Made in Abyss Watch Order: The Best Way to Watch

You watch one trailer of Made in Abyss, and you think, “Wow, that’s a cute anime with some stellar animation!” That’s why first impressions should never be trusted. Because what do you get from the trailer?

Cute character designs? Check. Whimsical fantasy world? Check. A small child going on an adventure? What could possibly go wrong? 

Everything. Absolutely everything can go wrong when you dive into Made in Abyss without any idea of what you’re getting into. This is one of those rare anime that lures you in with cozy vibes and then emotionally dropkicks you down a bottomless pit (which, coincidentally, is also the main setting). 

Before you even get to the trauma, there’s the watch order confusion, thanks to the series having multiple movies (some canon, some completely skippable), and a sequel season that refuses to hold your hand. The good news? The watch order is actually very simple. Read along to avoid the traps in between.

Made in Abyss Watch Order: The Masterlist for Easy Access

If you want to brave entering this series completely blind, kudos to you! Just follow this masterlist to get a better idea of what to add to your watchlist.

Do you need to watch everything? Not if you’re a completionist. 

If you want the best Made in Abyss watch order, then start with Season 1, move to Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul, and then finish off the series with Season 2.

Why skip the other films? Well, you’ll get your answer soon enough.

Every Entry In The Made in Abyss Watch Order

1. Made in Abyss Season 1 (2017) 

The first few glimpses of this season do a great job at masquerading as a kid’s adventure anime. Season 1 introduces Riko, an overly optimistic cave raider, and Reg, a robot boy with missing memories and suspiciously convenient abilities. Together, they decide that descending into a giant, cursed abyss is a great life choice.

At first, it feels like a classic adventure story with beautiful landscapes, mysterious relics, and a sense of wonder that lives in every scene. Then the Abyss starts showing its rules, and suddenly, this isn’t a feel-good journey anymore. 

By the time you reach the final episodes, you’ll understand why this show has a reputation. Let’s just say that it escalates really quickly.

2. Made in Abyss: Journey’s Dawn (2019) 

This movie is practically a “speedrun” version of Season 1. It condenses multiple episodes into a single movie.

While it seems efficient, you quickly realize that Made in Abyss thrives on slow tension, atmosphere, and emotional buildup. Compressing that is like fast-forwarding through a horror movie and expecting it to still hit the same. 

If you’re rewatching a long time after you watched Season 1, then go for it. But if you’re binging this, then skip it. You’re only cheating yourself and wasting your time.

3. Made in Abyss: Wandering Twilight (2019) 

This is basically Part 2 of the recap experiment. You get the same deal as Journey’s Dawn, but this one covers the latter half of Season 1. It hits the major plot points, but trims down the quieter moments that actually make the emotional punches land.

Unfortunately, you want those moments intact if you truly want to experience this anime. So, unless you’re in a rush (or doing a recap before Season 2), this is another easy skip.

4. Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul (2020) 

This is the movie that actually matters (a.k.a., will emotionally ruin your week). Dawn of the Deep Soul is a direct continuation of Season 1.

It’s not a side story, nor is it optional. If you skip this and jump to Season 2, you’ll be confused within minutes and probably regret your life choices shortly after. 

This is where the series introduces Bondrewd, a character who somehow manages to be calm, polite, and absolutely horrifying at the same time. The movie pushes the story into darker territory, raising the stakes and making it painfully clear that the Abyss is not something to be conquered, but something to survive.

5. Season 2: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun (2022) 

Season 2 picks up immediately where Dawn of the Deep Soul leaves off and dives even deeper (literally and emotionally). There’s no recap, no gentle reintroduction, just a continuation of the story with higher stakes and heavier themes. 

This arc expands the lore of the Abyss in fascinating (and often disturbing) ways, while continuing to push its characters to their limits. It’s more complex, more intense, and somehow even more unsettling.

Basically, if you made it this far, you’re in it for the long haul.

The Best Made in Abyss Watch Order Made Easy

For a series that looks complicated on paper, the Made in Abyss watch order is refreshingly simple once you cut out the fluff. The recap movies are optional at best and redundant at worst. They exist, but you won’t miss anything by skipping them. 

What you will experience, though, is one of the most beautifully animated and emotionally devastating anime out there. It may look soft and inviting on the surface, but Made in Abyss is the kind of story that stays with you long after you’ve climbed back out.

Dishari Sarkar

Writer. Dreamer. Journalist (maybe?). Anime lover (definitely). I turn curiosity into stories and everyday life into a narrative worth reading.

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