by An unforgettable final episode awaited after careful foreshadowing. When you look back on a TV anime finale that forces you to reinterpret the entire story, the shocking conclusion feels inevitable. We look back at anime that ended with an astonishing finale that was more than just a surprise.
This article contains major spoilers that touch on the core of “From the New World,” “Angel Beats!”, and “ID: INVADED.” From the New World. The anime “From the New World” is a science fiction story set 1,000 years in the future, where humans have developed a supernatural power known as “cursed energy.”
The story depicts the battle between humans and the intelligent, rat-like creatures known as “Bakenezumi,” whom they use as slaves. Many viewers empathize with the human side of the protagonist as they experience the story. In the final episode, humanity wins the war against the Bakenezumi, a race that threatens the survival of the species. But the real shock comes afterward.
The Bakenezumi characters are the descendants of humans without psychic powers, a discriminated people whose appearances were altered by those with supernatural powers. The story’s previously believed structure of “humans vs. ugly monsters” is a brutal class struggle between humans, “rulers vs. discriminated people,” and the ending is a shocking twist, reversing values.
“Angel Beats!” The anime “Angel Beats!”, broadcast in 2012, is set in a school in the afterlife and tells the story of boys and girls who spent their unfulfilled youths resolving their regrets and “graduating” (achieving enlightenment).
This hugely popular series is also known for its brilliant title-revealing final episode. After meeting and parting with many friends, only the protagonist “Otonashi” and the heroine “Kanade,” who appears as an “angel,” remain. Kanade regrets that she cannot express her gratitude to the heart donor who saved her life. It is revealed at the very end that Otonashi was the donor.
The title of the series, “Angel Beats!”, is revealed to have a literal meaning: Otonashi’s heart “beats” in the heart of an “angel,” or “Kanade.” The final episode, including the foreshadowing leading up to this point, was a shocking revelation.
“ID: INVADED” Set in a Japan where countless vicious serial killers are rampant, “ID: INVADED” is a sci-fi detective mystery in which the protagonist unravels the mystery by infiltrating the “id” (the deepest psyche of a murderer). The unique setting, in which only those who have committed murder can enter the id, and the complex background of the protagonist, a former detective turned murderer, create a profound story.
This story does not end with a simple guess at the culprit. At the end of the investigation using the ID, the true identity of the mastermind behind the serial killings is revealed, and it is shown that the entire investigation system was built on the pain and sacrifice of one young girl. In the end, even though the mastermind is caught, the girl is not saved, and the story ends with the inhumane system still in place.
The ending leaves the core of the problem unresolved, leaving many viewers with a sense of dissatisfaction and loss. As a detective story with an innovative premise, this is a memorable final episode that also expresses the bittersweet feeling of a “hopeless ending.”
