2025 has been a banner year for horror anime, both on television and in movie theaters, with plenty of terrifying titles for genre fans to choose from.
*Keep up with our ongoing end of the year coverage here*
There’s a limitlessness to anime in which it often feels like anything is possible. It’s a storytelling medium that’s looking to push boundaries – both with narrative and visuals – that’s resulted in groundbreaking programming for a wide variety of genres. Anime is a versatile medium, but its territory is especially receptive when it comes to horror.
Western animation hesitates to truly embrace terror without also diluting its impact through comedy and satire, but anime isn’t afraid to go for broke with its scares. Horror is alive and well in anime, and 2025 has proven to be a particularly exciting year for titles that are sure to terrify.
Whether it’s returning series, fresh titles, or feature film fright-fests, horror fans have plenty of places to turn to for their 2025 terror.
Dandadan, Season 2
Dandadan is an absolute masterpiece and a testament to anime’s limitless nature. Dandadan is a glorious melange of supernatural shenanigans that pulls from extra-terrestrial encounters, occult spirits, and everything in between. Okarun and Momo come from different worlds with contrasting beliefs, but the connection that forms between them is endlessly endearing. Dandadan hits all its marks when it comes to horror, science fiction, and action, yet the will-they-won’t-they tension between its two main characters is equally entertaining.
Dandadan’s second season puts greater focus on Jiji and the “Evil Eye” spirit that possessed him. Dandadan’s supernatural storytelling and earnest character development grow more confident and creative in its second season, which culminates in the anime’s greatest spectacle yet. Dandadan is an anime where truly anything is possible, including a Voltron-esque mecha clash against a giant space kaiju.
Now streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Crunchyroll.
The Summer Hikaru Died
It’s very easy to take being a human for granted, and how disorienting and overwhelming the experience might be for a supernatural wolf in sheep’s clothing. The Summer Hikaru Died takes the premise of otherworldly possession into a grueling deconstruction of what it means to be human and the necessity of grief. Yoshiki, a teenager, discovers that his best friend, Hikaru, is no longer himself and has actually been possessed by some demonic entity. At its core, The Summer Hikaru Died is a raw, real love story where Yoshiki comes to terms with his unspoken feelings for his friend and whether this disturbing doppelgänger can be an effective substitute for the real thing. Yoshiki helps Hikaru process his newfound humanity and the ways of the world, all while Hikaru’s true nature threatens to plague humanity and cause greater devastation.
The Summer Hikaru Died has shades of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, They Live, or even Species, as Yoshiki grows increasingly comfortable with this unexplainable abomination. The Summer Hikaru Died is disturbing cosmic horror that’s combined with a tender, tragic coming-of-age narrative that’s guaranteed to melt hearts. A second season for The Summer Hikaru Died has already been confirmed, but the first season’s 12 episodes tell a satisfying, complete story on their own.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube
Anime, like many other forms of entertainment, is currently in a period where nostalgia reigns supreme and “everything old is new again.” The past few years have marked the debuts of several reboots of celebrated anime franchises, such as Ranma ½, Urusei Yatsura, and Trigun. Hell Teacher: Higoku Sensei Nube initially made waves in the mid-90s, only to return nearly three decades later with a passionate update that helps introduce this horror shonen series to modern audiences. Meisuke “Nube” Nueno is a clumsy elementary school teacher who just so happens to have a demonic hand that has the power to detect and neutralize supernatural occurrences.
Hell Teacher lulls its audience into a false sense of security due to the young age of Nube’s students, yet the anime isn’t afraid to unpack disturbing ideas and showcase malevolent yokai. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube is how it shines a light on actual Japanese folklore and supernatural urban legends. It’s episodic monster-of-the-week bliss that doesn’t hold back with its creepy creatures. Nube himself is also such an entertaining character who toes the line between slapstick punchline and spiritual savior.
Now streaming on It’s Anime.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
It’s nothing new when a popular anime series parlays its success into a cinematic spectacle. However, it used to be par for the course for these theatrical efforts to be standalone stories that only loosely fit into the grander canon. This means that these films can also be enjoyed by casual fans, while also not making them essential viewing in order to understand what lies ahead in the anime. The past few years have embraced the idea of canonical anime movies that help bridge the gap between seasons, many of which have set new box office records in the process. Chainsaw Man fans have been waiting for more anime ever since the first season concluded back in 2022. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc adopts the manga’s popular “Bomb Girl Arc,” which puts Denji up against his greatest adversary yet.
Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man is a wild collection of sensibilities and interests, the likes of which frequently juxtapose Denji’s awkward, hormonal pursuits for normalcy against his blood-soaked Devil-slaying shenanigans. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc blurs the lines between love and death as Denji’s prospective crush may be his own undoing. Animation studio, MAPPA, has become one of the best in the business, and Reze Arc features some of their most impressive work. There’s an apocalyptic clash between living weapons that establishes new standards for action setpieces. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc represents some of the series’ most moving storytelling and proves why Chainsaw Man has become such a phenomenon, but it’s also a movie in which the mere prospect of blinking and missing a single second of its vicious visuals feels like a crime.
Available to Rent/Buy on Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango At Home.
Gachiakuta
Gachiakuta has hit the ground running and become one of 2025’s breakout shonen success stories. The anime exists in a futuristic dystopia in which society’s elite occupy a floating city, only to dump their trash — including people — into a massive junkyard that’s known as the abyss. Rudo, who never felt accepted in the floating city, is framed for murder and exiled to the pit below. Rudo finds a new sense of purpose in the abyss, where he and other “Cleaners” use special relics and weapons to fight against the renegade Trash beasts that are made from the world’s waste.
