History CrapsackWorld / AnimeAndManga

** Are you a vampire? Enjoy [[{{Gorn}} getting gruesomely killed]] and [[ImAHumanitarian possibly eaten]] by Alucard, or slashed to ribbons by Alexander Anderson. Are you a regular human? Hoo boy, are you ever boned; if you don't wind up as vampire chow or turned into a ghoul, you're likely to fall victim to any number of other misfortunes.

** [[spoiler: The vampire Nazis don't manage to destroy the world, but they manage to completely destroy London, to the point that absolutely everyone other than Hellsing forces was killed. The political effects of that could ''not'' have been good.]]

* ''Anime/TokyoGhoul'' isn't fun for either side. For humanity, they have to live in constant fear of a predatory species that looks just like them, hiding until they reveal their GameFace and start eating them. In reality, however, while many Ghouls are brutal sadists that enjoy killing humans, many others seek to find ways to live peacefully with humans as much as is possible. They eat human flesh because they simply can't consume anything else, other than water, coffee, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick the flesh of other Ghouls]]. Most live miserable lives fearing for their own safety and have lost family members to the [[HunterOfMonsters Ghoul Investigators]], trying to scrape out a living on the fringes of society. The humans who try to help them are punished just as severely, and both sides are trapped in a CycleOfRevenge. [[spoiler: By the end, however, the two species have a chance at learning to live together in peace.]]

* ''LightNovel/TheLegendOfTheLegendaryHeroes'': If you're a [[MagicalEye Cursed Eye]] bearer, you'll be victim to severe FantasticRacism and likely die young. If you're a commoner, you're at the mercy of poverty and of the [[AristocratsAreEvil nobles]], who'll be more than happy to kill you for petty reasons. [[WarIsHell War is also rampant]], meaning that there's a good chance you'll be dragged into one regardless of who you are, with [[ChildSoldier age meaning]] [[TykeBomb nothing]]. Furthermore, what with war breaking out across the entire continent and [[FantasticNuke Fantastic Nukes]] in the hands of many, your country is likely going to be conquered sooner or later--in which case you better pray that the one doing the conquering accepts surrenders. [[spoiler:Oh, and the world is destroyed every thousand years, with the next deadline being about ten years away]]. There's a reason why most of the cast are desperate to change the world.
* ''Manga/{{Loveless}}'' takes place in a rather shitty world. To put things into perspective- almost all of our main characters are or were abused children and are severely emotionally fucked up; even people on the 'good guy' side do very bad things (Ritsu-sensei, anyone?); the few decent people who try to help are useless; kids as young as twelve get dragged into presumably-very-dangerous spell battles; Seven Moons Academy gets attacked and the ones dealing with the resulting mess are the ''students''; and, at least for now, TheBadGuyWins.

* TheCity In ''Manga/{{Blame}}'' is immeasurably vast and completely unmonitored, with countless civilisations existing within it; most of which are run by cruel and corrupt cyborg overlords. A common goal for anyone in the '{{verse}} who hasn't already modified (or ''had'' modified) their bodies to the point of looking only vaguely human, is obtaining access to the [[{{Cyberspace}} Net Sphere]] - which would serve the dual purpose of stopping the chaotic expansion of TheCity (which, by the end of the {{manga}}, had consumed [[spoiler:a majority of the Solar System]]) and providing an on-line paradise for anyone and everyone. That's right; in this world, ''absolute escapism'' [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism is the only hope humanity has left]].

* ''Manga/BlueDrop''. If you're a MagicalGirl, you're a ChildSoldier bomb disposal unit. If you're a schoolgirl, you're little more than a sex slave. If you're a guy, you're used as a lab-rat for transgender experiments if you're lucky. If you're not so lucky as to be part of an experiment, you're an animal, a third-class citizen treated like freed Africans in Antebellum America -- not a slave, but only just. If you're one of the Arume, [[DiscountLesbians alien lesbians]] who [[VichyEarth made Earth like this]], then you're living with the knowledge that your species is extinct and living on borrowed time, the only option for survival being a cultural change none of them have the courage to make. Both sides are ravaged by and living in the ruins of a war that was literally entirely pointless because of that lack of courage.
* In ''Anime/BlueGender,'' Yuji Kaido [[ColdSleepColdFuture wakes up to find the year 2031 is like this.]]
** Humanity is in [[BugWar a losing war against a race of alien insects known as the Blue]], who have pretty much conquered the Earth, and the combatants have fled to a space station called Second Earth. Because AnyoneCanDie, most of the characters are cold, heartless bastards who place zero value on life, love, and compassion, even treating the survivors left on the planet as expendable cannon fodder. [[IKEAErotica Sex is also viewed as a meaningless, mechanical act for pleasure.]]
** [[spoiler: The Blue are later revealed to not be alien, but rather created by ''the Earth itself'' [[GaiasVengeance in response to humanity's overpopulation and pollution.]] [[GainaxEnding The ending]] has both the Blue and Second Earth destroyed, Yuiji and Marlene together, and the surviving humans finally free to live in peace with mother nature...[[FridgeLogic then]] [[FridgeHorror you realize]] that humanity has essentially been blasted back to the stone age and only the able-bodied people will get to live.]]

** The end result of things getting worse is the world of ''Manga/ViolenceJack'', where society has completely broken down AfterTheEnd and the remnants of humanity are divided between the strong and the weak. The evil warlords and biker gangs that rule this world are by far the worst villains that Creator/GoNagai has created since Amon from ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'', and mainly like to torture, rape and murder people in horrific ways.

* Go Nagai's ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'', at least the manga version.

* ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'' plays with this, especially after the first arches. First, we are shown typical setting with WizardingSchool and various dosages of TheBeautifulElite with a variety of fan service, but then the world of the series begins to unfold as increasingly cynical, militarized and discriminatory. In particular, all of the current 10 great magical clans are the result of many years of experiments on people and the creation of DesignerBabies using SuperpowerfulGenetics, including positive eugenics in the literal sense of the word. Moreover, it becomes even more frightening when we find out that the [[spoiler: sister of the protagonist is a perfect ArtificialHuman]] and due to her perfect genetics [[spoiler: [[BrotherSisterIncest she must become the wife of her own sibling]] in order to [[RoyalInbreeding contain his unique abilities in the clan]] and to give their family powerful offspring without the participation of someone from other clans.]] Ultimately, good genes and strong magical abilities are the only things that determine the value of a person in this world.

