Without the restraints of live-action filmmaking, animation has produced some of the greatest horror movies and television series of all time. Among these icons, Japaneseanimehas made a name for itself in the genre, providing plenty of chills and terror for those in search of something new. Turning to Rotten Tomatoes, the popular cinema-scoring website, this list looks to showcase 15 of the best in the horror genre. While some of the most popular horror series are not yet represented on the website, the ones highlighted here have become legendary in popular culture, and are fully deserving of their place on this list.
For the ranking, the average score was used where applicable, while the audience score was used as a tiebreaker to move a series up and down the list. In the cases where an average score was not present, the audience score was the sole metric. These 15 anime have helped define the genre in the modern day. Some are iconic classics, while others are newcomers that have surprised genre fans with their unique experimentation with genre tropes. Either way, they’re all guaranteed to give you nightmares and thrills aplenty.
15Tokyo Ghoul - 67%
In the world ofTokyo Ghoul, humanity has discovered the existence of ghouls, humanoid beings that can only survive by feeding on human flesh. Stronger, faster, and capable of supernatural powers, the ghouls are hunted by humans. College student Ken Kaneki nearly died during a ghoul attack. His date, Rize, tried to eat him, but a freak accident saved him. Critically injured, Ken received some of Rize’s organs during a transplant, saving his life but damning him. Ken becomes a half-ghoul, capable of incredible supernatural feats. Now Ken has to learn to balance his human and ghoulish lives while fending off threats from both sides.
Tokyo Ghoulis an example of an incredible manga series that receiveda less popular anime adaptation. While many fans found the first season to be thrilling, gory nightmare fuel, most felt that the second season lost its way. However, the series still stands as one of the best horror anime. Though it isn’t necessarily the scariest series on this list, it still manages to pack a punch with the body horror elements and overall foreboding air. Every time Ken clashes with a ghoul, you know you are in for a bloody, horrifying experience. This is not an anime for the squeamish, but for those who can stomach its gross-out moments, you’re in for a scary good time.
14Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre - 73%
Junji Ito is the master of modern horror manga. Breaking into the industry withTomie, Ito has published several graphic novels as wellas collections of short stories, many of which have been adapted into horror anthology anime. The most recent (and arguably most popular) isJunji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre.Released on Netflix in 2023, the series adapts several of Ito’s most popular short stories, including one that ties intoTomieitself. These stories feature bizarre frights like giant floating heads and freaky families, alongside the more traditional ghosts and ghouls, with each episode showcasing Ito’s brilliant (and horrifying) creative mind.
Given that these stories are essentially 1:1 adaptations of Ito’s work, it makes sense that the series turned out as well as it did. There are some less than spectacular episodes, though even these introduce unique twists on the genre. Some viewers may not relate as well to some of the goofier elements of these horror stories. Ito has a twisted sense of humor that he injects into most of his stories, and that humor may not be for every viewer. However, if you’re looking for something new in the horror genre, something that feels wholly unique in the sea of vampires, ghosts, and werewolves,Maniacmight just be what you are looking for.
13Ajin: Demi-Human - 78%
Sometimes, the scariest monsters in horror aren’t the ghosts and ghouls stalking the night. Humanity itself can be pretty monstrous when it wants to be. Such is the case inAjin: Demi-Human.Ajin are a race of immortal humans who can recover from any wound, no matter how grievous, and summon powerful entities known as Black Ghosts. After surviving a severe car crash, Nagai Kei learns that he is an Ajin, but he also learns just how cruel humanity can be. Ajin are feared and ostracized, and world governments hunt them down to experiment on them. After all, they cannot die, making them the perfect test subjects for prototype weapons and experimental procedures.
The series follows some interesting threads, confronting the potential cruelty of humanity and the lengths to which fear will drive some people. This is a story filled with terrifying monsters. The Black Ghosts are incredible representations of supernatural power, but they are simply tools to be used by Ajin, not monsters in their own right. While it can get a bit heady at times,Ajindoes a great job examining government oversight and experimentation, turning the fearful humans into the true monsters of this story. The series does suffer a bit due to its 3D animation, but this is still a huge step forward for modern horror anime.
