Light Yagami is not your typical high school student. When he finds a notebook called the Death Note, he discovers that by writing someone’s name within the pages, he can kill that person. Light believes that he can rid the world of its devious criminals by killing them off with the Death Note, creating a new world where he is protector and god. Accompanied by Ryuk, the Shinigami who owns the Death Note, Light sets out to make his world a reality. But can he outsmart the police out to catch him, as well as the mysterious investigator known as L? Not only is Light a genius, he is also a sociopath, killing off criminals and anyone who stands in his way without a second thought. It is due to this ruthless and ingenious manner of destruction that Light is able to continue for so long without being caught. Light instigates truly gruesome murders throughout the series, but one of the most disturbing happens in the seventh episode, with a woman named Naomi Misora. After her fiancé Ray Penber is murdered while investigating the Kira case, Naomi deduces that Kira must have been with Ray before his death. She decides to give this information over to the investigating team, and it is only by happenstance that she runs into Light before she is able to meet with L. Light and Naomi walk together, with Light trying to learn the woman’s name so he can kill her off. Finally, Light wins her over, obtaining her driver’s license and writing her name out in front of the police team headquarters. Naomi is unable to do anything as she is forced to walk away by the powers of the Death Note, under which she is forced to commit suicide. This moment is terrifying because Naomi is shown as a bright and competent character, one who almost got the best of Light. Yet, even she is unable to do anything while under the Death Note’s power, simply following its instructions for her death.

Edward Elric is not your traditional state alchemist. After Edward and his brother Alphonse lost their mother at a young age, they tried to recover her through a forbidden form of alchemy known as human transmutation. Their efforts failed, leaving Edward with two missing limbs and Alphonse with no physical body, only a soul attached to a suit of armor. It is only by the brothers’ determination to reclaim their bodies that they are able to continue on alone. Yet, as they search for some way to take their bodies back, the Elric brothers will uncover a dark government conspiracy, one that could change their notion of what it means to truly be human… Fullmetal Alchemist is an anime full of dark moments, ones that cause the viewer to examine their own morality as they watch. The Elric brothers’ tale, from the beginning, is sad and disturbing. Other than the attempted resurrection of their mother, which was downright horrifying, there is one other moment that stands out as the most upsetting in the series. You guessed it – we’re talking about the Nina incident. In Fullmetal Alchemist, Ed and Al stay at the home of Shou Tucker, a state alchemist specializing in chimera research. The brothers are staying with Shou while they prepare for the State Alchemy Exam, but soon become attached to Shou’s little girl, Nina. Ed and Al begin to become suspicious about Shou’s research, and they sneak into the Tucker house one day. They find Shou in a back room working with a new chimera. However, the brothers soon realize that Shou has fused together his daughter Nina and their dog Alexander, just as he had done two years previous with his own wife. When Ed and Al try to free Nina from captivity, she runs into Scar, who kills her in an alleyway with graphic blood splatter. While this episode isn’t scary in the traditional sense, it is extremely disturbing. Shou Tucker cared more for his funding and his title than his own family, using their bodies for his research when times got desperate. This is a moment that will emotionally scar you forever!

In a world where ninjas are the main defense force, young Naruto Uzumaki dreams of becoming his village’s Hokage, the leader of Konohagakure. There’s just one problem – Naruto is the pariah of the village. At Naruto’s birth, a huge fox demon (known as Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox) was destroying the village and everything in sight. To protect the village, the Fourth Hokage gave up his life and sealed the demon inside baby Naruto. Now, Naruto is struggling against all odds to fulfill his dreams. Can this hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja ever achieve his goal? Some of the enemies Naruto must face have crazy strong and deadly abilities. Being infused with the power of the Nine-Tails’ chakra himself, Naruto is able to overcome unspeakable odds and talk down a number of deadly foes. The most notable of these being Gaara, the Sand ninja who also has a beast sealed inside of him. However, while characters like Gaara have their scary moments, one character stands out above the rest as consistently disturbing – Orochimaru. Although we see Orochimaru throughout the Chunin Exam arc, the unsettling truth is revealed about him during the Konoha Crush arc of episodes 68 to 80. Orochimaru is terrifying both because of his abilities and his evil mindset. Before he left Konoha, Orochimaru had been performing experiments on people in order to achieve his own version of immortality. He sees a person as just another test subject, and has no qualms about killing off those who no longer serve any purpose. One of the three legendary Sannin, Orochimaru summons snakes to do his bidding and often appears snakelike himself. Because of his extensive experimentation on other humans, this deadly foe can retake his shape over and over again, granting him a kind of immortality. He can even shed his own skin, allowing him a way to rid himself of wounds mid-battle – and yes, it is just as sickening as it sounds. One of Naruto’s most terrifying foes, Orochimaru is certainly a character for nightmare fuel!

One day, renowned brain surgeon Dr. Kenzou Tenma is faced with a terrible decision. He can either operate on a small boy or the town mayor, saving one life and ending the other. When Tenma chooses to operate on the boy rather than the mayor, he saves the boy’s life – but at what cost? A series of murders occur that indicate ties to the very boy Tenma saved, and as the surgeon tries to uncover the truth behind it all, his belief that all life is equal will be tested. We have already included Monster on our previous list, but felt it was worth mentioning again. While the whole premise behind Monster is a psychological nightmare, one specific scene that made our skin crawl was in episode 42. Wolfgang Grimmer, a freelance journalist who is researching Kinderheim 511, is captured by some men who want a key Grimmer was recently given. Though their interrogation starts out pretty simply, it quickly becomes more graphic, with one man using nail clippers to chip away at Grimmer’s fingernails, causing him to bleed and cry out in pain. Later, after Grimmer is saved by a mysterious woman, he recalls that the woman only shot one man, but there were two others dead. He deduces he beat the other men to death himself. This scene isn’t the scariest on our list, but it is one of the most horrifying. Fingernails are a very sensitive part of the human body, and watching Grimmer’s be torn apart gradually is disturbing because we can easily imagine that pain ourselves. In addition, Grimmer’s inability to remember savagely beating two men to death is a small hint of the disturbing future to come.

When the first immortal human was discovered 17 years ago, they were called “Ajin” and labeled as a threat, something that governments should capture immediately upon finding. Flash forward to Kei Nagai, a practical high school student who cares only about his future. One day, Kei is in an accident that should have claimed his life – but it didn’t. Now known as an Ajin and on the run, Kei will need to decide where he stands quickly if he wants to survive… Ajin is another dark series with plenty of terrifying scenes, mostly involving the Ajin’s “black matter” monsters. The scariest part of Ajin is actually one specific character – the mysterious and ever-cheerful Satou. Satou has the personality of a psychotic killer, and he uses his Ajin immortality to help himself succeed. He is also surprisingly charismatic, getting several other Ajin to join him and Koji Tanaka. He can make his followers believe whatever he wants, although his true intentions are shrouded. Satou desires chaos, much like Batman’s Joker. He fights merely for the enjoyment of the game, something that is clearly seen in episodes 11 and 12 of the series. Satou rides a building down to the ground, then fights off a group of SWAT members and police. As an Ajin, he can regenerate himself quickly, so whenever he is hit by a sleeping dart, he merely hacks off a limb or kills himself in order to keep fighting. Not only is this scene one of the most epic from the anime, it is also the most terrifying. You never know what Satou might do next!

