The Seven Deadly Sins
The Seven Deadly Sins is a popular Japanese fantasy adventure anime series centered around a group of legendary knights, each named after one of the seven deadly sins, who were falsely accused of treason against the Liones Kingdom. The story follows Princess Elizabeth, who seeks out these knights ten years after the alleged coup, to help her reclaim her kingdom from a tyrannical regime of Holy Knights. The series blends epic battles, magical powers, and intricate character relationships with elements of comedy and romance. It is generally targeted towards a teen and young adult audience, often carrying a PG-13 or TV-14 rating due to its mature themes, including significant fantasy violence, suggestive content, and complex narrative arcs. While presenting a grand quest for justice and redemption, the series contains elements that parents may find concerning, particularly regarding sexualized imagery and depictions of non-consensual touching played for humor.
Concerns
Violence
HighThe series features frequent and intense fantasy violence, including sword fights, magical attacks, and brutal battles. While often stylized, it depicts characters sustaining significant injuries and can be graphic, with the intensity escalating in later seasons, particularly during the war against the Demon Clan.
Characters engage in powerful magical and physical attacks, such as in the war against the Demon Clan in 'Wrath of the Gods,' where battles are described as more brutal and involve immense destruction. Throughout the series, intense sword fights and magical blasts lead to visible injuries and characters being thrown around, with the violence consistently present, although often stylized.
Romance and Sexual Content
HighA significant and recurring concern is the presence of explicit fan service and suggestive themes, notably involving the main character, Meliodas, engaging in non-consensual touching of female characters, which is often played for comedic effect. Female characters are frequently portrayed in revealing attire, emphasizing cleavage and buttocks.
Meliodas, the main character, repeatedly grabs Elizabeth's breasts and lifts her skirt, often portraying these actions as a running gag throughout the series, which some viewers find to be sexual assault played for humor. Female characters like Diane are often depicted in revealing outfits that emphasize their physical attributes, and some scenes in the anime and its game adaptation specifically focus on their buttocks or cleavage.
Witchcraft & Occult
HighMagic and the occult are central to the series' fantasy setting, with widespread use of spells, supernatural abilities, and the prominent presence of various mystical races including demons, goddesses, fairies, and giants. The plot revolves around a war involving these supernatural entities, with dark magic frequently depicted as a menacing force.
The primary antagonists are often members of the Demon Clan, including the Ten Commandments, who utilize dark magic and possess formidable supernatural powers, driving significant conflict in the narrative. Merlin, one of the titular Seven Deadly Sins, is a powerful sorceress who uses complex magical spells and artifacts extensively, highlighting the pervasive nature of magic within the world of the series.
Scary & Intense Content
HighThe series contains numerous scary and intense scenes, primarily stemming from its high-stakes battles, menacing antagonists, and dark magical elements. Characters frequently face peril, and the overall tone can be serious, creating tension and potentially unsettling younger or sensitive viewers.
The Demon Clan characters and their use of dark magic are consistently portrayed as menacing and unsettling, contributing to frightening scenes and moments of high suspense for the protagonists. Characters are often involved in life-threatening battles and situations of extreme danger, particularly when confronting powerful adversaries like the Ten Commandments, which maintains a consistently tense and serious atmosphere throughout the series.
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
MediumThe series includes canonically gay and implied transgender characters, though some representations have been met with mixed reactions from fans. The author confirmed a character's homosexuality, and another character's gender identity is explored through a lack of assigned sex and social transition.
Slader is confirmed by the author in a Q&A to be a canonically gay character and expresses romantic interest in Gowther, stating Gowther is 'his kind of man'. Nasiens, a character in the sequel manga, is depicted as a fairy/giant hybrid born without an assigned sex (Chapter 140) and socially transitions from being perceived as a boy to identifying as a woman, eventually entering a polyamorous relationship with Percival and Anghalhad.
Profanity
MediumThe series includes mild to moderate profanity, with some curse words appearing in dialogue. The language tends to intensify during emotional or high-stakes scenes, aligning with content typically found in PG-13 or mild R-rated productions.
The ESRB rating for 'The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia' game notes 'Mild Language,' specifically mentioning the words 'a*s' and 'bastard' in the dialogue. In the anime, dialogue can include language described as being in line with PG-13 or mild R-rated movie dialogue, with intensity increasing during emotionally charged moments.
Substance Use
MediumAlcohol consumption is a common element in the series, as the main character, Meliodas, operates a mobile tavern. Characters are frequently shown drinking alcoholic beverages, and there are references to wine, ale, and getting drunk.
Meliodas owns and operates the 'Boar Hat,' a mobile tavern, where characters are routinely depicted consuming various alcoholic beverages like ale. The game adaptation, 'Knights of Britannia,' also includes instances where patrons in taverns discuss wine, ale, and getting drunk.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumDisrespect and rebellion are central themes, as the protagonists, the Seven Deadly Sins, are initially branded as traitors and operate outside of established law. They actively defy corrupt authority figures, particularly the Holy Knights, in their quest to expose the truth and restore justice.
The titular Seven Deadly Sins are a group of powerful knights who are initially perceived as rebellious traitors and actively defy the corrupt Holy Knights and the established kingdom authority to uncover the truth and restore peace. Many characters, including Meliodas, exhibit sarcastic remarks and a generally defiant attitude towards those in power, particularly the Holy Knights who initially hunt them.
Anti-Christian Themes
MediumWhile the title 'The Seven Deadly Sins' is derived from Roman Catholic theology, the series reinterprets these concepts as names for powerful fantasy characters within its own distinct mythology. It introduces its own 'Goddess Clan' and 'Demon Clan' as central divine and demonic forces, rather than directly referencing or mocking Christian beliefs, though the thematic reappropriation might be a concern for some Christian viewers.
The series borrows the concept of the 'Seven Deadly Sins' (Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth) from Roman Catholic theology but transforms them into individual characters with supernatural powers in a fantasy setting, rather than directly portraying them as theological vices. The narrative establishes its own pantheon of 'Goddess Clan' and 'Demon Clan' as the primary spiritual forces, creating a unique mythological framework that diverges from traditional Christian cosmology.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
Ages 16+ with parental guidance. While often rated PG-13 or TV-14, the frequent and explicit fan service, including non-consensual touching, along with intense fantasy violence and mature thematic content, necessitates a higher age recommendation for parental discretion. The evolving content, particularly in later seasons and sequels, introduces more complex and potentially challenging themes.
Additional Notes
The quality of animation reportedly shifted after Studio Deen took over production from A-1 Pictures, which some fans have noted. Parental discussions on forums often highlight the fan service and sexual humor as the primary reasons for caution with younger viewers, even over the violence. The series is known for its complex plotlines that may be difficult for younger children to follow, and later installments in the manga (like 'Four Knights of the Apocalypse') introduce contentious narrative choices regarding character sexual orientation, such as Gawain's 'curse' to be lesbian which is later removed, sparking significant fan backlash.
Related Reviews
Is The Seven Deadly Sins right for your family?
These concerns are a starting point — what many Christian parents care about. Want to screen for other themes? Define your own concerns.
Screen any book, movie, or show — even titles no one else has reviewed.
“StoryScanner gives us clarity and confidence. It's become our go-to for checking books at the library and movies on family night.”
— Cristi & Brian, Dallas TX
“StoryScanner has been such a BLESSING for researching books for our children. You can set filters for your concerns, enter a book title, and it lets you know what's present.”
— Christian Book Reviews for Families (Facebook)
No credit card required