10 Most Memorable Anime Monsters & Kaiju

The many worlds of anime contain a vast variety of monsters, from powerful, imposing kaiju to tiny trifling critters. Big or small, these creatures leave their own marks on their worlds. Some may just fill out the worldbuilding, while others perform as the central antagonists.

Whatever their roles, they each play an important part in the stories as a whole. But with so many distinct monsters, what makes for the most memorable ones in anime?New or old, benevolent or evil, colossal or tiny, these monsters each have their own unique qualities and roles that tend to stick in one’s psyche long after the show ends. Though there are some that aim to push the protagonist’s limits with peculiar, perilous challenges, other monsters make it their mission to help those protagonists conquer said challenges in their own unique way.



So which monsters are some of the most memorable? We have the answers!Spoiler Warning for background info for some of these monsters!The Titans from Attack on TitanWit StudioIn Attack on Titan, these creatures strike fear into the very existence of humanity. With towering, colossal humanoid forms, the Titans’ only purpose in life seems to be devouring humanity to extinction. Not only do they eat humans and pose a variety of challenging threats with varying shapes and sizes, but these creatures also hold deep, dark historical, and existential secrets to mankind itself.

Beyond feasting on human flesh, what do these strange, incommunicable creatures want? The mystery behind their existence may be just as monstrous as the beasts themselves.Turbo Granny from DandadanScience SARU“I’ll let you suckle my teats, boy, if you let me gobble your dong.” Aside from threats of evisceration, this is probably the last thing anyone would want to hear a monster say.

In Dandadan, Turbo Granny is not only a strong, powerful yokai opponent, but she’s also pretty vulgar. Even though the main characters, Momo Ayase and Okarun, face aliens that demand Okarun to relinquish his, uh, “banana”, Turbo Granny manages to steal and lose his golden family jewels, sending the two on a wild escapade to retrieve them. Entrapping her within a maneki-neko doll was probably the kindest punishment Momo and Okarun dealt her given the strange, unsettling antics she put them through.

The Angels from Neon Genesis EvangelionGainaxThere are seventeen main Angels in Neon Genesis Evangelion, each with their own unique designs. Attacking Tokyo-3 to try to make their way to Adam and Lilith, the first two progenitors of the Angels and First Ancestral Race, the Angels leave only devastation and death in their wake. Thus, these Angels are truly monstrous creatures despite their names being shared with benevolent biblical messengers.

It’s here where humanity fights back with Evangelion, aka Eva, sentient “mecha” created by the organization NERV with the angelic genetic basis of Adam and piloted by only those who can sync with them on a transcendental level. In fighting these creatures, the pilots not only face them as strong alien threats to their city but also open their own psyches up to metaphysical assault.Kyubey from Puella Magi Madoka MagicaShaftCute, right? WRONG.

This sanctimonious cat-like little SOB is known as Kyubey from Puella Magi Madoka Magica and it is one of the most heinous creatures in the universe, oddly, for the very sake of the universe, according to itself. Kyubey is actually short for “Incubator”, an alien, hive-minded, essentially immortal race that doesn’t understand human emotion. But as eternal as the alien race seems, there is one thing that they endeavor to prevent: the universe’s entropy.

This is where their creation of Magical Girls comes in. Not to fight for the universe in a conventional way, but, through their visceral despair, their energy is harvested. Although Kyubey believes this method to be for the greater good, it doesn’t understand the true cost of exploiting the emotions of humans.

[RELATED: Godzilla Trailer Introduces The MonsterVerse’s Big New Kaiju: “Doug”]The Shinigami from Death NoteMadhouseThe danger in Shinigami, or gods of death, from Death Note more so stem from something that exacerbates their detrimental capabilities toward mortals. That thing being sheer boredom. Shinigami only really kill humans to extend their own lifespans, doing so by writing the names of mortals in their tools called Death Notes.

But in doing so, they create a conundrum — although they tend to be afraid of death themselves and so continue to extend their lives, they also grow bored in the barren Shinigami Realm with little to do besides gambling and peeping on the Human World. So, when one Shinigami, Ryuk, grows tired of his boredom, he decides to pay the Human World a visit and stir up some mischief, leading to a chain of terrible consequences all for the sake of a little entertainment.Pikachu from PokémonOLMThe cute little yellow mouse beloved by many worldwide, Pikachu is the most recognizable Pocket Monster in the Pokémon franchise.

Although he and his trainer, Ash, get off to a rocky start when Ash is saddled with Professor Oak’s last remaining Pokémon, the close bond that sparks between the two best pals is like no other. Throughout their journey in Kanto and beyond to become the strongest in Pokémon battles, Ash and Pikachu’s friendship grows even stronger.The God Hand from BerserkOLMYes, this incredibly merciless, dark series was created by the very same studio, OLM, that brought young audiences to the bright world of Pokémon.

In their artistic versatility in recreating monsters from the mind of Kentaro Miura, unlike the benevolent, friendly critters in Pokémon, the God Hand quinquevirate in Berserk acts as the executioners of the epitome of collective evil human will. Once humans themselves, they gained such calamitous power through the use of special Beherits, spiritual objects that affect the fates of humanity and grant certain power at great costs, and continue the cycle of Beherit bearers and orchestrated cataclysmic events.Koro-sensei from Assassination ClassroomLercheAlthough he’s dead set on destroying the world come the end of the school year, Koro-sensei from Assassination Classroom isn’t such a bad teacher.

With a silly yellow octopus-like appearance and permanent Cheshire grin, his speed, agility, and resilience make for a formidable opponent to the child assassins he teaches. Tasked by the government itself to eliminate the strange professor, the students must find Koro-sensei’s weakness before its too late. But Koro-sensei’s formidability is second to another of his traits: his care and kindness towards his students.

Besides having trouble with even coming close to wounding him, the students face another obstacle — letting go of the only teacher who truly believed in them.Shirotabi from Ghost StoriesPierrotBlood-C may have its own unique monsters with the sadistic Bunny beasts, but Shirotabi in Ghost Stories is all the more subversive. Mio Imai was devastated as the school pet keeper to one day find that her favorite rabbit, Shirotabi, had died while in her care, so she tried to revive him Pet Sematary-style with magic.

This, unfortunately, had adverse effects and cursed Shirotabi to become a demon each night and kill the other rabbits, leading Satsuki and her friends to eventually exorcise the demon rabbit. Throughout the episode, Mio seems to like Shirotabi a little too much and reminisces about their good times together, with the moment being hilarious and iconic for fans of the dub. She’s able to finally let him go with the iconic quote, “I know now that it can never work between us, as much as we want it to, it could never be.

Not because you’re a rabbit, but because you’re black.”The Demons from Magical Girl OrePierrot PlusIn Magical Girl Ore, magical girl Saki Uno must defend her crush, Mohiro, from these adorably buff demons. As she learns the tricks of the trade whilst fighting as a buff dude in a frilly dress herself, the demons add to the hilarity with their simplistically cute expressions and fluffy squirrel-like tails on imposing, awkwardly muscular frames.

Why do these cute-faced gargantuan creatures want to kidnap Saki’s crush? Who knows, but their buffness will stop at nothing until they do.Who’s your most memorable anime monster? Let us know your all-time favorite in the comments!The post 10 Most Memorable Anime Monsters & Kaiju appeared first on ComicBook.com.

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