Are you interested in the supernatural or the netherworld? Do you get the sense that something unknown walks among us? If so, then you might find the ghost subgenre of anime entertaining. From traditional hauntings to supernatural stories about friendship, the subgenre has something for everyone. Here are the five best ghost anime for fans of the paranormal.
Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
Ghosts come in different shapes and sizes, and the spirit in Dusk Maiden of Amnesia appears in the form of a beautiful school girl. Seikyou Academy is unlike any other school. Instead of focusing on cultural festivals and school trips, the student body tells tales about the occult.
According to a rumor, there’s a ghost on campus. The apparition, known as Yuuko, apparently died in the basement of the old school building. But what the students don’t know is that the rumors are true. It’s a good thing Yuuko is a friendly ghost.
The series follows Teiichi Niiya, a middle school student discovers Yuuko while roaming around the campus’ old building. Initially frightened by Yuuko, Teichi overcomes his fear and befriends the beautiful girl. But he soon learns that Yuuko possesses no memories of her life or death. Determined to help his new friend, Teiichi founds the Paranormal Investigation Club to investigate Yuuko’s life and the cause of her death. But Yuuko’s death isn’t the only mystery that needs solving.
Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
A longtime favorite of horror and gore anime fans, Corpse Party: Tortured Souls is actually about a sadistic, vengeful ghost of a little girl. Students like to tell spooky tales, and the scariest of all are the ones based on true stories. A few years ago, Heavenly Host Elementary School was shut down after a string of serial kidnappings and murders rocked the community. Years later, they foolishly build a new school in its place.
Fast forward to the present, where nine high schoolers conduct a ritual to remain friends forever. The ritual seems harmless at first. That is until they are transported to another dimension — the place where those heinous murders took place all those years ago.
One by one the school kids suffer gruesome deaths, like getting their eyes poked out or being gutted like a fish, at the hands of the dead girl and her minions. The ones remaining must find a way to escape before they fall victim to these vengeful ghosts.
Le Portrait de Petite Cossette
Only three-episodes long, Le Portrait de Petite Cossette offers a different take on the supernatural. The short series follows Eiri Kurahashi, an art student who works at his uncle’s antique shop. One day, while at the shop, he sees the image of a beautiful girl in one of the antique glasses.
Upon touching it, he finds himself transported to the world where this beautiful young woman, Cossette d’Auvergne, resides. She reveals to Kurahashi that her betrothed, Marcello Orlando, killed her due to his obsession with Cossette’s beauty. To free her spirit, Kurahashi must suffer the consequences for Marcello’s sinful act.
Le Portrait de Petite Cossette is, in every sense of the word, a refined ghost story about love and obsession. In only three episodes, the series immerses viewers in Cossette’s tragic world, which is an artistic portrayal of nightmarish scenes. So, if you’re looking for something visually unique featuring ghosts, then give this short anime series a try.
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Not every ghost anime has to be about brutal murders or spooky hauntings. Some series can produce beautiful and heart-wrenching feelings, as is the case with Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day.
Instead of spending the summer holidays with friends or traveling, Jinta Yadomi stays home and plays video games. One day, his childhood friend, Menma, suddenly appears and pesters him to grant a forgotten wish. He ignores her — which annoys Menma even more. But Jinta doesn’t care. After all, Menma died years ago.
Initially attributing his sighting to the extreme heat, Jinta soon realizes that he’s actually seeing his childhood friend. When Menma dies, Jinta and the rest of the gang can’t handle the loss and grow apart. Now they must come together to lay Menma’s spirit to rest. But can they endure the pain and guilt that comes with such a heavy task?
Ghost Hunt
It seems that mystery and the paranormal go hand in hand, as each one drives those affected to discover the truth behind them. The supernatural anime Ghost Hunt evokes these same emotions.
When high school student Mai Taniyama meets 17-year-old Kazuya Shibuya, a detective from Shibuya Psychic Research investigating paranormal activities at Mai’s school, all hell breaks loose.
Mai accidentally knocks over some of Kazuya’s equipment and is saved by his assistant, Lin. Unfortunately, Lin gets injured in the process and can no longer assist Kazuya. Now without help, the young detective demands Mai become his new assistant. Throughout the series, Mai and Kazuya, along with other supernatural investigators, solve various ghost-related mysteries.
Ghost Hunt has several plots, ranging from lighthearted scenes to creepy hauntings to several jump-scares. But, the nightmare factor comes into play in one particular arc, where the villain copycats the heinous crimes of Vlad the Impaler and Elizabeth Báthory. You might want to leave the lights on for that one.