When Titans first appeared, humans retreated behind their walls, where they have lived in safety for a long time. However, when a colossal Titan destroys a portion of the wall and allows Titans inside, humanity is once again forced to flee. Eren Yeager has particular reason to hate the Titans, as he witnessed the destruction of his family firsthand on that fateful day. Eren vows to destroy all Titans, joining the military along with his friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert. Along the way, they will discover that not everything is as it seems, and sometimes humanity’s greatest enemy is not always clear… Shingeki no Kyojin is well-known as a horrifying anime, with characters constantly dying at the hands of the monstrous Titans. The first few episodes set the tone for what is to come, with the smiling Titan graphically eating Eren’s mother as he flees. However, among all of the gore and horror of Titans eating humans, the worst scene in the whole series comes in the fifth episode. Titans have once again broken through the wall, but this time Eren and the other squad members have been trained – they are confident they can make a difference. But Squad 34, with Eren and Armin, is quickly decimated. Eren saves Armin and gets himself eaten in the process. This is perhaps the most disturbing episode of Shingeki no Kyojin because of its abrupt revelation that no matter how much the characters train, they are still outmatched by the Titans. And, in a horrifying realization for the viewer, any character has the possibility of dying.

When a popular student passed away in Yomiyama’s North Middle School class of 3-3, it led to a disturbing curse on that particular class. Years later, Kouichi Sakakibara is the newest member of 3-3 and curious about the darkness that hangs over his fellow classmates. He is also curious about Mei Misaki, a girl with an eye patch who seems to be ignored by the rest of the class. Kouichi determines to get closer to discovering the truth, although it could cost him his life… This anime is full of horrific deaths, often due to average situations. There are plenty of scenes that could make our list, from the unexpected beach scene to the graphic teacher suicide. However, the one we find the scariest is also the one we included on our previous list – the umbrella scene. As Kouichi’s classmate rushes down the stairs, she trips and falls, landing unluckily right on the tip of her umbrella, which pierces her throat and kills her instantly. Infamous for its gore and unexpected simplicity, this scene is remembered long after the rest of Another. Beware of umbrellas when there is a curse around!

Parasitic aliens have descended upon Earth, and they are burrowing into the brains of humans, using the human bodies for further growth on the planet. High school student Shinichi Izumi is one of the victims of these aliens – but instead of infecting his brain, the alien takes over his hand. This parasite named Migi and Shinichi must now work together if they hope to survive the coming invasion! Shinichi and Migi are seen as a threat to the rest of the parasites, and so they are often a target. The parasites themselves are terrifying, manifesting in a variety of horrific ways and causing many gruesome deaths. Perhaps the scariest moment in the series is when Shinichi’s own mother is taken over by a parasite. In episode five, Shinichi’s mother and father go on a trip, and the mother is killed by a parasite. When the parasite returns to Shinichi’s house, Shinichi refuses to believe that his mother is dead, being stabbed through the heart as a result. Although Shinichi is able to later defeat the parasite using his mother’s body, this moment of death and horrific disfigurement will forever remain burned into our minds.

The Sibyl System controls justice in Japan by checking citizen’s mental states and judging them accordingly. Inspectors take the role of police, working with Enforcers, who do the dirty work of the job as latent criminals. Enter Akane Tsunemori, a new Inspector with an honest desire to seek out justice. However, as she sees more cases and hunts down a devious criminal, Akane begins to see that the Sibyl System is not as perfect as it appears, and she questions what justice truly is. Akane’s status as an Inspector has her seeing all kinds of dark and gory cases. We could put any number of specifics from the anime on this list, including the girl who makes her victims’ limbs into public art or the man who hunts his victims for sport. Yet the most disturbing scene in all of Psycho-Pass is in episode 14, where a man in a helmet brutally murders, and most likely rapes, a woman in front of a crowd. Due to their society’s reliance on the Sibyl System, no one steps in to help. And because the man’s mental state is not raising any red flags, the AI nearby don’t do anything to help either. This is certainly a moment that makes you question society and experience the character’s fear.

A murder mystery about vampires, Shiki has something for everyone. When the young Megumi Shimizu dies unexpectedly, it begins an epidemic in the quiet village of Sotoba. A doctor named Toshio Ozaki and a boy named Natsuno Yuuki join forces to uncover the mystery behind this rampant disease among the villagers. As Toshio and Natsuno struggle to stop the town from being overrun by vampires, they will discover that the line between good and evil is not always clear. The Shiki, as the vampires call themselves, may not always be the monster… Thus begins a battle for survival! Not only do the Shiki have terrifying features, their mannerisms are extremely disturbing as well. The scariest moment comes during the fourth episode, when Megumi is watching Natsuno as he sleeps. Natsuno feels the watchful eyes, making it hard for him to sleep. Megumi continues to act creepily, even crawling from underneath the bed while Natsuno sits, horrified. With music to perfectly fit the atmosphere and a disturbing style of animation to back it up, this scene takes the first spot on our list, simply for pure horror factor.

In Yumeko's first day at Hyakkaou Private Academy, she learns of the school's dog-eat-dog ways the hard way. Hoping to increase her position at the school, a student in her class, Mary Saotome, challenges Yumeko to a modified game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. In this game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, the other students in the class draw rock, paper or scissors and place it in a ballot box. Even more, a game of chance than your standard game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, what you can throw is determined by the cards you draw from the ballot box. Yumeko and Mary each start the game with 120 chips, worth ￥1,200,000 total. In the first round, Yumeko makes and wins a meager bet of ￥20,000. In a completely foolish and naïve manner, she then bets ￥500,000, which she promptly loses. After another series of winning a two-chip bet to lose a fifty-chip bet, Yumeko finds herself at the whim of Mary's cruel side as she is taunted. Despite the chip count and Mary's taunting, Yumeko states that the game's just beginning. Even with all her confidence, Mary wins all of Yumeko's chips in the end. Almost as if she didn't suffer a crushing and humiliating defeat, and much to everyone's surprise, Yumeko then asks Mary to play one more game. When Mary comments on her lack of chips, Yumeko then empties ￥10 million from her bag onto her desk. When Mary expresses her disbelief at Yumeko's willingness to put ups such a large sum of cash, Yumeko taunts her in return and reveals that she's aware that Mary has rigged the game in her own favor. For Yumeko, the thrill of gambling is more exciting than winning, which is why she goes all immediately, leaving it all up to luck.

