Demons, poltergeists, and Frankenstein-like creations don't just make great costumes — they make great characters, too. Not all monsters in anime are horrific; some anime have a diverse range of monsters with more cartoony, Halloween vibes than straightforward horror. Their cast of characters comprising vampires, ghosts, ghouls, and zombies are like a love letter to "The Monster Mash" and make year-round entertaining watches.
Sometimes, the protagonist is an unwitting human who serves as a foil to the supernatural that surrounds them, while other monster anime are full of sympathetic, humanized monsters. Some titles really lean into seinen-level horror, while others are more lighthearted, like The Munsters meets anime.
10 Soul Eater
Soul Eater takes place in an academy run by Death itself. The cast is huge, full of humans who can turn into weapons and supernatural creatures with strange powers.
From werecats (called Monster Cats) to Bloodsuckers (vampires) to witches and werewolves, Soul Eater has a character to represent nearly every old Hollywood monster flick. The witches even have unique qualities — Medusa is a snake-themed witch, Arachne is a spider witch, and Shaula is a scorpion witch. Soul Eater covers a plethora of traditional Halloween-style monster imagery.
9 Interviews With Monster Girls
Interviews with Monster Girls is as creepy as it is cute, with four girl monster protagonists. Hikari is a sweet-tempered vampire with an urge to bite that she does her best to quell, resulting in some amusing coping techniques. Though she's a vampire, Hikari tries her best to be friendly.
Machi is a brainy ghost girl who holds her own dismembered head like the statues of beheaded saints on church edifices. Her character inspiration comes from the Headless Horseman. Yuki is a Snow Woman inspired by the Japanese yokai associated with winter storms. Their teacher, Saki, is a succubus who subverts what would be expected from her.
8 Is This A Zombie?
Is This A Zombie? is about more than a resurrected human-turned-zombie. The undead protagonist Ayumu finds friendship with a vampire ninja, among other monsters. Ayumu's had it rough; after losing his life to a serial killer, a necromancer brings him back to life and becomes his new roommate.
Zombie tends to play up fan service too much, which some monster-themed comedy anime unfortunately tend to do. Though Ayumi is a zombie, a supernatural creature not exactly known for its charm or good looks, cute monster girls flock to him and vie for his heart.
7 Hellsing
Hellsing is one of the most popular Gothic supernatural anime of all time, and it's full of horror monsters like vampires, werekin (werewolves), and ghosts. Along with classic monsters, there are unique creatures who obtain supernatural powers by piercing their hearts with Biblical nails.
Though Hellsing is dark and broody, there's still plenty of humor, especially with spirits who try their best to be helpful. Some vampire familiars are inspired by classic thriller literature, like Baskerville, who's plainly inspired by the Arthur Conan Doyle novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles.
6 Rosario + Vampire
Tsukune is sent to a school especially for monsters in Rosario + Vampire. The protagonist is a mystified human among many monster girls and demons. Vampires, succubi, werewolves, and witches abound in the fittingly named Yokai Academy.
Rosario + Vampire takes common European folklore about vampires and tweaks it for added drama. Tsukune may have underestimated the pink-haired Moka because of the huge crucifix (rosary) around her neck, but once it's removed, her true vampire form emerges. Even a benign-seeming snow fairy has nefarious aims at Yokai Academy.
5 Vampire Hunter D
Vampire Hunter D takes place in a wrecked world left over from a nuclear disaster. Few humans remain to scratch out a living from their poor wasted earth, and Nobles (vampires) have come out of hiding to reign in small principalities.
Nobles use werewolves as agents for protection as the sun doesn't hurt them like it does a vampire. D embraces the idea that an undead vampire can have children. Dhampirs, half-vampires, are beautiful supernaturals who are stronger than humans and have fewer limitations than their bloodsucking forebears. The plot mixes gothic and spaghetti-Western style genre elements.
4 Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-kun
As the title, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun, suggests, a human named Iruma is adopted and taken to a school full of the supernatural. Iruma isn't just a human; he's also a deredere-leaning character who wins many of the new, strange creatures over with his kindness.
A human amid an array of supernaturals can be old hat. Still, Iruma-kun complicates the oft-done trope by compelling Iruma to hide his humanity, or else he risks getting eaten by his classmates. Though all the supernaturals in Iruma-kun are demons, they all have vastly different character designs and abilities. Some look like vampires, cat girls, and even Minotaurs.
3 Frankenstein Family
The monsters in Frankenstein Family are the creations of their wacky scientist parents. Like the textual inspiration by Mary Shelley, these children are also abandoned by their parents (they've been arrested for their crimes). And like the original Frankenstein's monster, the kids just want to find peace and survive in the community.
Though their monstrous modifications isolate and even endanger them, some of their augmentations are oddly beautiful. Aisuri, the spider girl, has the most frightening appearance, but her spider appendages have an almost balletic elegance. Her twin, Ashisu, grows plant life from her body, particularly roses and vines from her scalp — she can even photosynthesize.
2 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure starts out as a kind of inverted Great Expectations-inspired historical anime about two opposing brothers. Then, it quickly devolves into the realm of the weird and fantastical — as the title promises. The central villain is a vampire, but he's accompanied by nearly every single other supernatural creature fathomable, and a few that are unfathomable.
From zombies to chimeras to ghosts to vampire horses, JJBA has everything. Though there are a plethora of odd and lethal beings, vampires are definitely the star of the show.
1 Actually, I Am
Asahi can't resist being smitten with his green-haired classmate in Actually, I Am. That is, after he gets over the initial shock of discovering Youko sunning her expansive vampire wings. Though the anime introduces a few monstrous potential love interests for him, Asahi is all about Youko.
Shiho is a wolfman who transforms by watching the moon, and Nagisa is a blue-haired alien girl trying to blend in with Earthlings. Despite the series' eye roll-inducing fan service, Actually, I Am is funny, charming, and lighthearted, with a cute romance.