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Elfen Lied (2004)

Series · 25m episodes · Rated TV-MA · In Japanese
ActionAdventureAnimationAnimeDramaFantasyForeign (non-English)MysterySci-Fi

A dangerous mutant with telekinetic powers escapes a government lab, bringing bleak, surreal destruction.

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The Diclonius, a mutated homo sapien that is said to be selected by God and will eventually become the destruction of mankind, possesses two horns in their heads, and has a "sixth sense" which gives it telekinetic abilities. Due to this dangerous power, they have been captured and isolated in laboratories by the government. Lucy, a young and psychotic Diclonius, manages to break free of her confines and brutally murder most of the guards in the laboratory, only to get shot in the head as she makes her escape. She survives and manages to drift along to a beach, where two teenagers named Kouta and Yuka discovers her. Having lost her memories, she was named after the only thing that she can now say, "Nyuu," and the two allow her to stay at Kouta's home. However, it appears that the evil "Lucy" is not dead just yet...

How intense is Elfen Lied?

Scaremildly scary
Goreextreme gore
Violencebrutal violence
Emotional weightdevastating

Elfen Lied is mildly scary, with extreme gore and brutal violence. Emotionally it is devastating. The pace is measured, and it is a full-attention watch. Rated TV-MA.

What Elfen Lied feels like

Tone
bleakgrittymelancholysurreal
Pace
Measured
Best for
Full attention

Where to stream Elfen Lied

Not on a US subscription service at our last check. Rent or buy may still be an option.

US availability via TMDB, last checked Sep 9, 2026. The app filters picks to the services you actually have.

Is Elfen Lied for you?

Is Elfen Lied scary?

Only a little. Elfen Lied has a few tense moments (scare level 1 of 3), nothing that follows you to bed.

Is Elfen Lied gory or violent?

Extreme gore (3 of 3) and brutal violence (3 of 3). If graphic gore is a dealbreaker, skip it.

Is Elfen Lied sad or heavy?

Yes. Emotional weight 3 of 3. It hits hard; do not plan anything light after.

Is Elfen Lied OK for kids?

It is rated TV-MA, so it is made for adults. Intensity: scare 1, gore 3, violence 3, each out of 3.

How long is Elfen Lied?

Episodes run about 25m.

Where can I stream Elfen Lied?

Elfen Lied is not on a US subscription service right now (rent or buy may still be an option).

Does Elfen Lied have a happy ending? spoiler-safe answer

No. Brace yourself.

Cast and crew

StarringChihiro Suzuki, Sanae Kobayashi, Emiko Hagiwara, Hiroaki Hirata, Hitomi Nabatame, Jouji Nakata

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This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.