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We’ve all been there, sitting at a dead-end job, wondering when things are going to start looking up, and then the zombie apocalypse starts. Well, that last part is probably only applicable toZom100: Bucket List of the Dead’sprotagonist, Akira Tendo. After years of working for ZLM, Tendo feels hopeless and unmotivated until the zombie apocalypse comes crashing into his life. Instead of dreading the end of the world, though, Tendo sees this as an opportunity to finally find meaning in his life and experience the rest of the world. Along with his friend Kencho and some new allies, Tendo hopes to explore the city, and find adventure and life around every corner.
Zom100is the newest item on this list, with the anime just releasing in July 2023, but in its short life, it has proven itself to be one ofthe best new horror comedies. Tendo’s excitement seems bizarre at first, but his zeal for life is admirable. The series is fun, playing with horror tropes while carving its own path with upbeat humor and likable characters. The series does get weird, but it fits particularly well with Tendo’s outlook on the apocalypse. With no work, no obligations, now is the time for him to finally feel alive, and that means endless adventure and avoiding the hordes of the undead. The end of the world can’t be perfect, but he makes the most of it.
11Jujutsu Kaisen - 87%
Jujutsu Kaisenhas taken the shonen world by storm, acting as a cornerstone of the “Dark Trio” alongsideHell’s ParadiseandChainsaw Man. Of the three, this series is the most traditional shonen action series, but its subversion of several of the tropes of the genre makes it stand out in a big way. There aren’t many anime that will kill off their main character early in the series. The animation by Studio MAPPA is some of their best, stunningly realizing the high energy, superpowered battles. The character and monster designs are also some of the best in the genre. This isn’t the scariest series on the list, but it is one of the best horror-action series ever made.
The world ofJujutsu Kaisenis full of Curses, strange entities that feed off of negative emotions. Some people have developed the means to harness this cursed energy, weaponizing it against the Curses. Students of Jujutsu High learn how to use this energy, undertaking missions to defeat the supernatural monsters. High schooler Yuji Itadori is new to Jujutsu High. He only learned of the Curses when one tried to kill him. After consuming the finger of Ryomen Sukuna, a powerful Cursed entity, Yuji awakens to the ability to control cursed energy. Now, he and his classmates are on the hunt for Sukuna’s other fingers, no matter what Curses get in their way.
10Devilman Crybaby - 89%
Very few anime match the stylishness and animation quality ofDevilman Crybaby.Releasing in 2019, the series was produced by Science Saru, and the animation studio created one of the moststunningly detailed and horrifying anime on Netflix. The way the animators played with proportions and warped perspective, with gore and bloody conflict, is an evolution that the genre clearly needed. More importantly, the story is a brilliant reimagining of the original 1972 manga series by Go Nagai. Saru took the bones of the narrative and twisted them, amplifying every horrible detail and action-packed sequence.
Devilman Crybabyfollows the story of high schooler Akira Fudo and his friend, Ryo Asuka. Ryo has recently returned from the Amazon Rainforest with evidence of the existence of demons. In order to expose them, he hopes to videotape a summoning at a nightclub and brings Akira along. Ryo succeeds in bringing the demons to our world, only to watch them slaughter everyone at the nightclub. One demon, Amon, possesses Akira, but due to the boy’s immense will, he takes control of the demon’s power. Now, Akira can transform into the demon at will, becoming the most unlikely hero in order to battle the demons infesting the city.
9Parasyte: The Maxim - 90%
Sometimes, the invading aliens arrive in massive, world-destroying spaceships. Other times, they slip into our world unnoticed and take control. Such is the case inParasyte: The Maxim. Tiny, worm like creatures known as Parasites have the ability to burrow into a human’s brain and take control of their bodies. This isn’t just simple mind control, though. The Parasites can warp and transform the human body to create powerful weapons, which they use to consume other humans. As high schooler Shinichi Izumi discovers when a Parasite named Migi possesses his hand, the Parasites feed on the species they inhabit, decimating entire planets.
