Ask any fan why they love anime, and one of the more popular answers is sure to be the way the storyline and plot can change from one genre to the other, subverting the viewers' expectations in a smart and meaningful way. This can mean a lot of things depending on the opinion of who's watching, and some movies and shows have a single scene that completely changes an anime's direction.
A lot can happen in this kind of scene. Often it's the major reversal that happens near the beginning to get the story going, but it could also be in the form of a startling revelation or the intersection of new characters into the plot. Sometimes, it can completely change the tone and direction of a movie or series, as evidenced by these iconic anime examples.
6 The Bindings Break - Neon Genesis Evangelion
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It looks like another mecha at first, just one more anime about big giant robots in an already bloated genre. The series leads the viewer to believe that as well, distracting them with visions of the human apocalypse, alien attacks, and of course a big flashy weapon. The viewer is told the complex story of Shinji's first experience as an Eva pilot in a series of flashbacks that takes up the first few episodes of the series.
Shinji defeats the Angel, but the armor on the Eva's face is badly damaged, and a reflective surface gives Shinji a look at its true face. Instead of a machine, Shinji sees an organic eye staring back at him. Neon Genesis Evangelion is actually anti-mecha, and the Evas are not really robots at all but a step in the chain of human evolution. This revelation takes the story in a completely new direction.
5 A Motorcycle Accident - Akira
The first part of Akira feels like a crime and punishment type of movie, initially focusing on gang violence and high-speed motorcycles. In fact, it takes viewers a while to find out who the titular character even is, and part of that is revealed when one of those street chases ends up going horribly wrong.
Kaneda is the leader of a local gang, who, along with his best friend Tetsuo, gets into a life-and-death scuffle with his motorcycle during a violent protest. A whole other element is introduced when Tetsuo gets into an accident with an escapee from a nearby government lab. The authorities recapture him as well as take the injured Tetsuo into custody, and the setting and tone change from cops and robbers to physical and psychological horror.
4 Your Parents Are Pigs - Spirited Away
Considering how cute and fuzzy Studio Ghibli films usually make viewers feel, this one pushes the envelope more than its predecessors with a sudden and terrifying turnaround at the very beginning. This isn't a whimsical trip to a magical wonderland, it's a harrowing fall down a terrifying and confusing rabbit hole, in which a giant spider works the bellows in a bathhouse and a witch can steal a person's name.
Spirited Away takes a more serious look at fairy tales with some gruesome monsters and spells, like the one that turns Chihiro's mom and dad into pigs. The food here is enchanted and meant for the ghostly guests, so when humans eat it, they turn into animals. The audience expected the protagonist to have to find a way back home, but the stakes are much higher now that she has to find her parents and change them back before they end up on platters themselves.
3 A Car Bomb - Redline
The Redline Race that gives this movie its name is so popular that some nefarious people have a lot at stake depending on the outcome. The movie starts with one of the qualifying races, and, when it comes to an end, the viewer understands that there's a lot more at stake here than just a win.
The mafia has their own pick in the race, and they've instructed driver Sweet JP to take second place, or else. JP decides to defy them and takes the top spot anyway, and this is when the audience discovers just what the bad guys are capable of when the bomb goes off. From now on, the story is as much about survival as it is about winning.
2 A Cyborg Who Dives - Ghost In The Shell
Neither Batou nor the viewer understands how far Mokoto's existential crisis has gone until the diving scene. What looks harmless and even idyllic is a life-threatening feat for a cyborg that only sinks. Viewers who were paying attention at the beginning remember how the Major bent that massive steel beam when she jumped off a building, so this isn't as benign as it seems.
The protagonist does a lot of dangerous things as part of her job, but here she is doing something equally life-threatening just for fun. This is another anime that starts out as mecha and becomes an anti-mecha at some point in the story. Instead of a movie about a specialized unit of LEOs, the viewer is plunged into a search for serious questions about the nature of intelligence, information, and even existence.
1 Hey, Zuko Here - Avatar: The Last Airbender
It was doubtful at first if the writers were going to take a chance and try to bring Zukop back a second time, since he betrayed the protagonists once already, and taking him in shifted the anime's direction as far as the Fire Lord and his family was concerned. The dilemma always remained regarding who was going to teach Aang fire-bending, and it was an interesting twist to the story making him the least likely candidate.
Finding anyone from the Fire Nation was difficult, and a teacher from the royal family was an even longer shot, so when Zuko is accepted back into the fold it completely changes the direction of the storyline. Not only does Aang now have a teacher, but the final battle is shaping up to be a one-on-one affair between the Avatar and the Firelord as opposed to a big, decisive battle like the original plan on the Day of Black Sun.