After receiving an invitation to the Traditional Culture Research Society club room, Yumeko finds herself facing Yuriko Nishinotouin, a member of the Student Council and president of the Traditional Culture Research Society. There she is challenged to an original game, Life or Death. In the game Life or Death, players place bets on where they think miniature swords in a metal cup will land. In this deadly game of roulette, picking the correct number, however, does not guarantee a payout. If the sword lands blade down, then the player will receive 30 times their bet. If it lands blade up, however, the player will lose 30 times their bet. With such extreme stakes, Yumeko gleefully agrees to a game. The first-round ends in a draw, as no player correctly guessed where the swords would land. In the second round, unlike the last, Yumeko places all of her chips on the number, hedging her bets that she has figured the game out, more specifically how Yuriko is cheating. As Yuriko realizes that she has been caught in her cheating and begins to panic, several members of the Student Council, including the President, come to observe the game. When the dealer lifts the cup, it is revealed that while Yumeko had correctly guessed where the sword would land, it landed in the death position, leaving Yumeko with a ￥310 million debt. Despite the large debt and suspicions that there was, even more, cheating involved than she initially thought, Yumeko becomes even more excited about her time at Hyakkaou Academy. Yumeko made her most extreme bet, both in terms of thinking she'd understood the limits of her opponents cheating as well as in monetary terms. For her miscalculations, Yumeko found herself classified as a Mike, someone needing to make even more extreme bets to overcome her insurmountable debt.

It wouldn't be any fun if students in large debts are stuck there without any real chance to get out of their debt. To give these students a shot at clearing some of their debt, the Student Council announces a Debt Exchange Game. In this game, 4 players with a debt will play 10 rounds of two-card Indian Poker. At the end of the rounds, a player's debt will be replaced with that of the person who was originally in their ranking, with the winner of the game's debt being cleared completely. Yumeko finds herself in the same group as Mary, along with another Mike, Nanami Tsubomi, and the tough and arrogant Jun Kiwatari, who pretends to have a ￥10 million debt in order to make a profit from the game. The first few rounds are played quite normally, until the third and fourth round. After Yumeko wins a hand with a higher on suit-hand than Jun, and Mary bets in the same fashion the following turn, Jun folds, thinking that Mary and Yumeko are working together to let each other know their hands, only for Mary to reveal that she didn't have a winning hand and was actually bluffing. Yumeko and Mary then reveal that they are, in fact, working together, just as Nanami and Jun are, to supply the other with information. With the players now actually aware of their hands, the game becomes a game of bluffing. By the final turn, Jun has bluffed his way into first place, but when Yumeko and Mary make bets that would give Nanami first place if she calls their bet. Nanami calls the bet, betting not only her chips but also her position in the school's hierarchy. While Yumeko, with the largest debt, had nothing to lose, the other students risked increasing their debts for the chance to lessen or even erase it completely: a pretty extreme bet considering how deep in the red many of them were, to begin with.

After learning of the school's hierarchy and pet system from her friend, Ryota, Yumeko become even more excited about having transferred to Hyakkaou. So excited, in fact, that she challenges a member of the Student Council, Itsuki Sumeragi to a game. Short on cash, but excited to gamble against one of the strongest gamblers in the school, Yumeko accepts a ￥20 million loan from Itsuki for their game of "Double Concentration." In Double Concentration, Yumeko and Itsuki must find matching cards from not one, but two decks of identical playing cards. The first round is remarkably close, with spectators realizing that in order to find matching pairs with such efficiency, Yumeko and Itsuki must be memorizing the location of the cards that they've already flipped. After a close series of turns, Itsuki manages to take the lead and close out the game, leaving Yumeko with a ￥20 million debt. Realizing that she can't pay back this debt, Yumeko begs Itsuki for another game, hoping to win their second game, and break even. Instead of ￥20 million, Itsuki has a more interesting wager for Yumeko: Itsuki is a fan of nails and has an amassed a collection of human nails through gambling. Itsuki agrees to a second game of Double Concentration with Yumeko on the condition that she bets her nails. Yumeko agrees to the bet, and wins in one turn, revealing that she was aware of how Itsuki cheated in the first game. Yumeko then decides to raise the stakes one last time, challenging Itsuki to a different card game, where the loser will experience the pain of having their fingernails ripped off. Unfortunately, Yumeko is clearly made of a different cloth, as Itsuki tearfully declines the challenge.

After the Student Council President takes a surprise leave from the school, the Student Council Head of PR and idol, Yumemi Yumemite, decides to be the next member of the Student Council to challenge Yumeko. With the help of Student Council Accountant, Kaede Manyuda, Yumemi decides to play a series of games against Yumeko, set up so that her victory will be ensured. Before the match, Yumemi invites Yumeko behind the stage to prepare for their post-concert match. During the conversation, Yumemi tells Yumeko that due to them both having "yume," the character for "dream," in their names, it is the fate of them being together. To achieve this, instead of having Yumeko match her bet of ￥50 million, Yumemi decides that if she Yumemi wins, the two will become an idol group, Dreaming Creaming Sisters. When Yumemi states that she is an idol to see the smiles on her faces, Yumeko calls her out on her lie and gets Yumemi to confess that she vehemently despises her fans and that being an idol is just a step on her path to achieving her life goal of winning an Academy Award. Yumeko then reveals that she planted a recorder on Yumemi's assistant, recording the entire confession. Having revealed her trump card, Yumeko changes the bets so that the wagers are a bit more even, with both girls putting their lives and futures on the line: if Yumemi wins, Yumeko will hand over the recording and give up her life and become a member of Dreaming Creaming Sisters. If Yumeko wins, however, she will play the recording to all of Yumemi's fans in attendance, thereby ruining any chances of achieving that which she's sacrificed so much for, an Academy Award. For Yumeko, thanks to her position as a Mike, her future is already out of her hands. But for Yumemi, ￥50 million yen, a small amount to her, and her entire life's work is on the line.

After facing the majority of the Student Council, Yumeko finally receives the chance to gamble against the Student Council President, Kirari Momobami. During their conversation, they discuss their love and reasons for gambling. They then agree to one game, with stakes that are of any extreme worth to the two of them: the loser will withdraw from Hyakkaou Private Academy. For Kirari and Yumeko, two lovers of gambling, to leave Hyakkaou Academy would be akin to getting kicked out of Heaven. Yumeko and Kirari agree on a game of Tarot, where Yumeko gains the value of the card flipped. If the card is facing her, then it has a positive value, if it's facing away, negative. After Yumeko, Kirari, and Ryota each flip a card, if Yumeko's score is positive, then she wins. If the fool card is flipped facing Yumeko, then she instantly wins, however, if it's facing away then she instantly loses. After Yumeko and Kirari each take their turns, Yumeko has a score of –20. With –20 points, it falls on Ryota to ensure that Yumeko doesn't leave the school. With Kirari having flipped the highest valued card, he realizes that he needs to find the fool card. Ryota panics because even though the bets seem to only affect Yumeko, he wants to be together with Yumeko and has something to lose as well. In the end a game, three people have something on the line. For Ryota, Yumeko leaving the school would cause him to lose the one important thing to him at Hyakkaou Academy. Yumeko and Kirari risk their lives at Hyakkaou Academy, a punishment second only, perhaps, to death.

