Summary
- Supernatural anime often feature humans and monsters coexisting, leading to conflicts and unique narratives.
- Anime like Parasyte, Death Note, and YuYu Hakusho showcase humans' interaction with supernatural beings.
- These shows explore themes of coexistence, morality, ultimate power, and the consequences of monstrous abilities.
There are tons of supernatural anime out there, but cases where humans and monsters (aka Yokai) coexist are rare. In some cases, coexistence is not always peaceful, and many weird things happen when supernatural beings and regular citizens clash. That's why the main character is often put as a "problem solver" or "intermediary" between these two worlds.
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Spiritual detectives, exorcists, monster hunters, and even human/monster hybrids are common tropes in supernatural anime, and in most cases, they are also considered pariahs, split between their two natures. This topic spotlights the best anime where humans and monsters coexist, with some great examples mixing horror with urban fantasy.
1 Parasyte The Maxim
Two Sentient Beings In The Same Body, What Could Go Wrong?
Parasyte The Maxim
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 9, 2014
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Creator
- Hitoshi Iwaaki
- Number of Episodes
- 24
- Japanese Title
- Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu
This is the story of Shinichi Izumi, who one day woke up and the world he knew had changed forever: a parasite of unknown origin attempted to take over his body but ended up being anchored in his right arm, and thus, their entities remained separated.
He and "Migi" became close buddies, and together, they started to fight against other Parasytes who wanted to devour humans and destroy them for being different. Quite an interesting tale of "coexistence" between humans and strange creatures.
2 Death Note
An Average Guy Gets Power Over Life And Death And Loses Control
Death Note
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 4, 2006
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Creator
- Tsugumi Ohba
- Number of Episodes
- 37
Shinigamis have been part of Japan's folklore since ancient times. In Death Note, the protagonist is the young Light Yagami, who finds a small black book called Death Note, and discovers this book is bound to one of these mysterious beings, named Ryuk.
Ryuk explains to Light that he planted the book in the human world out of pure boredom, and he was drawn to Light since he started using this newfound ultimate power to execute vicious criminals. Light quickly turns from vigilante to dark avenger, and then becomes a murderous manipulative monster when the power over life and death starts to consume his psyche.
3 YuYu Hakusho
A Guy Gets Hit By A Truck, And Becomes A Spiritual Detective
Yu Yu Hakusho
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1992 - 1994-00-00
- Studio
- Pierrot
- Creator
- Yoshihiro Togashi
- Number of Episodes
- 112
Created by the master Yoshihiro Togashi, this series is the perfect example of mythical creatures, yokai, and other supernatural beings living among humans, hidden in plain sight. When the MC of the story is hit by a truck (but not isekaid) he goes to the afterlife and meets a mysterious being named Enma, who orders him to become a spiritual detective in exchange for a second chance to live.
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After that, his life becomes a maelstrom of fated encounters with ghosts, demons, and other creatures. But perhaps its most impactful and memorable part is the Genkai's Tournament arc, where various characters, including the regular human Kazuma Kuwabara, have one of the most incredible character developments of the series.
4 Dandadan
A UFO Otaku And A Psychic Girl Join Forces To Fight Yokai And Evil Aliens
Dandadan
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2024 - 2025-00-00
- Studio
- Science Saru
- Creator
- Yukinobu Tatsu
- Number of Episodes
- 24
What started as an unapologetic and colorful satire of the girl-meets-boy trope, became a deep and powerful statement with a high level of criticism of Japan's modern society. Supernatural creatures live among the common folk: Yokai, Aliens, and Cryptids, and Okarun and Momo Ayase are there to fight against the evil ones, all while trying to recover his "rocks" from a murderous ghost.
This ridiculous yet heartwarming anime will transport fans on a fantastical journey. Dandadan is rated 15+, so readers are advised to exercise discretion as this show contains triggering content.
5 Monogatari Series
What If Monsters Lived Among Us, And Caused The Strangest Phenomenon?
Monogatari
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 3, 2009
- Studio
- Shaft
- Creator
- Nisio Isin
- Number of Episodes
- 100
Bakemonogatari and its prequels/sequels are a series of anime stories centered on Araragi Koyomi, a teenage schoolboy who one day saves a vampire from certain death, and he becomes bound to her, and slowly turns into a half-vampire.