* ''LightNovel/TheLegendOfTheLegendaryHeroes''--if you're a [[MagicalEye Cursed Eye]] bearer, you'll be victim to severe FantasticRacism and likely die young. If you're a commoner, you're at the mercy of poverty and of the [[AristocratsAreEvil nobles]], who'll be more than happy to kill you for petty reasons. [[WarIsHell War is also rampant]], meaning that there's a good chance you'll be dragged into one regardless of who you are, with [[ChildSoldier age meaning]] [[TykeBomb nothing]]. Furthermore, what with war breaking out across the entire continent and [[FantasticNuke Fantastic Nukes]] in the hands of many, your country is likely going to be conquered sooner or later--in which case you better pray that the one doing the conquering accepts surrenders. [[spoiler:Oh, and the world is destroyed every thousand years, with the next deadline being about ten years away]]. There's a reason why most of the cast are desperate to change the world.

* Holy [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] shit does life in the world of ''LightNovel/BlackBullet'' '''''SUCK'''''.
** Between the warmongering, xenophobic and corrupt nations fighting for the remains of the Earth, the [[PoliceAreUseless incompetent]] and [[PoliceBrutality bloodthirsty]] [[CorruptCop Civil Security Corporation]], and the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts ravenous]] [[EldritchAbomination Gastrea]] (which carries a [[TheVirus virus]] that can easily be spread) that reduced humanity to 1% of its population, life in the series seems to be exclusively designed to invoke [[CosmicPlaything as much misery and suffering as humanly possible out of the universe's denizens]].

* ''LightNovel/TheGreatestMagicmastersRetirementPlan'': The majority of the planet's surface is under the control of Fiends while humans are forced to live in a smaller territory under a barrier, and the majority of humanity was wiped out when the Fiends first emerged. While humans are mostly united in fighting the Fiends, there is still a lot of competition between the countries beneath the surface, which can lead to the governments getting desperate with unethical experiments.

* ''LightNovel/HeavyObject'' occurs after the collapse of the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations and the proliferation of the titular Objects, massive weapon platforms capable of annihilating entire cities and surviving nuclear blasts. The fractured nations have formed into four supernations that are constantly skirmishing with one another without any care for the loss of soldiers as they're easily replaced compared to Objects. The majority of citizens are apathetic to the situation as they are distant from the battlefields and surrounded by constant media assurances of their righteousness and safety. As a result of decaying moral structure dirty tactics are commonly employed and child soldiers are not considered unusual. The current state of the world is perpetuated and exacerbated by extremists and war profiteers on all sides. The [[WordOfGod author himself]] points this out in an afterword.

* ''Manga/HighSchoolOfTheDead'' is an animated version of Creator/GeorgeARomero's ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'' on a worldwide scale. Being a badass is a survival requirement, the zombie [[NotUsingTheZWord (called Them)]] hordes never seem to completely go away, and the best you can hope for is to hold them off long enough to survive another day.

* ''LightNovel/NoGameNoLife'': During the war of the Old Deus 6,000 years ago, Disboard was in complete chaos as each Old Deus and their Exceeds attempted to kill one another so that one Old Deus may become the one true god of Disboard. Imanity, [[spoiler:the only non-Exceed]], only survived by hiding and staying out of the conflict while being extremely careful not to present themselves as a threat to the other Exceeds or they will be immediately wiped out. The present day state of Disboard under the Ten Covenants is hardly perfect, especially not for Imanity, but it's still an improvement over the old world.

* The New World in ''LightNovel/{{Overlord|2012}}'' is not a nice place to live, especially if you're an ordinary human villager.

* ''LightNovel/PocketMonstersTheAnimation'' depicts the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' anime world as this. To name a few details: children are legally considered adults when they become ''[[ImprobableAge ten]]'', thus subject to marriage, taxes and jobs, plus many fathers and grandfathers leave their families only to get nowhere on their journey. In addition, Gym Leaders get fired from their jobs ''[[DisproportionateRetribution for losing three consecutive matches]]'' and sometimes have to bribe Trainers to survive.

* The ([[NoExportForYou Japan-only]]) [[LightNovel/PocketMonstersTheAnimation novelizations]] by Takeshi Shudo, a major writer for ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries}}'' from Kanto until Johto, [[http://cindysuke.tumblr.com/post/34817930237/the-facts-about-pokemon-world-lol depict]] the anime world as this. To name a few details: children are legally considered adults when they become ''ten'', thus subject to marriage, taxes and jobs, plus many fathers and grandfathers leave their families only to get nowhere on their journey. In addition, Gym Leaders get fired from their jobs ''[[DisproportionateRetribution for losing three consecutive matches]]''.

* Planet Amoi of ''LightNovel/AiNoKusabi'' is a {{Dystopia}} ruled by a MasterComputer which favors the Elites which are all ArtificialHumans controlling the human populace with an iron fist and humans [[BornUnlucky unlucky enough to be born]] in the slums are not even considered human. The remaining populace are exclusively house slaves that are castrated or a SexSlave with no rights whatsoever.

* The New World in ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'' is not a nice place to live, especially if you're an ordinary human villager.

* The world where ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' takes place is pretty much this. For starters, high-level monsters appear and kill indiscriminately until they are stopped by deadly force, with a giant magical hourglass showing when it will happen, each and every time and no way to prevent it. The world also suffers from a bad case of FantasticRacism against demi-humans, who are looked down upon and more often than not sold as slaves. Says a lot that one of the most honest and upright merchants in the setting is a ''slave trader''.
* The world of ''LightNovel/RollOverAndDie'' has the same problems as the real-life Medieval Period. Slavery is seen as normal, the common people don't have access to proper medicine thanks to a highly controlling CorruptChurch, and a certain race (in this case demons) suffers heavy discrimination thanks to religious propaganda. And that's the ''nice part''. Turns out that the God of said Church is a MadGod and possibly an OmnicidalManiac that will spread massive destruction on Earth if released. Pretty much everyone in the upper echelons of the Church is his pawn, and they will do anything to achieve his goals. This includes performing inhuman experiments on people and monsters and send the results to deal with any threat to their plans. And those experiments are not only very powerful, but their abilities are not suited to give their foes painless deaths. Even with many strong fighters discovering the truth, the bad guys have an overwhelming advantage through the story.

