Guilty Crown

Shu Ouma is a reserved high school student whose life flips when he unexpectedly acquires the "Power of the Kings," an ability that pulls physical manifestations called Voids out of other people. After that incident he gets swept up with Funeral Parlor, a resistance group fighting to reclaim Japan from the occupying GHQ. Shu is pushed into combat and leadership roles he never wanted, and he struggles with how wielding other people's Voids affects his conscience and relationships. At the same time, disturbing clues about his past surface and tie him directly to the larger conflict, raising questions about trust, loyalty, and the cost of wielding power.

Guilty Crown premiered in 2011 and was created by Ichiro Okouchi and Hiroyuki Yoshino. The main voice cast includes Yuki Kaji as Shu, Yuichi Nakamura as Gai, Ai Kayano as Inori, Kana Hanazawa as Ayase, and Ayana Taketatsu as Tsugumi.

The series didn't earn major international awards, so there aren't big industry trophies to list. It did spark attention in anime fan circles and year-end discussions, which kept it visible among genre releases even without mainstream prize recognition.

Within fandom Guilty Crown made a noticeable impact, particularly through its visual style and character designs. Inori became a popular figure in cosplay and fan art, and several scenes and images from the show turned into frequent references online. That ongoing presence in fan communities has helped sustain interest in the series beyond its initial broadcast window.

Reception has been mixed to positive, reflected in an average vote of 7.317/10 from 221 votes. Viewers often praise the show's animation quality, action sequences, and strong character moments, while some critique focuses on uneven pacing and narrative choices in later episodes. Central themes include the ethics of power, personal guilt, identity under occupation, and how political struggle reshapes relationships.