The Best Supernatural Anime

The Best Supernatural Anime

If you're into the supernatural or even just a casual fan of ghosts and otherworldly entities, then check out any of these scary but fun anime!

1. DEATH NOTE

Perhaps the most popular supernatural anime right now, Death Note is the story of a Ryuk, a shinigami (a god of death), that can kill anyone…provided you write their name in a notebook called a Death Note (and as long as the victim is within his line of sight). Here’s the simplified plot:

• Ryuk gets bored of his death god lifestyle and decides to do a little experiment.
• He wants to see how humans would use his Death Note, so he just kind of plops it into their realm for one to find.
• A high-school student, Light Yagami, find the note and decides to use it to rid the world of criminals.
• The cops think he’s a serial killer targeting bad guys (kind of like Dexter, but with a death god as his weapon) and go after him.

2. TOKYO GHOUL

Another one of my son’s favorites, Tokyo Ghoul is a popular and totally creepy supernatural anime about ghouls that roam Tokyo. Yeah, that’s a little too over-simplified, right? Okay, so here’s the story:

• Tokyo isn’t the city it used to be. Instead, it’s a cruel, cruel world where creatures called ghouls have all but taken over.
• These ghouls have a taste for human flesh and they have no mercy. The scariest part: they can look just like you and me!
• The story follows Ken Kaneki, a college student, and Rize Kamishiro, a girl who isn’t exactly what she seems.
• Long spoiler-less story short, Ken ends up learning how to live as half-ghoul and half-human.

3. BLUE EXORCIST

Blue Exorcist is perfect for those looking for a supernatural anime that features creatures that we kind of already know from our own superstitions- the devil. In Blue Exorcist, two mirrored worlds exist parallel and attached to each other.

• In one world (Assiah), we have people living out their lives as usual. In the other, Gehenna, we’ve got Satan and his merry band of demons, just living out their lives.
• The two worlds aren’t supposed to interact, but sometimes a demon gets through and possesses a person. That’s where the exorcists come into play.
• The show revolves around Rin and his twin Yukio,  who were raised by a priest/exorcist named Father Shiro.
• One day, Shiro dies trying to protect them, and Rin finds out that he’s not just a normal orphan, but the son of Satan himself.
• Rather than using his power for evil, he decides to become an exorcist, too.

4. ANGEL BEATS

If you’re looking for a fun supernatural anime that’s not quite so heavy on the horror, you’ll love Angel Beats! Here’s a quick run-down:

• Poor Otonashi wakes up only to find out that he’s dead. Even worse, he doesn’t remember anything except his name.
• Gun-toting Yuri fills him in and explains that they’re in the afterlife, and that she’s leading a war against the “evil” Tenshi, a girl who seems pretty decent to Yuri.
• Otonashi joins the war and battles Tenshi, but finds that he rather likes her!
• He spends the show trying to get back his memories, figure out his attraction for Tenshi, and learn the ways to the afterlife.

5. NORAGAMI

Life’s hard when you’re just a minor god without a single shrine dedicated to you. How demeaning it is to have to do odd jobs for a mere 5 yen (which is basically a nickel) each. Even more so when your weapon partner runs out on you! That’s life for Yato, a “Delivery God” who dreams of having his own slew of worshipers!

• Just when things seem bleakest for Yato, a young girl “saves his life” by diving in front of an oncoming car.
• While she survives, her soul jiggles loose enough to leave her body.
• She wants to be normal again, but Yato can’t do it without a new partner, so Hiyori helps him out.
• Will Yato’s luck turn around?

6. BLEACH

Remember how we talked about devourers of souls above? Well, here they are! Hollows, a main antagonist in Bleach, are spirits that like to eat souls.

• Ichigo was just a normal high school student before a Hollow attacked his family.
• He meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper who ended up severely injured while trying to save Ichigo’s family.
• She gives her powers to Ichigo, leaving him in charge of hunting down the Hollows.
• Fortunately, he’s not alone. Turns out a couple of his classmates have some pretty extraordinary powers of their own to help him out!

7. ANOTHER

If you want a supernatural anime that feels the most like the supernatural ghost story genre in the West, Another is the way to go. It’s a good introduction to the genre for new anime fans, since it’s full of elements that we recognize from our own horror films.

• 26 years ago, middle school student Misaki passed away, leaving the entire town of Yomiyama shrouded in doom and gloom.
• 26 years later, Kouichi transfers to the same class and finds that all of the students are a bit gloomy .
• He is drawn to Mei, a girl that no one seems to like…or even acknowledge.
• As he gets closer to her against all warnings, he learns the truth behind the doomy/gloomy atmosphere plaguing the class.

8. HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD

What would you do if the dead suddenly started rising all over your country? That’s what happens to Japan in High School of the Dead!

• When Takashi Kimuro has to kill his best friend, who was bitten, he vows to protect his friend’s girlfriend, Rei.
• They escape their school only to land in a world that’s already fallen to the undead.
• Takashi, Rei, and other students join together to find their families and discover the secret behind the rising dead.
• Think Walking Dead meets 28 Days Later, except with high school students and in anime form.

9. BAKEMONOGATARI

If vampires are your supernatural creature of choice, you’ll love Bakemonogatari.

• Although Koyomi managed to survive a vampire attack and stay human, it turns out that almost become undead has its side effects, including super vision and speedy healing.
• Still, he’s determined to live a normal life with the help of his friend Tsubasa.
• When Koyomi saves a girl who fell down the steps, he realizes she has some powers of her own.
• Koyomi goes back to the strange man who saved him from vampires and learns about the supernatural world.
• He spends his life helping others who are just learning to deal with their own supernatural powers.

10. FATE/ STAY NIGHT

• When a fire kills his whole family, Shirou goes to live with Kiritsugu, who teaches him magic.
• Years later, Shirou lands in the middle of a fight between two Servants, who happen to be superhumans.
• While Shirou manages to survive a near-fatal injury, the Servants need to finish the job, so they come after him.
• Shirou summons his own Servant and the two fight together in the Fifth Holy Grail War.
• The prize, of course, is the Holy Grail, a mythical relic that just about every society searches for at some point!