Halloween is just around the corner! If you're looking for some fun scares, here are some of the scariest anime characters of all time.
Below, you will find a combination of monstrous characters whose appearance gave us nightmares, as well as those who look regular but shocked us with their actions.
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Makima from Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Man's Makima might look like a pretty young woman, but her behavior is extremely creepy from the start.
When she recruits Denji, she asks him to behave like a dog for her and she expects absolute obedience from all her subordinates.
Later episodes reveal that she has terrifying powers, such as the ability to kill people from afar.
You don't want to be in her bad books, but being on good terms with her isn't a much better alternative.
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Lucy from Elfen Lied
Lucy from Elfen Lied is scary due to how unpredictable she is. While she used to be a friendly person, humanity's cruelty unlocked her terrifying power.
At the beginning of the dystopian anime, she's an amoral killer who will use her telekinetic powers to kill anyone who gets in her way.
An accident causes her to revert to an innocent, child-like personality. You never know when she may turn back, but her backstory indicates that humans might actually be the scary ones.
Johan Liebert from Monster
Johan Liebert from Monster is a soft-spoken, angelic-looking man, but he is a psychopath at his core.
While he does not possess the physical or supernatural power of shounen anime characters, he's still much, much creepier than them.
Johan is so intelligent that he doesn't even need to kill his victims with his own hands; he can talk anyone into killing themselves.
He might not look monstrous, but you don't want to be in the same room as him.
Shou Tucker from Fullmetal Alchemist
Shou Tucker from Fullmetal Alchemist traumatized many of us when we watched the show as children (or even adults).
He isn't even the show's main villain, but he commits one of the worst actions we have ever seen in anime.
What makes him even scarier is that he is an affable enough man who doesn't strike you as a complete monster at first.
But his quest for scientific knowledge takes him down an unspeakably dark path.
Tucker will hurt those closest to him to achieve his goals, even his own daughter and her dog.
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No Face from Spirited Away
No Face doesn't look like much when you're an adult, but his expressionless mask can be pretty scary for kids.
He may appear peaceful enough in the most well-known Spirited Away posters, but he's a voracious spirit who wreaks havoc in the bathhouse.
Unlike other characters on this list, No Face isn't inherently evil. His hunger proves to be emotional and not as unsatiable as initially suspected.
Kyubey from Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Kyubey looks like a cute pokemon or cat sidekick. They first appear in Puella Magi Madoka Magika as a helper who accompanies the main character in her magical girl journey.
But Kyubey's innocent appearance is deceptive. They are, in fact, a monster who coerces young girls into the magical girl business, only to drain their energy.
Kyubey is only interested in their own gain and they serve as a deconstruction of the animal sidekicks we saw in earlier magical girl anime like Sailor Moon.
Ryuk from Death Note
Death Note was the first adult anime for many of us, and Ryuk's appearance is... memorable.
His huge yellow eyes, ever-smiling mouth, and sharp teeth make him look like he's come out of a nightmare.
In terms of his personality, he's more amoral than evil, as he follows Light for fun, without necessarily agreeing with everything he does.
That being said, throwing a Death Note into the world was not a very nice thing to do.
Still, some will argue that Light is the scariest one of the pair. They wouldn't be wrong.
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Mahito from Jujutsu Kaisen
Several parts of Mahito's body seem to have been stitched back together. If this isn't enough to make you uncomfortable, his actions certainly are.
He is a sadistic character who manipulates others and causes a lot of pain and suffering. What makes him scary is that he has fun while doing this.
He's arguably one of Jujutsu Kaisen's creepiest villains, although, he at least shows some vulnerability that makes him three-dimensional.
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The Smiling Titan from Attack on Titan
All Titans are scary, but the Smiling Titan has given us nightmares. There's simply something wrong with its eternal grin and too many teeth.
As if watching the Titan eat Eren's mother wasn't traumatizing enough, Attack on Titan makes further revelations that make the Smiling Titan simply too creepy to dwell on.
Gotou from Parasyte: The Maxim
The idea of alien parasites that invade human bodies is scary enough in its own right.
So, seeing it embodied in the character of Gotou is truly nightmarish. Gotou is a supervillain with five different parasites in him.
Some characters on this list are monstrous either because of their appearance or because of their evil deeds — Gotou is both.
Mad Pierrot from Cowboy Bebop
If clown-like characters scare you, you may find Mad Pierrot from Cowboy Bebop terrifying.
While the anime never really ventures into full horror, Mad Pierrot's moments are amongst the scariest in the show.
There's just something creepy about permanent smiles.
Hisoka Morow from Hunter x Hunter
Hisoka looks pretty cool appearance-wise, but he's an absolute monster.
He's a sadistic, violent character, who won't stop at anything. He's even willing to harm children to get what he wants.
Hisoka's obsessive nature makes him one of the most creepy shounen villains.
Isabella from The Promised Neverland
Isabella is one of the scariest anime characters but also one of our favorite villains.
The dissonance in her is extreme. On one hand, she's motherly and thinks she truly loves the children she cares for.
On the other hand, she coldly gives these children away to be eaten to ensure her survival.
How a character could maintain these two opposite stances and remain sane is beyond us.
She's also extremely clever and always a step ahead of the children, so you are always at the edge of your seat when she's around.
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