Parasyteis one of the most beloved science-fiction horror series. The show is upsetting in a lot of ways, largely because of its massive focus on body horror. The animators did a fantastically disturbing job bringing these shapeshifting aliens to life, especially as they tear apart their human hosts and reform them into walking nightmares. The series also does an incredible job with theme and character development. Through their unique bond, Migi learns about human culture from Shinichi, evolving more complex emotions. On several occasions, the series asks what it means to be human, and it is this exploration that helps set this series apart.
8Castlevania - 94%
Video game adaptations have had a rough go, so when Netflix announced an anime adaptation of the iconicCastlevaniagames, fans were hesitant. Imagine our surprise when it released, and it wasn’t just a faithful adaptation. It was an incredibly well-animated series with a brilliant story. While elements of some of the seasons can feel rushed or padded out at times, the series as a whole stands out as one of the best horror-action series and showcasesthe potential with video game adaptations. This series is exactly what fans were hoping for, and with a sequel series in the works, fans can be excited to see the Belmont legacy continue to unfold.
Humanity again proves the depths of their cruelty in the opening ofCastlevania. Dracula, the legendary vampire, has found a wife, fathered a child, and retired to his castle to study magic and science with his new family. However, after humans slaughter his wife for marrying a monster, Dracula becomes unhinged, destroying city after city in a violent war. Trevor Belmont is the last living member of the Belmont monster hunting family, and despite his cold, drunken demeanor, he is a capable warrior. Pairing with Sypha Belnades and Dracula’s son Alucard, Trevor vows to slay the vampire king, cutting down whatever demonic minions get in his way.
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7Attack on Titan - 95%
Some anime lovers might be surprised to seeAttack on Titanas an entry on this list of horror anime. The series isn’t strictly horror, more heavily focused on its science-fiction/fantasy theming and its intense action sequences. However, underneath it all is a foundation of truly gripping terror. This is dystopian fiction at its best, seeing humanity on its very last legs, pushed to the brink by an enemy they can barely fight. The Titans are an incredible threat, their designs eliciting just as much fear as the horror greats. While no, this isn’t necessarily a horror series, enough horror happens on screen to make this a worthy, honorary member to the genre.
100 years ago, the Titans arrived and decimated the human population. On the brink of extinction, humanity retreated behind the three circular walls of a massive fortress complex, developing ODM technology to zip around the battlefield on wires and hardened blades to slice into the Titans' only weak spot: the back of their necks. Eren Yeager, still haunted by the loss of his mother in an attack by the Colossal Titan, has spent years training to join the Survey Corps to take the fight to the Titans. On his first mission, though, a surprising new ability emerges that will change the course of his life forever.
6Chainsaw Man - 97%
Denji, the protagonist ofChainsaw Man, has nothing to his name but the clothes on his back and his pet devil, Pochita. Using the chainsaw devil as his weapon, Denji works as a devil hunter to pay off his father’s debts. His goal is simple: to make enough money to live a normal life. However, a shocking betrayal leaves Denji dismembered and left for dead. Pochita sacrifices itself, becoming Denji’s heart and granting him a unique ability to transform into a human-devil hybrid known as Chainsaw Man. With this ability, Denji joins the Public Safety Devil Hunters with hopes of someday fulfilling his dreams.
On the surface,Chainsaw Mandoesn’t seem that different from other shonen titles, but it has proven itself over and over again as one of the best and most unique horror series that we have seen in years. The quality of the animation is unrivaled, with animation studio MAPPA knocking it out of the park with a seamless blend of 2D and 3D animation. The story is equal parts blood, gore, comedy, action, horror, and heart, earning it unending praise from the fan base. With so much praise, it only makes sense that the series has scored so highly on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the second-highest rated horror series released in the last five years.
