Top 10 Creepiest Anime Ever Made

WatchMojo

Sleep isn't in your future after watching these shows... Join us as we count down our picks for the creepiest anime ever made! From psychological thrillers that predicted our digital age to seemingly innocent shows with disturbing undertones, these series and films will haunt your dreams long after the credits roll.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 creepiest anime

00:14ever made. Skin crawling does not begin to describe some of these works.

00:1810. Cat Soup On the surface, Cat Soup might appear adorable,

00:29but Nyata and Nyako's faces do inspire some unsettling feelings in our stomachs. The story,

00:35on the other hand, adds a whole other layer of disturbing to the mix. Cat Soup follows

00:46Nyata as they venture into the depths of the underworld in order to save Nyako's soul.

00:51Many moments will paint a bleak picture in your head, almost to an uneasy degree. But what will

01:03haunt you for years is the way the movie ends, which may invoke some uncomfortable existential

01:09thoughts. All in all, do not watch this thinking, oh, what a fun-looking cat movie.

01:169. Dundudan Though not always leaning into its horror side,

01:21Dundudan is still deserving of being called one of the creepiest anime to have ever graced our screens.

01:27For starters, the designs of the monsters are super distorted with jagged lines and warped body parts,

01:41enough to make anyone a bit squeamish. Sandwiched in between all the adorable romance

01:47and hilarious comedy, you've got some of the eeriest ghosts and messed-up-looking extraterrestrials on this side of anime.

01:54And let's just say that these supernatural beings' intentions are usually beyond disturbing.

02:07Nevertheless, if you've been wanting a new show about spirits, superpowers, and other planes of existence,

02:14this is a damn fine anime to jump into.

02:16Number 8. The Flowers of Evil Obsession is the main theme of this anime.

02:31The Flowers of Evil focuses its story on a middle school student named Kasuga,

02:36the girl he is crushing on, and the girl who winds up manipulating him in the most humiliating ways imaginable.

02:43Throughout all 13 episodes, The Flowers of Evil gets more and more grim,

02:58as Kasuga struggles in keeping his perversion of Psyche a secret from her.

03:03While some were critical of the rotoscope animation upon its release,

03:08it really does add to the disturbing nature of the series.

03:11Number 7. Poppy the Performer

03:26If you've ever found yourself creeped out by dolls like Elf on the Shelf,

03:30then you'd be better off skipping this anime entirely.

03:33Poppy the Performer is a show made specifically for children,

03:43showing a group of circus performers dubbed The Wolf Circus partaking in various activities.

03:55While the barren environments and clean character models are enough to give most folks nightmares,

04:00the most disturbing aspects of the show lie in the lack of voice acting

04:05and the sometimes violent scenarios the characters are put in.

04:15It's found itself a cult following over the years who can't help but be allured by its creepiness.

04:21Number 6. Yamashiba Japanese Ghost Stories

04:24Before we continue, let us preface this by saying,

04:28Yamashiba is one of the most unique horror anime you can watch right now.

04:40Since 2013, this long-running series has captured the spirit of Kamashiba,

04:45a form of Japanese street theatre where the performer would narrate a story

04:50while displaying different illustrations.

04:52Yamashiba encapsulates the art scene in these performances

05:03while telling some of the most horrifying stories imaginable.

05:07The episodes, Farewell Confession and The Dripping in particular,

05:11will plague your mind long after your initial viewing.

05:14The story of Kamashiba is one of those shows that look like it should be a fun and whimsical adventure.

05:30Alas, there is a dark underbelly that the naive would never expect.

05:35This is a story about a child looking for her mother in a dismal and visceral world,

05:46often coming within a hair's inch of death, courtesy of the evil she encounters.

05:51The backstories of characters like Weiko and Nanachi are especially disturbing to learn about.

06:05This is very much an anime that is not for the faint of heart.

06:09Viewer discretion is heavily advised.

06:11Serial Experiments Lane

06:24Considering the amount of time that's passed since its airing,

06:27Serial Experiments Lane feels uncomfortably prophetic in retrospect.

06:31The show follows a young girl who becomes increasingly familiar with the dangers of the online world

06:44known as The Wired.

06:54A lot of the subject matter hits close to home

06:58as it predicts the harsh effects the internet has inflicted

07:01since becoming a huge part of our daily lives.

07:04Paranoia, anti-social behavior,

07:07alienation, and persecution

07:08are just a handful of topics

07:11that Serial Experiments Lane explores.

07:19Speaking of anime that feels too real,

07:25Perfect Blue is a movie that explores another aspect of 21st century living,

07:30dangerously accessible information about specific individuals.

07:44Perfect Blue tells the story of a former pop idol

07:47trying to become an actress

07:48only to find herself being stalked.

07:51I don't know if it's a real thing.

07:52I don't know if it's a real thing.

07:53I don't know if it's a real thing.

08:00Between the focus on parasocial relationships

08:03and the lengths people go to for info on celebrities,

08:06this movie was practically warning us

08:08about how the world would turn out

08:10in the 2020s and beyond.

08:13No one listened,

08:14and now Perfect Blue looks as prophetic

08:16as Serial Experiments Lane.

08:18I don't know anything!

08:19I am my child!

08:20I am my child!

08:21I am my child!

08:24I am my child!

08:28The Summer Hikaru Died

08:40A title like this is already bound to

08:42raise alarms,

08:43though it mostly stems from

08:44intrigue.

08:45However, the summer Hikaru died will likely leave you in a depressed mesmerization.

08:52After his best friend is fatally wounded, Yoshiki discovers that a mysterious entity

08:57has possessed his late best friend's body.

09:06Although this body snatcher wants to remain close with Yoshiki, the world and his own

09:10feelings may make that impossible.

09:13Garish does not begin to describe the imagery seen in the summer Hikaru died.

09:18It may not be as explicit as our other entries with violence and viscera, but there are still

09:23plenty of moments that are stomach-churning.

09:28It doesn't matter which of the time loops you're experiencing in the Higurashi series,

09:33odds are you're going to be witness to some of the most deeply disturbing anime moments

09:38you could ever subject yourself to.

09:43It doesn't matter which of the time loops you're experiencing in the Higurashi series,

09:54odds are you're going to be witness to some of the most deeply disturbing anime moments

10:02you could ever subject yourself to.

10:12There are a lot of grisly murders shown, violent moments between the cast members, and a constant

10:18sense of dread as you wonder who's going to let loose without warning.

10:35That said, Higurashi isn't just blood and guts.

10:38Ryukishi weaved one of the most engaging visual novel narratives,

10:42and it translates beautifully to the TV screen.

10:45Just be sure that you can handle the anxiety that comes with the package.

10:48What is the creepiest anime you've ever seen?

11:03Let us know down in those comments below.

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