History SerialEscalation / AnimeAndManga

** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond is Unbreakable]]'' focuses on Josuke Higashikata, a freshman whose Stand grants him HealingHands, and is also [[BerserkButton very sensitive]] about his hair, as he seeks out a bow and arrow that gives people it shoots Stands. Joining him is Jotaro and Joseph--the latter who turns out to be his ''illegitimate father''--as well as a TinySchoolboy who can [[MakeSomeNoise weaponize]] {{Written Sound Effect}}s, a {{Ditz}} who can [[PowerOfTheVoid erase anything]] touched by his Stand's [[PowerPalms right hand]], and an eccentric manga artist who can turn anyone into living books. Together, they meet, befriend, and occasionally face off against more Stand Users as they seek the bow and arrow.[[note]]A SerialKiller whose Stand can [[MakingASplash morph into any liquid]]. The ditz's older brother and the owner of the arrow, who [[TheMinionMaster leads a toy-sized army]]. A ConMan whose Stand is a lock that weights people down with their guilt. A bully whose Stand is a wooden mannequin that can copy the appearance of a person. A {{Yandere}} who can [[PrehensileHair manipulate her own hair]]. An Italian chef whose food [[{{Panacea}} cures ailments of those who eat it]]. A guitarist who stole the arrow from the brother and can [[ShockAndAwe manipulate electricity]]. A baby that can turn [[{{Invisibility}} invisible]]. A pair of rats whose Stands take the form of turrets whose bullets can melt flesh. A greedy kid that commands a colony of [[MicrobotSwarm 500 diminutive Stands]]. A beautician who can change the body parts of her patients.[[/note]] Eventually, the party meets the ghost of a young girl, and soon find themselves on the trail of her killer, Yoshikage Kira--who has a weird {{fetish}} for women's hands. Said killer also has the power to [[HavingABlast turn anything he touches into a bomb]]. The story from then on focuses on the heroes and a child whose father Kira is [[DeadPersonImpersonation impersonating]] trying to catch Kira and the ghost of his father Yoshihiro, who can appear in photographs and [[RealityChangingMiniature manipulate anything appearing in the photo]], and the people who were shot with another bow and arrow Yoshihiro has.[[note]]A RockPaperScissors prodigy who [[PowerParasite can steal the Stands]] of those who lose to him. A ChickMagnet biker whose Stand hunts down victims while moving at 60 mph and [[LifeDrain drain them of their nutrients once caught]]. A cat {{planimal}} who can [[BlowYouAway control the air around it]]. A man with a Stand that takes the form of a transmission tower that [[AttackReflector reflects attacks]] and [[BlessedWithSuck traps its User inside it]]. A fear-lover who can [[PaperMaster transform people into paper]] once he [[IKnowWhatYouFear identifies their fear-based tic]]. A Stand that leeches on one's back and kills them if someone else looks at their back.[[/note]] Oh, and there's a [[VoluntaryShapeshifter shapeshifting]] alien, too... [[AmbiguouslyHuman maybe]]. [[spoiler:And when the time for the final battle comes, Kira gains the ability to create a GroundhogDayLoop]].

* ''Anime/{{Kite}}'' manages to mix this with an OverlyLongGag. After a particularly lengthy and brutal fight scene, the mood is lightened somewhat ''after'' a bodyguard latches onto [[ActionGirl Sawa]], throwing her and himself out the hole in the wall from said scene in a high-rise building. They then proceed to latch onto a neon sign, which breaks off at the hinges, sending them falling once more until they land on the roof of a car waiting on an overpass. The weight of their impact somehow sends the car through the bottom of the overpass, landing on a truck waiting below the overpass. This impact then sends the whole pile ''through the ground'' into a subway station. Then the neon sign falls onto everything, causing the truck to [[MadeOfExplodium explode]]... sending Sawa hurtling through another window ''into'' an adjacent building. ''AND she survived completely unscathed''! It's like ''Film/TheyLive'' crossed with ''Film/{{Wanted}}''.

** ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' -- How big can we make this [[KiManipulation energy blast]]? What will the villain [[EarthShatteringKaboom blow up]] next? Just how blonde and [[BattleAura glowy]] will Goku become next? How many of the cast will die and [[ResetButton be brought back to life]] by the Dragon Balls? How many episodes will [[InactionSequence the battle last]]?

