The best action anime with horror elements

Key points

• Anime blends horror with action, featuring disturbing moments in popular shows like
  Claymore
  AND
  Tokyo Ghoul.
• Some anime, for example
  Elfen lied
  AND
  Made in the Abyss
  explores dark themes and incorporates terrifying scenes involving children.
• Series like
  Devilman crybaby
  AND
  Attack on Titan
  It effectively intertwines horror elements with tragedy, creating a chilling viewing experience.

Horror it's everywhere. It is there when the individual wakes up, looks around at the world, or is about to have their morning coffee. Horror is perhaps scariest when it is found in places where it is not necessarily expected. Anime and horror can sometimes be an awkward pairing because they are animated, which immediately makes horror less realistic. However, some of the best moments of absolute terror have been found in anime that don't belong to the horror genre.

Action anime is a great archive of horror, with some authentic, disturbing and terrifying moments present in some of the most beloved action shows. Here is a selection of some of these action anime that dabble in the horror genre.

10 Claymore

The never-ending battle with the Yoma

Claymore is an action-fantasy series that aired in the late 2000s. Set in a bleak world where demons known as “Yoma” roam the world, devouring all humans they encounter.

Fighting against these beings are the Claymores, a collection of half-human and half-demon beings. Claymore features quite a bit of body horror, and the dark atmosphere lends itself to some terrifying moments, including some pretty graphic deaths.

9 Elfen lied

An unforgettable opening sequence

Elfen lied follows a girl named Lucy, who has horns and invisible telekinetic hands. He meets Kouta and, thanks to his act of kindness, tries to live a normal life.

Elfen lied is remembered for an extraordinary sequence in which Lucy, while escaping from the hospital, took out every single individual who stood in her way. Some of the ways he killed were terrifying. Elfen lied It also wasn't afraid to explore some really dark themes, including a very disappointing scene involving a dog.

8 Made in the abyss

After all, this might just be a horror show

There are few things scarier than horror involving children. This could have children as perpetrators or as victims. It was what he created The Promised Neverland so disturbing, and that's what makes it Made in the abyss such a difficult show to watch.

Often considered an adventure and fantasy show, some of the things protagonists Riko and Reg have to face are truly terrifying. The fate of Mitty and Nanachi and the absolute evil that was Bondrewd come together in a very scary anime, despite all outward appearances.

7 Deadman's Wonderland

Death games are scary

Igarashi Ganta was a normal student in school one day when suddenly, in the blink of an eye, all of his classmates died and he was the main suspect. Unable to plead his case, he ends up in a peculiar prison where inmates fight to the death for the entertainment of others.

Deadman's Wonderland features some pretty cool fight scenes, but these are paired with nightmarish imagery and a seeming disregard for human life. Horror elements are often visible in the violence and gore involved.

6 Dorohedoro

A fever dream of nightmarish proportions

The horror inside Dorohedoro it's more in its setting than in the events that happen. Sure, there are some pretty messed up scenes, but the strange setting of the hole, where a lot of things don't make sense, brings with it a sense of dread.

As fans follow Caiman, the protagonist, they see this unforgiving, decrepit world, with little redeeming value, and wonder what it must be like to live in such a place. Violence is a fact of life, and there is a common acceptance that living in this situation means an absence of hope that can make watching depressing.

5 Devilman crybaby

Horror and tragedy are intertwined

Devilman crybaby is an adaptation of the 1972 manga, Devilman. There were some differences in this 2018 show that make it a little more relatable, but just as with the original (which is also somewhat related to the Violent Jack series), has a lot of violence.

Devilman crybaby it blends its horror with its action well and, at its heart, is a tragedy about a world falling apart and the powerlessness of good people to do anything about it. The avant-garde art style also lends itself well to horror, and it's definitely a great watch as long as the viewer knows what to expect.

4 Parasite: the maximum

Alien horror

Interestingly, aliens are not a topic covered too comprehensively in anime. However, inside Parasitethe aliens are present in all their strength and their ability to take control of their human host has made them lethal and frightening.

The protagonist, Shinichi, spends the show struggling to make sure the parasite doesn't take over him. No other human could be trusted, as the aliens could take control of anyone. There was also some impressive body horror, especially the opening scene, which featured a shocking death.

3 Tokyo Ghoul

Humans are eaten by ghouls

There is something terrifying about anything that has to do with the consumption of human flesh. It reminds people of the fragility of life, but it also scares people, as they realize the brutal nature of cannibalism.

Tokyo Ghoul has a lot of action, but the horror is no less, as humanity faces the threat of ghouls. The people who fight the ghouls must themselves reach new levels of sadism to deal with the threat, and watching this process is often more frightening than the ghouls themselves.

2 Hellsing Ultimate

The perfect blend of action and horror

Infernal features the incredibly cute vampire hunter Alucard (that's just Dracula spelled backwards) who helps dispatch vampires for the Hellsing organization. He, a vampire himself with immense power, helps protect the world from his own kind.

It's fascinating the scariest part of Infernal it's Alucard himself. Fans watch him knowing he's the protagonist, but also unable to escape the fact that Alucard is a monster, in the literal sense. It could just as easily turn against humanity. Who will save them then?

1 Attack on Titan

The Titans are terrifying

Attack on Titan it might be the most popular anime in the world right now, aside from that One piece. This masterpiece, created by Hajime Isayama, has fascinated both new and old anime fans. While AoT features high-octane action, it also incorporates many horror elements.

First there are the titans themselves, and this came out even more in season two. It was a slow process, but it slowly put viewers on edge as they waited to see when the titans would appear and wreak havoc. As the seasons progressed, viewers began to realize that humans were just as terrifying as the titans.