The Ultimate Top 32 Anime With Demons & Fiends (2024)

Demons and fiends are now a well-established part of the collective imagination, so much so that they have taken different slants.

It is now not so bizarre to find juxtaposed against the classic scary and devilish demons also friendly, sympathetic, or even clumsy demons.

But variety, you know, we like it, so let’s take a detailed look at which anime feature demonic characters of all kinds and for all sakes.

We remind you that rankings are based on our experience and personal taste. There may be spoilers throughout the article too, so be careful.

32. Betrayal Knows My Name

In a world populated by demons, Sakurai Yuki is an adopted boy who possesses the peculiar ability to sense the emotions of people he comes into contact with.

Unable to control this ability, Sakurai makes many mistakes, even risking death at times. His life, however, becomes even more complicated when a man who claims to be his brother suddenly appears.

Based on a shojo manga with Boys Love themes, these are the premises of Betrayal Knows My Name.

This anime is mainly recommended for a female audience and if you are not interested in the stereotype of violent and devilish demons.

31. Hozuki’s Coolheadedness

Hozuki’s Coolheadedness is a 2014 series that makes its particular animation technique its strong point in a world saturated with demons.

Hozuki is the proud right-hand man of the great Yama, ruler of the underworld and judge of the afterlife.

The story chronicles the daily life of this compassionate-looking but incredibly sad*stic character as he grapples with problems of all kinds, all demon centered.

In addition to the very interesting animation style, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness relies on its very lively and well-designed characters.

The only problem is a not overly solid plot, which is structured on a collection of many short, self-contained stories.

30. Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun

Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-Kun is a school-toned comedy with the addition of esoteric elements within world-building. It develops over multiple seasons, released from 2019 onward.

Young Iruma is sold by his parents to an old demon for money, but much to his surprise the latter has no ill intentions but rather wants to make him simply his grandson.

He will thus make him attend the school for demons of which he is the principal. Thus begins Iruma’s peculiar new life.

A not bad school comedy combined with demons, funny elements, and a little romance now and then that enhances the whole.

Definitely not a masterpiece in terms of plot, but very light and entertaining, with a nice character design.

29. The Morose Mononokean

The Morose Mononokean is another school comedy with supernatural overtones, very light and enjoyable. Released in 2016, it has 13 episodes.

Ashiya spent the first 7 days of his high school life in the infirmary because of a small demon that latched onto him.

Desperate, he ends up asking for help from the owner of a small tea room called Mononokean, which carries a reputation for solving such problems.

We will follow a series of mysterious stories involving the surly owner of Mononokean as he guides the youkai, who wander this way, to the other world.

The classic demon-related problem-solving anime, with the task of making them transcend to the other world.

Nothing new or innovative, but certainly light and entertaining.

28. Phantom Thief Jeanne

Phantom Thief Jeanne is a Majokko anime from the early 2000s based on manga of the same name. Forty-four episodes were made from it.

Maron Kusakabe, who appears to be a cheerful and sunny 16-year-old girl living alone is nothing less than the reincarnation of Joan of Arc.

At night she transforms into the phantom thief Kaito Jeanne, who, with the help of the half-angel Fin Fish, acts to steal paintings in which dangerous demons are hidden and seal them away for good.

Among the merits of this anime, we see a very colorful setting, with well-written characters and an excellent romance.

On the other hand, on the other hand, among the flaws we have a plot that is all in all quite basic for the majokko genre, with nothing innovative, and rather ugly animations, even for being from the early 2000s.

It has its merits and flaws, but it certainly remains an enjoyable anime.

27. Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood

A little gem of the supernatural and esoteric genre was released recently in 2021 in 12 episodes on an original subject.

The plot is very simple but peculiar to these stories: in the year 1931 Prince Tokugawa Yoshinobu is 94 years old and exerts absolute control over Japan.

But in the shadows, the Kuchikawa are planning an uprising to take over power by force.