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' '''''thrives''''' on this. Each new installment of the 9-part (and still ongoing) saga has weirder powers, more sick-in-the-head ubervillains, more insane stunts, more MindScrew...
** ''Manga/PhantomBlood'' is about Jonathan Joestar, a British aristocrat who trains in Hamon, a martial arts technique that [[PowerOfTheSun harnesses the sun's energy]] to confront his adoptive brother, who transformed into a vampire thanks to a stone mask. Jonathan's allies include a street thug, [[TheMentor his Hamon teacher]], a monk and the teacher's own mentor, and two of the monk's other students. Tame, yes, but this is only the beginning.
** ''Manga/BattleTendency'' involves Joseph, the grandson of Jonathan, as he teams up with the grandson of Jonathan's mentor, the grandson's teacher, and a [[StupidJetpackHitler Nazi cyborg]], to take on four ancient vampiric beings--an AxCrazy one whose awakening alerts the heroes to the existence of the other three, an [[NobleDemon honorable warrior]] who can [[BlowYouAway create wind from his body]], a HotBlooded one who can [[MyBloodRunsHot heat his body to 500 degrees Celsius]] and [[BodyHorror attack with his blood vessels]], and the one [[GreaterScopeVillain who created the stone mask that influenced Part 1]], who can attack using [[BladeBelowTheShoulder blades from his body]]. [[spoiler:Said creator eventually becomes the UltimateLifeform and the power to gain traits of any animal in the world]]. Already crazy enough, but what Part 3 introduces makes things crazier.
** ''Manga/StardustCrusaders'' has a delinquent named Jotaro Kujo and a few others travel to Egypt to break a curse placed on Jotaro's mother. They also have Stands, [[FightingSpirit manifestations of their fighting spirit]], instead of the energy technique from the previous two Parts. While Jotaro's Stand, which has RapidFireFisticuffs, isn't anything extraordinary, he's joined by his grandfather--returning protagonist Joseph Joestar--who now can [[CombatClairvoyance gain information by creating photos]], an Egyptian fortune teller who is [[PlayingWithFire a master of fire]], a high school student whose Stand can [[CombatTentacles transform into tentacles]] and [[EmeraldPower shoot emerald projectiles]], a French CasanovaWannabe who's [[RoyalRapier great at swordsmanship]], and a dog (yes, even animals can wield Stands) [[SandBlaster that can control sand]].[[note]]All of the additional Stands will be noted in order to show you how bizarre things can be here.[[/note]] Together they fight against other Users of this new power.[[note]]An old man with an [[SuperSpeed insanely fast]] [[BigCreepyCrawlies stag beetle]]. An assassin posing as a sea captain who can control water currents. A perverted [[KillerGorilla orangutan]] whose Stand takes the form of a freighter. A shaman whose Stand [[DemonicPossession possesses objects]] and [[ThePowerOfHate can grow stronger with each grudge he makes]]. A {{narcissist}} who controls a BlobMonster. A cowboy whose Stand is a gun that can [[ImprobableAimingSkills curve its bullets]]. A [[{{Sadist}} sadistic]] SerialKiller whose Stand is a beam of light that [[MirrorMonster only appears in reflections]], [[ReflectiveEyes including one's eye]]. A ManipulativeBitch whose Stand is [[BodyHorror a sentient, growing wart attached to one's body]]. A BoisterousWeakling whose Stand is [[CoolCar a literal car]]. [[EvilOldFolks A hag]] whose Stand [[PeoplePuppets can possess bodies]] by entering their wounds. A SmugSnake whose Stand enters people's bodies and [[{{Synchronization}} transfers any pain done to him onto someone else]]. A LivingProp whose Stand is a [[PowerOfTheSun replica of the sun]] that can [[EnergyWeapons shoot lasers]]. [[EnfantTerrible A baby]] who [[DreamWeaver can invade peoples' dreams and kill them there]]. A Stand that poses as a JackassGenie and can [[DishingOutDirt create things using the earth]]. A woman who can [[ExtraOreDinary transform metals into any inorganic object]]. A [[HandicappedBadass blind man]] who can [[MakingASplash control water]]. Two [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain ineffectual]] brothers, the older of whom is a MasterOfDisguise, while the younger's Stand is a comic book that predicts the future. A sentient Stand inhabiting [[CoolSword a katana]]. A DudeMagnet whose Stand is a power socket that [[MagnetismManipulation turns anyone who touches it into a living magnet]]. A man who [[FountainOfYouth de-ages anyone]] who touches his shadow. A [[TheGambler gambler]] who [[YourSoulIsMine steals the souls]] of those who [[LostHimInACardGame concede defeat against him]]. A [[FeatheredFiend hawk]] who can [[AnIcePerson generate ice]]. The gambler's brother, who can not only [[YourSoulIsMine steal peoples' souls]], but also [[{{Telepathy}} read their minds]]. A man who can [[{{Bizarchitecture}} create elaborate mazes]]. A vampire whose Stand can transform into a [[PowerOfTheVoid ball of nothingness]]. A TooDumbToLive ButtMonkey vampire who has a woman's face on the back of his head.[[/note]] Oh, and the BigBad is the vampire from Part 1--who managed to attach his head onto Jonathan's body [[spoiler:and now has the ability to [[TimeStandsStill stop time]]]]!
