Here we are and it is October and this year I’m going to be running Halloween themed top 5’s all month long (not that Halloween is actually a thing where I live but any excuse to dust off some of my favourite anime and characters). Starting out with this list of anime characters that creep me out. Or that I just find disturbing or unsettling for whatever reason.
I will admit, it was a tough list to narrow down but I’m pretty happy with the final list. But as always I would love my readers to join in the fun and share their top 5 creepy character lists in the comments below. Hopefully you like my list.
Who made the list of anime characters that creep me out?
Please note, there will be spoilers below.
Honourable mentions: Miki (Parasyte) and Tsukiyama (Tokyo Ghoul).
Number 5: The Millennium Earl (D Gray Man)
Look, the guy has a permanent smile that is almost bigger than his head and the deals he offers people are worse than any deal you could make with the devil. He’s responsible for so much misery and pain and he does it all with that ridiculous grin and a laugh. This is a character that was inevitably going to creep me out.
So many characters claim they are going to destroy the world but I actually came to believe the Millennium Earl would eventually succeed in D Gray Man and given the story isn’t finished let’s just say he’s currently winning.
Number 4: Hisoka (Hunter x Hunter)
I probably don’t need to explain why I consider Hisoka a creepy customer but right from the first time he graced the screen in Hunter x Hunter he left me unsettled. He’s a little bit violent, a little bit sadistic, gets way too in to his pursuits, and seems to be entirely indifferent to any kind of moral code outside of his own.
That and his fixation with Gon at times is very creepy. Still, I’m thinking if I ever end up in an anime world and see someone who even looks vaguely like Hisoka coming I’m running for it (not that it will do me much good mind you, but it might make me feel better).
Number 3: Urado (Ghost Hunt)
Probably not a well known character given Ghost Hunt isn’t the most popular anime out there, but while most of the ghost stories the characters encounter in the various arcs are more interesting than scary Urado is one character who could definitely leave you with nightmares. And he undeniably is an anime character that creeps me out.
That’s probably because unlike so many of the other stories, Urado seems to be based off of tales of real life figures like Elizabeth Bathory and the like so with a more familiar context, and a lot of blood, Urado managed to really get under my skin for the brief time he was in the story.
Number 2: Megumi (Shiki)
No surprise Megumi from Shiki made the list. When we’re talking about anime characters that creep me out Megumi is definitely right up there.
It isn’t that I’m actually scared by Megumi, but there’s that scene where she slides out from under the bed and no matter how many times you watch it, it is still unbelievably creepy. That and Megumi is just so incredibly malicious in the way she attacks people as a vampire. She well and truly earned her number two spot.
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Number 1: The Colossal Titan
Right, so future revelations in the story may have reduced the impact, but The Colossal Titan appearing behind the wall was one of those moments where you just kind of stared at your screen and froze. Such a perfect opening act for Attack on Titan really.
They really just nailed the perfect combination of factors to make this character someone who would lodge in your memory and haunt your dreams well and truly after watching the episode. For me, no other titan since has had as much impact, not even that insanely creepy smiling one.
So yes, The Colossal Titan in their first appearance tops my list of anime characters that creep me out.
What anime characters creep you out?
Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James
A character that creeps me out is Kabuto from Naruto Shippuden!! LOL
Have to admit he does look like a creepy character.
I would give anything to be a colossal titan!
The creepiest characters for me are the ones where you can instinctively sense something’s not quite right about them, like they appear to be mostly functional human beings except for something that’s just a little bit “off,” but you don’t know exactly what it is right away. Me-Mania from Perfect Blue, who someone else mentioned earlier, is a great example of this type of character. It’s obvious right away that he has some mental health issues, but I still spent half the movie trying to decide whether he was an actual threat, a harmless eccentric, or just a figment of Mima’s imagination. Rena from Higurashi is a lot like that too, where there’s always something unsettling about her but it takes a while to understand just how fragile her sanity actually is (Shion to me is less “creepy” and more just flat-out “scary”).
