Many anime will reach their final episode in March.

Not only the anime that started in January but also anime that have been broadcast throughout the year end in March. We all have anime of which we can’t forget the final episode, don’t we?
Some have fairy-tail endings, different finales from the original, or 　shocking plot twists.

We at Anime!Anime! conducted a readers’ survey asking “Which Anime Ending Left a Strong Impression?” and received 223 votes during the survey period from March 9 to 16.
The voters were mainly female with a gender ratio of 30% male to 70% female, and the age range was on the younger side with 50% under 20 and 30% in their 20s.

■Titles with shocking endings made the list!
1st Place
Topping the list was “School Days” with roughly 9% of the votes.

Many readers were surprised by the shocking ending and said, “The last scene was shocking. It’s something I’ll never forget even if I wanted to,” or “The ending was totally unexpected…” On the other hand, there were also several comments saying, “The sad but relieving ending was so impressive.” Readers had a diverse reaction to the ending of this anime.

2nd Place
Coming in 2nd was “Gintama” with roughly 6% of the votes.

The film “Gintama: The Final” is currently in theaters, but the TV series’ surprising ending was popular among the fans. Fans couldn’t help but laugh and said, “I felt the love for ‘Gintama’ and its fans through the usual ‘Gintama’ hustle and bustle ending,” or “It was funny to watch how they say it’s the final episode but actually isn’t.” Of course, “Gintama: The Final” is also popular, and there were many comments hoping for a sequel, “I hope they were joking about it being the final as usual.”

3rd Place
“Assassination Classroom” and “Banana Fish” shared 3rd place.

For “Assassination Classroom”, “I was touched by the final scene where Koro-sensei made a roll call,” and “The characters were crying and I was crying along with them.”
For “Banana Fish”, “The ending was very sad, but it wasn’t a bad end. The final episode taught me the importance and joy of human bonds and life,” and “Is there any ending as heart-wrenching as this? I couldn’t stop my tears…”

■Here are some comments for other anime!

For “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion”, “Where the friendship of Lelouch and Suzaku ended up was shocking and sad, but the ending was full of hope, and I remember crying for days.”
For “Steins;Gate”, “How all the foreshadowing paid off at the end was amazing. It was also nice in how they well organized the ending but left a sense of sadness.”

For “Your Lie in April”, “The final episode perfectly explains what the ‘Lie’ in the title was. Kaori-chan’s letter brought endless tears to my eyes.”
For “Revolutionary Girl Utena”, “The graduation from the sandbox-like school, the hope towards a new world, and how Anthy moves on with memories with Utena moved my heart.”
Anime from a wide range of generations received votes.

Many anime with surprising endings made the list in this survey. Titles with the main characters dying in the final episode also stood out. The overall ranking was crowded with 11 titles shared 20th place.

■Top 20
[Which Anime Ending Left a Strong Impression?]
1. School Days
2. Gintama
3. Assassination Classroom
3. Banan Fish
5. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
5. Psycho-Pass
7. Angel Beats!
7. Karakuri Circus
9. Your Lie in April
9. Revolutionary Girl Utena
9. Steins;Gate
9. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
9. Love Live!
14. Mr. Osomatsu
14. The Day I Became a God
14. Kuroko’s Basketball
14. Charlotte
14. Neon Genesis Evangelion
14. Violet Evergarden
20. Assault Lily Bouquet
20. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
20. Space Warrior Baldios
20. Cowboy Bebop
20. Kemono Friends
20. Digimon Adventure
20. Hakuouki
20. Hug! Pretty Cure
20. A Dog of Flanders
20. The Promised Neverland

(Survey Period: March 9-16, 2021)

※This survey was held to investigate the readers’ “interests and attention towards current anime titles and characters”. The results should not be used to determine the supremacy of characters and titles. We hope this article will help you find new anime/characters and deepen your understanding of them.