7 Anime with the Most Complicated and Confusing Watch Order

Kapanlagi.com - Hello, otaku and aspiring otaku! Have you ever felt dizzy when trying to start an anime series, only to find out that the watch order is more complicated than quantum physics? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Some anime are indeed intentionally (or unintentionally) created with various sequels, prequels, OVAs, movies, and alternate universes that can make your head spin.

Understanding the correct watch order can be the key to fully enjoying the storyline and avoiding unwanted spoilers. Without the right guide, you might miss important details or even misunderstand the characters and their motivations. Here, we will thoroughly discuss 7 anime with the most complicated watch order that are guaranteed to confuse you easily, but are still fun to follow!

1. Fate Series (Type-Moon Universe)

Fate is the champion of the most complicated watch order. There are alternate timelines, adaptations of different routes, parallel universes, movies, game-canon, light novels, and anime from various studios. You can watch based on release dates, based on timelines, or based on visual novel routes, and the results will all be different.

What makes it confusing:

• Fate/Stay Night (3 routes: UBW, Heaven's Feel, Fate route)
• Fate/Zero (prequel but recommended to watch later or earlier depending on preference)
• Fate/Extra, Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Strange Fake, all alternate universes.

In short: the watch order of Fate has 7 different versions depending on the source you follow.

2. Monogatari Series

Monogatari has a very different release order and timeline, plus many titles like Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari, Koimonogatari, Owarimonogatari, etc. The episodes often jump in time without warning, and the Kizumonogatari trilogy films are actually the beginning of the story but were released last.

What makes it confusing:

• The release order does not mean chronological order
• Many arcs follow the perspectives of different characters
• The titles sound similar and are long.

3. Gundam Series (Universal Century and Multiverse)

Gundam has dozens of series since 1979 and most are not interconnected, but some are within the main timeline called Universal Century (UC). Many fans are confused about where to start - because there are at least 15 ways to watch Gundam that are 'correct'.

What makes it confusing:

• UC Timeline: 0079, Zeta, ZZ, Char's Counterattack, Unicorn, Hathaway Flash
• Other timelines: Wing, Seed, 00, Iron-Blooded Orphans
• There are recap films, alternative versions, remasters, OVAs, and TV series.

4. Neon Genesis Evangelion

Evangelion only has one main series, but the chaos began when its films came out: Death & Rebirth, The End of Evangelion, and then the remake series 'Rebuild of Evangelion' which is an alternate continuity.

What makes it confusing:

• TV series ending vs End of Evangelion = two versions of the world's end
• Rebuild 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.0+1.0 = new timeline
• The viewing order depends on the goal: understanding the original, the new timeline, or a combination of both.

5. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Haruhi is famous for airing episodes out of story order, and even other Blu-ray versions shuffle them again.

What makes it confusing:

• There are 3 orders: broadcast order, chronological order, season order
• Endless Eight (8 identical episodes) makes people want to skip it, but it's part of the canon
• The movie Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is a must-watch, but its position is confusing for beginners.

6. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)

The story of Higurashi involves a looping timeline, parallel arcs, and changes in canon in the new series (Gou and Sotsu).

What makes it confusing:

• Higurashi (2006) - kai - Rei, then the Goat timeline that rewinds the story
• Different investigation arcs, different endings, different timelines
• Many fans are confused about which arcs are canon and which are alternate.

7. Digimon Franchise

Digimon seems simple, but the release of anime, movies, OVAs, and reboots has made the timeline convoluted.

What makes it confusing:

• Adventure 01-02 Tri - Last Evolution Kizuna
• Different universes: Tamers, Frontier, Savers, Appmon
• The 2020 reboot of Adventure is not related to the old one
• For new fans, the sequence can involve 12+ series that are not interconnected.

(kpl/gtr)