Top 20 Greatest Anime Reveals

“Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works” (2014-15)

The red-coated bad boy of the Fifth Holy Grail War, Archer is undoubtedly the slickest Servant to ever exist, with his ungodly looks only matched by his skills in combat. So there is no way anyone would even make the slightest connection between himself and the idealistic, pure-hearted bundle of nerves that is main character Shirou Emiya. And yet, they’re one and the same, since Archer is a future version of Shirou where he won the Grail War, became a Heroic Spirit, and now has his own machinations that put him at odds with everyone else. The Fate verse can be confusing as all hell, but this one made newcomers and hardcore fans drop their jaws.

“The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” (2006-09)

Nowadays, we all associate Haruhi Suzumiya with four things – being a brat, rocking out in a bunny costume, headlining eight identical episodes, and being an all-powerful deity. However, back in the day, this was still a shock for those who were going in expecting a high school, slice of life, rom com – you know, the usual crap. And then Kyon found out the abrasive girl in his class is an all-powerful god, unaware of her own abilities, and is the target for numerous cosmic entities intrigued by her very existence. As they say, the rest is history!

“My Hero Academia” (2016-)

There had been plenty of speculation as to who the flame-spewing villain really was over the series’ tenure. Given his deep-rooted hatred for Endeavour, many had assumed that there had to have been a prior relationship, maybe even…a familial one? Well, they weren’t wrong – because during his now iconic dance, Dabi reveals himself to be Endeavour’s thought dead son Toya. Driven insane by his hatred for his old man, he’s all too happy to set himself and the world on fire to get his revenge. Got to give him credit, he took his moment and made a spectacle out of it!

“Persona 4: The Animation” (2011-12)

We know, we know. For lifelong fans of the games, this comes as no surprise, but to those who were anime onlys and were fully invested in the supernatural murders Yu and company were trying to uncover, this reveal was a bullet to the soul. Turns out Adachi, the jokey detective, is actually a legit psycho who revels in the murders he commits, and has no problem using Shadows and the TV World to kill his targets, kids included. We can imagine that was quite the shock for the uninitiated.

“Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai” (2020-22)

So, what’s the deal with that Dragon Crest that Dai can bust out in moments of crisis? Is it a typical anime-power-up or something more…hereditary. Turns out Dai isn’t the only Dragon Knight, and his papa just happens to be Baran – one of the biggest bads the world has ever seen. This reveal kickstarted one of the most emotional arcs in the series – fully displaying the tumultuous relationship between the two, which naturally ended in them dragon draconic blows.

“Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War” (2022)

Just when you thought that Ichigo had reached max level. Not only is he a Substitute Shinigami with the power of a Hollow who also spent time as a Fullbringer, but it turns out he’s also half-Quincy to boot! The mystery of Ichigo’s mother is finally laid bare, revealing her to be a descendant of a pure Quincy blood, which naturally passed to her Strawberry son. Given how much of a melting pot Ichigo already is, this shouldn’t have been as surprising as it was – and yet everyone freaked!

“Odd Taxi” (2021)

We’ve seen our fair share of anthropomorphic characters during our time as anime fans, so we didn’t question the notion that we were indeed watching the plights of a taxi driver who just happened to be a walrus. Comes with the territory, right? And yet, the show used that misconception as the cherry on top of what was already a pretty amazing finale. The world isn’t actually populated by talking beasts, it’s simply how Odakawa sees the world due to a neurological condition he gained as a child following a near death experience!

“Your Name” (2016)

The central romance of Makoto Shinaki’s arguable magnum opus was so captivating that we honestly didn’t think there would be any room left for surprises. But boy were we wrong! As Taki and Mitsuha attempt to navigate their seemingly random body-swaps, we were all under the assumption that only distance separated them. But no, they’re also from different time periods! It may only be a few years difference, but given how the plot unfolds, this was a punch to the feels we were not expecting!

“Trigun” (1998)

You need to have a quick trigger finger if you want to live in a world that’s more desert than civilisation, especially one populated with numerous killers. To that extent, we figured Vash and his brother Knives were just really, really, experienced gunslingers who had been hardened over the course of their lives. Couldn’t be further from the truth – as it happens Vash and Knives aren’t borderline superhuman, they’re not human at all! They’re plant people! Though instead of leaves they grow doomsday weapons out of their appendages!

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

How is this even remotely surprising? Picture this, you’re a lifelong Dragon Ball fan, and have only watched Kid Goku take on fellow martial artists, along with the occasional so-called demon. Then along comes the sequel series, where it’s revealed Goku isn’t just a kid with a tail who transforms into a giant ape when the moon is full – he’s an alien, and part of a race of intergalactic conquers known as Saiyans. For old school DB fans, this was huge, one that laid the foundation for all Z, and future DB storylines going forward!

