It is one thing to watch a horror anime series or to read a horror manga, but experiencing horrifying creepy Anime characters is another thing altogether.
Some characters have grotesque designs, others are downright brutal sociopaths, and then some are so subtle that they scare us on a psychological level.
No matter how we look at it, here are some creepy Anime characters that totally creep us out!
*Spoilers may follow*
12. Shou Tucker From Fullmetal Alchemist
Shou Tucker looks like the quintessential anime dad. A soft-spoken, glasses wearing, polite man. No, he has not committed genocide like some of the other members on this list, nor does he take the form of some undead abomination.
He is much creepy anime character, and much worse, for this man single-handedly traumatized anime fans around the world.
In order to become a State Alchemist, Shou sacrificed his wife and later fused his daughter with the family dog to create a speaking chimera. Never before has a side character been so evil.
11. Johan Liebert From Monster
A clean, calm exterior hides the monster that lies beneath. Johan Liebert is the central antagonist of Monster, a man so evil that he can be described as the Anti-Christ. Wherever Johan goes, death and tragedy follow.
A complex, mysterious type of serial killer, Johan killed an entire neo-Nazi community that wanted him to be the next Fuhrer, and also talked people into committing suicide.
10. The Yoma From Claymore
They are shape-shifting demons that feed on human flesh and blood. Once a Yoma eats the brain of a human, they can absorb the memories and appearance of their prey.
What makes them a true terror of the night is that a Yoma is completely undetectable by a human, so one of them can bring the end of an entire town unless a Claymore is brought in to slay it.
9. Titans From Attack on Titan
Imagine living life behind a glorified livestock pen, waiting for the day you’re to be harvested and eaten. No matter your defense strategies and the weapons you use, the fight will end in your death and the deaths of everyone you know and love.
The size, strength, and appearance of the Titans are enough to strike any person with fear and dread. Add in the fact that the only way to kill them is to slice the back of their neck, and Titans start to seem like evil incarnate.
8. Griffith From Berserk
Just because someone is beautiful does not mean that they are not capable of unspeakable evil or can not be creepy anime characters.
The founder of the mercenary group ‘Band of Hawk,’ Griffith has only one goal in life: to obtain his own kingdom.
While that dream is not bad per se, Griffith is willing to sacrifice anyone, including the members of Band of Hawk to achieve his goal.
Feeling betrayed when Guts leaves the group, Griffith does what anyone would do! He becomes the fifth God Hand and rapes Gut’s love Casca in front of him.
7. Kyubey From Puella Magi Madoka Magica
A cute, fluffy cat-alien thing that grants the wishes of young girls. How evil and creepy anime character can Kyubey be?
A cold and calculating alien, Kyubey has only one true goal; to preserve the universe from being destroyed through entropy.
It’s simple physics really! The emotions that girls between the ages of 14-18 experience are free from the effects of entropy, so he makes contracts with girls.
In exchange for a wish, they become magical girls and must fight witches as he gathers the grief seeds they release in order to slow down the destruction of the universe.
While that sounds all well and good, Kyubey does not mention that eventually, the girls will become witches themselves, only to be hunted down by other magical girls, which creates an endless cycle.
6. The Major From Hellsing: Ultimate
Odds are that if Adolf Hitler personally picked you to execute a secret project, your evilness would have been factored into the decision.
The Major is creepy anime character and is in charge of Special Order 666, which is tasked with creating an army of vampires.
He executes the order with such glee, that 3 million people die in the process. And if you think that The Major has dreams of creating a Fourth Reich, that would be incorrect; he just loves war and bloodshed.
5. Frieza From Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z is home to many awesome villains, but none of them are as scary as Frieza.
At first glance, Frieza seems nothing more than the standard villain who wants to take over the universe to enslave the populations of planets. What sets him over the top is his sadistic nature.
Whether it is taunting Nail and ripping his arm off, impaling Krillin, or straight up torturing and humiliating Vegeta to the point that he gives up on life, Frieza is one creepy anime character that you do not want to cross.
4. Dio Brando From JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Cunning, deceitful, charismatic, and ruthless; Dio Brando is one of the most powerful villains in all of anime and manga. After wearing the Stone Mask, Dio was able to become a powerful vampire.
Even when his rival Jonathan Joestar was able to destroy Dio’s body, [Highlight for spoiler: Dio’s head was able to kill and take control of Jonathan’s body].
It’s pretty complicated, but awesome to see unfold. Dio doesn’t become a truly terrifying force until Stardust Crusaders rolls around when we discover the power of his Stand, The World, [Highlight for spoiler: which gives him the power to stop time].
3. “Them” From Highschool of the Dead
Ever since the success of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, zombies have become America’s favorite horror monster.
While there are plenty of undead in Japanese pop culture, many of them are not traditional zombies, except for the ones featured in Highschool of the Dead.
2. Parasites From Parasyte -the maxim-
Drawing inspiration from John Carpenter’s The Thing, Parasyte features tiny parasites that come from space. In order to survive, they take over a host’s body and survive off of the nutrients found in the bloodstream.
Once they take over a host and start to mature in the body, they can almost perfectly act like a normal human, blending into society.
While they can technically survive from eating anything, parasites develop an instinct to kill and eat humans.
1. Gauna From Knights of Sidonia
Sporting a design that would make H.P. Lovecraft proud, the Gauna are the abominations that terrorize the human race in Knights of Sidonia.
What makes the Gauna truely creepy, aside from their design, is that they are incredibly difficult to kill due to their ability to rapidly regenerate.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the outer placental covering can morph into virtually any shape, even mimicking a human or a Garde mech.
You missed Hisoka on this list. he’s getting more terrifying after leaving the spider troupe. At the time of his debut at the series, his looks were savage. He always wants to kill people and exterminate them. So, putting him on this list is a necessity.