Top 10 Scariest Monsters in Anime

“Claymore” (2007)

Sometimes the ones that look the least imposing are the scariest, which these shape-shifting beasts take to new extremes. Considering themselves at the top of the food chain, these creatures are all about hunting humanity just to get a bite to eat. Large in number and high in power, it took the creation of the half-Yoma, all-female Claymores in order to even the odds. That is until the Awakened Beings and Creatures of the Abyss showed up, then things started to tip back in their favour. Either way, a lot of humans are going to end up getting digested!

“Neon Genesis Evangelion” (1995-96)

As you have probably guessed, these angels are not the benevolent kind. In a series packed to the breaking point with religious symbolism, the Angels arrival on Earth and their ultimate ends are still theorised to this day. But there’s no doubt that they are dangerous and have no problem when it comes to tearing humanity to pieces. Each Angel is unique with their own destructive forms and capabilities, they even managed to mangle Asuka. Well, that’s one way to get to heaven in a hurry…

“Berserk” (1997-98)

The world of Berserk is cruel and unforgiving. Ignoring all the perverse and murderous humans, you have demonic monsters to deal with. And if that’s still not enough, turns out that even the bigwigs are scummy. Made up of five reality-warping creatures, they rule over all Apostles and are capable of influencing humanity, often for the worse. Their most recent addition was the former comrade of protagonist Guts, the once charismatic Griffith, who sacrificed everyone under his command in exchange for power. If you don’t want to bump into these guys, stay well away from that behelit.

“Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust” (2000)

Every self-respecting vampire hunter needs to expect the unexpected when tacking down bloodsuckers, but we’d forgive them for being a little unnerved if they met this guy. As a Barbarois, a creature formed by centuries of inbreeding between demons and other various horrors, Benge possesses a whole host of frightening abilities, most notable the ability to manipulate shadows. One of the demonic guards hired to protect the notorious vampire Meier Link, needless to say we were happy to see this guy get bisected!

“Parasyte: The Maxim” (2014-15)

And back to the human-controlling, body-contorting, flesh-eating monsters from outer space! While originally nothing more than worm-like creatures, once these little bastards find a human to occupy, they go from mundane to deadly in an instant. While in control of their respective host, the Parasites are able to enhance their strength and durability to easily crush any opposition. Of course, if they happen to come across something a bit tougher, they can always turn the host into a living weapon, producing various blades and ligaments meant for slicing. What do they want? Oh the usual – human flesh to feast on.

“Princess Mononoke” (1997)

A Hayao Miyazaki film made the list? But all of his movies are so charming and full of wonder! While that may be true, there is no denying creatures such as this demonic beast and the spooky No Face are not exactly pleasant to look at. What was once known as the benevolent Boar God Nago, it eventually became corrupted, turning into the creature that introduces us to this tale of nature, young love and the greed of men. Though the Boar demon’s tenure in the movie was short, he nonetheless made his mark.

“Gyo” (2012)

You might as well call this anime’s answer to Sharknado. Based on the award-winning and creepy as hell manga, this OVA answered the question that was on everyone’s mind. What would happen if all undersea life suddenly grew metallic legs and started running amok through Japan, eating everyone in sight. That answer would be one hell of a mind trip. Looking past its hilarious premise, some of the designs of the mutated sea-life were very unsettling. Our choice had to go to the grotesque human-fish hybrid in all its bloated, foul-smelling glory.

“Knights of Sidonia” (2014-15)
What separates these aliens from the rest? Well they actually succeeded in kicking all of humanity off planet for a start. Able to absorb all variety of matter, including human beings, Gauna can change their forms and evolve almost instantly. They also happen to exceptionally hard to kill, so if you encounter one without a giant spear wielding mech, then you are out of luck. They literally split the Earth in two, they’re the dominate species of the whole universe, and their outer shells are known as placentas. Charming, right?

“Terra Formars” (2014-)

Do we even need to explain this one? An attempt to colonise Mars leads to the creation of these humanoid, super-strong cockroaches who easily wipe out the scientists and soldiers sent to stop them, taking control of the red planet for themselves. The only chance of stopping them is sending genetically modified humans back out there to take them on and wipe them out, which is admittedly quite cathartic. With a whole planet bursting with these adaptive monsters, if you didn’t have a fear of insects before, you will after this.


Before we reveal our number one pick here are a few creepy honourable mentions.

Chimera Ants
“Hunter x Hunter” (2011-)


Cell
“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)


Danger Beasts
“Akame Ga Kill” (2010-)


Shingami
“Death Note” (2006-07)

“Attack on Titan” (2013)

In a world where humanity is holding onto survival with its fingertips, all who dwell behind the walls live in fear of the Titans, and it’s easy to see why. These giant humanoids endlessly wander in pursuit of humans to feast on. What they lack in intellect they make up in their size, strength and sheer numbers, forcing mankind into a corner. Even if we ignore the fearsome variants such as the Colossal, Female and Armoured Titans, nothing creates more dread than being cornered by one of these hulking masses of hunger and death.


Do you agree with our list? What do you think is the scariest anime monster of all time? For more top tens published every day be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.