As rule of Hyakkaou Private Academy, members of the Student Council cannot refuse a challenge to a Public Match by "Mike"s or "Pochi"s. After having her initial challenge to a game refused, Yumeko invokes her right to a Public Match with Kaede Manyuda, the Student Council Accountant. What follows is an intense game of "Choice Poker." The rules for Choice Poker are essentially the same as regular poker, save for a few differences, the most important ones being what makes the game so exciting: during the betting phase, the players are only allowed to place a bet and raise, with the highest bidder earning the right to choose whether a strong hand or weak hand wins. As the accountant and heir of a powerful family, Kaede decides to play with 100 chips, each chip worth ￥10 million. Yumeko, however, is only able to bet on her debt, worth 31 chips. After losing the initial hand to Yumeko, Kaede realizes that as the chip leader he only needs to beat her bet by one chip in order to be in control of the game. Confident with the ability to read Yumeko's play and decision, Kaede reveals his entire hand to Yumeko before the betting phase begins. Sure enough, Yumeko bets her entire stack of chips, for Kaede to raise her by one chip, declaring that the strong hand wins, winning all of Yumeko's chips. Despite losing all of her chips, Yumeko asks for Itsuki Sumeragi to serve as a patron, and bid with her money in hopes of continuing the game. Because of Itsuki and Kaede both hope to become the Student Council President, Itsuki decides to help Yumeko. This time, with more money to wager, Yumeko and Kaede engage in a heated battle of bets, until the pool has reached ￥2 billion. Kaede then raises the 100 chips, once again, an amount that Yumeko and Itsuki are unable to match. Of course, at Hyakkaou money isn't the only thing worth betting, and Yumeko convinces Itsuki to put her life and life worth on the line. Intent on winning the hand, Kaede raises the bet his own life. Using the fact that Yumeko played her hand in the same fashion as the last hand, Kaede decides to call "strong" as the winning hand, putting his life and billions of yen on the line.

After saving Yumeko from being assaulted by Jun and his friends, by challenging them to a game of Russian roulette, Student Council Beautician Midari Ikishima becomes obsessed with Yumeko and her love of gambling. When the change to satiate her interest in Yumeko appears, Midari kidnaps her and Ryota to force her into playing a game. Midari challenges Yumeko to an ESP matching game, with a game of Russian roulette as the wager. In the game of Russian roulette, both players load as many bullets as they like in the chamber, and put the revolver in a box. The winner of the round chooses a gun at random and has to shoot their opponent. If the persona intentionally misses, however, then the loser gets to shoot them. The winner of the overall game wins ￥1 billion. With Ryota as the dealer, Yumeko is confident that Midari has no way of cheating, and perhaps even her own way to gain an upper hand. In the first round, Midari wins but chooses Yumeko's gun, which Yumeko claims to have sabotaged before revealing that it's simply unloaded. In the second round, Yumeko manages to win, and point a gun at an eager Midari. Yumeko then reveals that she had chosen her own gun, which she is sure of due to the guns' difference in weight. In the last round, Yumeko and Midari choose to load their guns with two bullets each. Yumeko wins again, and this time, with both guns loaded, there's a real possibility of Yumeko either shooting Midari, as Midari hopes she would or intentionally missing and possibly being shot herself. Instead, Yumeko reveals that she's aware of how Midari was rigging the game. Unlike other opponents, Midari was actually rigging the game in Yumeko's favor, in hope of being shot and experience pain, what she considers to be life's greatest pleasure. When not accounting for Midari's cheat, both players didn't actually match any cards, ending the game in a draw. Somehow, for the game with the most extreme bets -￥１billion and the risk of bodily injury- it actually had the lowest payout.

After the death of his mother, Chihiro Komiya is taken in by a long-lost rich Uncle Madoka Takatori. Chihiro is happy to make himself useful to his new family and quickly sets about cleaning the pigsty of a mansion from top to bottom. He is determined to make for a place for himself in his uncle’s household and settles into the role of maid/elementary school student. His uncle wanted to give him something fun for Christmas, but all dear little Chihiro wanted was a new vacuum cleaner. You won’t be able to contain your own smile when you see the look on his face when he unwraps it. He foregoes video games with his friends in order to spend Christmas day cleaning. His friends even help out, hoping he’ll finish earlier so they can play. The cleaning still takes all day. We are left to believe that the moral of this story is that regardless of what you are doing on Christmas, if you’re with your friends and family and having fun, even if it is cleaning, that’s what counts.

Kenji Harmia is a thug, but at least he’s thug with a sweet spot. He has a crush on the sweetest, ditsiest high school girl there ever was named Tenma. The girl has a crush on the plainest guy on the planet, Karasuma. The story gets pretty zany from there as we follow Kenji on his quest to win the heart -- or even the notice -- of Tenma. We find that whenever big, tough Kenji gets the chance to confess his feelings something really crazy happens to get in his way. Will he ever be able to get his emotions across? The Christmas episode, like every episode of School Rumble, is a little nuts. Kenji has been squarely friend-zoned by Tenma and pours his heart and soul into a grand gesture to get her attention, a manga manuscript that will be published. The journey to get that manuscript published is a difficult one that includes a flight of mackerel missiles targeting him like in a mecha anime. The whole story wraps up with Tenma’s feelings being hurt, Kenji’s opportunity to confess gone, and a sweet, simple apology delivered while wearing a Santa suit to save their friendship. It’s an unconventional romance, but a nice one for Christmas that will make you laugh.

Itsudatte My Santa! is a standalone Christmas story about a young man named Santa, who happened to be born on Christmas. The kid has problems beyond that, too. His parents have made little time for him over the years, often leaving him alone on his birthday. Santa comes to hate the holiday out of the bitterness he feels. Mai is a Santa in training, the niece of The Santa. She feels bad that none of the other Santas have done anything to rectify young Santa’s despair over the years. Mai is upset since she knows that Santa is always watching, so he had to know this kid was miserable, right? Mai is a rather precocious girl and shanghaies Santa for the evening to give him a few insights into his life. She shows him the real reason his parents are always away. She gives him a reason for his friends not inviting him to Christmas parties. Mai also resurfaces some pleasant memories of his Christmas past. The cute little Santa-in-training opens his heart and finds her way into it. The end of the episode is sweet with a promise for her to spend his next birthday with him as well.