* ''LightNovel/{{Shimoneta}}'' takes place sixteen years after Japan [[DystopianEdict passed several insane censorship laws to make obscenities illegal.]] This includes any foul language, gestures, pornography, sexually explicit images, and even the accurate medical terms for ''certain'' body parts. People are forced to wear chokers and wristbands called Peace makers, which will alert the authorities if you say, draw, write, or even look up anything obscene. The heavily modified education system means the current generation doesn't even know where babies come from or what sex even is. People who actively disregard these laws are branded as "obscenity terrorists." While this is mostly PlayedForLaughs, especially in the beginning, the series also explores the issues that would crop up in such a world, such as [[spoiler: Anna attempting to rape Tanukichi and seeing nothing wrong with it, since she doesn't have a concept of lewdness or consent. The only reason she fails is because she's ignorant of how sex works as well.]]

* ''LightNovel/VampireHunterD'': Technology has regressed from a super-advanced future to a mix of medieval and futuristic where mutants, monster, vampiric nobles, and highly advanced technology exist to kill the average human who usually live in poor village with horrible things just outside vision radius during the daytime.

* ''Lightnovel/WorteniaSenki'' features a place so decrepit, the fact that there's no such thing as human rights is the ''most benign'' feature.

* The Universal Century of the ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' franchise.
** The One Year War which causes the deaths of half the population of the Solar System is between the Earth Federation, a corrupt, incompetent, and racist government unable to properly defend the solar system vs the Principality of Zeon, who started the war by gassing a colony full of millions of people and [[ColonyDrop dropping it on the Earth]]. Even after the One Year War was over, war constantly sprung up due to the weakness (and/or the [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam malice]]) of the Earth Federation, and totally evil bastards as faction leaders are incredibly common. You can seriously argue that the solar system would have been better off if both sides had wiped each other out.
** There is [[Anime/AfterWarGundamX one Gundam AU based on the premise of the Federation and Zeon wiping each other out]]...while certainly less dark, it's hard to say people are better off. After Neo-Zeon had been eradicated once and for all, the Earthsphere and its colonies enjoyed a long period of peace with minor conflicts until ''Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam'' and ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory Gundam]]'', and even in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory Gundam]]'' after everything-it's a hopeful ending. People are TIRED of War. Unfortunately, the same tragedy repeats in ''G Saviour''. Then ''Anime/GundamReconguistaInG'' [[spoiler:which eventually culminates in the Moonlight Butterfly and the events of ''Anime/TurnAGundam''.]] People never learn...
** This even applies in ''[[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G Gundam]]'', where they established the Gundam Fight specifically to avoid war. While the wealthy and powerful escaped to space colonies, the people left behind on Earth have to endure their cities and landscape being torn up every four years, and Gundam Fighters are specifically absolved from causing property damage because most governments have just stopped caring about Earth. Several nations hire thugs or assassins as Fighters, or use coercion and blackmail to get them. And [[spoiler:when someone tried to improve the system a tad, it winds up creating the BigBad]].
** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed Gundam SEED]]'' starts off similar to UC calendar series, where most of the conflict stems from political and ideological reasons, but soon goes off the deep end and degenerates into hell on earth. The Earth is going through an energy crisis due to nuclear power jammers that have been integrated by ZAFT, almost the entire world is controlled by one side or the other through draconian military regimes, much of Earth is in ruins due to the war, and both sides are equally willing to use [=WMDs=] on their enemies and ALLIES equally. In addition, the main source of scientific progress has come from a series of genetic experiments that spawned a worldwide terrorist ideology and recently reached the utter abandonment of the value of life in order to pursue a goal that would give birth to [[spoiler:[[AllLovingHero Kira Yamato]] and [[DarkMessiah Rau Le]][[OmnicidalManiac Creuset]]]]. And the leaders of both sides are monsters to boot.
** The setting of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]'' is a crapsack world as well, with most people living in poverty, suffering, and endless warfare while the rich people relying on the giant solar panel system don't give a fuck about them. In the first season, political games among the three greedy, corrupt global superpowers still exist, and the second season is basically all the corrupt politicians banded together to continue torturing people who suffer in extreme hardship under their tyrannical grips. In both cases, we have the [[ByronicHero Celestial Being]] who are among the very few people truly willing to change the world for the better [[WellIntentionedExtremist even though their methods are questionable at best]].
--->'''Setsuna F. Seiei''': Exia R2, Setsuna F. Seiei, clearing the way for the future!!
** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE Gundam AGE]]'' is a blend between this and CrapsaccharineWorld (in part because of ArtStyleDissonance). On the one side, TheFederation employs a powerful StateSec that operates by falsifying history and [[spoiler:laid the groundwork for a decades-long war when they turned every victim of a failed colonization project into [[UnPerson UnPeople]] rather than bring them home]]. On the other, the UE/[[spoiler:Vagan]] have a sympathetic cause that they ruin by wiping out civilian colonies, which sets several otherwise-decent people on lifelong quests for retribution. Also, AnyoneCanDie, and if they don't they'll probably [[BreakTheCutie be]] [[HeroicBSOD traumatized]] by fighting in battles that definitely do not involve BloodlessCarnage.
** ''[[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Gundam X]]'' actually starts its series by revealing that, fifteen years prior, Earth got ravaged by a mass ColonyDrop, pretty much reducing the survivors into becoming scavengers of sorts.
** The setting of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans Iron Blooded Orphans]]'' is where both Earth and Mars have been recovering from [[TheGreatOffScreenWar The Calamity War]]. Mars is basically an equivalent to an exploited Third World country, which poverty has become worse to the point where less-fortunate children tend to become either prostitute or ChildSoldiers and most likely [[NeverLearnedToRead illiterate]]. Also there are also human abductions and made into [[MadeASlave Human]] [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil Debris]] who partake dangerous works, mainly soldiering. Earth Sphere is not that better since, while they are significantly well-off than Mars, Dort Colonies' working class faced [[NoOSHACompliance poor working conditions]] and [[UrbanSegregation bad housings]] with [[spoiler: recent protest ended with a massacre]]. Earth is no better since it too has poverty with an example being [[spoiler: the background of [[VisionaryVillain McGillis]] [[CharClone Fareed]] as a StreetUrchin]]. That miserable conditions being ignored due to the [[AristocratsAreEvil callous]] [[BlueBlood Seven Stars]] of Gjallarhorn, who have become a FallenHero after stopping the war centuries ago.

