Top 5 Creepiest Zombie Anime, Ranked

When it comes to horror, the genre can often be seen as overlooked within the anime world, and for good reason. While many stories that were made by master of horror Junji Ito have received anime adaptations, there are more than a few creepy campfire tales that are nowhere to be found in the medium. When it comes to zombies, fans are looking for anime to sink their teeth into in relation to the walking corpses that haunt many viewers’ nightmares. Luckily, there’s enough zombie anime material out there to make recommendations as to five of the scariest undead entries.

Not every piece of zombie anime media is going to make our list, especially considering that many shows and movies that feature zombies out of Japan can lean into comedy and/or fan service territory. If you have an undeniable thirst to witness the undead in action, you can check out series such as Zombieland Saga, High School of The Dead, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead for other zombie carnage.

5.) Hellsing

Hellsing is often thought of as a supernatural series that focuses far more on vampires than anything else, and those ascertations are correct. The series follows Alucard, aka Dracula, as he fights against countless threats to England and the world at large. Throughout the anime adaptation, vampires create mindless servants that check all the boxes for what makes a zombie, with the assault on the Hellsing Organization showing just how terrifying these less-powerful flesh eaters could be. Hellsing has become well-known for its action, but it easily transitions throughout its story into the world of horror, and if you’re looking for some scares, there are plenty to be found here.

4.) The Empire of Corpses

Of the different zombie entries on this list, The Empire of Corpses feels like the least known entry. Releasing in theaters in 2015 from Wit Studio, which fans might know best for its work on Attack on Titan, The Ranking of Kings, and Spy x Family, was responsible for this unique undead tale. The movie has zombies of all sorts, while also spanning real-world events and fictional characters in one flesh-eating smorgasbord. The roster of characters might be hard to believe but they span the likes of Thomas Edison, Ulysses S. Grant, Sherlock Holmes, and Victor Frankenstein. Alongside having some big scares, Empire of Corpses is also a gorgeous film that’s worth a watch, whether you’re looking for a zombie story or otherwise within the anime medium.

3.) Kabaneri of The Iron Fortress

This is the second time that Wit makes the list, and it was a tough decision to hammer down which of their two zombie entries was scarier. What Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress does so well in terms of bringing scares isn’t just by presenting terrifying representations of the undead, it gives them all a serious power boost from the typical shambling corpses. It also only gives humanity one shot of survival, with most of mankind needing to shut themselves away inside moving fortresses, adding a sense of claustrophobia to the series. Kabaneri is often thought of as a sister series to Attack on Titan, but in terms of which series is scarier, we might just go with the former.

2.) Seoul Station

Seoul Station is the animated prequel to the now legendary film, Train to Busan, a South Korean live-action movie that is routinely thought of as one of the best zombie movies ever made. In the anime film, viewers are able to see more of the outbreak, and in some ways, it can be far scarier than its live-action counterpart. Specifically, the zombies themselves are unnerving in the film’s runtime, with their eyes ratcheted open and horifically chowing down on any poor victim they encounter. Of the entries on this list, the animation used here is the most different from the other zombie anime, but said style works in its favor.

1.) Gyo

Is it any surprise that Junji Ito wouldn’t just appear on this list, but would have the number one spot? Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack doesn’t feature your traditional zombies, but it does feature a kind of walking dead that is far creepier than most zombie media. The aquatic life has risen from the ocean depths, strapped to mechanical spider-like legs that help them to cause havoc on the surface world. From here, the nightmare of these strange devices and how they reanimate the dead proves to be a horror for mankind in some particularly skin-crawling ways. Ironically enough, this film was animated by none other than Ufotable, the studio responsible for Demon Slayer, proving that the production house knows its way around the supernatural. If you’re looking for the creepiest zombie anime of them all, Gyo is your best bet.

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