Most Effective Cliffhangers in Anime

Anime loves to leave viewers dangling between episodes and even between entire seasons, and some cliffhangers have become famous for the way they pushed stories into their next big phase. Below are twenty standout examples where episodes ended on a knife’s edge, finales set up new arcs, or TV runs paused right before payoffs. Each entry focuses on concrete details—episode events, release structure, and sequel or split-cour follow-through—so you can see exactly how these cliffhangers worked within their shows.

‘Berserk’ (1997–1998) – TV run stops at the Eclipse without aftermath

The 25-episode adaptation concludes during the Eclipse, halting after the Band of the Hawk’s fate is sealed and before any post-Eclipse fallout is shown. The series adapts the Golden Age arc up through the ritual but does not depict the world that follows or Guts’s responses beyond that moment. The finale leaves characters’ immediate statuses unresolved on television. Subsequent animations and films revisit material before and after, but the 1997 TV broadcast ends at the ritual’s peak.

‘Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion’ (2006–2007) – Season 1 ends on an armed standoff

The Season 1 finale cuts as Lelouch and Suzaku confront each other with guns drawn while the fate of Nunnally remains unknown. The broadcast structure split the story, with resolution deferred to the sequel series ‘Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2’. The cliffhanger bridges two production seasons, making the confrontation the pivot point between them. The next installment opens by addressing the aftermath and shifting political alignments.

‘Attack on Titan’ (2013–2023) – Wall Titan post-credits reveal

Season 1’s final episode includes a post-credits shot of a colossal face embedded within a wall segment, exposing a hidden truth about humanity’s defenses. The episode itself concludes the Stohess arc, but the stinger reframes the setting’s premise. This scene provides a direct narrative hook into the investigations and church secrecy explored later. The reveal became the explicit handoff into subsequent seasons’ mysteries.

‘Steins;Gate’ (2011) – Mayuri’s death forces a timeline crisis at the cut to credits

Mid-series, an episode ends immediately after Mayuri is killed during a raid, forcing the protagonist to confront irreversible consequences. The next episodes follow with repeated time leaps that attempt to avert the outcome. The production’s broadcast pacing positions this as the pivot from lighthearted experimentation to high-stakes course correction. The cliffhanger acts as the entry point into the series’ central temporal problem.

‘Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-‘ (2020–2021) – Season 2 opens by erasing Rem from memory

The first episode of the second season ends with Rem’s identity and existence removed from most characters’ memories while her body is left comatose. This event sets the main objective for Subaru across the season. The broadcast resumed after a long gap since Season 1, and this twist immediately established new stakes. The cliffhanger caps the premiere by redefining the cast’s dynamics going forward.

‘Made in Abyss’ (2017) – Season 1 finale teases Bondrewd and hands off to the film

The TV finale ends by signaling the next destination and antagonist, directing viewers toward ‘Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul’. The episode closes out the season’s personal arc while pointing to the challenges of the next layer. The production shifted the continuation into a theatrical release, making the tease a bridge to the movie. The cliffhanger functions as an explicit roadmap for the story’s next segment.

‘Fate/Zero’ (2011–2012) – Split-cour mid-series pause during the Grail War escalation

The first cour finale stops after the Grail War intensifies and a city-threatening entity is unleashed, with multiple Masters repositioning. The production was planned as two cours separated by a broadcast break. The pause locks in unresolved duels and unanswered strategic moves. The second cour resumes by resolving the immediate crisis and moving into the war’s endgame.

‘Sword Art Online’ (2012) – First cour ends with Asuna imprisoned and a new game unveiled

After the Aincrad arc concludes, the episode ends by revealing that Asuna remains captive and that ‘ALfheim Online’ will be the next setting. The broadcast immediately signals a new antagonist and power structure outside the cleared game. The cliffhanger transitions the series from survival mechanics to a rescue narrative. The subsequent cour picks up with the new world’s rules and objectives.

‘Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’ (2022–2023) – Finale positions Uryu Ishida with the enemy

Part 1 closes with the heroes regrouping while setup indicates Uryu Ishida’s alignment with the Wandenreich will be a central thread. The cour structure splits the adaptation of the arc into seasonal blocks. The ending places Ichigo on a recovery and training track while hinting at shifting loyalties among Quincy. The next part follows by expanding on Uryu’s role and the invading forces’ plans.

