There are several horror anime such as Jujutsu Kaisen, still occasionally contain not only some pretty horrific imagery but characters who are sure to frighten even the most "desensitized" of viewers.
When it comes to the scariest elements in even non-horror anime, not all the chills and scares necessarily come from the story or tone, but rather through certain characters whose personalities and motivations are just as, if not more, terrifying than their physical appearances. Such characters have scared fans so much that they've taken to Reddit to share their feelings on the characters they fear the most.
No Face (Spirited Away)
Spirited Away has been hailed as one of the greatest animated films ever made, but it's not exactly the kind that can be labeled a "kids movie," as it contains a level of maturity and menace that most movies of that genre are all too afraid to, especially with the character No Face. He may look innocent and harmless, but his loneliness leads him to gluttony and even the consumption of other spirits.
It's towards the film's third act that he appears to be in his most monstrous form, but luckily, with the help of Chihiro, he goes through an unexpected method of inner cleansing and a heartfelt form of reformation. This reformation, however, doesn't make him any less scary to a Reddit with a now-deleted who thought that No Face was still "pretty f**king scary."
Petelguese Romani-Conti (Re: Zero- Starting Life In Another World)
One of the primary antagonists in the first season of Re: Zero, Petelguese may look creepy enough, but it's what lies beneath his exterior that makes him even more so. His descent into insanity led to him becoming the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult. He not only takes pleasure in harming others but also in his own disturbing activities of self-harm.
The character was the first to come to mind for Redditor most likable characters in isekai anime, but Petelguese is most definitely not among any of them.
Hansel And Gretel (Black Lagoon)
Most who have watched Black Lagoon would agree that, overall, it's an exciting action anime with tons of thrills. However, there is one particular episode that fans consider to be quite unnerving, featuring the characters Hansel and Gretel: two twin sibling children with one of the most disturbingly tragic backstories in anime history who are also serial killers.
As creeped out as Reddit thebigman197 was by these two "really f**ked up" children, they also managed to sympathize with them, itting that they had the "most depressing backstories ever." The twins even disturbed blacksheep998 to the point where they itted, "I skipped that episode when I re-watched the show, it was messed up."
Mad Pierrot (Cowboy Bebop)
Appearing in one of the best episodes of Cowboy Bebop, "Pierrot Le Fou," or Mad Pierrot, was the subject of a lab experiment who killed several people upon his escape. Dressed as a clown and donning a fixed permanent smile, Mad Pierrot has not only been considered to be one of the series' best villains but the showdown between him and Spike is also thought to be one of the series' best moments.
While Cowboy Bebop never quite dove into horror, despite tackling some rather mature and depressing themes, Mad Pierrot's episode was enough to scare Reddit Sailorwavor, who claimed the episode "gave me chills every time it came on." Fellow Redditor mail_order_bride agreed, commenting that both "Him and his circumstances were psychologically disturbing."
All Of The Titans (Attack On Titan)
Attack On Titan has been one of the most popular anime of the last decade, and it's partially due to the horror and violence of its villains that it sparked so much public intrigue and became such a phenomenon. The titans are a species of giant humanoid monsters whose hunger and destruction have brought mankind to the brink of extinction and are also the catalysts for what sets the show's story in motion.
While they itted that "you get used to it" after a while, Redditor Immaneuel_Kanter cited "the very first time you see a titan" to be a harrowing experience, saying that it "doesn't matter which one." In of their personalities, some of the scariest villains and characters on the show may be human, but in of appearance, they're nothing compared to the nightmare fuel that the Titans are made of.
Ryuk (Death Note)
When high schooler Light Yagami finds the titular Death Note, he's not only given the ability to take the lives of anyone whose name he writes within its pages, but he also gets an unexpected companion out of it as well: the Shinigami death god, Ryuk. In fact, it was the Shinigami himself who left the book for Light to find, if only to have Light's ambitions with it bring him much-needed amusement.
As one of his two choices, Reddit Radiofooted said that "physically speaking, I think Ryuk from Death Note would give anyone a small chill the first time they see him." While the more humorous and less-threatening parts of his personality begin to show as the series progresses, Ryuk's design is sure to bring a shock to any Death Note newcomers.
Esdeath (Akame Ga Kill)
General Esdeath from Akame Ga Kill is often cited as a fan-favorite character of the series, not just for her physical attractiveness, but also for just how terrifying she is as a villain. As a high-ranking General of the Capital and leader of the Jaegers, Esdeath is a true sadist at heart and an unstoppable force of brutal power and deadly strength that certainly deserves a mention among some of the best anime villains ever.
Her lack of empathy and bloodthirsty nature were enough to scare Redditor BladeLigerV into giving her a mention, saying, "I love her ice controlling hotness, but she scares the hell out of me." Esdeath may not look like much of an initial threat, but her intimidating prowess and horrifyingly high kill count are enough to make anyone immediately think twice.
Mamoru Uchida / Me-Mania (Perfect Blue)
The late Satoshi Kon not only left behind some of the most influential pieces of animated cinema ever made, but he also crafted some truly memorable characters. Among his most memorable was Mamoru Uchida (or Me-Mania), who was not only creepy in his outward appearance, but through his behavior as the disturbed and obsessed stalker of the film's main protagonist, Mimi Kirigoe.
When asked what they considered to be the scariest anime character, the one that truly unnerved them, Redditor PapaFrankuMinion simply commented, "Uchida from Perfect Blue. Nuff said." But characters such as Me-Mania aren't just great tools for horror stories and scaring viewers, they're every famous person's worst nightmare.
Johan Liebert (Monster)
One of the most popular mentions among Redditors when it comes to scariest anime characters was Johan Liebert, the main antagonist and titular monster of the series, Monster. Johan is often regarded as one of the most intelligent characters in anime, but it's his intelligence coupled with his desire for human pain and misery that makes him so scary.
In their description of Johan, Redditor ShadeXImpulse claimed that "The terrifying thing is how real he can be," claiming that there are people out in the world who think just like him. Fellow xenobian went so far as to call him "the Hannibal Lecter of anime."
Gotou (Parasyte)
Parasyte contains some rather disturbing body horror imagery and anyone who's seen just one episode of the show might be convinced that parasites, in general, are all equally terrifying. As it turns out, however, a number of Redditors singled out one from the show that they consider to be the scariest: the 'experimental' parasite, Gotou.
With his body consisting of five different parasites, Gotou himself is an extremely deadly weapon with a horrifying appearance. Redditor signspace13 called Gotou "the perfect predator" and that upon their first glimpse of him, he "scared the s**t out of me."