* ''Anime/WolfsRain'' takes place 200 years AfterTheEnd of civilization as ''we'' know it. Most of humanity is crammed into crumbling domed concrete cities ruled by warring Nobles, and the environment outside is slowly decaying. Maybe the most telling line in the entire series is spoken by the wolf Hige, who looks at the sky and says, "C'mon, birds, let's see some flying up there." But we don't see any birds at all after that -- maybe they're all extinct. [[spoiler:Until the final episode, when the world is regenerated]].
** Not quite. [[spoiler:That world was the ''previous one'' before ours, and while the world did regenerate, it was corrupted by [[BigBad Darcia's]] bloody eye falling in the purifying waters of rebirth, making the next world (ours) also a far cry from Paradise. There is still some hope left, though, as in the last shot [[{{Reincarnation}} a reincarnated Kiba]] [[HereWeGoAgain appears to start his quest for Paradise anew]].]]

* ''Manga/AngelSanctuary'' is not at all what it's name implies.
** [[spoiler: Earth? [[YouCantFightFate Doomed]]. Hell? [[DeathWorld Dangerous for most]]. But hey, it could be [[FromBadToWorse worse]]. You could go to [[{{Dystopia}} Heaven]]...]]

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' gives us a world where humanity was driven to near extinction by being ''eaten by giants'', forcing those who are left to hide in a walled citadel. Food is scarce because there's very little space for plantations, the resident army is pretty much Titan food and the whole PowerOfTrust deal is harshly deconstructed. If you're a human who lives in this world, chances are that you're either going to be eaten by a Titan, see your relatives and friends get eaten by a Titan or die of hunger. Have a nice day.

* Between the warmongering kingdoms and their [[AristocratsAreEvil corrupt nobility]], the [[CorruptChurch heresy-crushing Holy See]], and [[DemonLordsAndArchDevils the evil Godhand]] [[TheLegionsOfHell and their ravenous demonic Apostles]], life in the world of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' really, really, really, really, really, [[OverlyLongGag really sucks hardcore]]. [[CosmicHorrorStory The world seems to exist only to make people as miserable as possible and to give the demons somewhere to play]]; humanity exists so that the demons have something to play with. The biggest idealist in the entire setting (who is ''anything'' but altruistic and is quite willing to use ruthless methods to accomplish his dream) snapped under the pressure and is now the BigBad. You can't expect much else in a world where [[spoiler:[[GodIsEvil God itself was created as a result of humans subconsciously wishing for a cause to their misery]], and has been busy being that cause ever since; it even calls itself "the Idea of Evil"]].

* Holy [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] shit does life in the world of ''LightNovel/BlackBullet'' '''''SUCK'''''. Between the warmongering, xenophobic and corrupt nations fighting for the remains of the Earth, the [[PoliceAreUseless incompetent]] and [[PoliceBrutality bloodthirsty]] [[CorruptCop Civil Security Corporation]], and the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts ravenous]] [[EldritchAbomination Gastrea]] (which carries a [[TheVirus virus]] that can easily be spread) that reduced humanity to 1% of its population, life in the series seems to be exclusively designed to invoke [[CosmicPlaything as much misery and suffering as humanly possible out of the universe's denizens]].

** If you're a {{muggle|s}}, there is substantial evidence that your sole purpose is to be cannon fodder for whatever instance of nightmarish horror is currently roaming around. This is discounting the general misery caused by constant wars between neighboring countries, and the rampant PoliceBrutality and corruption.
** To put it this way, pretty much everyone lives a [[TraumaCongaLine nightmarish existence]] topped by a [[CruelAndUnusualDeath nightmarish death]]. Life sucks ''hard'' for ''everyone''. ''No exceptions''.

-->''When I was a brat, crawling around in that [[WretchedHive shithole city]], it seemed God and Love were always sold out when I went looking. Before I knew better, I clung to God and prayed to Him every single night — yeah, I believed in God right up until that night [[PoliceBrutality the cops beat the hell out of me for no reason at all]]. All they saw when they looked at me was another little ghetto rat. With no power and no God, what's left for a poor little Chinese bitch to rely on? It's money, of course, and guns. Fuckin' A. With these two things, the world's a great place.''

* In ''Anime/BlueGender,'' Yuji Kaido [[ColdSleepColdFuture wakes up to find the year 2031 is like this.]] Humanity is in [[BugWar a losing war against a race of alien insects known as the Blue]], who have pretty much conquered the Earth, and the combatants have fled to a space station called Second Earth. Because AnyoneCanDie, most of the characters are cold, heartless bastards who place zero value on life, love, and compassion, even treating the survivors left on the planet as expendable cannon fodder. [[IKEAErotica Sex is also viewed as a meaningless, mechanical act for pleasure.]]

* Any work of Creator/MohiroKitoh qualifies, most especially ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' (the manga at least), which takes place in a Multiverse Half Empty with, without giving anything away, [[CosmicHorrorStory about as hopeless a scenario as anyone can imagine]]. As well as his effectiveness in savaging modern day life, his work focuses on the individual effort of people to stay noble in the face of such circumstances.

* ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' is in much the same boat as ''Berserk'' above, as far as ravenous, human-eating monsters are concerned (there are lots of them and they are pretty much unstoppable for normal humans), but normal people tend to be, on average, significantly nicer than they are in ''Berserk''. ''Just by a bit.'' But then the heroines find out that [[spoiler:everyone on their island, demons, Awakened Beings, and Claymores alike, are being manipulated so that they can become perfect weapons to fight the truly horrific monsters on the mainland]].

* The ''Anime/CodeGeass'' world isn't too great either. There's [[TheEmpire the Holy Britannian Empire]], [[TheBeautifulElite which looks like it's rich and beautiful at first]], but is actually a racist, totalitarian, SocialDarwinist Empire which is less like the U.K. and more like UsefulNotes/NaziGermany and where people who are enslaved are treated as "[[AirstripOne Numbers]]". Slaves can sign up to be citizens through military service, but the discrimination is still widespread there. It is ruled with an iron fist by TheEmperor and his constantly-warring children through a [[FeudalFuture Medieval feudal system]]. [[ForTheEvulz If he gets bored]], feels slighted in any way or [[WellIntentionedExtremist actually plans something]], TheEmperor of Britannia will order your country to be either enslaved or razed to the ground. Then there's the Chinese Federation, an overpopulated union of states where starvation is more common than food whose puppet ruler is still a child propped up by [[EvilChancellor corrupt eunuchs]]. Finally, there's the European Union (E.U. for short), a loosely-maintained and hardly-defended union similar to the Chinese Federation but with better living accommodations. [[HufflepuffHouse Even though their role in the main plot is rather minor]], they actually make it out to be a relatively nice place with equal rights and everything... until Britannia conquers most of it. All this while the DiabolusExMachina constantly torments the AntiHero protagonist and everyone else.
** The E.U. itself is shown to be fairly crapsack (if in a more {{Crapsaccharine|World}} way) in the {{OVA}} ''Anime/CodeGeassAkitoTheExiled'', in which it is revealed that the Japanese are also being discriminated against there and that the ruling class are almost as despicable as in Britannia.

* Go Nagai's ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'', at least the manga version. Half the time, Akira's efforts amount to nothing, if he even gets the chance to fight the MonsterOfTheWeek. [[JustBeforeTheEnd Humanity's reaching the end of its rope]], [[DemonicPossession demons can possess people]] with little to no effort, and humanity believes signs of said possessions can be seen in people that don't follow the lock-step. Hence, by the final volume in the series, [[TorchesAndPitchforks Witch Hunts]] are carried out... except half the time the actual possessed people take part to hide their true nature. And the end result? Our hero loses faith in humans and kills a lot of people.

*** But wait, there's more! It turns out all iterations of the Devilman 'verse are interrelated because [[spoiler:the entity [[GodIsEvil known as God]] has put the whole setting in a perpetual time loop to torture {{Satan}} with the death of the one he loves over and over and over again]].

** There is one brighter possibility in all of this: the environment has begun to recover slightly by the end of the series. And you have to figure most of the bandits are dead by that point.
*** Though from what was seen in the New Fist of the North Star [=OVAs=], set years later, the world hasn't really decided to clean itself up just yet.

* ''Manga/FutureDiary'' is set in a world where God arranges battles [[ForTheLulz for kicks]]. For perspective, the [[MoralEventHorizon former]] most sympathetic character, the {{Woobie}} lead, was last seen [[spoiler:massacring orphans in a desperate attempt to bring his dead parents back to life. His father killed his mother, and then his father was killed by the mob.]] The second most sympathetic character is a full-blown terrorist MadBomber.

*** It's also implied that God and/or his assistant manipulated the participants lives to make them as miserable, crazy, and desperate as possible. At least partially for their own amusement.

* ''Anime/GenmaWars'' takes place in a world similar to ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'', only instead of humanoid simians, its ruled by the [[EldritchAbomination Mah Tribe]], a race of extra-dimensional demons that enslaved mankind ages ago. Humans are treated at the very best as slaves (if they are female, young and beautiful, its clear what [[SexSlave kind]] they are) and at worst, they are literally ''[[ToServeMan cattle]]'' - human organs are sold in the market and children are said to taste ''delicious''. There are resistance groups that oppose the Mah, but they do it by pillaging the human slaves' crops and robbing them of tribute, making the human's lives even harder. The demons themselves are governed by an authoritarian EvilOverlord, who loves to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape human girls]] and is [[HairTriggerTemper very quick]] to [[YouHaveFailedMe punish his underlings]] [[DisproportionateRetribution for even questioning him]]. This world is so crapsacky to a level that the EvilOverlord responsible for making everybody's lives so hard is also very miserable himself - he was left in charge of watching Earth, which he considered a pitiful little planet with nothing to offer, so he purposefully breeds with human females to create hybrid children to create war and destruction with the purpose to amuse him.

* ''LightNovel/HeavyObject'' occurs after the collapse of the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations and the proliferation of the titular Objects, massive weapon platforms capable of annihilating entire cities and surviving nuclear blasts. The fractured nations have formed into four supernations that are constantly skirmishing with one another without any care for the loss of soldiers as they're easily replaced compared to Objects. The majority of citizens are apathetic to the situation as they are distant from the battlefields and surrounded by constant media assurances of their righteousness and safety. As a result of decaying moral structure dirty tactics are commonly employed and child soldiers are not considered unusual. The current state of the world is perpetuated and exacerbated by extremists and war profiteers on all sides.
** The [[WordOfGod author himself]] points this out in an afterword.
--->As you could probably tell from reading any one volume, the world of Heavy Object is a shitty world where [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished the good are not rewarded]] and [[KarmaHoudini the evil are not punished]].
* ''Anime/HellGirl'' is ostensibly set in the real world. But with each grudge Enma Ai satisfies, it's more obvious that hers is a world of miserable bastards. On the one hand, we have her targets, almost always selfish people who deceive, abuse, and hurt those around them. On the other hand, we have her contractors -- who, while usually sympathetic, nonetheless resort to ''damning their enemies and themselves to hell'' to solve their problems (The most generous thing you can call it is assassination). And then there are the cases where the contractors are just as bad, and even where the targets are completely innocent. Ai will take pretty much anyone's contract, and she never lacks for work. The ultimate proof of this WorldHalfEmpty is the final storyline of ''Futakomori'', in which [[spoiler:hundreds of people in one town go vengeance-crazy, damning even their friends and family]]. It's a great show, but watching too many episodes in a row is hard on the soul.

* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'': Are you a vampire? Enjoy [[{{Gorn}} getting gruesomely killed]] and [[ImAHumanitarian possibly eaten]] by Alucard, or slashed to ribbons by Alexander Anderson. Are you a regular human? Hoo boy, are you ever boned; if you don't wind up as vampire chow or turned into a ghoul, you're likely to fall victim to any number of other misfortunes. The two major organizations dedicated to fighting vampires are a Protestant-based organization that are not above using vampires (such as the aforementioned Alucard) to fight other vampires; and a fanatical Catholic organization whose members (particularly Anderson) are often insane, and whose leader [[spoiler:eventually goes off the deep end and orders the slaughter of everyone in London still trying to deal with a wave of Vampire Nazis because he hates Protestants]]. And it does not stop there - [[spoiler:[[TheRemnant a group of]] those aforementioned [[ThoseWackyNazis Vampire Nazis]] are tryting to plunge the world into endless war and destruction ForTheEvulz, basically turning the world into a DeathWorld that will eventually render humanity extinct because of the endless wars they cause.]]

* The works of Creator/JunjiIto tend to be [[CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror stories]]. Everyone is doomed, they just don't know it yet. The setting of ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'' in particular is a pretty horrible place. That's what happens when a town is built over the ruins of a GeniusLoci EldritchAbomination city that is obsessed with spirals and hates humans. The only way to avoid a horrible death or fate worse than death is to devote the rest of your life to spirals without ever leaving the area. Which is also arguably a fate worse than death.

* The Universal Century of the ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' franchise. The One Year War which causes the deaths of half the population of the Solar System is between the Earth Federation, a corrupt, incompetent, and racist government unable to properly defend the solar system vs the Principality of Zeon, who started the war by gassing a colony full of millions of people and [[ColonyDrop dropping it on the Earth]]. Even after the One Year War was over, war constantly sprung up due to the weakness (and/or the [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam malice]]) of the Earth Federation, and totally evil bastards as faction leaders are incredibly common. You can seriously argue that the solar system would have been better off if both sides had wiped each other out.

* The world of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' was this during the Warring Clans Era, their version of the Sengoku Period. Clan feuds were so prevelant that shinobi wouldn't say their last names to outsiders, for fear of being attacked by an enemy. The average life expectancy was barely 30 years old for ''both'' civilians and shinobi due to the high death toll among the clan's {{Child Soldier}}s. Became a WorldHalfFull after Hashirama founded Konoha alongside Madara, since a lasting peace actually began and the average life expectancy started to rise.
** Frighteningly, it's mentioned that the world was ''even worse'' before the Sage of Six Paths introduced the chakra arts and sparked the Warring Clans Era. That makes sense when you consider that this was the time when [[spoiler: the Juubi was rampaging across the world.]]
* The CosmicHorrorStory that is ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Half of humanity died in the Second Impact, war killed off even more, the oceans are barren, and the remaining ecosystems are on the brink of complete ecological collapse. The humans who managed to survive that are now trapped in a war with the [[EldritchAbomination Angels]]. The only means of defense is to send what few children were born at the right time out in gigantic Angel-derived Evangelions. But it's actually worse than that. The children who are supposed to pilot the Evangelions [[DysfunctionJunction are traumatized, broken, neurotic and mentally unstable]] to begin with, and the rest of the cast is growing to be increasingly generally bitter, psychologically incompetent, and pessimistic. Also, the entirety of existence basically revolves around the Hedgehog's Dilemma, which is the philosophical notion that if you go near other people, you become Hell to them and they become Hell to you, but when you go far from them, you cannot survive. As time passes, the dysfunction and insanity [[FromBadToWorse only gets much more worse]] in scenes that [[MindRape are more and more]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation horrifying and madness-inducing]], while everyone is forced to watch them in all their gory details, the most memorable of them being played with [[SoundtrackDissonance unfitting music]], finally culminating in what the [[OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness masterminds]] who masqueraded themselves to be humanity's protectors had in mind in the first place: [[spoiler:[[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt ending the world in a manner that suits them]] through a controlled mass MindRape and [[SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum suicide of all humanity]] caused by the fusion of two dead-yet-almighty {{Eldritch Abomination}}s. The only positive thing is that humans can be reborn, but the world would have been left as a totally alien and deserted Hell by then]].

* The New World in ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'' is not a nice place to live, especially if you're an ordinary human villager. Slave trafficking, random monster encounters, corrupt/selfish/incompetent/insane rulers...and all of that is an ''improvement'' of what life was like before [[spoiler:the Six Gods]] showed up and gave humans a fighting chance [[spoiler:by introducing Yggdrasil magic to the world]]. Before that happened humans were nearly at the bottom of the food chain and an endangered species, easy prey for their more powerful neighbors such as the Dragons. The sudden appearance of the protagonist and his guild -- a nigh unstoppable EvilOverlord lich and his army of genocidal monsters -- has actually been an improvement over the status quo in certain places since he believes in PragmaticVillainy.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Are you a {{Muggle|s}}? Enjoy getting DrivenToSuicide, [[BodyHorror dismembered]] and eaten by a Witch. Are you a Witch? Enjoy a life as a horrifying EldritchAbomination trapped in its own Hell-dimension, then being killed by a MagicalGirl, then [[spoiler:having your SoulJar eaten by an Incubator for energy after said MagicalGirl uses it to cleanse the corruption of her own SoulJar]]. Are you a MagicalGirl? Enjoy isolation from all your friends and spending the rest of your life at a shitty job fighting insanity-inducing abominations where the smallest misstep can spell swift death. And it doesn't even stop there -- [[spoiler:by accepting the contract with Kyubey to become a magical girl, you basically become a {{Lich}}, and if you ''don't'' die horribly at some point, [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie you WILL mutate into a Witch]]]]. [[CosmicHorrorStory And the universe itself?]] [[spoiler:Is undergoing entropy, such that it will eventually die if not fed by the Incubators a steady diet of emotional energy harvested from the despair of said Magical Girls when they inevitably fall and become Witches (though we still don't know whether that is even true or if Kyubey is just fucking with people's heads for its own amusement)]]. Fun for everyone!