** ''Manga/DiamondIsUnbreakable'' focuses on Josuke Higashikata, a freshman whose Stand grants him HealingHands, and is also [[BerserkButton very sensitive]] about his hair, as he seeks out a bow and arrow that gives people it shoots Stands. Joining him is Jotaro and Joseph--the latter who turns out to be his ''illegitimate father''--as well as a TinySchoolboy who can [[MakeSomeNoise weaponize]] {{Written Sound Effect}}s, a {{Ditz}} who can [[PowerOfTheVoid erase anything]] touched by his Stand's [[PowerPalms right hand]], and an eccentric manga artist who can turn anyone into living books. Together, they meet, befriend, and occasionally face off against more Stand Users as they seek the bow and arrow.[[note]]A SerialKiller whose Stand can [[MakingASplash morph into any liquid]]. The ditz's older brother and the owner of the arrow, who [[TheMinionMaster leads a toy-sized army]]. A ConMan whose Stand is a lock that weights people down with their guilt. A bully whose Stand is a wooden mannequin that can copy the appearance of a person. A {{Yandere}} who can [[PrehensileHair manipulate her own hair]]. An Italian chef whose food [[{{Panacea}} cures ailments of those who eat it]]. A guitarist who stole the arrow from the brother and can [[ShockAndAwe manipulate electricity]]. A baby that can turn [[{{Invisibility}} invisible]]. A pair of rats whose Stands take the form of turrets whose bullets can melt flesh. A greedy kid that commands a colony of [[MicrobotSwarm 500 diminutive Stands]]. A beautician who can change the body parts of her patients.[[/note]] Eventually, the party meets the ghost of a young girl, and soon find themselves on the trail of her killer, Yoshikage Kira--who has a weird {{fetish}} for women's hands. Said killer also has the power to [[HavingABlast turn anything he touches into a bomb]]. The story from then on focuses on the heroes and a child whose father Kira is [[DeadPersonImpersonation impersonating]] trying to catch Kira and the ghost of his father Yoshihiro, who can appear in photographs and [[RealityChangingMiniature manipulate anything appearing in the photo]], and the people who were shot with another bow and arrow Yoshihiro has.[[note]]A RockPaperScissors prodigy who [[PowerParasite can steal the Stands]] of those who lose to him. A ChickMagnet biker whose Stand hunts down victims while moving at 60 mph and [[LifeDrain drain them of their nutrients once caught]]. A cat {{planimal}} who can [[BlowYouAway control the air around it]]. A man with a Stand that takes the form of a transmission tower that [[AttackReflector reflects attacks]] and [[BlessedWithSuck traps its User inside it]]. A fear-lover who can [[PaperMaster transform people into paper]] once he [[IKnowWhatYouFear identifies their fear-based tic]]. A Stand that leeches on one's back and kills them if someone else looks at their back.[[/note]] Oh, and there's a [[VoluntaryShapeshifter shapeshifting]] alien, too... [[AmbiguouslyHuman maybe]]. [[spoiler:And when the time for the final battle comes, Kira gains the ability to create a GroundhogDayLoop]].
** ''Manga/GoldenWind'' focuses on Giorno Giovanna (the conceived son of the vampire from Parts 1 and 3), whose Stand allows him to [[CreatingLife turn non-living objects into living objects]], as he climbs the hierarchy of an Italian mafia in order to become its boss and change it from the inside. He starts by joining a gang consisting of a fisherman’s son who can put zippers on anything, an ex-cop whose Stand can act out past events, a [[FourIsDeath tetraphobe]] who fights by having [[ImprobableAimingSkills bullets shot by his gun be guided by his Stand]] (which, unlike most Stands, [[ItCanThink is sentient with a mind of its own]]), a BookDumb hothead whose Stand is a miniature plane, and a genius with anger issues who can unleash a virus that [[MakeThemRot kills anything it touches]]. After fighting through several other members of the mafia[[note]]A unnaturally fat man whose Stand [[LivingShadow moves through shadows]] and acts automatically. A man who can deflate people like balloons. His partner, who can control kinetic energy.[[/note]], the gang is tasked by the boss to bring his daughter to him. Along the way they fight a defected gang of the mafia who want to capture the daughter.[[note]]A man with an [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex Inferiority Complex]] who can [[IncredibleShrinkingMan shrink things]]. A {{narcissist}} who can pull things into a mirror world. A {{Determinator}} who can cause RapidAging and his nervous partner whose Stand is a [[RodAndReelRepurposed fishing rod]] that can phase through things. A lecherous man whose Stand is [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a parasite that infects women]] to birth [[EnfantTerrible homunculi]]. An [[HairTriggerTemper anger prone]] man whose Stand is a [[AnIceSuit suit]] that can [[AnIcePerson lower the temperature of the vicinity]].[[/note]] They manage to get the daughter to the boss, but [[spoiler:it turns out he was planning on killing her, so the gang betrays him. They proceed to fight numerous members of the mafia that have targeted them.[[note]]A pair of {{gayngster}}s whose Stands take the form of a [[ThreateningShark shark]] that can appear in any liquid and a parasite that can [[TongueTied attach itself to people's tongues to cause miscommunication]]. An [[TheJuggernaut extremely fast and powerful Stand]] that [[BlessedWithSuck only activates]] after [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning the User's death]]. The leader of the defected gang, who can [[ExtraOreDinary control the iron]] in [[BloodyMurder people's blood]]. A {{Sadist}} [[MadDoctor Doctor]] who creates a flesh devouring mold that activates based on altitude and his HumanPet who can [[SandIsWater turn solids into mud]].