The 10 most tragic mass destruction events in anime

Mass destruction events are not very common in anime, but when they happen, they are devastating. Usually they are caused by villains, and They turn the main character’s world upside down in an instant. While some things can be cleaned up or people brought back, some of the destruction is permanent. This can leave a lasting impression on the series as a whole or even define it, as with the case of Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan.

Mass destruction events are brutally tragic; they can lead to them killing off some of the series' most popular characters, thereby permanently changing the show's themes.

No matter what happens after these events, they are all brutal, Destruction of worlds and lives with nothing more than a thought.

10 Petrification – Dr. Stone

The whole world turned to stone

The mass petrification event at the beginning of the Dr. Stone Is a catastrophic event like no other. Everyone on Earth suddenly saw a beautiful green light and a moment later turned to stone. Some people remained in their normal state, others were not so lucky. Some of the people who were petrified during the night, Dr. Stone Universe were broken during petrification, resulting in death when they thaw. For Senku, this is a complicated matter that never gets much easier.

The mass petrification event is one of the most unique premises in anime. The main characters return to their world 3,000 years later, with buildings destroyed and friends encased in stone. Fortunately, the situation is still fixable for some of the petrified people. For others, this is not so much the case.

9 Kid Buu destroys the earth – Dragon Ball Z

The death of all people on earth

Death is usually nothing, Dragon Ball Universe takes it too seriously. Most of the cast have died at least once and Goku himself has died multiple times. While the Z Fighters themselves know the afterlife, the rest of the world is no stranger to it. There have been a lot of villains who have threatened to destroy the Earth, but none of them have actually succeeded until Kid Buu did it. With a single attack Kid Buu did what every other villain in Dragon Ball wanted: He destroyed the planet.

Kid Buu not only destroyed the Earth and everyone on it, but He could also kill Goten, Trunks, Piccolo and Gohan, four of the strongest fighters in the world. Seeing the main characters killed is incredibly upsetting and makes for one of the most serious moments in the entire Dragon Ball.

8 The Near Third Impact – Neon Genesis Evangelion

Humanity comes to a brutal end

Neon Genesis: Evangelion Several catastrophic events occur. These events are called “impacts” and change the course of humanity, in some cases even its end. The Near Third Impact occurs when Shinji fights the 10th Angel. The Angel has absorbed Rei, and Shinji is unwilling to accept that. He revives his downed Evangelion unit and attacks the Angel, inadvertently using its power source as his own. Unit 01 then began to ascend. He grows his own angel wings, which cause tremendous devastation all over the world.

The resulting explosion was massive. Shockwaves were sent around the world, killing everyone not in an underground bunker. Although the Third Impact was technically stopped, it served as a catalyst for the later Fourth Impact, which would open the Gates of Guf and plunge the world into even greater chaos.

7 The Paranormal Liberation War – My Hero Academia

The villains have redesigned Midoriya's world

The Paranormal Liberation War Arc was one of the darkest arcs in My hero academia. It was an open war between heroes and villains, and as in any war, there were significant casualties on both sides. Gigantomachia ran wild and caused great trouble for the heroes who tried to stop him. Although they were able to subdue him, it was not without a cost. Many heroes died trying to stop Gigantomachia, including fan favorite Midnight.

The villains won the Paranormal Liberation War by quite a margin, killing many important heroes and destroying a lot of property in the process. The heroes not only suffered countless losses, but also lost the public's trust, making their job even more difficult. The Paranormal Liberation War was one of the few moments in anime where the villains won so effortlessly.

6 Bunker Destroyed – Nier: Automata Ver1.1a

Only two YoRHa units left

Nier: Automata Ver1.1a is already an incredibly dark anime. The themes revolve around identity, purpose, and more, but focus on the darker side of reality. One of the darkest moments of the series is when the bunker becomes infected, causing every YoRHa unit outside of 2B and 9S to go berserk. 2B and 9S are forced to abandon their home base by none other than the Commander herself, who also became infected in the process. The fight against the machine lifeforms was already looking bad, but without the bunker the situation seemed hopeless.

