Top 10 Anime Serial Killers

Kicking off our list is a visit to the deadliest theme park on Earth. Only the most wicked and strong willed can survive a day in Deadman Wonderland prison AND amusement park. You only end up here after committing the most violent of crimes however, and Hibana Daida definitely fits the bill. Don’t let her age fool you, Hibana is deeply disturbed, yet considers herself some what of an avenging angel. Known as ‘Punisher’, Hibana tortures her victims before killing them; anyone from fellow school children to her own mother, she little girl is completely devoid of empathy.

Though Parasyte focuses on hand possessing aliens, the monster that makes our list is very human. One of the main antagonists of the series, Uragami has the unique ability to sense other Parasytes. Uragami’s darker record stems from his long criminal career as a serial cannibal. Some of the autopsy reports from his “feastings” are too pretty over the top, even by anime standards. Deluded and mentally broken beyond repair, Uragami is an example of how far into the darkness a human being can venture.

This anime is full of characters you don’t want to meet in a dark alley. Enter Ruri, aka Hollywood. By day, she is a media celebrity and praised make up artist. By night, she secretly dawns various monster costumes and becomes the serial killer known as Hollywood. Though she mainly targets those responsible for a horrible act in her past, Ruri is brutal in her execution. Part of this comes from her feeling unrestrained by society when in monster make up. While she may appear to be a healthy down-to-earth celebrity, cross her as Hollywood and you’ll be seeing real horror up close.

When the player population of Sword Art Online becomes trapped in the game, it’s made clear early on if you die in the game, you die in real life. If that’s not bad enough there are some players who act without any sense of morality or empathy. Enter Laughing Coffin, a guild of pure murderers who take pleasure in killing other players. Slow and painful or quick and decisive, this “Red Guild” shows no mercy and its member all seem quite content with the act of killing. The scariest part of any online game is that you have no idea who you are really playing with, and the laughing Coffin Guild gives players something to fear.

Orochimaru is the main antagonist of the Naurto series and a renowned slayer of Ninjas. Having already been responsible for the abduction and slaying of hundreds of ninja, the mere idea of his return filled our characters with dread. And when he finally arrived on the scene, Orochimaru did not disappoint. His newly acquired and deadlier skills made him the ultimate foe on the battlefield. We even learn that most of his killings, both previous and current, involved experimenting on bettering his body without actually needing to run tests on himself. Ninja deaths in the name of science, that’s new.

The name speaks for itself. Barry was a cross-dressing butcher shop owner who had a side business of hacking apart real life humans. Killing was his business and business was good. Completely deranged and psychotic, he didn’t try to deny his crimes after being arrested. His bloodlust and complete disregard for his own welfare made him a perfect candidate for military experimentation. Instead of being executed, Barry was brought to Lab 5, where his soul was fused with a suit of armor. Now virtually unstoppable, Barry would continue killing, only this time with the backing of a shadowy branch of the government.

While not everyone can be a serial killer, a serial killer can be anyone. Baccano’s Ladd Russo is a blood loving sadist who sees murder as a game. Be it mowing down a train full of people or engaging in brutal one on one brawls, Ladd love of violence knows no borders or boundaries. He has no regrets and no qualms just so long as he gets the blood he craves. In a series where every hit man and alchemist is hunting for the infamous Philosopher’s Stone, Ladd Russo is easily one of the top contenders anyone would want to avoid

Killing is a horrible act in and of itself but for Rynosuke, however, it’s an art form. This serial killer, turned Mage in the Holy Grail War, doesn’t care who he kills so long as it is beautiful. Though he doesn’t care who he slays, Ryunosuke’s primary targets are children of all ages, adding points to his sicko score. When he partners with Heroic Spirit, Castor, Ryunosuke finds something worse: a soul mate of sorts who shares his love of death. This is one mage we definitely don’t want winning the Holy Grail in any age.

Oh Light, so full of good intentions. Seeing how rotten our world has become, law student Light Yagami wanted nothing more than to make the world a better place. When he got his hands of the Death Note, a book that would allow him to anonymously kill virtually anyone he wanted, he found his chance. At first Light sets out to only kill people guilty of serious crimes, but they quickly gets kicked in the head when, in order to protect his identity, Light begins to kill not only piety criminals, but police investigators as well. It doesn’t stop there; as Light begins to slide further and further off the deep end, he genuinely believes himself to be a god, and wont hesitate to kill anyone, as long as it helped him achieve his goal.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few horrifying honorable mentions
Shogo Makashima
“Psycho Pass” (2012-14)
Monokuma
“Dangan Ronpa” (2013)

Kuroha Diana Shiratori
“Eden of the East” (2009)

Our number one pick, Johan is the most mysterious of the killers on this list. That mystery is one mountain of questions, many of which never get answered. Does he get a thrill out of it? Does he enjoy killing? What are his motives? Why is he so good at killing? There seems to be no rhyme or reason for Johan’s killing spree. Scariest of all is how calm and collected he is when carrying out his inhumane acts, as though he is just an instrument of death itself. The series’ titular ‘monster’, the only real clue to Johan’s motivations is his tragic and frightening past.
Do you agree with our list? What other masters of bloodshed are you favorite? For more character honoring (good and evil) top ten’s published daily, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.