Top 10 Supernatural Anime Series

While all anime is art, “Mononoke” is especially fine art. The series follows an unnamed medicine seller as he encounters and eliminates various mononoke, or negative spirits. The medicine seller’s investigations into the mononoke often require discovering more about the people affected by them before he’s able to deal with the ghosts. Every few episodes tells a unique, self-contained ghost story, and it’s all tied together with a gorgeous art style and an enigmatic lead character. Fans of horror or arthouse animation are sure to be haunted by this exceptional anime.

Another supernatural anthology series, “Mushi-Shi” follows Ginko, a man who can see Mushi, supernatural entities that are everywhere, yet imperceptible to most people. While Mushi aren’t evil, they do cause problems for humans (and vice versa), and Ginko helps to fix them. The animation is stunning, yet, like the rest of the show, it isn’t bombastic in its presentation. “Mushi-Shi” is subtle and deliberate with how it tells its stories. Its pacing may be slower than what many are used to, but the imagination and creativity of the world it crafts is truly unique.

While this wild series touches on many genres, including everything from sci-fi to romance, the most prominent one is arguably supernatural. “Dandadan” follows a teenage boy and girl who become friends - and maybe more, oooo~ - after a dare sees them each encounter aliens and ghosts. From there, they begin combating various paranormal threats, along with the friends and weirdos they meet along the way. “Dandadan” is a strange trip of an anime, with phenomenal action scenes, some striking visual presentation, and outrageous comedy. It’s creepy, high-octane, and adorable - sometimes all at once!

Growing up is hard enough for most kids, but Kageyama “Mob” Shigeo has psychic powers. One part slice of life and another part action series, “Mob Psycho 100” follows Mob’s struggles with his emotions as well as with evil spirits and his fellow espers. The series’ art style is simple, yet evocative, and gives the incredible fight scenes some incredibly fluid motion. “Mob Psycho 100” features an excellent cast of characters, all of whom experience significant growth over the course of the story. It’s just a heartwarming and excellently made anime with more wholesome vibes throughout than a hug from the Body Improvement Club.

The new generation of supernatural action anime has been spearheaded by “JJK.” The series follows Yuji, a student who joins Jujutsu High, which teaches its pupils sorcery to battle malevolent spirits called Curses. “Jujutsu Kaisen” features nearly nonstop action throughout, with a ton of exceptional and exceptionally animated fight scenes. Its darker tone and occasional horror inspirations help give it more of an edge than other, similar Shounen series, while also balancing things out with some fantastic comedy too. But whether it’s from laughing, crying, or hype, “Jujutsu Kaisen” always leaves us breathless.

One of the legendary “Big Three” of Shounen anime, “Bleach” depicts teenager Kurosaki Ichigo’s battles against spiritual forces after obtaining the powers of a Shinigami, spiritual shepherds that guide souls to the afterlife and dispatch evil ghosts. The series is filled to the brim with action-packed fight scenes, as well as varied and memorable characters. “Bleach” has an undeniable swagger and charisma to it, since it practically oozes style and its diverse soundtrack is loaded with bangers! Its intense fight scenes and supernatural setting have inspired plenty of other anime, including some on this list. However, its own biggest influence was…

An anime that helped shape Shounen action series in general, “Yu Yu Hakusho” is about Yusuke, a teenage troublemaker who dies, yet is revived as a Spirit Detective because of his final act of self-sacrifice. Yusuke and his friends must overcome ghosts, demons, and all manner of supernatural antagonists, whether in true battles or in several tournaments. The characters are iconic, the fights are epic, and the writing is top notch. It’s little wonder why “Yu Yu Hakusho” set the stage for so many supernatural anime that followed it - it’s an absolute classic!

Renowned the world over for its memes, “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” certainly lives up to its name! Chronicling the exploits of several generations of the Joestar family, the series pits each successive JoJo against everything from vampires to users of psychic projections known as Stands. The detailed abilities throughout lead to some incredible and highly strategic fights, as the best way to defeat an “Enemy Stand” is to figure out how it works. The show also features some of the most outrageous comedy and heartbreaking tragedy in anime, plus some incredible music. “JoJo’s” may be bizarre, but it’s an adventure well worth embarking on.

This franchise follows Araragi Koyomi, a high schooler who assists various girls with supernatural problems after his own encounter with a vampire. That’s the elevator pitch, anyway. Although it’s essentially a harem series, the “Monogatari” anime is a lot deeper than fan service (even if there’s plenty of that). The series delves heavily into its characters, with action and dialogue scenes that both entertain and expand on who they are as people. While its use of Japanese wordplay and the occasionally strange pacing can be off-putting to some, the “Monogatari” series is a masterpiece for those who appreciate its particular style.

The supernatural thriller to end all supernatural thrillers, “Death Note” follows Light, a teenage boy who receives one of the titular murder notebooks. Light decides to kill criminals by writing their names down in the Death Note, ostensibly to make the world a better place. The cat and mouse game between Light and those out to catch him, particularly the detective L, makes for a gripping story. The operatic score, dynamic “camera angles,” and many twists and turns lend the series an incredible level of intrigue and gravitas. “Death Note” is not only the best supernatural anime, but it’s in the discussion for one of the best anime ever.



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