The task of extinguishing this group is entrusted to the Nue, the government’s secret executioner group.

A series with peculiar and very pleasant animations, but one that makes world-building its real trump card.

Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood is a very well-realized mixture of ancient Japan, tradition, and esoteric demons that will make this anime a real treat.

26. 3×3 Eyes

From a manga that won the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award in the shonen category, 3×3 Eyes is adapted into a 4-episode OAV released in the early 1990s.

Pai, the last descendant of the Cyclops people, immortal demon-like creatures equipped with three eyes, wants at all costs to assume human form to leave her past behind.

She will be helped by Yakumo, and together they will set out on the trail of the Statue of Humanity, through which it is possible to transform into human beings.

A series that can be considered a mere sampling of the original work, since in 4 episodes it’s impossible to adapt a manga of no less than 40 volumes and 577 chapters.

Use this short OAV to see if you like the plot and possibly start reading the manga, which is way better and the true experience.

25. The Devil is a Part-Timer!

A highly acclaimed and award-winning work, The Devil is a Part-Timer! is another fantasy-style comedy released in 2013.

Thedemon king Satanis only one step away from conquering the world he lives in when he is transported to the Tokyo we all know. To manage to survive, he ends up working part-time at a restaurant.

And to realize his new idea, which is to conquer Japan, he must first become a full-fledged employee and settle into society.

A very light anime, almost a parody of the isekai genre. Making Satan himself an awkward, job-seeking individual like any teenager is undoubtedly a bold move.

If you want to watch an anime that goes to revolutionize the classic narrative patterns then this is one of the best recommendations.

24. Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is set in a time when humans and demons coexist, and the story begins with the abduction of a human princess by a demon king.

The people of the kingdom, enraged by the incident, send a hero to free her from the castle where she has been imprisoned.

One would expect the princess to weep, in despair, waiting impatiently to be rescued, but having so much time in an empty castle she will be found sleeping caught in boredom, extremely bored.

Imagine the prince’s reaction to this very unchivalrous scene.

The premise speaks for itself, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is a fantasy anime that in its short 12 episodes throws a lot of laughs into its narrative.

This is also by making a lot of fun of the stereotypical story where the prince goes to rescue the helpless princess, who tearfully throws herself into his arms.

Great if you are looking for comic, parodic, and absolutely unpretentious show.

23. The Seven Deadly Sins

Seven Deadly Sins is one of the most popular fighting anime in recent years, which has been quite successful.

Elizabeth, daughter of the King, sets out on a journey to find the Seven Deadly Sins, intending to recruit them and take back her recently fallen kingdom due to a coup. The 7 are extremely powerful warriors, capable of great things if brought together.

Set in Britain with fantasy elements, The Seven Deadly Sins shows us anancient and magical side of the country, fantasy elements, featuring demons, angels, and fairies.

The main character himself, Meliodas, is a member of the demon race, and the son of the demon lord.

It certainly won’t be anything extremely groundbreaking, but we recommend that you watch it to witness a fun and noncommittal fighting anime with ecchi elements.

We however suggest watching the anime till Season 4, when the animation starts to leak and continuing with the manga if you like the story.

22. The Promised Neverland

The setup for this anime is as simple as it is frightening. Humans and Demons ended a long war by coming to an agreement named The Promise.

According to this agreement, humans and demons will not invade each other worlds but demons will have to be granted a steady supply of food in the form of human flesh.

The humans will be bred in these fake orphanages where a human Mother would make sure that the children would grow up and then be adopted, meaning they will be fed to high-ranking demons.

We are told this story from the point of view of 3 children who are living in one of these orphanages, the Grace Field House, and they will slowly unravel the chilling mystery of the place where they grew up in.

The first season of the anime, the one where the children have to break out of the orphanage after discovering the truth, is very disturbing and anxiety-provoking.

We will see a real escalation of tension until the final climax, in a whirlwind that will keep you glued from beginning to end.

