As one of the most underrated fantasy franchises of all time, Made In Abyss has some of the most heart-wrenching character arcs in modern anime history. With the main focus on children, the show chronicles the journey of Riko and Reg as they journey deeper into the abyss in search of Riko’s mother, the legendary white whistle, Lyza.
Though uplifting at times, the show chronicles the hardships and horrors of the duo (as well as other characters) as they journey deeper into the abyss and its heart of darkness. The abyss is home to countless terrifying flora and fauna, and it delivers a curse that worsens as people go deeper. However, true horror sometimes resides in the actions of people. Those who gaze into the abyss will sometimes find the abyss does more than just gaze back.
5 Orthians Who’ve Succumbed To The Birthday Death Disease
Initially believed to be a rumor, the Birthday Death Disease is a strange ailment that occurs to those who reside in Orth on the surface above the abyss. According to theory, a person will catch the disease on their birthday and die by the end of it, no matter what treatment they’ve received.
The target appears to be young children, and throughout the show, five people have died because of the supposed disease. The only known survivor of the disease is Kiyui, who recovered within minutes after he was taken off the island by Mio onto the Caravan Fleet. It is believed that the praying skeletons found on the edge of the abyss may have perished similarly, but these are mere speculations.
4 Black Whistles In The Garden Of The Flowers Of Resilience
In the film Made In Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul, Riko, Reg, and Nanachi finally make it to the Garden of the Flowers of Resilience, known to be Lyza’s favorite place within the abyss. They soon encounter one of Bondrewd’s men, who informs them that this garden is infested with Amaranthine-Deceptors, insects that hide amongst the eternal fortune flowers and prey upon unsuspecting creatures.
Upon closer inspection, Reg discovers that several Black Whistles are lying in the garden and have been infested by the insects. Once Amaranthine-Deceptors have injected their larvae into a victim’s body, the larvae will multiply rapidly. Once the head is invaded, the victim becomes a food source for as long as it lives. Adult deceptors will sometimes willingly feed themselves to the victims to prolong their survival. It is unknown if the victim has consciousness or not, but regardless, that is one terrible way to die.
3 The Narahate Abandoned In The Miniature Garden Of Dawn
Bondrewd is perhaps one of the most fascinating villains in anime. Though his drive to discover the secrets of the abyss and even defy it is no different from any sort of mad scientist, the pain and horror he inflicts on some of the characters are truly terrifying. A case example is the children he’s experimented on and left to rot in the depths of the miniature garden of dawn.
Bondrewd sought to discover the secrets to overcoming the curse of the 6th layer that mutated or destroyed a person’s humanity. In doing so, he experimented on a great number of children, which included the likes of Nanachi and Mitty. Bondrewd exposed these kids to brutally painful tests, which resulted in practically every child becoming amorphous blobs of flesh with little capacity to think and no capacity to speak. Deemed failures, these former children were tossed back into the miniature garden and were simply left there. Equally disturbing is that Bondrewd continues to ‘care’ for each child and can distinguish each Narehate from one another.
2 Mitty
Mitty was once a girl who longed to be an explorer and delver, but that dream was tragically cut short when she discovered she was a test subject at Ido Front. Harboring great love for Nanachi, Mitty was able to have Nanachi receive the abyss’ blessing but, in the process, was reduced to a slop of flesh, incapable of speech and reason.
Wanting to know more about his subject, Bondrewd conducted more experiments on Mitty’s Narehate form, concluding that she was virtually indestructible and could survive on no water and food. However, these experiments inflicted great pain on Mitty, as demonstrated by the tears and supposed pleas for help. This resulted in Nanachi formulating an escape plan that led the 2 of them into the 4th layer. Having led a painful and tragic life, Mitty was finally put out of her misery by Reg and his incinerator blaster.
1 Prushka
As Bondrewd’s ‘daughter,’ Prushka was originally a dying child of one of the Umbra Hands that served Bondrewd at Ido Front. However, she was adopted and given a new lease on life thanks to the White Whistles' efforts. Introduced in the Dawn of the Deep Soul film, Prushka deeply loves her father and would do anything for him. Unbeknownst to her, Bondrewd had other plans after seeing the result of Nanachi and Mitty’s experiment.
Unlike Mitty, who was loved by Nanachi, Prushka, though also loved by Bondrewd, was a means to an end. She is ultimately turned into one of Bondrewd’s cartridges, which results in him receiving the blessings of the curse (like Nanachi) due to her love and devotion for him as a daughter. The flip side is that even though her love was one-sided, Prushka was able to form a strong bond with Riko, transforming into life reverberating stone and becoming Riko’s white whistle.