[[/note]] Along the way, the daughter gains the ability to make things elastic. They eventually fight the boss and it turns out the boss is actually [[SplitPersonality two personalities in one body]]. One of his personalities doesn’t know that he’s the boss, while the other has a Stand which has power to ''erase'' time and is the dominant of the two. Also that Frenchman from earlier shows up. And in the end, Giorno gains the power to undo '''any''' action]].
** ''Manga/StoneOcean'' follows Jolyne Cujoh, the daughter of Jotaro Kujo, as she tries to break out of a maximum-security prison. She discovers that she can [[KnowsTheRopes turn herself to string]], but soon after her father’s Stand and memories (in the form of a disc coming out of his head) are stolen by a priest, named Enrico Pucci, who has the power to [[PowersAsPrograms turn people’s memories and Stands into discs]] which can be removed or replaced with other memories. Since he was a friend of the vampire from Parts 1 and 3, he intends to carry out the will of his deceased friend. Jolyne decides to stop Pucci and save her father. She is joined by a fellow prisoner that can duplicate objects by putting a sticker on them, a genius 12-year old who resides in the ghost of a burnt-down room, a sentient colony of plankton [[TheWormThatWalks wearing the body of a dead girl]], an amnesiac with the power to [[WeatherManipulation control the weather]], and a prisoner ([[WhatCouldHaveBeen who was originally introduced as a woman but is retconned into being a man]]) that falls madly in love with Jolyne and whose Stand can go inside objects and tamper with them. Together, they fight fellow jailbirds as they try to escape the prison itself.[[note]]A psycho who can [[IncredibleShrinkingMan shrink people]] and [[LivingDollCollector forces them to wear the skins of dead animals]]. A [[HandicappedBadass blind sniper]] whose Stand can read air currents. A [[DeathSeeker suicidal depressive]] who can [[{{Synchronization}} cause people to share the damage of his suicide attempts]]. A thief who can forcefully claim payments of one's bet, [[LostHimInACardGame whether that payment is money or not]]. A prisoner who can [[GravityMaster inflict zero-gravity on things by spitting on them]]. A gangster who can [[{{Necromancer}} resurrect the dead]] as [[OurZombiesAreDifferent invisible zombies]]. A prisoner who can [[ThePowerOfHate increase people's aggression levels]]. A prison guard who can [[StarPower control meteors]], empowered by the previously mentioned prisoner. An [[OldMaster aging martial artist]] who uses Fengshui to pinpoint the perfect angles of attack. An ex-cop turn prisoner whose Stand works automatically and has extremely corrosive saliva. A [[HumanoidAbomination baby-like creature]] that shrinks anyone who approaches it. The prison's head of security, who [[LaserGuidedAmnesia makes people remember only three things at a time]].[[/note]] [[spoiler:Eventually, the prisoners escape, only to fight three more sons of that vampire who have allied with Pucci.[[note]]A former druggie who can bring fictional characters to life. A man that can [[TheBeastmaster control rod-shaped cryptids]] that absorb body heat. The eldest of the three, who can literally unearth memories.[[/note]] Also, there are snails. Pucci soon gains the power to [[GravityMaster control gravity]] and [[TimeMaster speed up time]], and is eventually defeated--but not before he ''resets the universe'']]!
** ''Manga/SteelBallRun'' is tame at first, being a story about a paraplegic horse jockey named Johnny Joestar who gains the ability to walk again thanks to the steel balls of an Italian. He teams up with the Italian and the story then becomes a cross-country horseback race, where they face off against fellow racers, assassins hired by a mysterious third-party, and a number of other enemies.[[note]]A CreepyCrossdresser who [[TheBeastmaster houses bugs]] [[BodyHorror in his body]]. [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether A family of assassins]] that can [[MagnetismManipulation turn anything into a magnet, including blood]]. A man who can attach {{Sticky Bomb}}s to anything he touches. A [[WesternTerrorists Western Terrorist]] with [[FingerGun a gun inside his hand]]. A kid that can [[HooksAndCrooks shoot hooks from his mouth]]. A geologist who can turn things into dinosaurs. A [[TheGunslinger gunslinger]] who can [[TimeMaster rewind time by six seconds]]. An ApologeticAttacker who can manipulate rainwater. An American Indian who can create {{Written Sound Effect}}s that replicate the sound's effect on anyone who touches it. A ''tree'' that puts the two through some trials under the threat of [[AndIMustScream being absorbed into it]]. A group of men who can phase through one another via the tattoos on the back of their heads. A man who can make living balloon animals out of metal. A man who's [[NighInvulnerability impervious]] to ''anything'' when he kneels. A soldier who can manifest a person's guilt to attack them ([[spoiler:Jesus Christ himself appears during this fight, by the way]]). A man whose armband can form a grid that can reposition things.