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou Hall is a story about being average while surrounded by genius. Sakurasou Hall is the small, run-down housing unit for “special” students at a prestigious school. The rooms are filled with an assortment of best and brightest students, who are all very eccentric. The story revolves mainly around Sorata, an average guy who ends up residing there, and Mashiro, a painter with no social skills. Sorata is assigned Mashiro duty, which entails everything from making her get dressed in the morning to getting her to class. Sorata likes Mashiro; Mashiro likes Sorata, but she’s so unfamiliar with emotion she doesn’t realize it. Sorata’s best female friend, Nanami, likes him and invites him for a date on Christmas Eve. The date goes well and both Nanami and Sorata enjoy a show and dinner in a snow-filled wonderland surrounded by the lights and sounds of the season. The date is almost perfect for Nanami, and giving her the will to confess, until they find out Mashiro disappeared from a gala she was attending. The two search for Mashiro and find her barefoot and sitting in a snowy park. We don’t have a confession or a resolution at the end of the episode and Nanami is a bit depressed as she realizes the sizable task she will have in becoming first in Sorata’s heart. The entire series is good in dealing with relationships between people and this Christmas arch was no different.

Kronuma doesn’t have many friends and it really isn’t her fault. She just happens to look and sound like the ghost from a movie called “The Ring.” Kronuma is a sweet and timid girl and unable to stand up for herself. She dreams of having a normal life. It’s a dream embodied in her friendship with the most popular guy in class, Kazehaya. The story spans 25 episodes as we watch Kronuma learn to come out of her shell, trust others and make friends. It’s a truly gentle coming of age story. Kazehaya is hosting a Christmas party for all of their friends. Kronuma declines the invitation, though she really wishes to go, because her family has plans at home on Christmas Eve. After spending time with her parents, she begs for permission to leave and go to the party. Her mother is ecstatic and her father is a bit disappointed at having to let go of his little girl, but grants her permission to go. Unfortunately for Kronuma, the party is over before she can get there. She runs into Kazehaya on the way there and he gives her a gift after a series of cute blushing exchanges. The entire anime will put you in the mood with the romance of young love and would make a perfect Christmas Eve marathon (snuggled up with your love, of course).

Nisekoi is the tale of two young people not in love -- or are they? Chitoge is the daughter of a mob boss and Raku is the son of Japanese crime lord. In order to prevent a mob war, the parents of this mob prince and princess announce that the couple are engaged. The two have to keep up the pretense that they are in love, despite hating each other, in order to keep the peace. We see some big changes as the series goes on when it comes to their feelings for one another. We think one of the biggest examples when it comes to Raku’s feelings is the Christmas episode. Raku knows that Chitoge has a strained relationship with her mother, a rather powerful and sometimes “scary” (Chitoge’s word, not ours) businesswoman, and wants to help mend the relationship. He knows that Chitoge wants nothing more than time with her mother, who is constantly absent from her life because of business. Raku becomes Chitoge’s mother’s assistant and works himself almost to death in order to free up time in her schedule for her daughter. He even has to go as far as confronting Hana (Chitoge’s mother) about her own feelings (a very brave task) to get her to stick around for a few hours to spend it with her daughter. The romance may not be there in this episode, but the love is. Raku understands that Chitoge is hurting because of her strained relationship with her mother and moves heaven and earth to help mend that wound. As Hana points out before boarding her flight at the end of the episode, you don’t work yourself like that for just a friend.

The World God Only Knows is a show about a young man named Keima who is perhaps the greatest dating sim player ever. He has gone so far as to have sworn off the world of 3D girls for the 2D girls of dating sims. A young and adorable demon by the name of Elsie decides Keima is the best partner to help her catch rogue souls, those that have escaped the underworld and taken up residence in the hearts of young girls who have despair and insecurity in their hearts. His goal is to date these at-risk girls and fill them with love, expelling the rogue souls so Elsie can capture them and send them back to the underworld. Kanon is a famous pop star and part-time student at Keima’s school who has almost debilitating feelings of inadequacy. A rogue soul has taken root in her heart and is slowly turning her invisible even as her stardom sores. Keima works his way into her heart, cheering her on and cheering her up. On Christmas Eve she is to hold a big concert, the culmination of her dreams and hard work, but lets her insecurities overwhelm her and she disappears just before the start. Keima tracks Kanon down and gives her one amazing pep talk. He reminds her of all the things that make her special and that makes her fall in love with him completely. She kisses Keima and the rogue spirit leaves her body to be captured. Keima, who has sworn off 3D girls for the 2D world, even hints at the end that he might actually respect Kanon -- and even possibly like her. A rather sweet ending for a scrooge like Keima in this Christmas Eve tale.

When you search romantic comedy + anime, Toradora makes almost every list. The lead character Ryuuji looks like a hoodlum but is sweet and gentle. Taiga, the female lead, looks like a sweet demure high school girl, and in actuality is a sometimes-violent tsundere-type character nicknamed the “palm top tiger” because her petite stature and aggressive behavior. We find looks are often deceiving, and that extends to parents and classmates. We know from the get-go that these two opposites complement each other and are destined to be together. Ryuuji and Taiga are both in love with other people and with Christmas being a romantic holiday you know things will get complicated. You also know when you are willing to blow off your big chance to confess to the girl you love to spend time cheering up a friend, you might want to reconsider who you’re in love with. We think that the prioritizing of Taiga’s feelings over his own and the way he shows up to cheer her up, in a bear costume no less, is just as much a dedication of love as any confession.

Satoru Fujinuma is a 29-year-old pizza delivery man/struggling manga artist trying to get his break and make ends meet. He also has a gift. He can rewind time. He calls his gift Revival. He often uses Revival to save a life by subtly altering the past, though he often only has a few minutes before the he catches up to the present. When Satoru finds a loved one murdered and the police think he did it he uses Revival to unravel truth. He does most of the investigation with his adult mind back in time in his childhood body as he relives the weeks surrounding the disappearance and murder of a female classmate named Kayo. We find that this murder mystery/science fiction anime can keep you on the edge of your seat with every episode. The show’s hallmark is suspense but a handful of scenes like this post-Christmas scene have all the holiday feels you could ask for. Satoru’s plan to save Kayo is simple, to be friends with her. He knows whoever killed her targeted her because she was always alone. Satoru realizes that there are many things you just ignore and gloss over as kids, but his adult mind sees the signs and he realizes the terrible life Kayo was living. Satoru decides that Kayo needs something nice done for her after a particularly bad day at school and convinces her to go into the mountains with him after class. He says he wants to show her a Christmas tree. The two children see a couple of red foxes and watch as the animals dance in the snow. The two end up standing at the base of a frost- filled tree, the icicles hanging down like tinsel and the bright stars in the night sky filling in the gaps between the branches appearing like Christmas lights; they innocently hold hands. We smile when he declares it a Christmas tree and she replies, “Are you stupid? It’s February.” We know they are sharing something special and innocent and isn’t that what Christmas is about?

