The sudden fall: Is Tokyo Revengers anime worth watching?

Few anime in recent years have managed to rise and fall as dramatically as Tokyo Revengers. When it first aired in 2021, it was hailed as the next big thing in shonen. Now, it's deemed the most overrated series of the decade.

So, where do I stand on the question of whether Tokyo Revengers is worth watching? Personally, I think Tokyo Revengers is one of the most frustrating anime I’ve ever watched, not because it’s completely unwatchable, but because it had the potential to be great and somehow squandered every opportunity.

Takemichi is one of the weakest shonen protagonists ever written. And no, I don’t just mean weak in the “can’t throw a punch” sense. Takemichi cries in nearly every episode, often without meaningful growth. His entire personality boils down to two traits: whining and stubbornness.

Another glaring issue with Tokyo Revengers is the absence of adults and authority figures. We’re expected to believe that middle-school delinquents run Tokyo’s most dangerous gangs, commit murders, and wage wars, all while the police and parents sit idly by. It breaks immersion almost immediately.

Yes, I get that delinquent manga like Crows and Worst also exaggerate teenage gang culture. But Tokyo Revengers adds the sci-fi element of time travel, which should demand at least some grounding in reality. Instead, the world feels like it was built exclusively for melodrama, with zero logic holding it together.

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Animation and production issues in Tokyo Revengers

The animation of Tokyo Revengers is mediocre at best. LIDENFILMS, the studio behind the anime, simply didn’t deliver the production values a hyped series like this deserved. Many sequences rely on panning over still frames. Fights often feel weightless, with poorly choreographed punches and flat impact.

Contrast this with Demon Slayer, which masked weak story beats with breathtaking animation. Even if you hated the writing, you stayed for the spectacle.

Tokyo Revengers has no such safety net. Its fight scenes are often so bland that they make you realize just how barebones the writing really is. The bottom line is, the anime looks cheap, and that undeniably hurts its appeal.

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Plot holes you can’t ignore

The biggest issue with Tokyo Revengers is how ridiculous its setup feels once you think about it for more than five minutes. Here are a few glaring problems:

• The age issue: These “gang leaders” and fighters are 14 years old. Yet they’re running city-wide syndicates, staging massive brawls, and plotting murders. It’s laughably unrealistic, and while anime often exaggerates reality, the series doesn’t do enough to sell this world as believable.
• Where are the adults? No teachers, no parents, no cops...the whole series is just teens running the streets like they’re yakuza veterans. People die, entire groups clash in public, yet authorities are nowhere to be seen. Suspension of disbelief only stretches so far.
• The time travel rules: The series never establishes a consistent logic for Takemichi’s powers. He jumps back and forth, but the mechanics are sloppy and feel more like a plot device than a meaningful sci-fi element. It’s closer to magic than science fiction, which leaves the story open to convenient “resets” that kill tension.

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The soundtrack - A missed opportunity

Music can elevate even mediocre anime. Just look at Naruto’s battle themes or Jujutsu Kaisen’s pulse-pounding OST. Unfortunately, Tokyo Revengers’ soundtrack is forgettable. Most tracks sound recycled or overused. Emotional moments that should hit like a gut punch instead fall flat because the music fails to carry the weight.

The one saving grace is the opening theme, “Cry Baby” by Official HIGE DANDism. Ironically, it’s the best-remembered thing about the anime, and that says a lot. But other than that, there was no other BGM or soundtrack that left a lasting impact.

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Final verdict

So, is Tokyo Revengers worth watching? My answer: only if you’re curious, patient, and willing to accept a flawed story for what it is. Otherwise, there are far better anime out there that won’t waste your time.

In the end, this anime can be treated as a reminder of what happens when hype outpaces quality. While it’s not the worst anime out there, it’s far from the masterpiece it was once sold as.

Also, for those who have already invested in the story, I can recommend finishing the series. But for those who want to start watching anime or haven't started the series, then it is okay to skip over this.