Best Supernatural Anime

Who doesn’t enjoy a bit of the supernatural? From demons to vampires, the human race has been fascinated by stories of unseen and unknowable forces since the dawn of storytelling itself. These entities appear in every medium, be it games, books, comics, TV shows, or live-action movies. They are always in vogue.

Anime is no exception, with many incredible tales focusing on supernatural themes. While there are plenty of shows for fans to choose from, some stand out above the rest as being extra special. Crucially, supernatural stories can complement nearly any other genre, be it horror, comedy, action, drama, fantasy, or even slice of life. Even if someone does not specifically seek out supernatural anime, there is a good chance that one of their favorite series also falls within the category.

What are the best supernatural anime ever?

Updated on December 14, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Fall 2024 is almost over, so two of its representatives deserve to be added to this rundown of the greatest supernatural anime ever. One of them is a new property, while the other is a sequel to a shonen classic.

16 Devilman Crybaby

MyAnimeList: 7.75

Go Nagai’s Devilman is unquestionably influential, not only for shonen and seinen, but also for the entire manga and anime industries. Unsurprisingly, the story has received plenty of adaptations over the years, most of which are fine but also suffer from being products of their time that have not aged particularly well.

Fortunately, in 2018, Devilman Crybaby debuted on Netflix, providing a modern take on Go Nagai’s legendary source material. Reflecting the original story’s tendency to lean into violence and gore, Science SARU’s adaptation is intended for adult eyes and can be an uncomfortable watch at times. However, the show’s themes, animation, and storytelling are all top-notch and represent the supernatural anime genre at its peak. To be able to fight demons, Akira effectively becomes one himself (well, half of one), setting himself up as a savior who has to shoulder humanity’s future and past.

15 The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

MyAnimeList: 8.41 (Season 1)

Despite being primarily associated with action anime, supernatural anime covers a fairly wide spectrum of genres, be it horror, slice of life, romance, or, crucially for this series, comedy. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. follows Kusuo, a high school student who is (basically) an esper. While there is seemingly nothing he cannot do, the protagonist has the unfortunate ability to attract troublemakers to him, which undermines his desire to keep a low profile.

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is simply hilarious. Kusuo serves as the perfect stoic foil for the rest of the cast’s comedic shenanigans, and it is always a blast when this near-omnipotent force of nature is left speechless by the actions of a make-believe battle shonen hero, the perfect girl chosen by the gods, and an indecipherable idiot.

14 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

MyAnimeList: 7.78 (Season 1)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is arguably more straight fantasy than supernatural, but the latter is present through the usage of vampires and an impeccable power system, Stands. More importantly, the series maintains an impressive standard of quality throughout its run, with even the weakest entry (Phantom Blood) introducing one of the most iconic villains in anime, Dio.

JoJo is split into parts set during diverse eras and revolving around different characters, although the protagonists are linked through their blood. Each part is distinct too, be it the adventurous battle shonen classic “Stardust Crusader” or the more unconventional Diamond Is Unbreakable. With great action, bizarre but funny humor, and usually likable heroes (and detestable villains), JoJo is just an all-around masterpiece that has been doing its thing for decades.

13 Dororo

MyAnimeList: 8.25

When a samurai lord will do anything to make his prefecture prosper, he makes a deal with twelve demons that leave his firstborn son born horribly with no eyes, limbs, or even skin. Tossed into a river to die and be forgotten, the baby is found by a medicine man who creates prosthetics so that the young Hyakkimaru can live.

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Dororo follows his story as he tries to kill the demons that cursed him and regain parts of his true self as he does so. Along the way, Hyakkimaru meets the titular Dororo and the two become fast friends and traveling companions. An impressive adaptation of an influential manga, Dororo blends its supernatural premise into its historical setting very well. The lead characters also go throw quite a lot of growth throughout the season.

12 To Your Eternity

MyAnimeList: 8.35 (Season 1)

To Your Eternity was one of the biggest hits to come out of the Spring 2021 anime season and its opening episode is fantastic enough to justify earning a place as one of the best supernatural shows out there. Thankfully, the rest of the series is also pretty good. It was written by Yoshitoki Ooima, the mind behind A Silent Voice, so viewers need to be ready for a powerfully emotional affair.

