Dark Light Novels or dark-themed anime are like a different world. It depends on certain factors; some are tragic incidents, mysteries, murders, etc. The definition varies from person to person, but the most essential thing that makes it dark is the story and character development.
Dark-themed light novels are famous for their hair-raising sequences and much more. So let’s sink into the world of Dark stories! Get ready to get some serious thrills and chills.
11. The Garden Of Sinners
First on our list of best dark light novels is The Garden of Sinners. This is a different story, and the concept of double personalities makes it distinctive and, at the same time, dark. It has themes of horror, mystery, psychological, and supernatural. However, the story’s primary focus is on the girl named Shiki, who has the ability to see death.
Her family tradition is that the kids are raised with two different personalities. One personality would be a female, and the other would be a male. So Shiki has both personalities, a male and her usual female.
However, due to a tragic accident, she falls into a coma. After waking from a coma, she realizes that the male Shiki died. She couldn’t feel her second personality at all. That sounds strange, but that makes the story a little dark.
Shiki tries her best to revive her male personality but fails. This is just a part of a story, and indeed the Dark Light Novel offers much more than this. There are psychological factors that make it worth reading. The character development was pretty good too!
10. All You Need Is Kill
Keiji Kiriya is our soldier stuck in a time loop. The story begins with him joining the United Defense Force, which is battling against some mysterious creatures called Mimics. He encounters one of the mimics and dies.
Keiji opens his eyes and experiences the same scenario, realizing he is stuck in a time loop. The countless experience of dying and then coming back to life again to fight makes him strong. Each time, he decides to change his fate but ends up repeating the same.
Finally, he meets a person who has experienced the same; Rita is another character familiar with the events happening to him. He finds a way to end this endless cycle of deaths and suffering with her guidance.
I liked this dark light novel for its military and science fiction elements. Besides, the concept of a time loop and endless deaths might give you chills. If you like reading stories where the main character suffers or is stuck in a place where there seems to be no way out, then you should try reading it.
9. Fate/Zero
The plot’s primary focus is Holy Grail and how different parties play their parts to win it. It is antiquity that is rumored to grant any wish. To win the Holy Grail, a decisive large-scale battle occurs between the seven mages. They all want to fulfill their desires, and everyone tries their best to risk their lives getting their hands on it.
The mages, however, aren’t alone in this battle. They are aided by powerful spirits double the mage’s powers and abilities. There is violence, bloodshed, and a little politics. Apart from that, you might enjoy the character interaction. Suspense, action, and curiosity trap the readers from the get-go.
The dark Light Novel, after gaining popularity, was adopted into the anime, so you can also consider watching this one.
8. The Girl Who Ate A Death God
The novel is as eerie as it sounds; imagine someone eating a death god just because the person found it delicious!!! Overall, it’s a military and super powers-based dark Light Novel, so you can expect much more from it. Though I found the story’s hook a bit weird and cringy, that makes it dark.
Well, just for enjoyment, you can consider reading it. The plot involves thrilling battles that one can’t just stop reading about. Shera, our protagonist, fights for the royal Kingdom’s Army as a soldier after swiftly eating the death god. She finds death god delicious, and the girl doesn’t stop there and looks for more delicious things.
Now I bet you’ll wonder what kind of things she would find delicious from here on, or she might not find anything. I won’t disclose the story because we know that dark light novels are pretty short, so another revelation would be a spoiler.
7. Classroom Of The Elites
Though there isn’t bloodshed, it sure is a mystery, and you might not feel good about certain revelations. Of course, it’s not that dark compared to others, but reading it for fun is good; you won’t regret it. Classroom Of The Elites revolves around students’ lives and how they clear their challenges.
Ayanokoji, our male protagonist, joins an elite school where everyone is given some points. Don’t get it wrong; these points serve instead of money. But, unfortunately, the teachers don’t reveal the details about them, and the students start squandering it without bothering much.
The behavior of the best students changed as they started taking things for granted. At the start of the next month, when everyone was waiting for some more points, they were disappointed to hear that they wouldn’t be getting any. This was all because of their behavior in the last month.
There is competition among all the classes, and Ayanokoji’s class is losing it. Gradually, the curtain rises, and students face different challenges in the most unexpected way possible. Amidst all, our boy befriends Suzune Horikita and a few others.
The readers can’t predict anyone, and most students hide dark secrets behind them. There is politics where all of them plan to win by using others as a stepping stone. That’s what makes it dark! Go ahead if you like reading dark light novels that are unpredictable and love to shock the readers.
P.S. While reading the dark Light Novel, please don’t judge any character as good or bad!
6. Black Bullet
There is action, mystery, and science-fiction to make your reading time of this dark light novel full of delight and thrill. The story occurs in a futuristic and post-apocalyptic time where viral parasites have attacked humanity. The parasites have created a deadly aura and dark atmosphere all over.
