Was Inuyashiki Ahead of Its Time?

Back in 2017, an anime adaptation of the manga Inuyashiki quietly premiered but not many people paid attention to it. However, those who gave this dark sci-fi series a chance encountered one of the most shockingly good and boldly provocative shows of that year. We believe that 2017 wasn’t ready for this anime and more people should have given it a chance.

On its surface, it has a fairly simple plot – an elderly man and a high school student are killed in a freak accident involving aliens. Their bodies were rebuilt as powerful combat mechas. From there, Inuyashiki explores the wildly divergent paths these two take after their rebirths. The elder Inuyashiki resolves to use his new abilities to help others as a superhero, while the disturbed student Hiro descends into psychopathic violence and depraved criminality enabled by his newfound powers.

What Makes Inuyashiki Great?

What makes Inuyashiki so compelling is how it commits to exploring the depths of morality and immorality. Inuyashiki’s pure-hearted heroism provides inspirational counterbalance to Hiro’s shockingly sadistic acts and increasingly unforgivable atrocities. The show pulls zero punches in depicting Hiro’s tragic devolution into an unsympathetic monster.

This raw, ugly depiction of evil was no doubt extremely unsettling and off-putting for many viewers upon Inuyashiki’s original release. But those able to stomach its most gnarly moments were treated to a profoundly fascinating character study that delves into what constitutes humanity and abuse of power.

Between the hyper-violence and heavy subject matter, Inuyashiki was pretty much destined to be a niche title in 2017. But in retrospect, it was simply ahead of the curve in pushing boundaries that many popular anime would follow in subsequent years. From Attack on Titan’s hyperbolic gore to Chainsaw Man’s madness, elements in recent hits like CyberPunk Edgerunners – some of anime’s biggest recent successes have only made Iit unflinching bleakness.  

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Watch it!

While it flew under the radar initially, this hidden gem now feels built for more modern sensibilities willing to embrace daring, challenging concepts. For those not faint of heart, Inuyashiki is well worth going back and discovering as an ambitious exploration of morality through an audacious cyberpunk lens.

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