* Even before the event that lead to the end of days, ''Manga/SilentMobius'' already had a decaying world. It was sped up by opening a portal way to another world containing demonic beings called Lucifer Hawk who started preying on humans and destroying existing establishments. The irony is that the very reasons the humans opened the gateway to Lucifer Hawks is because they felt contact could enable finding solutions to save the decaying Earth.

* Amberground in ''Manga/TegamiBachiLetterBee'' is a corrupt world of perpetual night, where a man-made sun shines over the capital city of Akatsuki. Life is rough almost everywhere, and even the people assigned to deliver some happiness throughout the world through letters--the titular Bees--could be killed by or lose their LifeEnergy (Heart) to mechanical monsters along the way.
** It gets worse when [[spoiler:it turns out the man made sun is made by constantly draining the people of their heart.]]
* In pre-timeskip ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', humans have been driven from the surface into underground villages. If anyone dares to climb to the world above, they're mercilessly hunted down and killed by the Spiral King Lordgenome's Beastmen. Of course, all it takes is a band of insanely badass fighters led by an exceedingly charismatic and determined idiot, and then his young friend/stepbrother of sorts to turn everything around. Then the aliens show up.

*** Plus, post-timeskip, the ruling government was entirely staffed by idiots who had their position based not on merit, but merely because they were friends with the protagonist.
* Played extremely straight in ''Anime/{{Texhnolyze}}''. The entire population of Lux are either: a) evil, selfish bastards, b) poor broken {{woobie}}s, or c) some combination of the two. Not to mention that they all live in a cave underground and the entire city survives because of Rafia, [[spoiler:[[HumanResources which grows from people]]]].
** And don't think you can escape by going to the surface. It's not pretty.

* ''Manga/{{Dorohedoro}}'' takes place in a world divided between the WretchedHive city of Hole in the human world and the realm of the magic-users, who go to Hole to practice on defenseless muggles (generally in the form of [[BalefulPolymorph warping their bodies]]). Not that the magic-users' realm is wonderful: if you can't do magic you may as well be a muggle and if you do you may find yourself the target of the powerful mob boss En and his family or giant all-powerful, remorseless demons. To top it off, dying won't even free you from the crapsack: hell is the only option after death.

* ''Manga/DeathNote'' gives us a world where, at any moment, you can be killed - either because a megalomaniac has decided to make an example of you, you've gotten in the way of the people trying to stop said megalomaniac, you (knowingly or not) offended a devotee of said megalomanic and they now want revenge, your friend/lover/family/coworker/etc. decided to stab you in the back because they're jealous, you don't conform (in some way(s)) to the expectations of said megalomaniac, or a supernatural being needs to add some time onto its lifespan. Crime is rampant, even more so than in our world, to the point Light can find hundreds of targets for his Death Note in a ''week''. The detectives with the best chance at stopping Light are, in the order we meet them, a sugar-obsessed eccentric with very little separating him from Light, a freaking ''Mafioso'', and a boy with AmbiguousDisorder and no real sense of morals. [[spoiler:And two of them end up dead before it's over.]] And when all is said and done and one of these things kills you, [[spoiler:you [[CessationOfExistence cease to exist]].]]

* [[FridgeHorror When you think about it]], the entire ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' universe is this. There are always [[EvilGod misanthropic gods]] out there making war on Athena and her Saints, which ''always'' causes millions of fatalities. If you're a normal human, you are completely helpless against these deities; however, if you want to achieve the power to defeat these gods and protect yours and your loved ones' lives -- that is, become a Saint -- [[BeingGoodSucks you'll still be out of luck]]. You'll have to pass through a rigorous TrainingFromHell to enter a order of warriors who live under a (officially, at least) stern Spartan regimen -- and if you happen to be a girl, shame on you! You'll never be able to show your face to anyone again. Also, as a Saint, you'll need to be prepared to die young and horribly in a bloody war that [[PyrrhicVictory probably is going to happen again anyway after a few centuries...]] but, of course, after going out of the way to ensure (temporary) peace on Earth, you sure will be rewarded for all your efforts in afterlife, isn't it? '''WRONG!''' [[TheProblemWithFightingDeath Because the King of the Underworld hates you and will make you pay for opposing him by casting you on freezing hell of Cocytos for eternity]]. And if you think that by staying out of the gods' way and behaving yourself until death comes to claim your immortal soul you're going to able to actually rest in peace in the Underworld, you couldn't be more wrong, as [[EverybodyHatesHades King Hades]] is eager to throw even the most innocent PuritySue IllGirl into Tartarus for a [[EasyRoadToHell single completely minor sin committed in life]]. Yeah.

** Things have turned UpToEleven with TheReveal of the Outside World. [[spoiler: Namely that everything we thought we knew up to now was all lies. The human territory? It's on an island and is the last vestige of Eldia, a massive empire of Titan Shifters that (allegedly) spent 1,700 years raping and massacring the "inferior races" of the world. The closest inhabited land? Marley, an industrialized, militaristic human nation that is eternally pissed off at the Eldians, keeping the survivors relegated to ghettos, and is using the Titan serum for their own purposes. The sudden appearance of the Titans a century ago? Actually a war between Marley and Eldia. The Titans outside the Walls? Undesirables that were transformed by Marley and sent to the island. The Walls themselves? They're filled with Colossal Titans, all of which would be released if another war breaks out. To top it all off, Marley is currently warring against the other human nations.]]

