Best Anime About Angels & Demons

Highlights

• Anime featuring angels and demons draw inspiration from various cultural legends, creating a diverse range of supernatural stories.
• The genre explores unconventional interpretations of angels and demons, often blending elements of horror, comedy, and romance.
• From action-packed battles to thought-provoking themes, anime like Blue Exorcist and Devilman Crybaby offer unique takes on celestial beings.

The vast library that makes up the anime portion of the entertainment world includes plenty of supernatural or occult-themed stories, drawing inspiration from the mythology of angels and demons. The lore of these celestial and hellish beings varies depending on what lore or legend the animators are drawing from since angels and demons exist in several cultural legends, which means there’s plenty of variety when it comes to anime that features these fantastic creatures.

Angels and demons from Biblical lore are common in anime, and it’s a useful cultural flashpoint when the writers or producers want to use famous and familiar names. Others use the general template of denizens of heaven or hell for their characters or go with a whole new interpretation of the old myths.

Updated March 24, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: The interpretation of what makes an angel or demon in anime is often unconventional, putting many of these titles into an experimental fantasy, the occult genre, or speculative fiction. These TV shows or movies are often found in the horror section but can also include comedy, romance, and drama in their plots and storylines.The occult aesthetic that includes angels and demons is a unique genre in the world of anime, and there are plenty of fans who like the supernatural angle and want more.

12 High School DxD

MyAnimeList Score: 7.2

This anime is set in a school that’s covertly a training center for angels and demons, but a few normal humans enroll and are none the wiser about its real purpose. One of the students is Issei Hyoudou, the protagonist of this story. He’s obsessed with girls, but unmotivated when it comes to school, work, or anything else.

Issei’s attitude makes him a fool for a pretty face, and when the beautiful Yuma from school asks him out, he doesn’t hesitate. However, Yuma is a fallen angel and ends the date by killing him. Coincidentally, a devil named Rias, another girl from the school, resurrects Issei as a devil, making him a servant.

11 Ah! My Goddess

MyAnimeList Score: 7.2

• Genres: Fantasy, Romance
• Release Date: January 6, 2005
• Number of Episodes: 26
• Studio: Anime International Company

When Keiichi Morisato accidentally rings the Goddess Help Line, someone answers, a goddess named Belldandy who can grant him a single wish. Keiichi, thinking this must be a prank, wishes that the goddess stay with him forever, and the hijinks ensue when his wish is granted.

This anime series was inspired by the popular manga of the same name and is now part of an extensive franchise that includes live-action television and film adaptations along with several video games and even a soundtrack. The plot includes a variety of demons, angels, and other supernatural creatures, with the now-famous Belldandy being the one that takes up most of the storyline.

10 Gabriel DropOut

MyAnimeList Score: 7.3

The reference to the angel Gabriel is clear as one of the better-known names in the Biblical celestial pantheon, but the similarities end there. In the universe of Gabriel DropOut, angels are schooled and trained in Heaven before graduating from a high school on Earth, and not all of these supernatural beings are equipped to weather the perils of moral life.

The main character is an angel named Gabriel who becomes addicted to video games when she arrives on the earthly plane. She neglects all of her other responsibilities and studies as a result, hence the title of the anime. There’s also a manga series that’s been running since 2013.

9 Blue Exorcist

MyAnimeList Score: 7.4

Also known by its Japanese title, Ao no Exorcist, Blue Exorcist has built a complex world of angels vs. demon-themed lore that’s loosely based on the Biblical dichotomy of heaven and hell along with the existence of a devil that rules over it all. The twist is that the humans inhabit the world of Assiah, and the demons live in Gehenna, but the king of the demons wants to recruit his sons to help him conquer the human world.

The stars of this show are the brothers Rin and Yukio, who are the literal sons of Satan, and they are learning the art of exorcism to resist the power of their father. Rin is the one who seems to struggle more against the power of Satan, but the battle is just as real for the reliable Yukio. The show revolves around their experiences as students of exorcism as well as their encounters with Satan and his minions.

8 Rage Of Bahamut

MyAnimeList Score: 7.5

There’s a monstrous being named Bahamut in real-world legends that holds up the Earth, but he’s not inherently evil like the titular creature of Rage of Bahamut. The story takes place in the world of Mistarcia, which is populated by demons, humans, and angels living together in relative harmony as long as Bahamut is safely contained.

