Some of the best stories, anime or otherwise, are defined by their incredible plot twists. It’s one thing to change the current direction of a series, but some of the best plot twists completely change the kind of story being told, and when pulled off right, they can elevate the story to a new level of quality that helps define it for the rest of its run and beyond.

Plot twists are almost always great to watch play out, and anime is no exception. For decades now, anime has been no stranger to subverting expectations or abruptly taking their stories in new directions with only the smallest amount of foreshadowing at best, and thanks to that practice, anime have developed a massive slew of plot twists that have surely blown everyone’s minds in one way or another. A few of those huge anime plot twists especially stand out, and overall, it’s hard to imagine how their respective stories would have played out if they didn’t exist.

10 Jotaro Can Move Inside DIO’s Frozen Time (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders)

Featured In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Episode 47

In the final act of David Production’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, everything came down to a final fight between Jotaro and DIO, but DIO’s victory was all but assured thanks to his nigh-invincible ability to stop time. In a surprise twist, however, both parties discovered that because Star Platinum and The World were similar types of Stands, Jotaro could move within DIO’s frozen time, thus giving him a means of fighting DIO on equal footing.

As abrupt as Star Platinum’s ability to move in frozen time was, it still allowed for a fight filled with some of the best tension and mind games in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and best of all, Jotaro’s ability to move in frozen time eventually led to the even bigger development of him learning to stop time, just like DIO. Jotaro and DIO’s fight is one of the most iconic fights in all of anime, and the twist with Jotaro’s powers is a big reason why.

9 Lelouch Loses Control Of His Geass At The Worst Possible Time (Code Geass)

Featured In Code Geass Episode 22

In the climax of season 1 of Sunrise’s Code Geass, Euphemia managed to convince Lelouch that her plan of returning Japanese citizenship to the Elevens was a good idea, and he agreed to work together with her. Unfortunately, Lelouch suddenly lost control of his Geass as he was joking that he could have told Euphemia to kill all the Elevens, forcing Euphemia to order her soldiers to slaughter every Eleven in sight.

To this day, the twist of Lelouch losing control of his Geass remains highly contentious because of its abruptness and how quickly it made everything in the story go as wrong as possible. That being said, the twist of Lelouch losing control of his Geass works specifically because of how abrupt it was and how effectively it changed the story’s trajectory, and if it hadn’t happened, the rest of the story would have been utterly unrecognizable.

8 Ryuko Is Ragyo’s Daughter (Kill La Kill)

Featured In Kill La Kill Episode 18

Following the reveal that Satsuki was working against her evil mother, Ragyo, in Studio Trigger’s Kill la Kill, Ryuko and Satsuki teamed up for what they thought would be the final fight against Ragyo. Ragyo very easily beat them and began trapping everyone in COVERS, however, and to make matters worse, Ragyo revealed that Ryuko was not only a Life Fiber hybrid, but also her daughter, the younger sister Satsuki thought died as an infant.

Ryuko being Ragyo’s daughter came almost completely out of left field, and it was all the better for it, as the twist of Ryuko being Ragyo’s daughter works because of how it forced Ryuko to go through one last bit of growth before the final act. The people behind Studio Trigger are famous for always sending their shows into crazy directions, and Kill la Kill is a prime example of how good that can be.

7 Everything In Higurashi When They Cry Exists In A Time Loop (Higurashi When They Cry)

Featured In Higurashi When They Cry: Kai Episode 6

While Studio Deen’s Higurashi When They Cry initially came off as random stories about people killing each other, that was actually never the case. At the beginning of season 2, the truth behind Higurashi’s story was revealed: the entire narrative was secretly a time loop where everyone is stuck repeating some version of the same events, and the only one who re it is Rika Furude, who’s been stuck trying to figure out who keeps murdering her and her friends for hundreds of loops.

In addition to establishing that Higurashi’s story was anything but episodic, the reveal of Higurashi When They Cry’s true nature served to establish that Rika was secretly the protagonist the entire time, with far greater stakes attached to her story than anyone could have anticipated. It’s a twist that turned Higurashi from schlocky horror to a thrilling drama, and it’s been an iconic series ever since.

6 Luffy Unlocks Gear 5 (One Piece)

Featured In One Piece Episode 1071

In the climax of One Piece’s Wano arc, Luffy miraculously recovered from nearly dying to Kaido, but there was more to it than him getting a second wind. Not only did Luffy spontaneously awaken his Devil Fruit, his new form appropriately dubbed Gear 5, but it was revealed to the audience that Luffy’s Gum-Gum Fruit was the mythical Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika, which was previously eaten by the legendary Joyboy.

