Even though it was considered taboo in any religion, humans have had an affinity for demons and the world of the supernatural for decades. You see a lot of it in popular culture: books, movies, TV shows, comics, and sometimes even anime. There’s just something about the blood, gore, horror, and insane abilities demons exhibit that has a way of keeping our eyes glued to the screen. Although American shows like Lucifer and Supernatural have definitely set a standard for the demon genre, they are nothing compared to some of the more popular demonic stories told in anime. Nowadays, demon anime has even gotten so good that it’s played an instrumental part in building the new anime wave sweeping the world. Thanks to that, young and old alike are now opening their horizons and looking for anime to binge-watch.
But just like your first time with anything, you want your experience to be fun and exciting enough to keep you interested. And of course, just like anything else, not every demon anime is created equal. So, to get you started on your road into the darker recesses of Japan’s animated phenomenon, we’ve compiled a list of the best demon anime to binge watch⏤so far.
Inuyasha/Yashashime
One of the most classic anime in the genre’s history and the most popular demon story of all time, Inuyasha is guaranteed to take you on an extraordinary journey through the demon realm.
Based on the popular manga by Rumiko Takahashi, Inuyasha follows the adventures of high school student Kagome as she roams feudal Japan with half-demon Inuyasha in search of the Sacred Shikon Jewel shards. The objective? Defeat the demon, Naraku, whose plots and schemes have been attributed to the increased demonic aura ravaging the land.
A story that spans 167 episodes and four films, Inuyasha has woven such a deep and compelling story in the world of demons that it has continued in the new anime series, Yashahime: Princess Half Demon, slated to return for its second season on October 2nd, 2021. It’s safe to say that the story of Inuyasha alone will be enough to satisfy your demon appetite for weeks.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba
Kind-hearted Tanjiro sells charcoal for a living to help feed his mother and family of siblings. But when he comes home to find most of his family slaughtered by demons and his only surviving sister, Nezuko, has been turned into one herself, Tanjiro finds the resolve to become a demon slayer.
Hoping to find a way to turn Nezuko back to normal and kill the demon responsible, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps in their quest to finally defeat the Twelve Kizuki and their Demon King Muzan Kibutsujj.
Based on the best-selling manga by Koyoharu Gotuge, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba has been widely praised as one of anime’s most visual masterpieces for the way it perfectly balances its bold and beautifully drawn animated style over its often intense and detailed fight scenes.
One of the most popular anime in the world, Kimetsu No Yaiba just released its first film, Demon Slayer: The Mugen Train, and is slated to return for its second season sometime next month. If you’re looking for something more modern to make conversation about around the water cooler, then this would be the perfect time to start binge-watching the first season for free on Crunchyroll.
Blue Exorcist
All of his life, Rin Okumura and his twin brother Yukio have been raised by the Exorcist, Father Shiro Fujimoto. As far as he knew, he was a regular guy. But that all changed once he learned that he and Yukio were actually the Sons of Satan!
Determined to defeat his father, Rin joins his brother at the True Cross Academy to train in becoming an exorcist. With the group of friends he’s made at the school, he goes on a fantastic journey to defeat Satan’s hordes while controlling the demon within himself.
Based on the Japanese Dark Fantasy manga series by Kazue Kato, Blue Exorcist is a beautifully dark anime with intense action and great storytelling. A nice blend of humor and suspense, Blue Exorcist‘s unique take on the Underworld and Satan’s family is a refreshing change of pace after binge-watching a few episodes of Ushio & Tora.
Jujutsu Kaisen
High schooler Yuji Itadori is a star athlete, far from what you would consider a nerd. But instead of sports, he’s quite happy hanging out with his nerd friends in the Occult Research Club. At least he was until a Cursed Spirit showed up and tried to kill them all!
In trying to protect his friends, Yuji is locked in a desperate battle with the Cursed Spirit and ends up accidentally swallowing one of the decayed fingers of the infamous demon Sukuna, the King of Curses.
Granted with Sukuna’s powers and tasked with ingesting Sukuna’s remaining fingers, Yuji is now forced to walk the path of a Jujutsu sorcerer⏤exorcists trained in containing cursed spirits⏤before he ultimately is killed by them once he retrieves all of Sukuna’s fingers.
Ushio And Tora
Based on the manga by Kazuhiro Fujita, Ushio and Tora is an awesome buddy series with a unique and demonic twist on the “buddy” part.
Ushio Aotsuk’s family has guarded a temple near the home for hundreds of years. And when Ushio accidentally opens a trap door to the temple’s basement, he finally finds out why: it has been keeping the infamous demon tiger, Tora, inside! Forced to free Tora to defend the town against various invading demons, Ushio becomes the wielder of the Beast Spear⏤a magical Weapon said to grant the user superhuman abilities⏤and teams up with the demon tiger to protect the Ushio’s loved ones from harm. That is unless Tora decides to eat him for lunch!
Ushio & Tora is a hilarious, sad, and exciting ride into the histories of ancient demons and legendary warriors. Tora’s repeated attempts to sneakily eat Ushio and avoid being struck by the Beast Spear are anime comedic gold. Lighthearted and exciting, Ushio & Tora is a great throwback on your journey through the anime’s demon genre.
