans of Rent-a-Girlfriend might enjoy this show, since it’s made by the same creator and has a similar feel. However, the series falls into the trap of being another predictable harem anime, with a particularly weak plot and uninspired ideas.

5. I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons

The romantic comedy I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons is based on a popular series of books. It tells the story of Lettie, a young girl promised in marriage to Crown Prince Clarke. Being only seven years old, Lettie is expected to give up her playful nature and learn how to act like a princess. When she runs away, Clarke finds her and insists on marrying her anyway. While the story is a straightforward romance, it doesn’t quite work as a TV show.

The main issue with I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons is its consistently poor animation quality throughout all twelve episodes. The original light novels and manga were more dramatic and serious in tone, but the anime adaptation went for a comedic style with jokes and slapstick that didn’t really fit the story.

4. Lazarus

Despite a stellar pedigree – created by Shinichiro Watanabe (of Cowboy Bebop) and animated by the acclaimed studio MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man) – Lazarus has proven to be a divisive series. It quickly gained attention for its striking visuals, cool jazz soundtrack, and exciting action. However, many viewers found the story itself to be a significant weakness, preventing the show from fully living up to its potential.

While the initial visuals of Lazarus were impressive, the series ultimately failed to deliver on its promise. Viewers often commented that it lacked the usual vibrancy found in works by the director, and the story felt fragmented, with each episode not quite connecting to the next. High expectations can sometimes hurt a show, and in this case, Lazarus left many viewers feeling disappointed, even if it wasn’t necessarily a bad anime.

3. Übel Blatt

Like many adaptations, the dark fantasy series Übel Blatt has struggled to meet the high expectations of its devoted fans, who originally discovered it as a long-running manga. Drawing inspiration from works like Berserk and sharing thematic elements with The Count of Monte Cristo, the action-filled story centers on betrayal and revenge. The original manga spanned 170 chapters and a sequel is planned for release in December 2024.

Dedicated fans of the Übel Blatt manga are disappointed with the anime adaptation. It softened the story’s darker themes, left out important plot points, and changed the order of events. Because the original manga ran for almost 20 years, the 12-episode anime felt very fast-paced, and there are currently no plans for more episodes or a movie.

2. Promise of Wizard

Based on a video game and a short manga, Promise of Wizard is the latest addition to the popular ‘isekai’ genre. The story follows an ordinary person transported to a magical world where they must help fight a major disaster. Twenty-one wizards team up to train for the coming battle, building strong bonds with each other along the way. While the series isn’t particularly innovative, it’s generally enjoyable, with one major drawback: it constantly throws a lot of information at the audience.

Beyond its uninspired animation and lackluster action, Promise of Wizard is let down by uninteresting characters and an overreliance on text boxes. These boxes attempt to clarify the story and characters’ actions, but the constant need to pause and read them disrupts the flow and makes watching the show a chore. While not the absolute worst reverse harem anime available, it’s definitely among the most frustrating releases of the year.

1. One-Punch Man Season 3

We originally planned to only share information about new anime coming in 2025, not updates on existing shows. However, the reaction to Season 3 of One Punch Man has been impossible to ignore online. This action-comedy anime has been hugely popular since it first came out over ten years ago, and it continues to be a major force in anime worldwide. Sadly, the latest season received a lot of criticism.

Recent episodes of One Punch Man haven’t been as good as previous ones, and many fans have noticed. People are complaining about the animation, which includes static images and strangely designed characters. It’s clear the studio, J.C. Staff, felt rushed while making the new season – which isn’t unusual in the competitive anime world. However, this was a big letdown for viewers who were looking forward to more exciting adventures with Saitama, and it’s been one of the most disappointing anime releases this year.

2025-12-31 02:36