[[/note]] During the race, Johnny gains the ability to shoot his fingernails like bullets, and he slowly gains mastery over this new ability during the race. They also make allies in the form of a cowboy that can [[KnowsTheRopes segment his body via a rope]], a SweetPollyOliver that can spray flesh from a spray can, the race's creator, his 14-year old wife [[spoiler:who gains a Stand (which is all but stated to have been the Stand of ''Jesus Christ himself'') that allows her to weaponize {{Contrived Coincidence}}s]], another Italian who uses the same abilities as the other Italian, who starts as an enemy before pulling a HeelFaceTurn, and a British jockey who's also the AlternateUniverse counterpart to the vampire from Parts 1 and 3, who ''also'' starts out as an enemy before pulling a HeelFaceTurn, and also stole the geologist's ability turn things into dinosaurs (though unlike the geologist, who could only turn ''other things'' into dinosaurs, he can only turn ''himself'' into one). As for their opponent? The 23rd President of the United States, [[spoiler:who desires the corpse of what's implied to be Jesus, and can open portals to {{Alternate Universe}}s]]. And at the end of it all, [[spoiler:Johnny faces an alternate version of the British jockey... who has ''the same [[TimeStandsStill time-stopping ability]] as the vampire'']].
** ''Manga/{{JoJolion}}'' begins with Josuke (not to be confused with Part 4's Josuke), an amnesiac sailor with four testicles and a Stand that can [[LiquidAssets steal proprieties of objects]] using bubbles, found by a young woman who can [[{{Technopath}} manipulate electronics]]. Josuke is soon introduced to the ''[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} very]]'' [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} eccentric]] Higashikata family--all of whom have Stands of their own.[[note]]The patriarch, who can [[ScarilyCompetentTracker track scents via puzzle pieces]]. The patriarch's ex-wife, who can store things inside a deck of cards. The eldest son, who can [[PlayingWithFire store heat in objects]]. The eldest daughter, whose [[CombatStilettos high heels can turn into spikes]]. The youngest son, who can screw and unscrew anything. The youngest daughter, who can [[LaserGuidedAmnesia steal memories in the form of chess pieces]]. The eldest son's wife, who can manipulate vectors. The eldest son's own son, who can [[PaperMaster create living origami]] that can [[MasterOfIllusion make people hallucinate]]. The family's maid, whose Stand can attack when someone opens something using [[AnIcePerson extremely cold]] [[BlowYouAway winds]].[[/note]] Josuke is then adopted and becomes part of this family. Together, the family and the young woman fight against a group of mysterious beings made of rock and a number of other enemies.[[note]]A man who can [[PeoplePuppets control people]] via their open wounds. A group of trees that transport people along the road they're planted at. The Higashikata family's architect, who can make people the center of gravity. A salesman whose Stand is a [[BlowYouAway tornado that pursues people through their breathing]]. Twin street performers, the older of whom can transform his right hand into whatever his left is touching, while the younger can generate a DeadlyGas that he stores in a soccer ball. The eldest daughter's boyfriend, who can [[BodyHorror turn people into putty]] if they touch his fingerprints.[[/note]] Along the way, Josuke also makes an ally in the form of a [[ConMan con artist]] who can [[RapidHairGrowth control the growth of people's hair]]. As Josuke tries to piece together his identity, he eventually gets caught up in a conflict involving a mysterious fruit. He eventually learns that the reason behind his amnesia and four testicles is because [[spoiler:he's a ''fusion'' of two humans]]. With newfound resolve, Josuke decides to save his ill mother with the fruit. Teaming up with his adopted family, the young woman, and a plant appraiser that can peel his skin like string, Josuke faces more Rock Humans to succeed in his goal.[[note]]A man with a transferable Stand that [[BlessedWithSuck curses people to gain an endless amount of money]]. A [[BodyHorror heavily disfigured]] man who can control people if they touch him. A MadDoctor who can melt the flesh of humans, along with his pet... [[BuffySpeak thingy]], who can [[SandIsWater burrow through the ground]]. A DirtyOldMan [[OlderThanTheyLook who looks like a baby]] who can [[BlowYouAway control air pressure]]. A medical doctor who can turn into gravel. An [[AnimalisticAbomination insect]] whose attacks cause people to leak asbestos when they extend their joints. Another insect that can multiply via their victim's blood.[[/note]] Eventually, Josuke confronts the ringleader of the Rock Humans, an [[ImprobableAge Improbably Aged]] doctor whose Stand [[TheJinx brings misfortune]] to those with the intent of pursuing him.[[spoiler:.. only to learn that ''the doctor'' is the Stand, and that his User and the true ringleader is actually the young woman's ex-boyfriend. And those bubbles Josuke uses? Actually invisible strings that spin so rapidly, that they're effectively nonexistent and defy the laws of physics. And the final opponent fought? A man-eating guard rail that takes people's clothes off while babbling nonsensically.]]

