Halloween is the perfect time to enjoy a classic horror film. In American media, four slasher villains dominate the public consciousness to the point that you could call them the unofficial mascots of Halloween. These villains are Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th, Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, Micheal Myers from Halloween and Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. These blood-soaked slashers are also very popular in Japan. This popularity means they'll often be referenced in some very unexpected places, including anime and manga.
Yakumo Oomori
The world of Tokyo Ghoul is full of dangerous flesh-eating ghouls who secretly walk among the populous. Yakumo Oomori, a member of the terrorist organization Aogiri Tree and leader of the White Suits gang, is one of the most violent Ghouls. Yakumo is known for being a sadist, a trait he picked up while being tortured in a ghoul detention center. While locked up, he learned many ways to hurt and torment ghouls, including his horrific finger cracking technique that he uses to break the fingers of his victims.
Because of his sadistic streak, Yakumo was nicknamed Jason. And, due to his ties to the 13th ward, this nickname quickly morphed into the 13th Ward's Jason -- an obvious reference to the Friday The 13th franchise. Just like his namesake, Yakumo wears a hockey mask. However, rather than Jason's rags or boilersuit, Yakumo pairs his mask with a fetching white suit, which, while more stylish, doesn't make him any less intimidating.
The Disas
Set in a world where girls were given magical girl powers to fight a war against evil invaders called the Disas, Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka follows war survivor Asuka as she is dragged back into combat after the re-appearance of the Disas. This series is jammed full of references, mostly to other magical girl shows like Cardcaptor Sakura, but there are plenty of other references in the show -- including ones to Goblin Slayer and the 1998 film, Saving Private Ryan.
The various Disas monsters the girls' fight are split into classes. The lower level ones resemble stuffed animals. However, the more powerful ones are named after horror movies, including the Halloween class, Gremlin class and the Cenobite class. One of the most threatening Disas is the hulking Voorhees Disas. This creature carries a spiked bat and wears a metal goalie mask. While this mask isn't identical to one Jason wears, it is still abundantly clear why this class of Disas is called Voorhees.
Chopman
The Yu-Gi-Oh manga is home to many horrific creatures but Chopman might just take the cake. According to Kaiba, Chopman murdered ten boy scouts who were staying at the Domino Lake summer camp in the same that Jason Voorhees slew campers at Camp Crystal Lake. However, Chopman's design is a fusion of several different slasher movie characters. The large stitches on his mask and his tangled hair make him resemble Leatherface. His use of a chainsaw is also very reminiscent of Leatherface. But, his personality is much closer to Freddy Krueger, as he is very aware of his murderous tendencies and makes a few wisecracks.
Kaiba tracks down Chopman and decides to hire him to be one of the traps in Death-T, his evil amusement park. Yugi and his friends are forced to fight Chopman. However, all does not go to plan as Jonouchi/Joey tricks Chopman and escapes. This escape sets the room on fire, burning Chopman alive, a fate very reminiscent of Freddy Krueger's original death.
Sonson-J
Soul Eater has no shortage of weird and eccentric characters. However, even among this cast, Sonson-J stands out. In the manga, Sonson-J is one of many beings on Shinigami's List. This list is a collection of all the people whose souls are so corrupted that they can be freely killed. In the anime, Sonson-J's soul is a Kishin egg, meaning that it has become so corrupted by evil deeds, Sonson-J is at risk of becoming a monstrous Kishin.
Sonson-J's backstory makes it clear why his soul is so corrupted. Known as the Bloodthirsty Killer of Emerald Lake, Sonson-J is said to have killed hundreds of people who were vacationing at Emerald Lake. Sonson-J wears a burlap sack over his head, making him resemble the version of Jason seen in Friday The 13th Part 2. His weapon of choice is a machete, another one of Jason's signatures. To make the reference even more obvious, the back of Sonson-J's shirt has 13th written on it. But this shouldn't be surprising as Soul Eater is full of horror references, including nods to the Blair Witch Project and Twin Peaks.
Jason
A story about a bumbling student magician who looks like Little Red Riding Hood is the last place you would expect to find a slasher villain. But, Akazukin Chacha features one of the most detailed references on this list. The 67th episode of the anime, entitled "Dread! Friday the 12th," is a parody of Friday The 13th Part 2.
When the students and teachers from Urara Magic School go on a trip to a lakeside campground, the headmaster tells them the legend of Jason, a masked man who is said to lurk in the woods around the area. While going for a late-night bathroom trip, the girls encounter a masked man who keeps shouting "Jason." The girls run, only to be pursued around the campsite by Jason. Eventually, the girls find Jason's cabin, only to learn that he is a simple wood-cutter who collects masks as a hobby. He only wanted to return an earring one of the girls lost, making this a charming subversion of the usual Jason references.