Gachiakuta has plenty to say about society and privilege, not to mention inspired action sequences that manage to do something genuinely different in a genre that feels progressively generic. However, Gachiakuta really stands tall when it comes to its brutal backstories for its plagued players. Rudo thrives through combat as he grows stronger and demonstrates value in new ways. There’s a rawness to Gachiakuta that strikes at unexpected moments. This anime’s story has just gotten started, and it feels like it’s only going to get darker and more disturbing as it goes on.
Now streaming on Prime Video and Crunchyroll.
Mononoke The Movie: The Ashes Of Rage
2007’s Mononoke should be mandatory viewing for any anthology horror fans. The 12-episode anime is divided into five separate stories, all of which feature an unnamed Medicine Seller’s efforts to identify and extinguish supernatural threats known as “ayakashi.” Mononoke appreciates the value in well-crafted procedural stories that are just as scary as they are suspenseful. Mononoke’s secret sauce lies in its one-of-a-kind art style that draws inspiration from ukiyo-e woodblock drawings and kabuki theater. The end result is a visually dynamic horror story, with respect to Japan’s past and history, where every frame matters.
More than 15 years after Mononoke’s debut, a feature film trilogy was announced for Netflix. The second entry in this cinematic trilogy, Mononoke The Movie: The Ashes of Rage, chronicles a terrifying trend of spontaneous combustion that seems to be connected to a pregnant concubine’s unborn child. The Ashes of Rage is completely accessible to newcomers and a good entry point for those who are interested in its supernatural secrets and malevolent mysteries. Mononoke’s Medicine Seller is no Benoit Blanc, but he’s a solid substitute in a pinch.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (Part 1: Akaza Returns)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has found unbelievable success, even if it’s guilty of being a fairly formulaic shonen series that benefits from ufotable’s immaculate visuals. Demon Slayer is certainly a case of style over substance, with the anime’s seasons being plagued by pacing issues. Demon Slayer announced that instead of a conventional fifth season, the anime would instead conclude its story with a trilogy of movies that adapt the manga’s momentous Infinity Castle Arc and the corresponding endgame. The first of these films, Infinity Castle Part 1: Akaza Returns, deserves credit where it’s due after becoming the highest-grossing Japanese movie of all time, animated or otherwise.
Unfortunately, Infinity Castle Part 1 is rather light in terms of its story. The film revolves around several simultaneous battles that play out within the cryptic Infinity Castle. The film’s narrative structure may be weak, but it still contains truly gorgeous battles and the franchise’s signature flashbacks that turn devious Demons into empathetic individuals. Infinity Castle Part 1 feels epic and like the start of something much bigger, with the following two entries likely to reach even greater heights — both as a horror anime and at the box office.
Now playing in select theaters.
Takopi’s Original Sin
Takopi’s Original Sin is only six episodes long, yet it accomplishes more than many anime do in three times as many episodes. The anime’s short length makes Takopi’s Original Sin an easy binge, in theory, but its devastating subject matter deserves to be spread out so that the audience has time to appropriately adjust and react. The titular alien from Takopi’s Original Sin looks like some adorable creature, but these friendly figures and reference points only make the anime’s pitch-black material hit even harder. Takopi is an alien whose whole purpose is to spread happiness to those in need. Shizuka, a bullied girl, seems like the perfect individual to benefit from Takopi’s mirth-based mission.
Despite Takopi’s best efforts, this alien ends up leaving Shizuka with the means and resources to take her own life. As Takopi attempts to travel through time and prevent this tragedy, the anime explores deeper questions on pain, trauma, and life’s unpredictable butterfly effect. Takopi’s Original Sin is like a heartbreaking version of Smiling Friends that is prepared to take its audience to tragic, uncomfortable places.
Now streaming on Prime Video and Crunchyroll.
Kaiju No. 8, Season 2
Kaiju No. 8 came along at the perfect time, taking advantage of the current kaiju craze and retrofitting it to a power fantasy action anime. Set in a world where kaiju attacks are par for the course, Kafka Hibino is a lowly kaiju corpse cleaner whose dreams are nearly as big as the dead monsters he cleans up. Kafka’s wish comes true when a rogue kaiju enters his mouth, bonds with his body, and gives him the power to transform into a deadly kaiju himself.
The second season sees Kafka embracing his power and public role as Kaiju No. 8 as he helps lead the charge against more sinister monsters who seek to trigger a new age of kaiju. Kaiju No. 8 is full of intense action setpieces that get increasingly extreme. Like many power fantasy narratives, Kafka is put in a difficult position when continued use of his powers threatens grander consequences that could permanently rob him of his humanity.
Now streaming on Prime Video and Crunchyroll.
Nyaight Of The Living Cat
Takashi Miike is one of the most exciting directors working in the industry, with over 100 films under his belt that tackle every genre imaginable. Miike has made a name for himself through some of his most disturbing horror films, including Audition, Ichi the Killer, and Master of Horror’s banned “Imprint” episode. In an unpredictable move that’s perfectly on brand for Miike, he acted as chief director on 2025’s Nyaight of the Living Cat. This absurdist post-apocalyptic epic chronicles the events of a “nyandemic” in which a virus causes humans to transform into felines whenever they make contact with these animals.
Kunagi, an unabashed cat lover, finds himself as one of the planet’s remaining human survivors who must wander the world, searching for answers. There is certainly more silliness than scares in Nyaight of the Living Cat, yet this anime beautifully applies a B-movie atmosphere to its feline ferocity. This “cat-astrophoic” scenario shouldn’t work, but it’s a deeply entertaining diversion for horror and cat fans alike.
Now streaming on Prime Video and Crunchyroll.
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