** In ''[[Anime/Yugioh5Ds 5D's]]'' saving the world begins almost immediately after the first TournamentArc, with the initial major villains starting to take civilians' souls en masse to summon their EldritchAbomination aces. The crossover film and the final seasons the villains are once again screwing with the timestream to re-write history. The final villain [[AGodAmI claims to be a god]].

** After ''Anime/DigimonAdventureTri'', the franchise undergoes a DarkerAndEdgier Audience Shift where the question is no longer how overpowered the Digimon can be, but how gritty each Digimon-related incident can be. It reaches the point where ''Digimon Ghost Game'' and ''VideoGame/DigimonSurvive'' go beyond simple {{Deconstruction}}s to become borderline shock horror.

** After ''Anime/DigimonAdventureTri'', the franchise undergoes a DarkerAndEdgier AudienceShift where the question is no longer how overpowered the Digimon can be, but how gritty each Digimon-related incident can be. It reaches the point where ''Digimon Ghost Game'' and ''VideoGame/DigimonSurvive'' go beyond simple {{Deconstruction}}s to become borderline shock horror.

* In ''Anime/DigimonGhostGame'', the first few instances of Digimon incidents don't even affect more than a building or two, and the daily Digimon don't go far away from typical mischief or other non-lethal incidents. Come Episode 13, and Sealsdramon, a SerialKiller of Digimon, appears and personally murders '''1,000 Digimon all by himself''' and was killed by the advent and intervention of the vicious [=GulusGammamon=]. Since then, the party finds themselves dealing with more dangerous Digimon who attempt kidnapping, BodyHorror and sometimes murder on a larger scale. Vamdemon in Episode 25 takes this further; he kidnaps women influencers and uses them to spread a vampire zombie apocalypse to take over the entire world, forcing Hiro to unlock his Perfect form to deal with him. Since then the incidents ''really'' reach horror territory with hostile Digimon blatantly causing gruesome incidents in the open, {{Jump Scare}}s and Body Horrors galore, and high stake incidents that can easily lead to a TotalPartyWipe. It climaxes at Episode 56 where a Kuzuhamon essentially attempts ''mass murder'' of Hiro's city and had to be stopped in combat, only for Hiro to be almost defeated because she's an Ultimate/Mega and Hiro's Gammamon can only evolve to Perfect/Ultimate at most -- other equally powerful Ultimates and Megas routinely come out to enslave or wipe out humanity (or at least, try killing hundreds), the protagonists find themselves fighting against multiple apocalyptic abominations, and something ''worse'' is threatening the end of both worlds.

