From Cyberpunk: Edgerunners to Demon Slayer, one would be hard-pressed to find an anime series that doesn’t lean into fan service when it comes to its sexually suggestive imagery and character designs to maintain the intrigue and excitement of its audience. There are several shows that have proven that fan service can be handled tastefully and subtly, but those who get invested in anime for the characters and story are often put off by the ones that take it a little too far.
A little fan service can go a long way, and while there are those who see it as a benefit, there are many in the anime community who see excessive amounts of it as an unnecessary detriment. In fact, several Reddit users have claimed that it has even resulted in completely ruining some of their favorite shows for them, and have gone on to openly express their distaste for the ones that have done so.
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Code Geass (2006 – 2008)
Code Geass tells the story of an exiled prince who wages a rebellion against an all-powerful empire. With its engaging plot and fast-paced action, it may not seem like the sort of anime that would need heavy amounts of fan service to keep the viewers’ attention, but much to the chagrin of many (and to the joy of others) it does exactly that.
Redditor AnnaTheBabe admitted to dropping Code Geass near the halfway point, as according to them, “the fan service made me unable to take the series seriously.” In a reply, user alotmorealots agreed that the fan service “does make it impossible” to recommend the series “as a politically oriented anime to a wider non-anime audience” and that it definitely “limits what the show could have been.”
Food Wars (2015 – )
Among a select group of anime that are surprisingly educational, Food Wars has built a mixed reputation with its use of fan service. While the show is sure to trigger appetites with its satisfying cooking scenes, it maintains the possibility of alienating certain viewers as several episodes also contain a fair amount of PG-13 level nudity, particularly during scenes involving the tasting of the food.
Within their same initial post, AnnaTheBabe also mentioned how fan service has slightly hindered their love of Food Wars, saying “I hate how I can’t watch it in public.” As charming and entertaining as the show’s premise and characters are, it may turn away anyone who is unwilling or unable to look past the constant sexual innuendo.
Mayo Chiki! (2011 – )
It may look like a wholesome slice-of-life romantic comedy on its surface, but after a few episodes, viewers of Mayo Chiki! may find that its imagery isn’t quite as wholesome as they might have thought. When it comes to harem anime, sequences of fan service are almost unavoidable, but this is one series that viewers seem to think would have been better off without having it at all.
For Reddit user Avery-Bradley, had it not been for its excessive fan service,”It would’ve been a PERFECT romance comedy series,” even admitting that they “actually got pi**ed watching emotional or serious scenes get ruined” by it.
Fire Force (2019)
Fire Force has become one of the most popular anime in the last couple of years, but not without its fair share of criticism. Even among its most dedicated fans, the series has faced a severe amount of backlash against its approach to fan service, particularly with the continuous usage of the character Tamaki as its main target of shameless sexual exploitation.
Countless Redditors have called out the show for this, to the point where user RoshanGill441 admitted, “I dropped that s**t in season 1 and never watching it again.” While it didn’t exactly ruin the show for Redditor Cheetah357, they admitted that “it made it a little less enjoyable,” while also acknowledging the second season for “lowering the amount of Tamaki fan service.”
Sword Art Online (2012 – )
While the fan base of Sword Art Online have praised it for its story ideas and for having one of the best romances in shonen anime, there have been other aspects throughout the series that continue to divide them. The show has been infamous for the not-so-subtle approach it takes in its fan service and the arguably gratuitous and over-the-top sexualization of its female characters.
The Alfheim arc in the latter half of the first season caught Redditor cometsighted1 off guard, particularly with one scene (one that practically bordered on hentai territory) within the subplot involving Asuna, saying, “The whole story with Asuna bothered me, and it just got weird to watch that tentacle snail scene.” The franchise has toned it down (for the most part) with the most recent season, as well as the Progressive films, but it still remains a common occurrence
Fairy Tail (2009 – 2019)
Featuring magic, wizards, dragons, and swordplay, Fairy Tail is an anime that has something for every fan of fantasy. However, it’s also one of those rare anime that hasn’t just received criticism for the sexualization of its female characters, but of its male characters, as well.
Star-Kanon called the show’s handling of fan service to be “extremely bad,” as well as “unnatural and 100% commercial.” They also went on to say that it not only felt out of place within the established aesthetic of the show and world in which it takes place but that it also “weakens the plot and the characters.”
The Seven Deadly Sins (2014 – 2021)
Even though The Seven Deadly Sins has been acclaimed for the strength of its female characters and its depth, the way the series has also gone out of its way to overly sexualize them has been an ongoing gripe among part of its fan base. Set in the Middle Ages, this fantasy anime revolves around a band of disbanded knights coming together again to vindicate themselves and take back their Kingdom from a new tyrannical rule.
It seems that even those such as Redditor Intelligent_Worker, who willingly attempted to give the series a second chance, just couldn’t get past the excessive fan service, saying that it was all “just too much. I know it’s a good story, but I just can’t handle it.”
High School Of The Dead (2010)
There’s a lot of media to choose from in the zombie genre, but when it comes to the best anime about zombies, High School Of The Dead is one that is often brought up. While it contains all the violent action and intensity one could ever want from a show set within a zombie apocalypse, it also has a strong habit of blatantly over-sexualizing its main female characters.
Despite Redditor RimuZ being impressed by the show’s premise and action, calling it “a really solid zombie apocalypse show,” they also criticized its over-the-top fan service, saying “the action or tension gets completely ruined” by it and that the show “would’ve been perfectly fine without those parts.” User YourNameHere___ also acknowledged how its sexual imagery “made it difficult to watch.”
Strike Witches (2008 – )
Taking place in an alternate World War II, Strike Witches is a surprisingly empowering feminist anime, one that Sailor Moon fans are sure to enjoy. Of course, while the show features a healthy dose of female empowerment, its main characters are also depicted wearing high-tech leg armor in place of actual pants, resulting in multiple shots that are bound to make certain viewers feel uncomfortable.
Redditor k4r6000 praised Strike Witches as a “legitimately good show with appealing characters” and acknowledged that “the creators actually put in a lot of effort and did the research” regarding its historical references. However, they also believe its fan service distracts from all of its best aspects, saying that how the main characters “don’t wear pants” is “the only thing anybody knows about it.”
Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016)
They may not be as excessive as in other anime, but the fan service moments of Monogatari have been pointed out by its fans as a serious distraction. The series follows a boy who decides to help out a group of girls against various supernatural phenomena after surviving a vampire attack.
While the fan service wasn’t enough to completely ruin the show for them, Reddit user Goldenfox299 wishes they had toned it down, saying that it was “too much” and “very cringy to watch at times.” Although user Kinestezja admitted they still liked the series despite the fan service, they were bothered by it, saying “I hate it with all my heart.”