Halloween is fast approaching, and what better way to celebrate the spooky season than with some supernatural anime series? Many great series have withstood the test of time, such as Death Note, Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files, Mushi-Shi, In, Noragami, the Monogatari series, and Mob Psycho 100, among many others. While those are great, new ones have been spotlighted in modern times. They aren’t necessarily horrors but contain some kind of supernatural element within them.
This list contains the best supernatural anime series that have made a name for themselves near the beginning of the 2020s or are currently ongoing in the 2020s. Here are 7 supernatural anime series to check out across Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Adult Swim.
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Jujutsu Kaisen
Streaming: Crunchyroll
Studio: Studio MAPPA
Languages: Japanese, English, German, Spanish, French
Jujutsu Kaisen is a horror-action anime produced by MAPPA. Yuuji Itadori is a laid-back kid just trying to get through high school. But when he comes upon a cursed object, he discovers a whole other side to his world he never knew about. The only question is, can Itadori survive the experience?
Jujutsu Kaisen is one of my top-rated anime works for the rollercoaster of storytelling in anime and manga. Sometimes, Gege Akutami sidelines some fan characters but ultimately tells an interesting battle anime that pushes the plans of the villains and heroes to their limits. The action scenes are also a spectacle to watch, and the 3-D animation goes super crazy in the second season. There are even some Halloween-themed episodes in Shibuya, a perfect way to celebrate the spooky season.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Streaming: Crunchyroll, Netflix
Studio: ufotable
Languages: Japanese, English, German, Spanish, French
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba takes place in Taisho-era Japan and follows a kindhearted boy named Tanjiro Kamado. He tries to make a living for his family by selling charcoal. Tanjiro’s peaceful life is suddenly snatched away from him when a demon slaughters his entire family.
The only survivor from the attack is his little sister Nezuko, who has been transformed into a demon. Now, Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to become a Demon Slayer to avenge his family and find a way to save Nezuko’s humanity.
This is a masterwork for a supernatural anime series, probably the best I have ever seen before. Ufotable uses the time to animate vivid colors of every Demon Slayer’s attack, and every explosion looks like it’s in 8K definition. The storyline is just as heartwarming, too, as it’s action-packed. It even has some comedic moments.
Blue Exorcist/Blue Exorcist: Beyond the Snow
Streaming: Crunchyroll, Netflix
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Languages: Japanese, English, German, German, Spanish, French
The premise of Blue Exorcist revolves around Rin Okumura, a teenager who discovers he and his twin brother Yukio are the sons of Satan that a human woman birthed.
The main protagonist, Rin, learns that he inherited Satan’s powers, while his twin brother does not seem to have demonic powers. After Satan kills their adopted father, an exorcist, Father Fujimoto. Rin enrolls at True Cross Academy to become an exorcist and vows to defeat his father, Satan.
Much like the three aforementioned supernatural anime series, Blue Exorcist has stunning animation and dynamic fights. But most of all, it has excellent character development throughout the series. The brotherly love and hate are both tragic and sublime. The story has a unique spin on Christianity and powers to back it up, too, and also does Mephisto before the MCU can!
In/Spectre
Streaming: Crunchyroll
Studio: Brain’s Base
Languages: Japanese, English, German, Spanish, French
Iwanaga Kotoko became the god of wisdom to the supernatural beings and spends her days solving problems for them. However, the boy she fell head over heels for, Sakuragawa Kuro, is feared by all supernatural creatures.
The two face mysterious incidents involving the supernatural in this love x romance x mystery series. Where will these fantastical incidents lead them, and what will happen with Kotoko’s crush?
In/Spectre is one of the concepts that blew my mind watching it the first time, and it continues to tickle my fancy as I watch friends watch it, too. Kotoko is a detective of all things supernatural-related, but she is also a wizard and mediator between the world of the living and the dead. The relationship between Kotoko and Kuro is also one of the cutest ones to watch develop over time. The supernatural beings are intricately drawn, mindful of their traditional art looks while making them modern. There is some gore, too, for those who are into that for the spooky season.
Uzumaki: Spiral Into Horror
Streaming: Adult Swim
Studio: Production I.G.
Languages: Japanese, English
Uzumaki follows Kirie Goshima (Uki Satake), a high school girl who lives in a Japanese seaside town called Kurouzu-cho. The town is sleepy and still until the spirals start to emerge. Kirie and her boyfriend, Shuichi Saito (Shin’ichirô Miki), discover that Kurouzu-cho is cursed.
As Saito’s father becomes obsessed with a spiral, the shape emerges everywhere. In scars, in landscapes, everywhere. The curse affects the bodies, minds, and souls of Kurouzu-cho’s residents, causing mass obsession over spirals.
The unique black-and-white style of Junji Ito’s work in Uzumaki is unrivaled and unhinged. For body horror fanatics, this supernatural anime/manga series has plenty of it. To a certain extent, Ito is like the Stephen King of manga storytelling. The series does a great job capturing the essence of the manga by keeping the style and story as close as possible to the original, keeping the town’s descent into madness all in. This one is not for the faint of heart if you watch it this Halloween.
Toilet Bound Hanako-kun/After-School Hanako-kun
Streaming: Crunchyroll
Studio: Lerche
Languages: Japanese, English
At Kamome Academy, rumors abound about the school’s Seven Mysteries, one of which is Hanako-san. Said to occupy the third stall of the third-floor girls’ bathroom in the old school building, Hanako-san grants any wish when summoned. Nene Yashiro, an occult-loving high school girl who dreams of romance, ventures into this haunted bathroom…but the Hanako-san she meets there is nothing like she imagined! Kamome Academy’s Hanako-san…is a boy!
Toilet Bound Hanako-kun is a supernatural series that is very aesthetically pleasing to view, and the story is, too! The relationship between Hanako and Nene is unparalleled in terms of chemistry. They are one of the best will-they-won’t-they characters, despite Hanako being a spirit and Nene being a living human. This is a great watch for those looking for good writing for a slice-of-life, adventure-supernatural show.
Dan Da Dan
Streaming: Crunchyroll, Netflix
Studio: Science SARU
Languages: Japanese, English
Based on the original manga by mangka Yukinobu Tatsu (who you may know as one of Chainsaw Man mangaka, Tatsuki Fujimoto, assistants), Dan Da Dan is brash, eclectic, and a damn good time. Animated by Science SARU (a studio that deserves as much attention as possible for its immaculate track record), the story centers on Momo, a girl who believes in ghosts, and Okarun, a boy who believes in aliens.
The joke? Neither of them believes in the other. That is, until they dare each other to go to locations known for sightings of their respective otherworldly beliefs, and everything goes sideways. Dan Da Dan is hilarious, and I couldn’t stop reading the manga once I picked up the first volume. As far as the series, it paces it just as well. The vivid coloring helps bring it to majestic life. Science SARU does not miss, animating great series like Devilman Crybaby, Japan Sinks: 2020, and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, to name a few. This is a great supernatural (and sci-fi!) anime series to check out for those craving a good laugh during the spooky season.
The supernatural anime genre has been popping up over the last decade, with global hits like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen. The best part about the genre is that it can crossover into many other genres, such as action, adventure, romance, comedy, etc.
The 7 Of The Best Supernatural Anime Series Of The 2020s list descriptions have been pulled from fellow reviewers and pages on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Adult Swim.