My little sister can’t be this cute (or Oreimo for short) gives us many memorable moments and characters. The story includes a rather complex sibling relationship between Kyosuke (brother) and Kirino (sister) and the people in their orbit, including several love interests for Kyosuke. Kirino is an ideal student, young lady, professional model, very popular at school and a secret otaku. She also harbors some deep-seated resentment towards her brother, at least that is what we are led to believe. Kyosuke is an average student with a few friends and just goes through life not making much of an impact. Despite his sister’s open hostility, he’s a good brother and always does his best to protect her. The entire simmering pot of plot boils over in episode 14, which takes place around Christmas. Kyosuke meets Ruri, his ex-girlfriend, on a rainy night and tells her he’s in love with another girl. Ruri knows by now that other girl is his sister, Kirino. Kyosuke then spends the next day on a date in Akihabara with Kirino. The siblings spend the entire day together at cafés and shopping in anime stores. The pair decide to head home and Kyosuke decides he needs to confess something to Kirino, he has fallen in love with a girl. Kirino, upset by the news, loses her cool and storms off telling him she is leaving Japan and going to America for school. Kyosuke chases after her but loses her in the pedestrian traffic. Their friends, all former potential girlfriends for Kyosuke, show up in a minivan revealing they’d been stalking Kyosuke and Kirino’s date. The girls confront Kyosuke about his feelings for his sister and surprisingly are willing to help. Kyosuke, seeing Kirino, leaps out of the van and in a crowded street confesses his love for her at the top of his lungs. Kirino is taken by surprise by the confession, but not taken aback or disgusted. Kyosuke right then and there asks Kirino to stay in Japan and marry him. Kirino happily accepts. We know this is a weird twist on the confession, but incest aside it is a heartwarming Christmas confession of love.

Amagami SS is a unique series in the way it follows Junichi and the women in his life. You may think harem, but it really isn’t. We get to see Junichi down several different routes after several different heroines, making each multi-episode arc a universe unto itself. Junichi is a protagonist who had his heart broken on Christmas when he was stood up. He tries to ignore girls and just focuses on his studies. Junichi then falls hard, and we mean like penny-off-the-Empire-State-Building hard, for Haruka. She’s the most popular and beautiful girl in school and Junichi proceeds to ask her out. Of course she says… no. Junichi gets to know her as a friend and continues to ask her out again and again in the most public and humiliating ways until she gives him a chance. Haruka invites him to a family gathering at Christmas at a hotel, a gathering that the rest of her family decides for one reason or another to flake out on, leaving the two of them alone in the hotel room. The girl of his dreams stands before him in front of a window with the snow gently falling outside and confesses her love to him. The scene is great for a number of reasons and it’s not just the sincerity of the confession. You feel like you got to watch the relationship mature and you are left with the feeling that the promises they make that Christmas will be kept for life.

She’s a gorgeous freshman who’s on a mission; have sex with one hundred guys before she graduates high school. Yamada schooled herself in the art of man pleasing and is ready for some action. If only she can get through her first. Yamada chooses cherry boy Kosuda to be the first guy she sleeps with. But building up the courage to have sex has proven to be quite the obstacle. Will Yamada complete her goal? It’s Christmas Eve, aka date night in Japan. Yamada and Kosuda managed to go on a date together. While Kosuda is trying to figure out what to do next, Yamada is trying to book a night at a love hotel. The two walk through a love hotel district, and a makeout park, but the mood was awkward. Finally, Kosuda decides to kiss Yamada, but freezes in the process. After an awkward pause, Yamada slams her face into Kosuda to force a kiss. It hurt her forehead, but at least she managed to slip in a french kiss.

Ryouta is your typical NEET. No job, not in school, and rude to his mother. The only thing Ryouta is good at is being one of the top BTOOOM players in Japan. He even has an online wife. One day, Ryouta is knocked out and taken to an island, along with eight other people. Equipped with bombs and a green gem implanted in his hand, Ryouta is forced to participate in a battle royale in order to escape the island. What’s worse is that he’s competing with eight angry, insane, and mentally broken people. It is the moment we’ve been waiting for. The time when Ryouta and Himiko realize that they’re already married in the game. With episode 12, Himiko decides to give up her gem in order for Ryouta to escape the island. But Ryouta rejects her offer right away and tells Himiko that he loves her. Himiko cries and the two share a passionate kiss...followed by a cliffhanger caption that says “Continue the Game: Yes or No?”. If we do get a season two, we’d love to see more romantic moments like this.

Shirayuki is an independent woman who works as an herbalist. One day, Prince Raj kidnaps Shirayuki and forces her to become his concubine. Luckily, Prince Zen from the neighboring kingdom, comes to rescue Shirayuki. The two fall in love, but a common herbalist can’t be with a prince, right? At this point in the series, Shirayuki and Zen have admitted to wanting to be by each other’s side forever. They’ve held hands, hugged, and shared stories of their pasts. All we need is a kiss to seal the deal. But Shirayuki gets nervous and doesn’t want to rush things. Zen understands, but can’t help himself and kisses Shirayuki. Shirayuki faints at the sudden gesture. Being the charming prince that he is, Zen carries her bridal style all the way to her room.

Several couples, several stories. We follow the romantic tales between all sorts of couples in high school. Some are trying to confess, while others are in love. But they all have one thing in common; it’s their first relationship. There are all sorts of kiss scenes throughout Tsuredure Children. We’ve decided to choose Gouda and Kamine’s first kiss for being the cutest. Kamine is a sweet girl who wants to do more couple-like things with her boyfriend, Gouda. Gouda is absolutely clueless when it comes to romance. Kamine admits that she wants to be more intimate with him, so Gouda immediately kisses her. It was so sudden that Kamine blushes and chokes. Feeling embarrassed, Kamine kisses Gouda again, and the two share a magical moment together.

Risa is 172 cm tall while Otani is 156 cm. The two are always arguing about something, to the point where the class calls them a comedy duo. From their disputes, an unlikely friendship is born. Or maybe something more? Risa and Otani have shared a few kisses throughout the series. We’ve decided to choose episode 18’s kiss scene for being the most romantic. It’s Risa’s birthday, so her friends and her go to the school rooftop to enjoy the fireworks. Otani shows up late, and tells Risa to meet him at a corner so her friends wouldn’t see them. Otani gives Risa a necklace with a cute bunny on it. Then, Otani kisses Risa while her friends are distracted by the fireworks. Risa gets flustered, so Otani kisses her again as the fireworks shine.

Yuri Katsuki lost a major figure skating tournament, and decided to retire. But after a figure skating practice video of him goes viral, Yuri has caught the attention of the champion; Victor Nikiforov. Victor chooses to take a break from figure skating to help Yuri become the next champion. But with the rise of the junior champion, Yuri Plisetsky making his senior debut, can Yuri Katsuki even pass the first round? At this point in the series, it is apparent that a romance is blooming between Victor and Yuri. Ignoring Victor’s flirtatious personality, we can tell that he genuinely cares for Yuri. Plus Yuri admitted at a press conference that he wants his performance to be a love confession to Victor. In episode 7, Yuri lands all of his jumps and adds a few new moves as well. The crowd cheers at Yuri’s new personal best score. Victor, he runs up to Yuri and kisses him. The crowd cheers even more and tosses roses at them.

