8 Years Later, Netflix's Best Apocalyptic Action-Thriller Is Still A 10/10 Masterpiece

Netflix has thrown plenty of apocalyptic series at its subscribers, from giant monsters and deadly viruses to entire civilizations falling apart. But one of its most brutal takes on the end of the world arrived without a single live-action explosion. Instead, it came from an anime that looked strange, sounded even stranger, and somehow turned humanity's final days into one of the most disturbing things on the platform.

Released in 2018 and directed by Masaaki Yuasa, the 10-episode series Devilman Crybaby takes Go Nagai's legendary Devilman and turns it into something that feels like a psychedelic nightmare. Demons are coming back, humanity is losing its mind, and Akira Fudo suddenly finds himself caught in the middle after merging with a demon and becoming Devilman. From there, things go about as expected when demons, teenagers, government panic, and the end of civilization all get thrown into the same story.

And Devilman Crybaby isn't exactly interested in taking it easy. Kensuke Ushio's pulsing soundtrack, Yuasa's strange visual style, extreme violence, and TV-MA insanity all hit almost immediately. But underneath all the blood and chaos is a much nastier story about fear, paranoia, and what happens when people stop trusting each other. That's why the series still hits so hard eight years later. It isn't just another apocalypse story. It's a full-on descent into hell, and Netflix still hasn't quite made anything like it since.

Humans Become Just As Monstrous As The Demons In The Unforgiving World Of Devilman Crybaby

Akira Fudo really doesn't look like someone who should end up becoming a demon. He's a sensitive high school kid who cries over pretty much anything, while his childhood friend Ryo Asuka is busy dragging him into places Akira probably should've stayed far away from. Ryo takes him to a Sabbath, where the party turns into a bloodbath and exposes the demons that have been hiding among humanity.

The chaos leads to Akira getting merged with Amon, one of the most powerful demons around. Usually, that would be game over for him as the demon takes over. However, Akira somehow keeps his own mind and emotions while gaining Amon's insane strength. That's how Devilman comes into the picture: a demon's body, but still Akira underneath it.

For a little while, Devilman Crybaby looks like it might be heading toward a demon-fighting story. That doesn't last long. Ryo eventually decides that hiding demons from humanity isn't worth it and broadcasts their existence to the entire world. Cue complete societal meltdown.

People don't exactly handle the news well. Fear spreads, accusations start flying, and suddenly anyone who looks suspicious can become a target. Neighbors turn on neighbors. Families fall apart. Mob violence becomes almost as dangerous as the demons themselves. Akira is stuck watching all of this happen while trying to protect the people he cares about.

That's the nasty trick Devilman Crybaby pulls. The demons are real, Amon is terrifying, and the apocalypse is very much happening, yet some of the ugliest scenes come from humans panicking. Humanity doesn't need much help destroying itself once fear takes over.

In Just 10 Episodes, Devilman Crybaby Delivers The Most Emotionally Devastating Apocalypse On Netflix

Akira's character arc is probably the hardest part of Devilman Crybaby to watch. In just ten episodes, the timid boy from the beginning goes through hell and somehow comes out as one of the bravest people in the entire story. He gets the power of a demon, but the thing that keeps changing is Akira himself. The more horrible things get, the more he tries to protect the people around him.

The demon situation makes the whole apocalypse even worse. Zombies are easy. Someone gets bitten, turns, and that's pretty much it. Here, the demon could be anyone. A friend, a mother, a father, even someone standing right next to you. Nobody knows who has been possessed until it's already too late. The moment people start losing trust in each other, everything falls apart.

The animation may also feel a bit strange. Devilman Crybaby doesn't look like most anime, and that's probably going to be the first thing some viewers notice. The wild character designs and crazy movement take some getting used to, but once the story really gets going, it fits the show perfectly. There is so much happening in those ten episodes that the unusual animation almost becomes part of the madness.