** ''Anime/DigimonFusion'' in particular, with its several {{Shout Out}}s to the SuperRobotGenre, its full of this to levels even the previous series before it couldn't possibly acheive. Just how many digimon can be xrossed together? How much more Hotblooded can Shoutmon get? How much more strategic can Taiki get? How much more ridiculous looking and yet extremely awesome can Shoutmon's Digixros forms get? [[spoiler: The end result is Shoutmon X7 Superior Mode, a FusionDance of ''the entire population of the Digital World.'']]

* ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' is the new [[Creator/StudioGainax Gainax]] series that does to RefugeInAudacity and VulgarHumor what ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' did to RuleOfCool. It became the new de facto WidgetSeries after one episode and after nine more, shows no signs of staying in one place for more than [[ThreeShorts eleven minutes]]. How much more vulgar, sexual and just plain weird can this series get, anyway?!

*** Even the weather is like this. In East Blue, it's pretty much normal. In Paradise (the first half of the Grand Line), the weather can change suddenly from one extreme to the other (for example, from snowing to sunny spring to a rainstorm) with no warning. In the New World (the second half), you get the really absurd stuff, like the sea catching on fire.

* ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' is often remembered as one of the most brutal and depressing, yet life-affiming, manga ever made. The story begins innocently enough: During a summer camp, 15 middle-school children are given the opportunity to ride a robot and defend the Earth against alien monster. However, they would soon find out that this is neither a game, nor their actions heroic. [[spoiler: In order to control this robot, the pilot must give away their life in exchange. So each child only gets to perform a kamikaze once to protect the Earth. (Not that anyone is envy to be in their position.) And once you agree to pilot the robot, you cannot cancel the contract. In short, by the end of the story, all 15 kids will die. No magic will bring them back to life. Of course, almost all the pilots have a mental breakdown before their battle, and quickly learn to reassess the life they are living.]]