Takeo is a hopeless romantic, but all of his crushes fall for his good looking best friend. While on the train, Takeo spots a pervert groping a high school girl. He calls out the pervert and forces him to leave. The girl turns around to thank him, and in that moment, Takeo falls in love. We were curious as to how Takeo and Yamato’s first kiss would look like. Since Yamato is so tiny and Takeo is huge, we just couldn’t picture it looking romantic. In episode 18, we were proven wrong! While Takeo is asleep, Yamato quickly kisses him before leaving. Takeo wakes up shortly after, and runs through the snow to Yamato’s house. He asks if he can kiss her properly and Yamato nods. Takeo bends down to kiss her. They blush and hug each other as the snow continues to fall.

Ikki is considered to be the worst mage at Hagun Academy. While moving into his dorm, he opens the door to Stella Vermillion changing. Not only was he assigned to dorm with a girl, but the strongest mage in the academy as well. They don’t get along at first, but Stella agrees to help Ikki become better at magecraft. For this series, we’ve decided to choose Ikki and Stella’s final kiss scene in episode 12. It is a hard journey for Ikki. He is kidnapped and tortured, then escapes, only to nearly die while fighting Touka at the school tournament. But after coming out victorious, Stella runs to Ikki and hugs him. Before Stella takes him to the hospital, Ikki asks Stella to become a part of his family. Stella cries and says “Yes, make me your bride!” The crowd goes wild at the sudden proposal, while Ikki and Stella embrace each other into a kiss.

Oppai enthusiast, Issei Hyoudo is back at it again. Rias decides to use their summer vacation as a training camp to strengthen her team. There, Koneko is forced to face her treacherous past. Making matters worse, the mischievous God Loki, rallies up a team to defeat the Red Dragon Emperor once and for all. After a long and difficult battle, Issei and Rias are suddenly transported to a beach with a beautiful sunset. Rias admits to Issei that she was jealous at all the attention he gets from the girls at the Occult Research Club. She was afraid that Issei didn’t care about her anymore. But when Rias saw how hard he fought for her, Rias realized that there was nothing to worry about. Issei goes up to Rias and says “Let’s go home, Rias.” For the first time, Issei calls Rias by her name instead of “President”. The two lean in and share a romantic kiss.

Okabe is a crazy mad scientist, inventing futuristic gadgets, and making scientific breakthroughs...at least in his mind. In actuality, Okabe and his friends work at an apartment in Akihabara, trying to invent the next big thing. One day, Okabe’s invention works, but leads to some strange events. The phone microwave can send emails back in time, but these emails drastically change history. A unique must watch sci-fi thriller, Steins;Gate is a non-stop race against time. Okabe has a serious chat with Kurisu. He feels tired and broken, and explains to her all that he’d done to prevent Mayuri’s death. Kurisu calms him down, but Okabe says that he doesn’t want to abandon the person he cares about most. Kurisu blushes, and Okabe says that he loves her. He wants to know how Kurisu feels, so she tells him to close his eyes. When he does, Kurisu pulls him in for a kiss. When they separated, Kurisu says that she didn’t want to do that, but Okabe says that he doesn’t want to forget this moment. So he grabs Kurisu and kisses her again. Who knew Okabe was such a sly dog?

This is one of those naked wrestling matches we mentioned earlier, and it makes this list at number five. On one side, we have Echidna, the sexy Elven mercenary who wears a snake for panties. On the other side, we have Leina Vance, the noble daughter of a count and beautiful warrior who often finds herself in very sexy situations. When these two first meet, it's in a ring filled with oil, fighting for money. This wrestling match is one of the best scenes in the first season. With two sexy girls in a ring covered in what is practically lube, fighting in skimpy panties, bending each other in many different positions and that’s what makes this scene ecchi paradise; it even has the fan loved snake breast bite by the luckiest snake around Echidna’s hips, Keltan. Some questions which often come to mind when looking at Echidna and Keltan are, what does Keltan think about while he’s wrapping around Echidna’s lovely lady parts, and if he really likes being worn as panties?

Here’s a question: What do you get when you take a magical staff made of nothing but tentacles, and a beautiful and mostly submissive, lady? A wonderful ecchi surprise, and that’s exactly what this scene of Queen’s Blade gives us! We have Nyx, a former servant of the Vance family with a beautiful body, finds a magical staff named Funikura. In most anime, when a warrior finds a magic weapon, it gives them power, no questions asked. However, that’s not how it works in Queen’s Blade. This weapon has a mission and that’s fondling Nyx anyway possible, from her boobs to her butt, he stays true to his tentacle nature of groping women. That’s not all though; we even get to see Funikura inject some questionable energy into Nyx to make her stronger. Since this episode is filled with sexy moans, breast squeezing tentacles, and questionable energy sources this scene is an ecchi masterpiece placing it at number four.

In this very short episode, we see one of the sexiest scenes in the Queen’s Blade franchise featuring the mouthwatering nun, Sigui, and the beautiful noble knight, Annelotte. Whenever we think of nuns, a picture of a virtuous and devoted woman of the church comes to mind, but Sigui is all that and more. She has a hot body and is determined to teach Annelotte the holy poses. In this scene, we get a full course of sexy revealing panty shots while Sigui trains Annelotte in divine and sexy techniques to make nonbelievers submit to the Lord. If you enjoy looking at panties and hot women, this is a scene you won’t want to miss. The poses these girls show us for an entire three-and-a-half-minute episode, place this scene at number three.

What’s better than two of the sexiest characters in Queen’s Blade fighting in skimpy clothing? Two sexy warriors fighting in armor that are completely see-through! This is the other sexy naked wrestling scene. Featuring the big-breasted Echidna and the perky-chested Leina Vance, where they go one-on-one almost in the biblical sense while getting ready for training. Echidna takes sap and begins to rub it all over their bodies, making sure to cover every inch by rubbing breast-to-breast and thigh-to-thigh. This is one of those scenes that is paradise for the eyes, by taking two beautiful ladies and having them practically dry hump each other even if one seems to like it more than the other. This scene is indeed one of the sexiest scenes in all of Queen’s Blade, placing it at number two.

Tentacles, tentacles everywhere! That is the theme of this memorable ecchi scene when a friendly little squid decides to explore the beautiful Annelotte’s body in the middle of a fight. Watching this scene, we see tentacles wrap around Annelotte’s body, groping her, and exposing her sexy pink panties, it indeed makes you wonder why do all squids in ecchi and hentai anime go straight for the panties. Trained in the art of the Holy Poses—that which we talked about earlier—Annelotte begins to fight off her frisky friend. However, even though Annelotte is one of the sexiest, more modest characters due to the fact that she is a knight. We can’t help but root for this pervy little squid. Although he sadly doesn’t complete his mission to explore all the panties in the world, at least he got to explore Annelotte's. Filled with beautiful breasts, a panty hungry squid, and sexy moaning, this ecchi scene comes in at number one on this list.

