The demon character is a common feature in various kinds of anime, especially if there’s some kind of fantasy or horror element involved in the setting or plot. Unlike the Western idea of demons, which almost always portrays these beings as malevolent, their appearances in anime can be sympathetic and even heartwarming.
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That isn’t to say that there’s a shortage of evil and destructive demons in anime, and some of them have become cultural icons because of the way that they resonated with audiences. Whether it was to be the catalyst of a plot, play the role of antagonist, or provide some stunning visuals, they made an impression. Even if they don’t like anime, most people can recognize some ofanime’s most memorable demons.
7Inuyasha (Inuyasha)
A manga and seriesthat’s as much about time travel and romance as fighting demons, the plotline ofInuyashaalso includes a “Beauty and the Beast” trope in which the hunter and hunted form a bond throughout the show. It’s a touching narrative even if it takes a while to get off the ground as far as the love story goes.
The series kicks off with an isekai vibe when the main character Kagome falls through the Bone Eater’s Well at her family’s Shinto shrine. She finds herself in a parallel universe of her own world, but it’s during Japan’s medieval Sengoku period. She sees what looks like a young man pinned to a tree with an arrow and frees him, and this is the half-demon Inuyasha.
6Femto (Berserk)
At first, he was Griffith, the leader of the Band of the Hawk and a rising star in the royal court. He threw it all away for one night of illicit pleasure with the princess and was tortured for two years in solitary confinement as punishment. When he was transformed into a demon, his human body was broken and rebuilt into a winged monster with a human face that was named Femto.
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The tale of Griffith’s transformation into Femto is a sordid and visceral one of violence, betrayal, and body horror.Berserkitself is iconic for its images of gore and destruction, and Femto is the symbol of the cumulative agony and gore that sums up the whole series.
5Akira (Devilman)
In Hell, he was simply called Devilman, and he was one of the strongest fighters in the Demon Tribe. He killed a boy named Akira who ventured too close to one of the tribe’s secret bases and chose the boy’s body as his new host.
However, this doesn’t go exactly as planned because the union ofDevilmanwith the more sympathetic Akiracauses the demon to go through some changes. Falling in love, for example, is one of the catalysts that makeDevilmanstart to change his priorities. Eventually, he starts to question and defy his orders from the Demon Tribe and Hell itself.
4Sebastian (Black Butler)
An anime that focuses on the drama of family dynasties wouldn’t have a place for a demon as a character, would it? Sebastian ofBlack Butlerhas all of the sinister charm and evil powers of a demon but keeps the chaos inside, using his powers behind the scenes instead of being an overt agitator.
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After his family is murdered and he endures years of torture, the main character Ciel Phantomhive makes a deal with a demon to take revenge and regain his position in Victorian society. He names the demon Sebastian Michaelis, after the dog who was also killed when his family was attacked, and together the two of them navigate the perilous class structure of the era.
3Nezuko (Demon Slayer)
The popularity ofDemon Slayerhas made the character of Nezuko one of modern anime’s most recognizable and iconic demons. She’s the sister of the main character Tanjiro Kamado, a friendly kid who was just trying to get by in the tough economy of medieval Japan when his family home was attacked by demnic monsters.
Nezuko was possessed by the demon but somehow retained some modicum of human emotion, so Tanjiro decides not to kill her but instead they escape together. He is recruitedby the Demon Slayer Corpsand decides to find a way to turn his sister back into a human being as he trains to be a slayer of demons.
2Nago (Princess Mononoke)
The drama ofPrincess Mononokebegins with a tense scene that involves the sudden charge of a massive demon into an otherwise peaceful village. The local people refer to this monster as a demon, and in a small bit of dialogue he doesn’t confirm or deny this, and his intentions were anything but good but not without reason.
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The rest of the plot follows from this event, as Ashitaka travels across Japan to discover the source of his curse and the antidote if any exists. As he journeys deeper into the forest he learns more about the nature of evil and where demons really come from.
1Kurama (Naruto)
Several demons appear in fox formin anime, and the most iconic of these is Kurama, the nine-tailed fox god that appears inNaruto.He’s not just a mindless beast but a sentient being with his own backstory, which includes a deep hatred and distrust of humans after being hunted by them for centuries.
Naruto changes the fox’s mind about humans by treating Karuma with respect and gratitude, persuading the demon to help save the world instead of destroying it. The two of them spend a lot of time together after the fox demon is sealed inside the main character, and their relationship forms the basis for a very extensive story, one of the longest in anime series history.