The story is about an immortal being who experiences humanity and slowly learns about people and life. With greater dark powers at play, this supernatural drama is worth watching to see how it all unfolds. To Your Eternity packs an emotional punch as death is a central theme, which makes sense since the protagonist will outlive everyone else. Although losing some steam toward the end, season 1 is generally great, while its sequel is decent but lacks the same weight. Season 3 is confirmed to be in the works.

11 Bleach

MyAnimeList: 7.96 (Season 1)

Bleach is inconsistent. At its peak, the series is right up there with the best action supernatural anime of all time, delivering top-notch fight sequences, relentlessly cool designs, and creative powers; at its worst, the show can be frustrating and feel like a waste of time. The original 2006 anime started very strong with the Agent of Shinigami and Soul Society arcs, both of which hold up pretty darn well. After that, the rest of the series becomes inconsistent and struggles to maintain momentum.

Fortunately, the 2022 revival, Thousand-Year Blood War, is just all-around fabulous, at least from action and animation perspectives. Admittedly, getting there requires sitting through quite a lot of underwhelming content, but the highs are worth suffering through the lows.

MyAnimeList: 8.70

Dandadan is not only awesome, but also quite versatile. Most stories would settle for either supernatural, fantasy, or sci-fi elements, but this manga and its anime adaptation are not most stories. Dandadan specifically revolves around ghosts AND aliens, with two very likable teenagers finding themselves dragged at the same time into these dangerous and entertaining worlds.

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Focusing specifically on the yokai, the anime features quite a few creative ghosts that tend to have incredible (and creepy) designs along with fun powers. Sometimes, they even have heartbreaking backstories that leave the heroes (and viewers) on the verge of tears. Although the ghost aspect is neat, Dandadan‘s brilliance lies in the way it blends genres and themes. The series could be recommended to people craving comedy, romance, action, sci-fi, or supernatural stories, and they will likely come out of the experience satisfied. It is just that well-rounded.

9 Mononoke

MyAnimeList: 8.42

No anime fan can deny the breathtaking visuals found in Mononoke. The story is just as incredible as the animation, following the mysterious Medicine Seller, Kusuriuri, as he deals with angry spirits disturbing various people. Its combination of classic Japanese horror with the supernatural will keep fans at the edges of their seats until the end.

The Medicine Seller is an enigmatic figure, a person seemingly separate from time and space as they roam through the land looking for Mononoke to exorcise. The spirits might be the disruptive force; however, all of these stories come with a strong human element, exploring the characters who have been dragged into the supernatural entity’s influence.

8 Death Note

MyAnimeList: 8.62

A shinigami can kill anyone and steal the remainder of their years alive — as long as they can write their name in their notebook called a Death Note. One such titular notebook falls into the hands of Light Yagami who begins using it to try and create his ideal version of the world.

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This leads to an intense psychological anime as a secret group of police led by the mysterious genius only known as L tries to track him down as while he is mostly killing terrible people, he’s still breaking the law by committing murders. The supernatural abilities of the shinigami often come into play as Light has one with him at all times.

7 Jujutsu Kaisen

MyAnimeList: 8.63 (Season 1)

Yuuji might have enjoyed his time as a member of the Occult Club at his school but he wasn’t prepared for what happened when he came to possess a real cursed item. From here he learns about Curses — supernatural beings born from human negativity and malice.

Jujutsu Kaisen was one of the most hyped-up shows of 2020 and managed to deliver on all it promised. Heart-racing action combined with challenging typical shonen genre tropes is what makes this series special, although it is also elevated by a strong roster of characters and a fun power system. The prequel movie and season 2 arguably managed to surpass their incredible predecessor, raising the bar in terms of action, shocks, and world-building.

