What do you look for when you’re watching anime? A good plot? Complex character development? An unexpected plot twist? These days there’s only a large handful of anime that have all of these things, but there’s one anime studio in particular that not only does an over-the-top job in having all of these attributes, but now has an entire trope dedicated to the way they end their titles. This, my friends, is what is called the ‘Gainax Ending’ trope.

You haven’t been trolled until you’ve been trolled by the King of the Trolls. (Say that three times fast! XP) Perhaps this may be their M.O. but Gainax has a reputation of building up plot lines and getting us attached to the main or supporting characters, only to have some bizarre plot twist or ending that made some of believe that it was ‘pulled out of the ass’ of its creators. (We’re surprised there isn’t a meme out titled “You Got Gainaxed!” yet, but someone will probably make one.)

On that note, here are the Top 5 anime titles with Gainax Endings.

5. Neon Genesis Evangelion – The Final Scene

This trope all started with the classic title that any kid from 90’s is familiar with. Evangelion started the ‘Female Tsundere’ trend that we see in every rom-com anime that has been produced since that decade, and of course, it also gave us this scene. Shinji has chosen to accept himself for who he is, and the rest of the cast congratulated him for that. Little did the fanbase know, this scene was only the tipping point for the hell that was going to be unleashed afterwards…

4. Shikabane Hime – The Final Battle of Makina & Hokuto

This anime title came out in the mid-to-late 2000’s (perhaps around the same time the Negima! dub came out), and had everything you’d want to see in an action/supernatural anime. The story and plot was great all the way up to the final confrontation between Makina and Hokuto. Fans were treated to an action-packed fight, but the results were never finalized – in fact it got ‘Gainaxed’. It’s been a little over ten years since the dub came out, but we doubt we’ll find out how this fight truly ends.

3. Mahoromantic – Ending

We’re not too familiar with this series, but since it was produced by Gainax we’re pretty sure the ending got ‘Gainaxed’ somehow. All we know from this anime title, is that Suguru was so distraught over the death of Mahoro, that he becomes a bounty hunter who hates robots. His partner betrays him and (literally) stabs him in the back, and while Suguru gets injured to the point of dying, he sees Mahoro again, but they never tell you what happens to him afterwards – or even if he’s still alive. If that’s not a Gainax Ending, then we don’t know what is. (You find out what happens in the manga however.)

2. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

One of the best anime titles to ever be produced by Gainax has to be this beauty that is Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Anyone who has gotten the chance to see this series may be familiar with the quote “Who the hell do you think I am?!” from the infamous Kamina, but at the same time the ending to this series left most fans down in the dumps, while others thought the exact opposite. Ultimately the reaction to the finale will come down to the viewer itself, so what do you guys (and gals) think?

1. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt – The BIGGEST F**k U Ending, Ever!

The biggest ‘middle finger’ to ever come from the ‘Gainax Ending’ trope would have to be from this raunchy and over-the-top profane series. We all saw it, and we all tried to deny it in every way possible, but the fact of the matter is…Gainax ‘Gainaxed’ us good on this one. What’s even worst is that fact that we’ll probably never get that second season that they promised us, but then again, the series wasn’t really meant to be taken seriously. (Quiet as kept we have enough resources to make our own second season, we just gotta get Gainax to sell us the license – unless Trigger gets to it first!)

So there you have it! Gainax has been known to do some crazy things throughout their productions of anime titles that we all know, and love. Although they’re known for trolling their fan base with certain hit titles, they have given us some moments where we’ve laughed, cried, and enjoyed the ride. That’s it for this filler post, but there’s more on the way! Until then, stay gold! 😉