* Between the warmongering kingdoms and their [[AristocratsAreEvil corrupt nobility]], the [[CorruptChurch heresy-crushing Holy See]], and [[DemonLordsAndArchDevils the evil Godhand]] [[TheLegionsOfHell and their ravenous demonic Apostles]], life in the world of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' really, really, really, really, really, [[OverlyLongGag really]] sucks [[UpToEleven hardcore]]. [[CosmicHorrorStory The world seems to exist only to make people as miserable as possible and to give the demons somewhere to play]]; humanity exists so that the demons have something to play with. The biggest idealist in the entire setting (who is ''anything'' but altruistic and is quite willing to use ruthless methods to accomplish his dream) snapped under the pressure and is now the BigBad. You can't expect much else in a world where [[spoiler:[[GodIsEvil God itself was created as a result of humans subconsciously wishing for a cause to their misery]], and has been busy being that cause ever since; it even calls itself "the Idea of Evil"]].

** While the Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion film series had up to the third movie been LighterAndSofter, Evangelion 3.33 plays this UpToEleven. [[spoiler:The world is a totally desolate hellscape, and just a few hundred people appear to be left alive on Earth after an aborted Third Impact. Civilization appears to be all but dead, as all the resources humanity has left have been diverted to the war between NERV and its splinter organization, WILLIE. While the post-Second Impact world showed signs of hope, the post-Third Impact world is speeding down an irreparable death spiral.]]

* ''Anime/GenmaWars'' takes place in a world similar to ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'', only instead of humanoid simians, its ruled by the [[EldritchAbomination the Mah Tribe]], a race of extra-dimensional demons that enslaved mankind ages ago. Humans are treated at the very best as slaves (if they are female, young and beautiful, its clear what [[SexSlave kind]] they are) and at worst, they are literally ''[[ToServeMan cattle]]'' - human organs are sold in the market and children are said to taste ''delicious''. There are resistance groups that oppose the Mah, but they do it by pillaging the human slaves' crops and robbing them of tribute, making the human's lives even harder. The demons themselves are governed by an authoritarian EvilOverlord, who loves to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape human girls]] and is [[HairTriggerTemper very quick]] to [[YouHaveFailedMe punish his underlings]] [[DisproportionateRetribution for even questioning him]]. This world is so crapsacky to a level that the EvilOverlord responsible for making everybody's lives so hard is also very miserable himself - he was left in charge of watching Earth, which he considered a pitiful little planet with nothing to offer, so he purposefully breeds with human females to create hybrid children to create war and destruction with the purpose to amuse him.

* The world during ''Manga/ApocalypseNoToride''. If not already apparent by the {{Plague Zombie}} reaching the secluded prison, when the main characters bust out and drive to Tokyo, the city is completely overrun and in shambles.

* ''Manga/AcidTown'' is set in a CrapsackWorld -- there is no mention of school, all of the main characters are orphans, gangs and mob bosses rule the streets, children and teenagers resort to drug selling and prostitution to feed themselves, and war planes and biohazard zones are frequently mentioned.

** In the main timeline Earth is implied to be one of the few places other than the afterlife exempt from this. The galaxy at large is a CrapsackWorld, because its most politically powerful resident, [[TheSociopath Frieza]], is an AxeCrazy EvilOverlord who correctly believes that [[AGodAmI he is the strongest being in the universe.]] So you have someone [[EarthShatteringKaboom who is his own Death Star]] and who's been running around the galaxy for decades doing whatever he likes because there's nothing anyone can possibly do to stop him or even ''scratch'' him. [[spoiler:Until Goku goes Super Saiyan.]] Also the denizens of the universe have to be worried about the God of Destruction Beerus, who will blow up your planet if your food is bad or you anger him, and blow half your planet up if your food is too greasy.

----

* Amberground in ''Manga/TegamiBachiLetterBee'' is a corrupt world of perpetual night, where a man-made sun shines over the capital city of Akatsuki. Life is rough almost everywhere, and even the people assigned to deliver some happiness throughout the world through letters--the titular Bees--could be killed by or lose their LifeForce (Heart) to mechanical monsters along the way.

** Turns out Earth isn't any better. In 2138, Earth has become a polluted cesspool that going outside requires the constant wearing of level A[[note]]The highest level given in the US [[/note]] biohazard suits with SCBA breathing apparatuses, Social class retardation is a thing that no-one born into poverty is capable of leaving it, [[MegaCorp giant conglomorates]] rule the world and the mandatory education system has been abolished making people having to literally work themselves to death, including the protagonist's parents, to send their children to elementary school which is barely enough to make them corporate slaves. No wonder Momonga was so fixated on YGGDRASIL, it was probably the only scrap of happiness he can find.

** The aforementioned NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering? Due to the Gotei 13 [[spoiler: being under new management, namely Shunsui]], he's not afraid to tell that council to stick it where the sun doesn't shine. Most of the important characters have become a lot less stuck up over time, and the Gotei has even learned to bend its own rules to pay a ''debt of grattitude'' to the protagonist. This is offset because [[spoiler: the new enemy's BadassArmy has bee cutting a swathe through all 3 worlds, meaning innocent civilians are being executed just to stop the whole system coming apart. And the MadScientist actually complains about how this all could have been avoided if the former big cheese had shown a bit of spine a millenium or two ago.]]

* The ([[NoExportForYou Japan-only]]) [[LightNovel/PocketMonstersTheAnimation novelizations]] by Takeshi Shudo, a major writer for the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' series from Kanto until Johto, [[http://cindysuke.tumblr.com/post/34817930237/the-facts-about-pokemon-world-lol depict]] the anime world as this. To name a few details: children are legally considered adults when they become ''ten'', thus subject to marriage, taxes and jobs, plus many fathers and grandfathers leave their families only to get nowhere on their journey. In addition, Gym Leaders get fired from their jobs ''[[DisproportionateRetribution for losing three consecutive matches]]''.

* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'': Are you a vampire? Enjoy [[{{Gorn}} getting gruesomely killed]] and [[ImAHumanitarian possibly eaten]] by Alucard. Are you a human? Enjoy getting turned into a ghoul or killed by Millennium soldiers. And it does not stop there - [[spoiler:[[TheRemnant a group of]] [[ThoseWackyNazis Vampire Nazis]] try to plunge the world into endless war and destruction ForTheEvulz, basically turning the world into a DeathWorld that will eventually render humanity extinct because of the endless wars they cause.]]