The anime series consisted of two seasons. Genesis was released in 2014, and Virgin Soul followed a few years later in 2017. It’s based on a social digital card game from 2011, and there’s also a manga series for those who prefer physical media.

7 Black Butler

MyAnimeList Score: 7.6

The handsome and poised Sebastian Michaelis, the butler of the Phantomhive family, is the perfect example of style, grace, elegance, and above all, social protocol. If that sounds like the description of a demon, that’s because it is. The young master of the household, Ciel Phantomhive, has the serious responsibility of being “the Queen’s guard dog” and is called upon to secure the throne from supernatural threats, as is tradition. He does so partly with the help of the demon Sebastian, to whom the young master has pledged his soul.

Ciel might be able to give his butler orders for now, but that’s only because of the deal he made. Sebastian the demon will devour his sweet, delicious soul eventually, so whether or not Sebastian is a good or bad character is one of the story’s more interesting dilemmas.

6 The Devil Is A Part-Timer!

MyAnimeList Score: 7.6

Demons and angels might be intimidating on their home planes of existence, but The Devil Is A Part-Timer! showcases what these supernatural beings would look like if they found themselves in the mundane dimension of real life. In this case, that’s the world of Ente Isla.

Demon Lord Satan, aided by his fellow devils, attempts to conquer Ente Isla but is thwarted by a hero named Emi Yusa, who also happens to be descended from an archangel. She follows his defeat into the material world, where they are both reduced to teenagers but retain some of their powers.

5 Devilman Crybaby

MyAnimeList Score: 7.6

The original manga, Devilman, was a favorite among both fans and critics, so the anime adaptation was eagerly anticipated by a loyal fanbase. Devilman Crybaby follows the same basic premise and storyline but moves the setting from the 1970s into the present day.

As the title suggests, this anime series is about devils. Akira is a character who is partly possessed by a demon but controls its powers through his force of will and seeks others like him to help fight the demons off before they possess all of humanity. The angels don’t appear until the very end, but revealing the details is too much of a spoiler.

4 Claymore

MyAnimeList Score: 7.6

Claymore is about a group of women who have been augmented by a mysterious group called The Organization to fight demons. It’s unknown exactly how this is done, but rumor has it that these women are somehow part-demon themselves or have learned to use the same deadly powers.

The knights featured in this series aren’t referred to as angels, but so much of how they are depicted refers to these celestial beings that it’s hard not to draw an obvious comparison. This is especially true of characters like Teresa, who keeps a Stoic, peaceful visage and hardly ever uses their demonic powers.

3 Angel Beats!

MyAnimeList Score: 8.1

Of course, there are going to be angels and demons in a story that takes place in a “limbo” of sorts for traumatized souls. The main character is Yuzuru Otonashi, who arrives in the afterlife without any memories. He must confront and defeat his demons before he is able to ascend into Heaven.

However, there’s more to the story than Otonashi’s saga. He’s immediately recruited by Yuri Nakamura to join the Afterlife Battlefront as part of a rebellion against god and the class president, who is obviously and appropriately named Angel.

2 Neon Genesis Evangelion

MyAnimeList Score: 8.4

There are so many occult references in Neon Genesis Evangelion that several of the episodes are preceded by a note with recommended readings, and many of them are Biblical. The genre is officially science fiction, but the show has also been classified as experimental along with being a psychological thriller.

The “angels” in Evangelion appear to be alien beings at first, and their history on the planet is referred to in spiritual terms, with one of the first being nicknamed Adam. The other angels are given the same Biblical names as the ones in the Bible that brought forth the end of the world. The show borrows much more from occult beliefs and includes a vision of the apocalypse, as the Book of Revelation foretold, complete with a final battle that brings God to earth.

1 Demon Slayer

MyAnimeList Score: 8.5

Demon Slayer relies heavily on Japanese demons and their related mythologies. That means there are a lot of demons and very few angels to be seen in this popular series, which started as a manga, spawned an anime television series, and several video games.

Tanjiro Kamado, the main character, has a life that’s so idyllic that it’s bound to be ruined by something. His family is attacked by demons, and his sister is possessed by one, so not only does he have to save the world from demons, but he also has to save her. It’s found in the horror section, and it’s earned that title for the level of gore alone. It could also be considered a period piece with the traditional clothing and design lifted from Japan’s Taisho era.