As one of the more misunderstood genres of anime, horror gives viewers an insight into elements of the paranormal while illustrating mentally unstable characters. There are plenty of series that don't shy away from major themes of gore, violence, and psychological trauma, but not all of them get their inspiration from Japanese thrillers.
Many anime series that have gained popularity reflect horror styles from well-known Western movies. Whether the creators realized this connection or not is unknown, but viewers are encouraged to recognize how Western ideas of fear and thrill play out in these anime series.
10 Future Diary's Yuno Gasai Exhibits Obsession Seen In The Roommate
Death Note's Yuno Gasai starts off as an innocent schoolgirl with a crush on her classmate, Yuki Amano. As the storyline progresses, Yuno's personality takes a turn for the worse. She will do anything to protect the person she loves, even if it means killing Yuki's friends in the process.
Her love for him leads to jealousy, rage, and even secrets. Viewers can see the same female role shown in The Roommate when an obsessive friend is willing to inflict violence on anyone who is too close to the person she loves.
9 Another Skillfully Displays Psychological Horror Akin To Paranormal Activity
After transferring to a new school, Koichi Sakakibara gets entangled in a mysterious string of deaths within a third-year classroom. He soon interacts with Mei Misaki, an enigmatic girl that his classmates warn him not to get involved with. Although this series only had a total of 12 episodes, the plot thickens quickly, with the paranormal being the focus.
Ghosts are an element that Another uses well, and top-ranking films like Paranormal Activity have been displaying the same concepts for years. However, this anime does an exceptional job at displaying the emotional outbursts of the characters instead of just emphasizing fear.
8 Blood-C Has An Unexpected Twist That Makes It Stand Out
Blood-C follows Saya Kisaragi through her journey as a swordswoman. She has only one task given by her father: defeat all of the Elder Bairns in the village. During the day, Saya lives the life of a regular school girl. At night, she eliminates creatures whose sole purpose is to feed on human blood.
Viewers are in for a surprise twist of a lifetime at the end of the series, which is what makes this horror series special. It's the anticipation for what happens in the dark that connects this plot to others in the horror genre.
7 Tokyo Ghoul's Hunger For Human Flesh Hearkens To The Silence Of The Lambs
Ken Kaneki has a craving for only one thing in Tokyo Ghoul: human flesh. It didn't start off this way, though. Ken was first introduced as a quirky protagonist whose head was always in a book until his transfusion with the serial killer Rize Kamishiro turns him into a half-human, half-ghoul.
He's forced to battle his humanity and uncontrollable hunger for flesh before joining other ghouls in Anteiku. Ken's characterization draws some resemblance to Hannibal from the movie The Silence of the Lambs, where cannibalism is a factor of fear.
6 Devilman Crybaby's Ultra-Violence Sets It Apart From Other Horror Anime
Devilman Crybaby is known for its use of bizarre characters and paranoia. The violence and trauma shown are so eminent that Netflix has the show rated as TV-MA for its nightmarish imagery. At first, the storyline is a bit hard to follow.
Audiences are quickly thrown into Akira's world as he unites with a demon. With the power of a demon and the soul of a human, Akira seeks to stop evil and save other human-demon hybrids. Because the main topic is demonic possession, it's no secret why this series is influenced by Western paranormal films.
5 Hell Girl Focuses On Karmic Endings For Antagonists
Enma Ai is seen as both the protagonist and antagonist of this psychological series. Because of her title as the "Girl From Hell," Enma is responsible for carrying out grudges that others hold toward their tormentors. She's seen as a hero to those who have experienced pain and cruelty and an enemy to those she drags to hell because of their wrongdoings.
From afar, Enma comes off as an innocent bystander, but her cold personality makes her role even more chilling. There are many parallels from Hell Girl that we also see in movies where unforeseen forces carry out karmic endings.
4 The Promised Neverland Features Luring Innocent Children Like Pennywise The Clown
At first glance, The Promised Neverland looks like a show that focuses on naive childhood experiences and connections. The first episode further supports this by only showing interactions between the characters in the orphanage. It's the last couple of minutes that are crucial, as this is when viewers see the innocence of a child dissolved into pure terror.
Viewers are launched into a storyline where children are seen as commodities that are raised only to become demon food. Using childhood ignorance as a means of manipulation and terror is also seen in the franchise It, where kids are lured in by a bright, red balloon.
3 Danganronpa Has A Dilemma That's Reminiscent Of Escape Room
Famous for its Japanese video game franchise, Danganronpa starts off with many iconic characters, like Junko Enoshima and Makoto Naegi, entering Hope's Peak Academy without the ability to escape. Unfortunately, nobody remembers how they got to the school, who they were before getting there, or who their family is.
Before they can properly think about their situation, a bear named Monokuma gives them one mission: kill your classmates without getting caught and you can leave. This is a murder game that resembles Escape Room, with death or survival being the only two options.
2 High School Of The Dead's Zombie Apocalypse Has Both Western & Eastern Influences
There's one fear that's been consistently shared among both Western and Eastern cultures: zombie apocalypses. High School Of The Dead encapsulates this universal dread by setting the plot in a world where a pandemic turns humans into zombies. The audience follows a group of high school students as try to find safety in the streets of Japan.
This is more of a survival series than one based on characters with psychological problems, but seeing the characters confront their flight or fight response on television creates a sense of stress that differs from other horror series.
1 Shiki Uses Vampires As Its Sympathetic Antagonists
In the small rural town of Sotoba, three corpses are discovered. At first, the townspeople believe that these deaths are a result of a disease. It's not until Toshio Ozaki investigates the scene that he discovers Shiki, also known as vampires, are the cause of deaths in town.
One after one, murders of the villagers continue. This tragic series highlights the use of supernatural creatures to strike unknown fear into others. While vampires may not be strictly a Westernized idea, using them in films became extremely popularized in America.