6 Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files

MyAnimeList: 8.46

Yu Yu Hakusho is a shonen battle anime classic. Yuusuke Urameshi goes against what was foretold for his future when he jumps in front of a car to push a young boy out of the way, causing the protagonist to unexpectedly die. Because of this surprising act of kindness, Yusuke is given another chance to return to life by the ruler of the spirit world.

Yu Yu Hakusho is divided into four main arcs, all of which prominently involve the supernatural. The first section is largely devoted to Yusuke taking on cases, and while these episodes are generally weaker than the subsequent arcs, they do a solid job of expanding upon this anime’s world. The Dark Tournament and Chapter Black saga are far superior and the reason Yu Yu Hakusho is considered one of the best supernatural anime ever.

5 Natsume’s Book Of Friends

MyAnimeList: 8.31 (Season 1)

Most young boys are busy focusing on school and everyday life but Takashi Natsume has something else to worry about — youkai are out to get him to regain their freedom. The story of Natsume’s Book of Friends follows his adventures as he’s hunted down by these youkai with only a cat spirit named Madara as a bodyguard.

This supernatural anime is unique for being less about horror and more about interesting slice-of-life moments. Natsume inherits the titular book from his grandmother, and its pages contain the names of youkai. This gives its owner control over the spirits, making Natsume a target for not only entities looking to regain their names but also villains desperate to possess the book. Rather than fighting them off, Natsume decides to just give these names back to their rightful owners.

4 Mushi-Shi

MyAnimeList: 8.66 (Season 1)

Winner of the 2006 Tokyo Anime Award, Mushi-Shi is a story that follows Ginko as he tries to uncover the secrets of the Mushi. Mushi are strange supernatural entities that can mimic the form of anything from diseases to a literal rainbow. The Mushishi are those that try to study these strange entities and Ginko is among them.

The show has incredible visuals and strong storytelling that doesn’t rely on action to be spectacular. Although quite slow-moving in places, Mushi-Shi is a mesmerizing experience, the type of anime that can teleport viewers to another world through both its art and atmosphere.

3 Bungo Stray Dogs

MyAnimeList: 7.82 (Season 1)

Despite being fairly popular, Bungo Stray Dogs deserves more attention than it tends to receive. For instance, during Summer 2023, the anime’s fifth season was largely overshadowed by Jujutsu Kaisen and Bleach, two other supernatural-themed shows that are also fantastic; however, an argument could be made that Bungo Stray Dogs is better than either of those series. Set in a universe where some people have unique powers, the story centers around the Armed Detective Agency as they take on cases in Yokohama city.

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On paper, this premise might sound rather run-of-the-mill, but it does not really capture the show’s brilliance. After season 1, Bungo Stray Dogs begins to really dissect its heroes’ backgrounds, abilities, and personalities, all the while introducing memorable villains who can more than hold their own against the Armed Detective Agency. New viewers might be tempted to drop the anime during its weak opening season, but they should try to hold out until the sequel.

2 Monogatari Series

MyAnimeList: 8.33 (Season 1)

Koyomi Araragi’s adventures through life after encountering a vampire have led to one of the most iconic supernatural anime series of all time. Monogatari can be summarized as a show about a male protagonist who goes around saving girls inflicted with some sort of supernatural struggle, perhaps due to the influence of a spirit or another type of being. However, while this premise somewhat describes the show’s general plot, it is by no means an accurate reflection of Monogatari‘s storytelling style and characterization.

There is nothing ordinary or familiar about this anime; consequently, Monogatari is a singular beast and an acquired taste, albeit one that can be absolutely addictive when it strikes a chord with a viewer.

1 Mob Psycho 100

MyAnimeList: 8.49 (Season 1)

It’s hard not to be excited about a story from the creator of One Punch Man. Mob Psycho 100 has a lot of that show’s same energy but instead tells the story of a young psychic named Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama. He keeps trying to live a normal life, but his ESP keeps managing to get him into more and more outlandish and dangerous situations.

The show’s visual style is instantly recognizable and something wholly unique to the series. The show is humorous, charming, and incredibly thoughtful. It’s a must-watch for anyone who enjoys supernatural anime, especially now that Mob Psycho 100 is complete.

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