Dorothy takes Beatrice to find a cipher hidden in the body of a Kingdom agent, so… guess which is the lively place where they end up? The city’s morgue, where they coincide with Dorothy’s father. The family reunion gets quite intense, as both father and daughter have a lot to approach each other about. Meanwhile, the two girls have to carefully look for the cipher while doing the dull and morbid jobs at the morgue. Princess Principal was focused on the adrenaline of the missions without even introducing the spies. Rouge Morgue is a complete reverse of that formula. Although Bullet & Blade’s Ballad (the previous aired mission) was focusing more in the character’s back story, it is with Rouge Morgue that we get a radical slow down to the narrative pace. Dorothy’s back story is pretty impressive, but the reason why this mission made it to the top ten coolest missions in Princess Principal is because of the sad twist in the end.

Ange and Dorothy are directed to board a dirigible called HMS Gloucester to recover some stolen printing planes. Beatrice, full of suspicion towards them, goes with Ange. They are discovered mid-mission, so Beatrice will have to decide whether she will trust the spies or not. Their lives are in danger after all... This mission was overall interesting. However, Beatrice’s attitude was not helpful. I mean, who decides to act as a spoiled child when heavily armed men working for your enemy are on board with you? The last part was full of action, though, that is why we didn’t cut out this mission from the top ten coolest missions in Princess Principal.

In the second episode of Princess Principal, we testified to how Ange enters the exclusive Queen’s Mayfair School where Princess and Beatrice attend, and Dorothy is already infiltrating. Dorothy receives instructions to keep a key away from the Duke of Normandy. Their opportunity to get such key is in the school’s ball, where Ange will approach Princess for the first time. This coolest mission in Princess Principal was a get together of suspense and elegance. It had a flavour of the classical detective story too. We can see the ability of Ange, who could be considered the de facto protagonist of Princess Principal. We also see Princess and Ange’s intellects confronting each other for the first time.

The mission starts with Dorothy in a public library. She receives the mission of stealing a new Cavorite prototype from some Kingdom allied scientists. The contact also warns her of not trusting Princess, as she could be a double agent. The rest of the episode shows us how the quintet goes from place to place chasing the scientists until cornering them at sea. As much as Dancy Conspiracy is an interesting mission in Princess Principal, it is surpassed by Roaming Pigeons. The car chase, the uncertainty of trusting a new ally, and the contrast between the aristocratic life of Princess and her new identity as spy make of this cool mission in Princess Principal a must watch. The episode starts slow only to get better and better! Extra points for being the first time where the quintet consider themselves a team and even create the name Shirohato.

Princess is sent to accompany Lord Horikawa from Japan, who has the important mission to sign a treaty with the Kingdom’s Queen. Of course, Beatrice, Dorothy and Ange are also travelling with them, as they have to protect Lord Horikawa from a deadly assassin called Toudou Juubei. However, it doesn’t matter how fast a train is, when a skillful assassin is prepared to kill, he will catch up with you! And yet, the girls will get more than one surprise once they meet Chise for the first time. A train chase and Japanese assassins--What else can we be missing? The trains are yet another trope of the spy classical stories. The introduction of Chise and her super Japanese story (with the tragic details and all) blended incredibly well! Again, extra points for the role of Princess in this mission, which goes beyond playing the nice diplomatic.

Once more, our girls are sent to steal documents, this time from the First Lord of the Admiralty. Ange, Dorothy and Beatrice are aided by another agent called Prefect, who used to be a fellow classmate of the two girls in the spy school. During the operation, the girls remember their time as apprentices, when Ange was always a top student and Prefect the second place. Later, Beatrice discovers that the true intent of the mission is to spy on Prefect, as there is the suspicion that she has betrayed the Commonwealth. This is an elegant and multi layered mission in Princess Principal. It starts pretty basic only to become a complicated persecution of yet another brilliant girl who puts Shirohato in check. Yes, this also includes a train and car chase! There is yet another tragic twist and a shocking end to the mission… only to find out that things get complicated for our favorite spies!

This coolest mission in Princess Principal centers on protecting Eric, a scientist who has betrayed the Kingdom and wants to run away to the Commonwealth. He is smuggled into Queen’s Mayfair School by Shirohato, the prestigious academy where they are enrolled as students. However, Ange discovers that Eric is a double agent who is seeking to expose them to the Kingdom. Thus, the scientist has only two choices left... This is the mission with which the show opens. It surely burned out as bright as Cavorite! It had everything that is good about Princess Principal: chases, double agents and harsh, difficult realities. The end was quite shocking as well, leaving us wanting more! We could also appreciate Ange’s cool, efficient demeanour for the first time as well.

Shirohato is tracking down a serial killer known as Poison Gas Jack, who is killing Commonwealth sympathizers. All that they know is that the suspect might be a soldier who surely would have leftovers of poison in his clothes. Thus, Shirohato starts working in the local laundry mill, where they will befriend the workers. Unfortunately, they also have issues of their own… This mission, in contrast with the harsh opening episode of Princess Principal, might well be defined by Princess’ character from beginning to end. Shirohato become humble servants working in a mill where everything possible is failing or breaking down. Therefore, Princess makes an agreement with the Commonwealth to buy the mill and administrate it better from head to toe. The whole team of Shirohato comes together and uses her unique abilities to help the working girls. In the end, they both get the assassin and leave the mill in good hands. It is the perfect, happy ending for a mission in Princess Principal!

Things look grim for Shirohato in this episode, as the Operation Chandelier starts. The operation consists in nothing else than killing Princess, due to her blood ties with the Kingdom’s royalty. Shirohato becomes disbanded, leaving only Ange, Beatrice and Princess together, surrounded by an entire corps of new agents. What will Ange do about the operation? Will she carry it on or will she save Princess? Danger gets real in this mission in Princess Principal (as there wasn’t any in the others, but anyway). The most ethical and capable members are blocked, leaving Ange practically acting alone. However, this mission is rated highly because of the frankly shocking twist in the end! And yet, this only prepares us for the coolest Shirohato mission in Princess Principal ever...

In the last episode so far of Princess Principal, we follow Princess in her way to the cathedral where the assassination of none other than the Queen is expected to happen. Meanwhile, Ange escapes from the dirigible. The race towards the cathedral, where a final reunion of Shirohato is expected to take place, will make our hearts pound fast. Will Ange arrive on time? Which other surprises are awaiting our spies? This episode rates high not just because it was full of suspense. There were a few surprises still in store for viewers. Also, we find out what happened to all the Shirohato members who apparently disappeared from the scene. However, the best part is the open end, which gives us the hope that maybe in the future, we will encounter all of our spies again.