21. Black Butler

A fairly well-known anime consisting of multiple seasons and a large number of episodes. Sebastian Michaelis is the protagonist, a butler of the ancient and powerful London house of the Phantomhive.

He can boast such qualities as a perfect education, good manners, knowledge of martial arts, and other talents in every other area imaginable.

He will be placed in the employ of Ciel Phantomhive, a wayward boy who nonetheless harbors a great secret as will be evident from the succession of strange events that occur.

The anime is set in a very atmosphericalternate Victorian Londonwith dark fantasy elements mainly given the presence of demons to defeat.

Add to this some excellent action scenes, an apt soundtrack, a very appealing character designs, and the entertainment is served.

20. Natsume’s Book of Friends

An underratedslice-of-life anime with supernatural elementsreleased in 2008 in 13 episodes, based on a shojo manga.

Natsume, like her grandmother Reiko, has the gift of being able to see spirits.

The woman used to propose a variety of challenges to them, and if they were defeated, she would take possession of their name by writing it on what she called theBook of Friends.

Now that Natsume has inherited it, a new adventure begins for him, among spirits who want revenge and others who ask him for help.

A very light-hearted and distinctive series, set in an atmospheric country setting, which deviates from the usual slice of life making the formula more interesting and innovative.

If you are tired of the usual slice-of-life anime and want something that twists the formula then you must watch it.

19. The Misfit of Demon King Academy

Strongly fantasy series released only in 2020 from ecchi atmospheres with lots of action.

After defeating everyone, theDemon KingAnos is now tired of the perennial fighting and decides to reincarnate hoping to have a finally peaceful second life.

He awakens 2,000 years in the future in a peaceful world, but where the level of magic has plummeted and his wizard descendants are much weaker than he remembered.

Ending up as a student at the Demon King’s Academy, he decides to set things right.

This anime is memorable for the presence of its very charismatic and very strong protagonist, quite a badass.

In addition, it has well-realized action moments and very characteristic and striking fantasy atmospheres.

18. High School DxD

What could be called by many the king of fanservice anime. In fact, it’s practically its workhorse and High School DxD doesn’t intend to hide it.

The story follows the events of Issei Hyoudou, a perverted student attending high school like any other who sees his highly anticipated first date goes decidedly wrong.

The boy is killed by the beautiful girl he is dating, only to come back to life thanks to the intervention of the beautiful demon Rias Gremory, who makes him her assistant slave and gives him demoniac powers.

Thus begins his adventure filled with fights between Angels and Demons, but also with beautiful girls who increase his Harem of which he dreams of becoming the King.

High School DxD is a must for any fan of ecchi anime with lots of fanservice. It can be funny, and serious, with lots of action and well-fitting and contextualized erotic moments.

17. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan follows the story of Rikuo Nura, a boy who is part human and part demon, who lives in a spirit-filled house with his grandfather, the commander of all demons, the Nurarihyon.

The boy is destined to become the head of the clan after his grandfather’s death, however, Rikuo is not interested in such a position.

For this sake, he tries to rebel against his power-hungry demon part and his grandfather’s expectations to live the life he has always wanted and not the made-up one.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan is a story of growth, personal quest, and evolution.

Nura is an interestingly written character who will grow a lot from the beginning of the story. This is a good way to create a bond between the watcher and the main character, making him quite relatable.

This anime is ideal if you love character development mixed with demons and rebellion against the status quo.

16. D.Gray-Man

D.Gray-Man is one of the works serialized in the legendary Weekly Shonen Jump magazine but certainly not one of the best known even though it has much to offer.

The Millennium Count is an evil entity that aspires to destroy the world using Akuma, biomechanical weapons consisting of a core placed inside a human body and powered by the souls of the dead.

To defeat him, the protagonist named Allen Walker, in possession of an anti-Akuma weapon in place of his left arm, joins the Dark Order as an exorcist.