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (2009-10)

It didn’t take long for us to figure out that Fuhrer Bradley was actually the Homonculus known as Wrath, he kind of spelled it out for us with his violent antics during the earlier parts of the series. However, as far as his son was concerned, that was a shocker. The fact that such an innocent looking boy was one of Father’s creations was one thing, but the fact he was actually the strongest and oldest of the Homunculi was something else entirely. Child antagonists in anime could stand to take a lesson from this kid.

“Fairy Tail” (2009-19)

Of course, it wasn’t enough for Natsu to just be a fire wizard and have a dragon for a Dad, he’s also got to be the demonic creation of the world’s most feared sorcerer. While many a mage and demon were under the impression that Zeref’s ultimate weapon known as END was some kind of magical construct, as it happens, it turned out to be an acronym for Etherious Natsu Dragneel. Not only did this give Fairy Tail’s hot head even more hype, but it suddenly painted the relationship he had with Zeref in a totally different light.

“Kill la Kill” (2013-14)

She may have infiltrated Honnoji Academy to find her father’s killer, but she ended up discovering the mother and sister she never knew she had – too bad both of them had been trying to kill her. After failing to defeat the global fashion superpower that is Ragyo Kiryuin, Ryuko is given the shock of her life when maniacal CEO exposes herself as mommy dearest, going onto to reveal how Ryuko was a life fiber creation that had once been discarded as a failure. By default, that also makes Satsuki her sister. Ooooh, Christmas is going to be awkward this year.

“Assassination Classroom” (2015-16)

Given how he can zip around the world at Mach 20, dodge bullets and could slice a person to pieces with his numerous tentacles, we were fully convinced that Korosensei did indeed destroy the majority of the moon as a means to demonstrate his power. Turns out the truth is a whole lot more complicated, upsetting, and once again shows that humans are the greatest monsters of them all. A former assassin turned lab experiment, Koro Sensei was nothing more than a pawn in a pathetic scientist’s game, only for the whole thing to fall apart when he inadvertently blew up a chunk of the moon, with Korosensei eventually being blamed for the whole thing.

“Tokyo Ghoul:re” (2018)

Look, I think we can all agree that RE didn’t do the best job when it came to adapting this phenomenal manga sequel, but even still, this moment is palpable to those who have followed Kaneki’s bloodsoaked journey. Aside from Touka, the one who had always been there to back The One Eye Ghoul up was his bestie Hide, who we all believed to had tragically been killed during the events of Root A. Surprise! He’s alive! Oh god we missed you Hide! How have you been? How did you survive - oooooh…yeah…that face has certainly seen better days. It’s a testament to the character that he can be so chipper even after his mug got mangled.

“Attack on Titan” (2013-)

While her sweet nature and overt cuteness wasn’t lost on us, Krista wasn’t exactly a standout character when compared to the likes of Mikasa, Hange or even Sasha. Then, just like that, she became the thread that held the show together, even managing to earn herself the title of best girl in a single shining moment. Turns out that her real name is Historia, next in line to become humanity’s ruler, and a pawn in the corrupt plots of the current monarchy. Honestly, without this little lady as the focal point, we wouldn’t have had that epic third season!

“Gintama” (2006-18)

The man responsible for teaching Gintoki the way of the sword, Shouyou at first appeared to be a gentle soul who helped steer much of the main cast in the right direction. A beacon of light during the horror that was their childhoods. Unfortunately, this turned out to be just a phase, as Shouyou was nothing more than the split personality of the immortal killer Utsuro. This kinder persona eventually faded out of existent and was replaced by the cold and calculating genocide junkie we’ve all come to loathe. Upon his unmasking, Utsuro went from your run of the mill villain to one of the White Demon’s most personal foes.

“Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” (2000-04)

Given how we were way too indoctrinated by the children’s card game that was being flung in our faces, we never really questioned as to why Yugi had a ghost friend he could switch bodies with on a moment’s notice, and for that matter neither did the cast. However, things began to make way too much sense when it was revealed that the being known Yami was actually the spirit of a Pharaoh who had once ruled over ancient Egypt thanks to his bitching hair style and mastery of the Three Egyptian Gods. Thanks to this little addition, the lore of the series practically exploded soon after!

“One Piece” (1999-)

Hard to believe that such a beloved character ended up getting so much development during the final phase of his life. While knowing he was a badass flame-user and adopted brother to Luffy was more than enough to earn our admiration, the grand reveal that Ace was the son of the former King of the Pirates added a whole other layer to his character. The truth surrounding his birth, the resentment over his heritage, not to mention his conflicted relationships as a result of Roger’s blood running through his veins – this piece of family history gave Ace so much substance that it’s no wonder his passing hit us so hard.

“Naruto: Shippuden” (2007-17)

Yes, it has nothing to do with the plot. Yes, it’s technically just mindless filler – we don’t care. Do you know how long we’ve been waiting to see this iconic mentor finally show his face?! It had been teased across countless episodes, but fans finally got to see what the White Fang looked like just as the series was wrapping itself up. Not sure why he bothered hiding it when it’s obvious the man is aging like fine wine! It’s a little touch and a rather perfect send off from the shinobi who has been there since the beginning.