‘Tokyo Revengers’ (2021) – Final scene cuts on a point-blank execution attempt

Season 1’s last minutes place Takemichi at a leadership meeting where he and Chifuyu are restrained and threatened by Tetta Kisaki. The episode ends as a gun is fired, concealing the immediate outcome. This resolves none of the time-travel objectives established for that arc and sets the stage for the next phase. The continuation addresses survival, internal power struggles, and the consequences of the meeting.

‘Chainsaw Man’ (2022) – Ending montage introduces Reze for the next arc

The final episode closes with a sequence that features a new girl—Reze—foreshadowing the ‘Bomb Girl’ storyline. The rest of the episode wraps the Katana Man confrontation but leaves Denji’s recurring door dream unresolved. The production uses the montage as a narrative bridge to the next major antagonist. Viewers are explicitly funneled toward the forthcoming school and café settings connected to Reze.

‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders’ (2014–2015) – Split-cour handoff as the group reaches Egypt

The first cour finale ends with Jotaro’s team arriving in Egypt, indicating that the hunt for DIO is only entering its decisive phase. The broadcast then paused before the ‘Battle in Egypt’ cour. The cliffhanger marks geographic progress without resolving the core confrontation. The continuation resumes with new Stands and allies tied to the Egypt setting.

‘Mobile Suit Gundam 00’ (2007–2009) – Season 1 closes with a timeskip and a new global order

The finale ends after a large-scale battle with Celestial Being scattered and a new militarized organization forming. A timeskip is presented in the closing moments, showing changed political structures and the rise of A-Laws. The second season picks up in the altered status quo established by this cut. The cliffhanger formally separates the two seasons’ conflicts.

‘The Rising of the Shield Hero’ (2019) – Finale reveals threats from other worlds

Season 1 ends by clarifying that the Waves connect to parallel worlds and that the conflict is larger than initially stated. The episode resolves the immediate arc while pointing to new heroes and cross-world stakes. Production then continued with additional seasons following that expanded premise. The cliffhanger reframes the series from local kingdom disputes to multiverse defense.

‘Black Clover’ (2017–2021) – Broadcast pause mid-saga with devil training and future battles flagged

The TV run stops with Asta beginning training tied to his devil and ongoing hostilities with the Spade Kingdom pending. The episode serves as a waypoint rather than a conclusion, signaling that the arc would continue outside the weekly broadcast for a time. A theatrical project followed, and later installments resumed the main conflict. The cliffhanger is positioned as a production break within an active storyline.

‘Dorohedoro’ (2020) – Season 1 stops with multiple plot hooks active

The finale ends while Caiman still lacks confirmation of his identity and the En Family’s pursuit remains in motion. The closing scenes set destinations and objectives without resolving the central mystery. The adaptation choice to end at this point leaves several character pairings and contracts pending. Subsequent media continues those threads rather than concluding them at the TV cutoff.

’86’ (2021–2022) – Part 1 closes with the Spearhead’s fate concealed

The first part ends after final transmissions and a battlefield sequence that obscures whether the unit survives. A post-episode tag shows movement that complicates assumptions but does not clarify identities. Part 2 later reveals survival details and consequences for both fronts of the war. The split-cour scheduling makes this uncertainty the hinge between halves.

‘Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou’ (2020–2021) – Series hands off unresolved loops to ‘Sotsu’

The ending leaves core questions about the cycle’s mechanics and actors open, directing viewers to the follow-up ‘Higurashi: When They Cry – Sotsu’. The structure deliberately parcels answers across the two linked series. The cliffhanger maintains the ongoing reset motif without closing the overarching conflict. The sequel then provides the other side of the narrative.

‘Ajin: Demi-Human’ (2016) – Season 1 ends with Satō escalating to nationwide terrorism

The finale closes after Satō declares further operations, moving from local incidents to coordinated attacks. Kei’s status changes, but the broader threat remains active at the cut to credits. Season 2 resumes with expanded targets and countermeasures. The cliffhanger explicitly widens the scale of conflict rather than wrapping up the initial pursuit.

‘Erased’ (2016) – Penultimate arc cliffhanger strands Satoru in a sinking car

An episode near the end concludes with Satoru realizing the killer’s identity and being trapped as the car is driven into freezing water. The outcome—life, death, or rescue—is withheld until the next broadcast. The setup forces the narrative to address both the immediate danger and the long-running mystery. The resolution follows by connecting this incident to the broader case timeline.

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