Anime’s Most Iconic Skeleton Characters

The world of Japanese anime and manga has plenty of scary and chilling series for fans of Halloween, horror movies, and Gothic fiction. This year, Halloween is going to be scarier than ever for Halloween fans. A variety of series are dedicated to horror or Gothic culture, and others feature at least a few horror elements.

Plenty of anime series feature characters perfect for Halloween, from bloodthirsty vampires to brutal werewolves and scary or cute witches. This even includes skeletons that persist even after all their flesh is rotted away. Animated skeletons are nearly as popular as zombies in horror fiction, and these anime characters are here to prove it.

Updated on February 28th, 2024 by Chelsea Steele: Skeletons are an iconic staple within the horror genre. But while in most media they’re simply a spooky setpiece to help create the tone, anime skeletons are often a little more creative. Skeleton characters come in a variety of forms, from terrifying villains to friendly heroes. But while they’re not always the bad guys in a story, there’s no denying that even the nicest anime skeletons are a little bit creepy. We’ve updated this list to meet CBR’s current publication standard, providing more info on some of anime’s most iconic spooky skeletons.

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10 Overlord’s Ainz Ooal Gown Is The All-Powerful Ruler Of The World

Overlord

An office worker in a dystopian world logs onto a video game for the last time only to find out that he, along with his entire guild, has been transported to another reality.

Release Date

July 7, 2015

Cast

Satoshi Hino

Seasons

4

Studio

Madhouse

Number of Episodes

52

Isekai heroes are stereotyped as being generic self-inserts, such as Kirito from Sword Art Online, but some of them truly stand out from the pack. A fine example is Ainz Ooal Gown in Overlord, who was once an MMO player who found himself trapped in the game’s world after the game was supposedly shut down.

Now, he is the overlord Ainz Ooal Gown, master of his own fortress, and he has minions such as Albedo and Shaltear at his beck and call. Bit by bit, Ainz manipulates and dominates the world around him, and he is truly powerful in combat.

9 That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime’s Adalman Is An Undead Warrior Working For A Demon Lord

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Average 37-year-old Minami Satoru dies and is reincarnated as the most unremarkable creature imaginable-a slime.

Release Date

October 2, 2018

Cast

Miho Okasaki , Megumi Toyoguchi , Mao Ichimichi , Makoto Furukawa

Seasons

2

Studio

Eight Bit

Creator

Fuse

Sequel

The Slime Diaries

Number of Episodes

48

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Demon Lord Clayman is a cruel boss who exploits and abuses his subordinates in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, including Yamza and Adalman. Adalman was once a priest of Ruberios, but he had a crisis of faith and died, only to be reborn as a skeleton mage. Now, he commands an army of zombies to defend Clayman’s castle.

Adalman fought to defend Clayman’s castle when Benimaru’s little sister, Princess Shuna, and her squad arrived. Shuna scored a spectacular victory with her holy magic, and an impressed Adalman asked to become her friend and work for Rimuru, which a bewildered Shuna agreed to.

8 Death Note’s Armonia Justin Is One Of Several Shinigami In The Series

Death Note

Original title: Death Note: Desu nôto.
An intelligent high school student goes on a secret crusade to eliminate criminals from the world after discovering a notebook capable of killing anyone whose name is written into it.

Release Date

October 21, 2007

Cast

Mamoru Miyano , Brad Swaile , Vincent Tong , Ryō Naitō , Trevor Devall

Seasons

1

Production Company

D.N. Dream Partners, Madhouse, Nippon Television Network (NTV), Shueisha, Video Audio Project (VAP)

Number of Episodes

37

Studio

Madhouse

Later in Death Note‘s story, Armonia Justin is introduced as a skeletal Shinigami, or a death god, and he looks the part even more than Ryuk himself does. Armonia Justin had only a minimal role, but it’s not easy to forget an eye-catching minor character like him. No other Shinigami has so many jewels.

During Death Note‘s second half, Armonia Justin gives Sidoh a few scrolls to remind him of how the notebook rules work. During this scene, it became clear that he is a calm, confident, and aloof being who isn’t easily excited or intimidated.