The story’s primary focus is on a boy named Rentarou and a girl named Enju. Rentarou and Enju operate under the orders of an organization with expertise in fending off these parasites. One day the main characters get offered by the higher-ups to start their journey on a secret mission. The mission’s main motive is to protect Tokyo from the coming dangers.
Black Bullet will surely keep you at the edge of your seats, and it’s quite an excellent action-suspense story. The story perfectly builds tensions and excitement in the readers. Overall it’s worth spending your time as this offers pretty good character development.
5. Saga Of Tanya The Evil
This is another excellent dark story with a unique and spellbinding concept. Tanya is a cold, intelligent, and ruthless young soldier. To everyone, she is just a young girl, but the reality is different. Inside this delicate girl is the reincarnated soul of a salaryman.
He has been reincarnated and now has to live an everyday life. Not only that, despite being in the military, he should die a normal death. This is what makes Tanya brilliant and a capable soldier. There is action, fantasy, and whatnot.
There is a high possibility that you will enjoy the character development of Tanya; her character is beautifully defined. As a result, even the anime adaptation gained popularity among otaku worldwide.
4. Goblin Slayer
Goblin slayer is the story of a hero who lives his life slaying the goblins. Goblins are evil creatures who feed on humans and brutally harass girls. The plot begins with a young priestess who joins a team of low-rank adventurers. On their journey, they get attacked by the goblins, and to save them comes our Goblin Slayer.
It has a very dark theme with ecchi elements. There are unlimited adventures and fights with the goblins. If you wanted to read something like Dark Fantasy, this might be the one you were looking for. The dark Light Novel was also adapted to anime and was released with 12 episodes in 2018.
The anime also had dark themes and was mostly ecchi. To the dark Light Novel, I’d like to give it 7/10 marks; it’s good if you want to just pass the time.
3. Redo Of Healer
The story is set in a world where people believe healing magicians are good for nothing. Therefore people often bully them and humiliate them. Keyaru is the main lead who lived a life full of misery. Then, one day, his life changed when he realized that healing magic can do wonders and that people are wrong.
He cast his magic on the world, which took him four years back. Now our Keyaru vows to never let the same fate disturb him. There is magic, fantasy, and entertainment. Apart from just spell, the story also focuses on the main lead’s revenge.
The life of our protagonist was very dark, and that’s what makes the whole story dark-themed. The story is very dark, with abusive characters and plenty of violence. So you can avoid reading it if you don’t like such themes.
2. Gosick
What is better than a mystery that leaves you wondering for days? Gosick makes one of those annoying yet bewitching stories with suspense and mystery at their peak. This dark light novel offers much more than one can expect. One can’t simply ignore the cute chemistry of the main characters. Their friendship is what makes Gosick special.
The story focuses on Kazuya, a transfer student, and Victorique, a mysterious girl. When the boy joins the school, he realizes that the school is famous for mystery and horror stories. The mysteries begin when Kazuya notices a girl named Victorique. He observes that the library is like a second home to the girl as he always sees her there.
She is very much intrigued by puzzles and mysteries. She is a genius who can solve cases that even investigative officials can’t do.
Over time, both become excellent friends and team up to solve different mysteries. Their duo is remarkable, and one can’t do anything except admire them. From character writing to development, I am sure you will enjoy every bit of it.
1. Another
This is another puzzling story revolving around school students. The mystery is what makes it grab the reader’s attention, and one simply can’t stop before knowing the details. It is a dark-themed light novel with a touch of horror components. After gaining enough popularity, the light book marked its entry into the anime world.
If you are a person who enjoys unpredictable plots and murder mysteries, then this one is especially for you. The story focuses on Sakakibara, the male protagonist, and Mei Misaki, the female. After joining the school, the boy gets interested in Misaki because of her mysterious personality.
Things start getting spookier when she warns him to stay away from her. Besides, all his classmates seem to behave that she doesn’t exist at all. No one knows who Mei Misaki is; to be more specific; they are terrified to disclose any information about her.
Things don’t stop here; whoever tries to reveal about Misaki eventually dies brutally. Trust me, and when the suspense ends and the author discloses the reasons behind their death, it is just amazing. The plot was utterly unpredictable. The entry of a new character turns the table completely.
I recommend reading this without spoiling your fun if you like thrilling mysteries. The dark light novel also got its anime adaptation, so you can watch the anime.
Conclusion on best dark light novels
Okay, my fellas, with “Another,” we will have to end our discussion so you can finally decide which one to read first (X.D.). I tried to mention different types of dark Light Novels with various genres while focusing on the primary demographic. So, I hope you’ll find something good to read if you find a mystery that you can’t solve or have a supernatural experience, then share it with us in the comments below (only if you like). Until next time!