From that point on, his life will change forever, as he will become aware of the supernatural that coexists with mankind, and will go around trying to fix the problems of the world as he deals with a bit of his own disturbed family life and many quirky characters. Artistically beautiful, and emotionally meaningful, this series has conquered the hearts of millions of fans worldwide.
6 Inuyasha
A Girl Is Transported Back In Time And Meets A Lot Of Yokai
Inuyasha
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2000 - 2004-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Sunrise
- Creator
- Rumiko Takahashi
- Number of Episodes
- 193
Considered by many fans as a classic masterpiece, Inuyasha is a romantic adventure where a girl is spirited away and ends up in Sengoku Era Japan, except here, Yokai and Humans coexist and battle for the dominion of the land.
The protagonist, Kagome Higurashi, finds herself liberating a strange dog-demon who is in search of a mysterious jewel that is sealed inside Kagome's body. The jewel then shatters and it is scattered to the winds like the prodigious Dragon Balls. Inuyasha, Kagome, and other colorful mythical creatures and allies will then begin a journey across the land to collect the pieces and figure out how to return the girl to her rightful place and time.
7 Yo-kai Watch
A Supernatural Alternative To The Typical Monster Trainer Anime
- Release Date: January 5, 2014
- Genre(s): Adventure
- Studio: OLM Team Inoue
- Number of Episodes: 214
Yo-kai Watch is an anime based on the popular game franchise that debuted on Nintendo 3DS back in 2013. After being greatly accepted by the youngest audiences, manga and anime series were commissioned subsequently. In 2014, Yo-Kai Watch's first animated show saw the light of day.
This series mixes the monster collector trope with the supernatural adventure genres, and narrates the tale of a boy who finds a mysterious watch that allows him to see Yokai (supernatural creatures) who coexist with humans as long as they are not disturbed.
8 Ghost Sweeper Mikami
A Classic, Fit For Another Time And Age
Ghost Sweeper Mikami
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1993 - 1994-00-00
- Network
- tv asahi
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Takashi Shiina
- Number of Episodes
- 45
- Japanese Title
- GS Mikami
During the boom of isekai and supernatural anime in the 90's, a series that showcased the adventures of a young ghost hunter and exorcist named Ghost Sweeper Mikami debuted with great success. In 45 intense episodes are filled to the brim with comedy, action, and lots of stories of monsters living among humans.
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Mikami leads a team of ghost hunters composed of Tadao Yokoshima, a regular student swept in Mikami's shenanigans, and Okinu, the ghost of a girl used as a human sacrifice who works for Mikami in exchange for a chance to be exorcised and sent to the other life.
9 Cop Craft: Dragnet Mirage
An Underrated Masterpiece That Deserved Better
Cop Craft
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 9, 2019
- Studio
- Millepensee
- Creator
- Shoji Gatoh
- Number of Episodes
- 12
When a portal to another realm full of fairies, trolls, elves, and other supernatural beings opens near the island of Kariana in the Pacific Ocean, its only city, San-Teresa, becomes the main point of contact between humans and creatures from another world. And since crime exists nearly in every place where sentient beings live, criminals from the other world begin to traffic "fairy powder," and other illegal substances, and create gangs that terrorize the population on the island.
A special division is created to fight these crimes, and Detective Kai Matoba, who recently lost his partner during a failed raid, is paired up with a warrior knight from the Semarnian (elven) tribe named Tilarna Exedilica. Together they make a disparaged duo, but as Kei begins to comprehend part of his new partner culture, and Tilarna experiences the culture of Earth more and more, they learn to work together and become unstoppable.
10 ×××HOLiC
Strangely Forgotten, But Still Cryptic And Fascinating
xxxHolic
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2006 - 2011-00-00
- Network
- TBS
- Directors
- Masahiko Watanabe
- Creator(s)
- Tsutomu Mizushima, Nanase Okawa
- Seasons
- 2
xxxHolic is the story of Kimihiro Watanuki, a teenager about to finish school, who is terribly distraught by the fact that he can see spirits, yokai, and other supernatural beings. One day, he hears about an esoteric shop managed by a mysterious woman named Yuko, who is said to be able to grant any wish to its clients.
Turns out the shop owner is a powerful witch, who is intrigued by Watanuki's abilities and decides to recruit him as her helper, in exchange for solving his predicament. Needless to say, this is the start of a long and fruitful relationship, while both deal with many supernatural events and mysteries. This anime series made by the same creators of Card Captor Sakura (CLAMP) is an underrated and forgotten jewel that has seen better days.