For creepy non-human characters, I found Caster from Fate/Zero and Ai Enma from Hell Girl both quite memorable, in their own disturbing ways.
Rena is definitely a creepy character and yeah, it takes awhile to figure out why, but there’s always something just a bit off about her.
The scene where Megumi slides out from under the bed and uncoils her body like a snake was superbly creepy… 😮
If I had to nominate creepy anime characters, it would be:
Most the perverted Gifted from “Speed Grapher” (especially the dude with all the boobs)
Aya’s older brother in “Magical Girl Site”
Owl Head from “The Woman Called Fujiko Mine”
Gah! Urado! The only really scary part of Ghost Hunt, caught me completely off guard, AND it was the very night that my big, strong bodyguard of a roommate and best friend had moved out (he was getting married). I found myself feeling his absence very keenly! Had to watch some Gundam Wing to calm my brain down so I could get to sleep. LOL
Urado did kind of up the horror aspect of Ghost Hunt.
“Kind of?” I see you is a master of understatement! 😉
https://res.cloudinary.com/teepublic/image/private/s–IVtK3RoL–/t_Resized%20Artwork/c_crop,x_10,y_10/c_fit,w_470/c_crop,g_north_west,h_626,w_470,x_0,y_0/g_north_west,u_upload:v1462829020:production:blanks:h778z1f0n6g0xugjpxxm,x_-395,y_-325/b_rgb:eeeeee/c_limit,f_jpg,h_630,q_90,w_630/v1536635825/production/designs/3138071_0.jpg
Megumi and colossal I totally agree with. Aww I like Hisoka. Hahah
The Earl guy is creepy for sure. I wouldn’t trust that guy at all!
That is the hardest thing to believe that even in grief someone would make a deal with someone who looked like that.
Lol, no kidding!
Interesting list and I definitely agree with Hisoka being really creepy especially given his obsession with Gon (granted I’m more familiar with the original series, but his personality is still there from what I know).
Some other creepy anime characters I can think of would be in no particular order…
Honi from Kurogane Communication
Incognito from Hellsing
Me-Mania from Perfect Blue
Komori from Shadow Star Narutaru
I haven’t watched any of those anime except Hellsing and I kind of forgot a lot of it, so I’m going to have to google some characters. Thanks for sharing.
That’s fine. Most of them aren’t creepy looking, but their actions make them extremely creepy.
Whoa….that Urado character seriously creeped me out to be sure….ughh! (Now I gotta track this one down and see it for myself lol😂).
Well…let’s see my top 5 creepy characters (at least the one that spring to mind now, probably am missing some now😊)
5: Enzyme from The Guyver
4. The Bunny Beasts in Blood C
3. Sachiel from Neon Genesis Evangelion
2. The first Gauna from Knights of Sidonia
1. Rod Reiss Titan. That one is by far one of the most disgusting and horrifying things I have ever seen (well so far anyway).
Great post! 😊😊
Knights of Sidonia did have some creepy moments, though I was mostly creeped out by the character designs in general and how fluidly everything moved so it kind of lessened the impact of the gauna.
Have to agree with the Rod Reiss Titan. I was most sickened by it than creeped out but it was most definitely gross.
Haha, you are not kidding about those character designs lol 😂 Still, it’s another example of a show that ended without a real resolution which is also kind of sad 😢
Haha, and you are not kidding about the Rod Reiss Titan being gross 😅😅😂😂
The initial impression of the colossal was definitely mesmerizing. And oh hey, Megumi—she’s my favorite character from Shiki, and the one that sealed Tia Ballard as one of my favorite English VAs.
I think the titans in general have lost a lot of their wow factor and creepiness through repeated exposure but that first episode and that first appearance is one that really left an impression.
Megumi is an awesome character. Creepy as, but I just love how single minded she is about what ever she currently wants.
Oh yeah those black eyes are super creepy! Almost all the vampires, my friend couldn’t even watch that anime ha!
I was okay with most of them but Megumi is her own brand of super creepy.