The system frames an innocent kid for mass murder, throws him into a prison where inmates fight to the death for entertainment, then reveals the real killer walks free. Ganta's rage at that injustice is the only honest thing in a show designed to punish you for caring about him. The violence isn't window dressing, it's the point, the cost of hope in a world that profits from suffering.

Ganta Igarashi's ordinary school day ends in horror when a mysterious man in red massacres his entire class. Left as the only survivor, he is framed for the killings, sentenced to death after a suspiciously fast trial, and sent to Deadman Wonderland: a theme-park prison where inmates fight in lethal games while crowds cheer. A deadly collar around his neck keeps him in constant danger, and only victories in the prison's contests hold it off. Ganta befriends Shiro, an unusual fellow inmate, and learns he can wield his own spilled blood as a weapon, an ability that may be tied to the Red Man. As he searches for the killer and tries to clear his name, he must fight to stay alive in a place where friend and foe are hard to tell apart. Action, drama and supernatural sci-fi drive the story.