The best anime demons

Demons are a popular archetype in anime, lending themselves to explorations of the super and inhuman. Whether our protagonists fight against or alongside demons — or are the demons themselves — the supernatural flair is an attractive aesthetic for larger-than-life characters. Some of our favorite demons are harmless while others are bloodthirsty. Either way, you’ll want to see them all in action.

Nezuko Kamado

Nezuko’s kindness surpasses even her humanity. Just look at her ⏤ a cinnamon bun when she’s tired and playful and a fully grown demon ready to kick heads when she’s angry. Nezuko remains fiercely loyal to her brother and human causes as a demon, protecting him from other demons and taking on all the big bads in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba with him.

Inuyasha

The original golden retriever boyfriend. Inuyasha, of the eponymous ’90s manga and classic ’00s anime, is technically a half-demon, and boy is he insecure about that. Arrogant and prideful, Inuyasha seeks out the Shikon no Tama with Kagome Higurashi to become a full-fledged demon.

Ryuk

Ryuk just wants to have some fun, even if that causes mass death and a new world order to form. Ryuk is a shinigami, or “death god,” unique to Japanese culture, and the driving force behind Death Note — the literal devil on Light’s shoulder, if you will. Though he’s a death god, Ryuk doesn’t have much taste for humans. Instead, he has a slight addiction to red apples.

Ryomen Sukuna

Trapped in young Yuji Itadori’s body, the King of Curses is still a sizable foe. A human sorcerer a millenia ago, Sukuna became a curse upon death. His power was stored in his 20 mummified fingers, which Yuji just had to go and swallow one of. Sharing a body, the two navigate the modern world of curses in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Power

The best girl competition in Chainsaw Man is steep, and yet power prevails. Fiends are devils who have taken a human corpse as their form in order to survive, albeit in a much weaker capacity than their devil forms. Power is a Blood Fiend capable of controlling her own blood into many types of weapons, including a big hammer and her iconic scythe. She can be childish and self-serving, but she has a soft spot for Denji and the family she found in Public Safety.