Its setting in 16th-century Englandmixed with fantasy and science fiction elements is ideal if you want to watch something more oriented toward Sci-Fi with the presence of demons and vampires in it.

D.Gray-Man also offers a good dose of action and a decidedly interesting character design. All ingredients that make this anime a balanced and very enjoyable experience.

15. Mushoku Tensei

One of the most popular isekai in recent times, featuring an anonymous 34-year-old Japanese NEET as its protagonist.

The protagonist, after being evicted from his home and realizing the futility of his life, decides to save some high school students who were about to be hit by a truck.

As it’s common in many isekai, he dies but finds himself in another world.

However, what from the premise may seem like the most mundane of isekai is born much more underneath, with anoutstanding and varied worldpopulated by excellently characterized characters.

Mushoku Tensei is one very good fantasy anime that is suitable even for those who don’t like these types of stories.

Speaking of which, it’s one of thebest isekaiof the last decade thanks to a great cast and an engaging plot.

14. Dorohedoro

From the bizarre mind of Q Hayashida comes Dorohedoro, a manga serialized starting way back in 1999 and then adapted into anime several years later.

Cayman, the man protagonist of the story, has lost his memory and wakes up with a reptilian head, without remembering why he possesses it and without knowing where it is.

He thus sets out to find the sorcerers who live in the town of Hole, the backdrop of the events, to solve the mystery related to his appearance, together with his friend and companion Nikaido.

Hole, however, is populated by powerful demons and sorcerers capable of terrible deeds, which will make Cayman’s task anything but easy.

Dorohedoro is a controversial work, to say the least. It combines many genres and themes, so it won’t be strange to witness its scenes of great violence juxtaposed with demented moments that even result in black humor.

But it is this extravagance, envy-inducing character design, and settings that make this anime unique, to say the least.

Although to be fair, we recommend that you read the manga. We are not saying that the Dorohedoro anime is bad, but the manga is in a different league.

13. Saiyuki

Saiyuki is an anime from the early 2000s divided into 50 episodes.

Suddenly all over the world demons went mad and began attacking humans, with whom they had lived in peace and harmony until then. The cause of the madness would seem to be the attempted resurrection of the powerful demon Gyumao.

To stop the disaster, 4 adventurers are tasked to travel west to defeat him: the Buddhist monk Genjo Sanzo and the three demons Son Goku, Sha Gojyo, and Cho Hakkai.

Saiyuki sends us to a wonderful fictional setting that combines Eastern folklore with stupendous locations in ancient Japan, making this its strong point.

In addition to this, we also have excellent action scenes, unique and well-characterized characters, and beautiful design.

12. Blue Exorcist

Captivating combat anime with a very heated and upbeat atmosphere, featuringdemonsandexorcismsas the main theme of the entire work.

The world consists of two parallel worlds that mirror each other. The first is the world of humans,Assiah, and the second is the realm of demons,Gehenna.

The main character,Rin, is none other than theson of Satanconceived by a human woman for the sole purpose of using him to fulfill his purposes in the human world.

But will Rin accept his father’s plans or will he prefer to go his own way and become an exorcist?

Fighting, comedy, and scenes marked by bright colors populated by well-characterized characters make this anime an excellent mix.

Although it won’t be anything groundbreaking and certainly not a masterpiece, Blue Exorcist is a good anime to watch some entertaining action scenes and a setting full of creatures like demons, ghouls and more.

11. Ushio to Tora

A classic work by Kazuhiro Fujita, Ushio, and Tora tells of the adventures of young Ushio.

The boy, following an unfortunate series of events, finds himself confronted by the evil demon lord Tora, pierced by a sacred spear that restricts his movements.

The young man does not succumb to the creature’s temptations and initially refuses to release it, but its aura attracts other demonic creatures nearby, forcing them into a temporary truce to eliminate them.

Tora clearly wants to kill Ushio, but the use of the sacred spear transforms the latter into a powerful samurai, capable of intimidating even the monster.