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': How many {{Wham Episode}}s can this TwelveEpisodeAnime have? What WMG/{{Poison Oak Epileptic Tree|s}} will be [[IKnewIt proven right]] this episode? How many more rifles can Mami summon up? (There's a reason why fans often call her skill [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Unlimited Rifle Works]].) How much shit can [[spoiler: Homura]] blow up? How much damage can [[spoiler:Walpurgisnacht]] take? Lastly, how much more powerful can [[spoiler: Madoka]] get?

** [[spoiler: Bokurano almost reaches its peak of cruelty when the author forces a fourth-grader girl to quote-on-quote "defend the Earth". Yet ironically, that is still ''not'' the most brutal thing he could have pulled for the story.]] Having said that, by putting these youngsters in such cruel situations, the story can go into very meaningful existential discussions. About what it means to live, and what we should do so that our lives are meaningful. The last battle is probably the cruelest of them all, yet compassionate all the same.

** [[spoiler: Also, since the pilots are middle-schoolers, they often cause a lot of casualties while engaging in battle. Some even go so far as to use said gigantic robot against its orginal pupose, to ''murder people'' they have personal grudge against. Or maybe that is the original purpose of the robot? The story almost reaches its peak of cruelty when the author forces a fourth-grader girl to quote-on-quote "defend the Earth". Yet ironically, that is still ''not'' the most brutal thing the author could have pulled for the story.]] Having said that, by putting these youngsters in such cruel situations, the story can go into very meaningful existential discussions. About what it means to live, and what we should do so that our lives are meaningful. The last battle is probably the cruelest of them all, yet compassionate all the same.

* ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' is often remembered as one of the most brutal and depressing, yet life-affiming, manga ever made. The story begins innocently enough: During a summer camp, 15 middle-school children are given the opportunity to ride a robot and defend the Earth against alien monster. However, they would soon find out that this is neither a game, nor their actions heroic. [[spoiler: In order to control this robot, the pilot must give away their life in exchange. So each child only gets to perform a kamikaze once to protect the Earth. And once you agree to pilot the robot, you cannot cancel the contract. In short, by the end of the story, all 15 kids will die. No magic will bring them back to life. Of course, almost all the pilots have a mental breakdown before their battle, and quickly learn to reassess the life they are living.]]
** [[spoiler: Also, since the pilots are middle-schoolers, they often cause a lot of casualties while engaging in battle. Some even go so far as to use said gigantic robot against its orginal pupose, to ''murder people'' they have personal grudge against. Or maybe that is the original purpose of the robot? The story almost reaches its peak of cruelty when the author forces a fourth-grader girl to quote-on-quote "defend the Earth". Yet ironically, that is still ''not'' the most brutal thing the author could have pulled for the story.]] That being said, by putting these youngsters in such cruel situations, the story can go into very meaningful existential discussions. About what it means to live, and what we should do so that our lives are meaningful. The last battle is probably the cruelest of them all, yet compassionate all the same.

* ''Manga/Bokurano'' is often remembered as one of the cruelest and most depressing, yet life-affiming, manga ever made. The story begins innocently enough: During a summer camp, 15 middle-school children are given the opportunity to ride a robot and defend the Earth against alien monster. However, they would soon find out that this is neither a game, nor their actions heroic. [[spoiler: In order to control this robot, the pilot must give away their life in exchange. So each child only gets to perform a kamikaze once to protect the Earth. And once you agree to pilot the robot, you cannot cancel the contract. In short, by the end of the story, all 15 kids will die. No magic will bring them back to life. Of course, almost all the pilots have a mental breakdown before their battle, and quickly learn to reassess the life they are living. Also, since the pilots are middle-schoolers, they often cause a lot of casualties while engaging in battle. Some even go so far as to use said gigantic robot against its orginal pupose, to ''murder people'' they have personal grudge against. Or maybe that is the original purpose of the robot? The story almost reaches its peak of cruelty when the author forces a fourth-grader girl to quote-on-quote "defend the Earth". Yet ironically, that is still ''not'' the most brutal thing the author could have pulled for the story.]] That being said, by putting these youngsters in such cruel situations, the story can go into very meaningful existential discussions. About what it means to live, and what we should do so that our lives are meaningful. The last battle is probably the cruelest of them all, yet compassionate all the same.