Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt 2010

Panty Anarchy and Stocking Anarchy are two angels kicked out of heaven for misbehavior. They are sent to Daten City, a liminal place between Earth and Heaven, where God tasks them with hunting ghosts—demonic-like beings that terrorize the city’s residents. Each ghost they defeat drops Heaven Coins, which can be saved up to win re-entry into Heaven. Their celestial powers let them turn their clothing into weapons: Panty’s panties become a gun, and Stocking’s stockings become a sword. These powers are incredibly effective against ghosts but do nothing to humans.

They share a home with Garterbelt, a blunt, loud-mouthed priest who hands them the locations of ghost attacks and routinely scolds them for getting sidetracked by their appetites for men and sweets, as well as for their rude attitudes toward everyone around them. A mutant dog named Chuck accompanies them, a creature who can only say its own name and is often the subject of their rough treatment, yet somehow survives every encounter.

As the series unfolds, Panty and Stocking cross paths with Scanty and Kneesocks, two Demon sisters whose powers closely mirror their own, turning them into rivals who can push each other to the edge in combat. The daughters of Corset, the mayor, hunt for “Hell’s Monkey” to use as a key to unlock the gates of Hell and conquer Earth, with an eye toward overthrowing God and seizing control of the universe.

Over time, Panty grows less engaged with ghost-hunting, chasing a personal goal of sexual conquests, while Stocking continues to do most of the work. When the duo finally earns enough Heaven Coins to enter Heaven, only Stocking is admitted; Panty is kept out for slacking off. God strips Panty of her powers, severing her access to the Angelic Guns and permanently locking her out of Heaven. Panty’s attitude hardens, and she resumes her reckless behavior, ignoring the ban and continuing to pursue men.

Panty is eventually ejected from Garterbelt’s church for being no longer useful without her powers. She heads to confront the barrier keeping Hell sealed, aided by Brief, a shy, geeky boy who has a crush on Panty. Panty and Stocking’s dynamic with Brief is contentious and cruel at times, as they bully him and doubt his safety, but they also show moments of concern as the story progresses.

Panty’s attempt to pry open Hell hinges on a bizarre plan involving Brief’s virginity, because the barrier’s keywork responds to him. Panty tries to break the key by engaging with Brief, but Brief ends up falling into the Keyhole and beginning the process regardless. Corset, Scanty, and Kneesocks move to attack Panty, but Stocking drops down from Heaven to fight them off, and Panty regains her powers after another round of interaction with Brief.

With help from Heaven forces, Panty and Stocking manage to defeat Corset and seem to stop the opening of Hell. Yet the victory turns darker when Stocking suddenly kills Panty, tearing her into 666 pieces, and reveals that Panty is actually a Demon. Corset reappears as a small blob and informs them there is another Hell gate that Brief must open, promising to resurrect Panty if he does so. Corset and Stocking depart, leaving Panty’s remains behind as a trail for the others to follow. In the season’s final moments, Garterbelt tells Brief that he and Chuck must journey to the other gate of Hell to bring Stocking back to life.