From there on, the series will focus not only on the battles but also on the relationship between the 2, painting a much less obvious reality about the origins of the demon and its spear.

Ushio to Tora is a very underrated and niche battle anime, certainly less famous than other colossal in the genre.

But we assure you that it’s quite entertaining with a very deep and realistic relationship between the 2 main characters and excellent fighting scenes.

10. Demon Slayer

Tanjirois the eldest son of a large family orphaned by his father, who leaves his home in the mountains every day to travel to the city to sell coal.

Upon returning home one evening, he discovers that his entire family has been mauled by a group of wild demons and that his beloved little sisterNezukohas herself become a demon.

Determined to find a cure that can return his sister to normal, Tanjiro will undergo grueling training to become a demon hunter, hoping to shed light on this horrible mystery.

A determined warrior driven by dispassionate love for his sister, a constant struggle for survival, and choreographed pyrotechnic confrontations.

The formula for a journey among the most sincere on the scene, surrounded bybreathtaking animationamong the best of the soundtracks capable of moving the viewer emotionally at the most salient moments.

9. Claymore

A 26-episode animeset in a dark medieval fantasy-themed worldwhere the inhabitants are forced to fight the threat of monstrous creatures that feed on humans.

Fighting these creatures, calledYomi, are theClaymores, warriors with enormous power who can counter the terrible monsters with their swords.

The protagonist of the story is Claire, a low-level claymore who will increase her fighting power over time as she discovers the deceptions behind theYomi and the society in which she lives.

A very good dark fantasy setting mixed with a lot of action and excellent characters make this anime one of the must-watch if you like mature stories.

Thedark fantasy settingof Claymore is charming and gloomy, perfect to represent a sad world infested by Yomi. The anime isn’t really at the same level as the original source, the manga.

That’s because it aired before the manga finished so the last 3 episodes aren’t canon, butthis adaptation is still a great introductionanyway.

8. Mononoke

A Japanese avant-gardeanime with just 12 episodesthat follows the adventures of a nameless character destroying Mononoke.

They are evil spirits that bind themselves to negative human emotions in order to live. Mononoke features a spectacular Japanese setting with a fantasy touch in one of the best supernatural anime you can find.

Mononoke is actually split into 5 stories, each of which has 2 to 3 episodes. This division is interesting and doesn’t slow down the pacing of the series, but it rather reinforces it.

The Ukiyo-e style and the rich symbolism create one of the best visive experiences of the entire medium. Mononoke is more of a journey into Japanese animation and its beauty and each story is emphasized by the style too.

7. Yu Yu Hakusho

Yu Yu Hakusho is a work by the legendary master Togashi, the same author of the very famous Hunter X Hunter series. The 1992 anime adaptation consists of 112 episodes.

The plot revolves around the adventures ofYusuke Urameshi, a young punk with a heart of gold who one day sacrifices himself to save a child from an accident.

Due to this extreme act of generosity, the Spirit King proposes to bring him back to life in exchange for him becoming the detective of the spiritual world.

The anime is agreat battle classic, thanks to its beautifully directed fights and the quality of the characters, all of whom are diverse and well-characterized.

Let us not exaggerate by saying that with this work Togashi laid many of thefoundations of battle shonen, with narrative techniques that are still used today.

6. Chrono Crusade

Chrono Crusade isset in the 1920sin New York, with America just emerging from WWI. On the way to apparent prosperity, evil lurks in the shadows in the form of hellish demons.

TheOrder of the Magdalene, a military organization, was founded to fight this menace. Priests and exorcist nuns are charged with fighting such demons to protect the public order and the world.

The two main characters areChrono and Rosette, who go steady in this eternal struggle against evil. The particularity? Chrono is a devil, and Rosette is a nun.

It may seem like a simple and light-hearted anime on the surface, focused on action, but it is not at all.

Chrono Crusade hides a sad story of love and loss which will for sure captivate you.