A2 is the only remaining YoRHa prototype unit that could potentially stop the machine lifeforms. But despite their strength, things are not looking good for humanity's remaining defenders. A2 watches the bunker explode while 9S and 2B fall back to Earth, hoping for help in fighting the machines.

5 The Rumbling – Attack on Titan

Eren kills 80% of the world

Attack on Titan solution to his Marley problem is a blast. After reliving his father's memories and, to a certain extent, his own, Eren decides that The only way to protect his home island of Paradis is to kill most of the world that threatens him. Although it is an absurd leap of logic, he cannot be blamed for his decision. He relived the past and the future simultaneously with the present, destroying his mind. The only thing left for him to do was protect his people and destroy all those who harmed him.

His plan worked. Eren unleashed the Rumbling, freeing all the Titans from the walls in Paradis and unleashing them on the world. No nation was prepared for the devastation they would bring. because the Titans would end up killing 80% of the world's population before Mikasa stopped Eren's attack.

4 The Fall of Kamakura – The Elusive Samurai

Takauji's historic betrayal

The Elusive Samurai has quickly become one of the best shows of the 2024 summer season. It has amazing animation, breathtaking scenes, and lovable supporting characters. It also features one of the most brutal betrayals in anime, when Takauji Ashikaga turned his back on the Kamakura Shogunate and slaughtered them all. Most of the Hojo clan's descendants committed suicide as soon as they heard about this betrayal. For those who did not, life became a nightmare.

When Takauji's forces returned to Kamakura, they wiped out the remnants of the shogunate. Their betrayal paved the way for the The Elusive Samurai as a story and also happened in real life. Takauji's betrayal is historic and one of the most brutal in recorded history. It gave Tokiyuki Hojo the inspiration he needed to become a powerful man and wise leader who would one day reclaim his homeland.

3 Pain destroys Konoha – Naruto Shippuden

The pain came with full force to The Hidden Leaf

Pain's arrival in the Hidden Leaf was one of the most destructive events in Naruto: Shippuden. Not only did Pain defeat most of Konoha's strongest fighters using his six bodies, but his main body then unleashed his strongest ability on the rest of the village. Using the Almighty Push and his Rinnegan, Pain completely wiped Konoha off the map. Without Naruto's triumphant return, it would have been over forever.

Many characters died defending the village hidden in the foliage. Although Naruto was able to convince Nagato to bring everyone back to life, the loss was enormous at the beginning. Kakashi's death in particular hit me the hardest. There are plenty of devastating moments in Naruto, but none compare to Pain's destruction of Konoha in terms of the loss of life and the physical world changed forever.

2 The Fall of Wall Maria – Attack on Titan

Eren's whole world is turned upside down

The opening of Attack on Titan is harrowing to say the least. In the first seconds of the anime, Eren and the rest of the Shiganshina district are enjoying their day before they are interrupted by the Colossal Titan. He looks over their city before he and The Armored Titan breaks through the wall and lets the Titans in. Then Titans run amok within the walls, trampling over people and buildings. They destroy everything in their path and even kill Eren's mother right in front of his eyes.

It is a day that shapes Eren's life. He had a normal childhood until the Titans showed up and destroyed his family and home. Now he is only focused on his revenge, no matter how many people have to die for it. The fall of Wall Maria is one of the most devastating events in the entire anime.

1 The Shibuya Incident – ​​Jujutsu Kaisen

Destruction by Yuji's own hands

The Shibuya incident could easily be considered the most brutal storyline in the entire Jujutsu Kaisen. The heroes of the series are lured into a trap by Pseudo-Geto and things couldn't have gone much worse for them. Their strongest wizard, Gojo, was captured, many more were killed and, even worse, Sukuna slaughtered hundreds of people in Yuji's body. Sukuna took over Yuji's body and went on a rampage, helpfully defeating Mahoraga and leveling Shibuya in the process.

Before Sukuna caused chaos on the surface of Shibuya, Choso, Mahito, Dagon and Hanami set their trap in the subway. They pulled Gojo down and started killing as many innocent people as they could. and cornered the experienced fighter. Their trap worked. They were able to capture Gojo and lost only Dagon in the fight, with dozens of innocent people losing their lives.