Recent events in One Piece had done a lot to prop Luffy up as a messianic figure in the making, and sure enough, the reveal of Luffy’s true power fully settled him into the role of a savior by both changing the context of his powers and explicitly tying him to the legendary Joyboy. Gear 5 only recently became a thing, but even then, it quickly became one of the most iconic twists in all of One Piece.

5 The True Nature Of Attack On Titan’s World (Attack On Titan)

Featured In Attack On Titan Season 3, Episodes 19-21

In the climax of Attack on Titan season 3, Eren and his friends finally made it to the basement of his old home where his father hopefully left behind answers surrounding the true nature of their world. Sure enough, Grisha did leave behind a record of the truth, and thanks to that, everyone learned that they’ve been living in fear of Titans thanks to the actions of Marley, a militaristic nation that’s turned the world against everyone who shares their Eldian blood for their ability to turn into Titans.

The basement was always going to reveal something big, and sure enough, the full reveal of Grisha’s backstory completely changed Attack on Titan’s story by turning it from post-apocalyptic horror into a philosophical war story. How that played out is still a point of contention, but regardless, there’s never been a twist of that magnitude in modern storytelling, anime or otherwise.

4 Tobi Is Obito Uchiha (Naruto: Shippuden)

Featured In Naruto: Shippuden Episode 343

As the Fourth Ninja World War carried on in Studio Pierrot’s Naruto: Shippuden, everyone was shocked to discover a zombified Madara Uchiha, meaning that Tobi, whom they thought was Madara, was an impostor. A big part of Naruto’s fight with Tobi then became discovering his true identity, and as it turned out, Tobi’s true identity was Obito Uchiha, Kakashi’s old friend who had miraculously survived the war and ed up with Madara.

The theory of Tobi being Obito was something most fans were at least aware of from early on, but it still led to a dramatic arc that made Obito one of Naruto’s best-written characters and completely recontextualized the final arc. The big twist of Tobi being Obito in Naruto: Shippuden is a great twist thanks in large part to it being a bad twist, and over a decade later, it’s hard to imagine the final arc without it.

3 Aizen Is The True Villain Of Bleach (Bleach)

Featured In Bleach Episodes 60-62

After Ichigo defeated Byakuya in Studio Pierrot’s Bleach, everything escalated with the reveal of the true mastermind behind the Soul Society arc: Sosuke Aizen. While Aizen ed himself off as a kindhearted figure, he secretly set up Rukia’s execution to obtain the Hogyoku, a powerful device hidden inside Rukia’s gigai that can break the boundary between Soul Reapers and Hollows, and after doing so, he and his followers officially declared war against Soul Society.

While Gin Ichimaru being the main villain was an obvious red herring, Aizen’s big reveal came almost entirely out of nowhere, and his accompanying change in demeanor did wonders to sell the fact that the kindhearted captain people knew was nothing but a farce. The reveal of Aizen’s true nature in Bleach completely redefined the story it was trying to tell, and it’s easy to see why Aizen will always be Bleach’s most iconic villain.

2 Homura Betrays Everyone To Become The Devil (Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie - Rebellion)

Featured In Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie - Rebellion

At the end of Shaft’s Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie - Rebellion, everything seemed to have peacefully resolved itself with Madoka coming to take Homura to the afterlife, but that was a ruse. Homura, as it turned out, had planned out everything that happened in the film, and when Madoka arrived, Homura usurped her role as the Law of Cycles to become the devil and create a new world where she could be with Madoka again.

Rebellion, much like the anime it spawned from, was filled with massive twist after massive twist, and its final act took that to a new extreme as Homura’s sudden betrayal of Madoka firmly turned her into Puella Magi Madoka Magica’s biggest villain with little chance of redemption. The final Madoka Magica film premieres sometime in 2025, and hopefully, it will find the perfect way to continue from such a massive twist.

1 Goku Is A Saiyan (Dragon Ball Z)

Featured In Dragon Ball Z Episode 2

At the beginning of Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball Z, the peace Goku had found himself in was interrupted by the arrival of Raditz, a mysterious and powerful figure who had the same sort of monkey tail Goku once sported. From there, Raditz revealed not only that he was Goku’s brother, but that they hailed from a race of bloodthirsty aliens called Saiyans and that Goku was sent to Earth to take it over.

For anyone who had been with Dragon Ball from day one, the twist of Goku’s true nature signified that the series was all but abandoning its mystical elements in favor of a larger space opera-type story, and it’s maintained that ever since. Goku being a Saiyan is responsible for making Dragon Ball what it is today, and because of that, there’s no way to see it as anything but the most iconic twist in anime history.