5. Inuyasha

Everybody knows Inuyasha, a big classic of the shonen genre and anime in general.

The story starsKagome, a young girl who, as a result of an accident, will fall a well and is catapulted intoSengoku-era Japan. Here she will be reborn as the reincarnation of the priestessKikyo, to protect the four winds’ sphere with Inuyasha’s help, a canine-likedemon.

Inuyasha is undoubtedly one of the greatest cult greats ever, and there must be a reason for that. It’s a simple but solid story, excellent settings, and one of the best romantic with demons and spirits ever.

4. Dororo

Born at the hand of legendary master Osamu Tezuka, it has recently received a remake in 2019.

The plot revolves aroundHyakkimaru, a boy with a body made of prosthetics, who fights demons. When he was a child his impoverished fathersacrificed the childto demons to seek prosperity.

These demons now possess his body parts and senses, so Hyakkimaru will have to seek them out and exorcise them to regain his lost body.

He will do this together withDororo, a child that is keeping him company during the journey.

Dororo is an anime that everyone should watch, very complete and satisfying.

A solid plot accompanied by excellent animation and a soundtrack that will make the fighting even better are just the surface of this anime.

The very well-characterized and diverse characters that populate a very well-realizeddark fantasy-themed feudal Japanese worldare the real stars of this immortal work.

3. Berserk

A masterpiece of thedark fantasyandsword and sorcerygenres by the notorious mangaka Kentaro Miura, which changed the media forever. Its 1997 anime adaptation is famous for its vintage style and its fitting setting.

Few other works can match this one due to the complexity of its characters and for starring two incredible personalities:Gatsu and Griffith.

The story doesn’t start in the happiest of ways, but it gets even worse as the protagonist Gatsu has a fateful encounter with Griffith, the leader of the Falcons.

Berserk is amilestone in Japanese artand the progressive suffering of Gatsu is what makes it more realistic and relatable.

The anime relies mainly on its incredibleworld-buildingand its very deep psychological side, but the action, when present, will also play its part very well.

2. Chainsaw Man

Chainsaw Man is unabashedly the media phenomenon of the moment as far as the anime and manga scene is concerned.

He is literally on everyone’s lips, and everyone knows him, especially after the long-awaited anime adaptation by Mappa, which as always has done an excellent job.

Denji is a boy who because of his father, after his death, is in debt up to his neck.

Because of this, he is forced to be a Devil Hunter, or demon hunter, to scrape together some money.

In all this he is joined by his companion and weapon Pochita, a chainsaw dog who one day, in a dangerous situation, will change his master’s life, making him the dreaded Chainsaw Man.

There are many reasons behind the incredible success of this work. It’s a dynamic and fast-paced story that will captivate you, thanks to its characters and a world-building that manages to be unique and recognizable.

While the premises may seem too simple, the execution is perfect and this adaptation is poignant of cult movie references and crazy action.

1. Devilman Crybaby

Devilman is the most iconic Go Nagai manga, released in 1973 and still considered one of the most important productions ever.

Masaaki Yuasa decided to pay homage to the work by taking it and catapulting the events to the present day without unhinging its soul.

Akirais far too good a boy, reasoning that he ends up receiving the nickname, Crybaby. Not so isRyo, his best friend who is more fearless and arrogant than he is, and by who he gets carried away.

One day, Akira will be persuaded to go on a Sabbath, which ends up turning out to be a full-blown satanic ritual to attract demons.

Everyone will be possessed, including Akira, who nevertheless manages through his gentle spirit to control the beast. Thus is bornDevilman, a demon lord with supernatural powers dedicated to the protection of humanity.

Devilman Crybaby is one of those anime that shouldn’t be missed under any circ*mstances, with a solid story, sad and action moments, and animations that are nothing short of incredible and unique.

Some may dislike the avant-garde style typical of Yuasa but there is no doubt about the effort put to create this gem.