7 Bleach’s Barragan Has A Sekeltal Form That Makes Him Look Like A True Reaper

Bleach

Bleach revolves around Kurosaki Ichigo, a regular always-grouchy high-schooler who for some strange reason is able to see the souls of the dead around him.

Release Date

October 5, 2004

Cast

Masakazu Morita , Fumiko Orikasa , Hiroki Yasumoto , Yuki Matsuoka , Noriaki Sugiyama , Kentarô Itô , Shinichirô Miki , Hisayoshi Suganuma

Seasons

17 Seasons

Creator

Tite Kubo

Production Company

TV Tokyo, Dentsu, Pierrot

Number of Episodes

366 Episodes

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu , Prime Video

Barragan Luisenbairn is the 2nd Espada in Bleach. His sealed form makes him look human, but in his released form, Barragan reverts to his skeletal true form, and it’s an eerie sight. He’s like the Grim Reaper, complete with a deadly ax named Gran Caida.

Barragan once ruled the deserts of Hueco Mundo as king, but Captain Sosuke Aizen overthrew him, and Barragan has been stewing in resentment ever since. Most Arrancars and Hollows have a death theme with their skull-like masks, but Barragan takes it one step further with his horrific released form, which terrified Marechiyo Omaeda.

6 One Piece’s Brook Joins Luffy & The Straw Hats

One Piece

Follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew in order to find the greatest treasure ever left by the legendary Pirate, Gold Roger. The famous mystery treasure named “One Piece”.

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Creator(s)

Eiichiro Oda

Cast

Mayumi Tanaka , Akemi Okamura , Laurent Vernin , Tony Beck , Kazuya Nakai

Seasons

1

Studio

Toei Animation

Creator

Eiichirô Oda

Production Company

Toei Animation

Number of Episodes

1K+

One Piece protagonist Monkey D. Luffy tends to make friends with relatively normal human beings, and he has few monsters or beasts on his crew. He does have an undead crewmate, the tall music lover Brook. In fact, Brook is 88 years old, by far the oldest Straw Hat Pirate. He has spent much of that time as an animated skeleton.

Brook isn’t nearly as scary as he looks, though. He has an upbeat and warm personality, and he is a loyal crewmate who’s not afraid to laugh merrily. He is quite fond of music, such as with his violin, and his poofy black hair and top hat might remind some One Piece fans of Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame.

5 The Ancient Magus’ Bride’s Elias Takes Protagonist Chise Under His Wing

The Ancient Magus’ Bride

Hatori Chise sells herself to a non-human mage known as Elias Ainsworth. Hesitant, she starts a new life with him as his new apprentice.

Release Date

October 8, 2017

Studio

Wit Studio

Main Cast

Atsumi Tanezaki and Ryouta Takeuchi

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The Ancient Magus’ Bride is a popular fantasy anime series starring Chise Hatori, a red-haired girl who gets a new chance at life with the mysterious mage Elias Ainsworth. Elias is a mysterious but kind boss and friend for Chise, and they live a quiet, magical life together in the quaint countryside.

Elias is much gentler and kinder than his terrifying animal skull head would suggest, and he even has a chibi form for comic relief moments. When visiting the city, Elias disguises himself as a handsome human man to blend in, a disguise that Chise finds fascinating.

4 Berserk’s Skull Knight Aids Guts From Time To Time

Berserk

Guts, a wandering mercenary, joins the Band of the Hawk after being defeated in a duel by Griffith, the group’s leader and founder. Together, they dominate every battle, but something menacing lurks in the shadows.

Created by

Kentaro Miura

First TV Show

Berserk

Latest TV Show

Berserk

Where to watch

Crunchyroll

Video Game(s)

Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Sho , Berserk and the Band of the Hawk , Sword of the Berserk: Guts Rage

First Film

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1: The Egg of the King

Manga Volumes

42

The story of Berserk primarily focuses on the mercenary Guts as its hero. Still, from time to time, Guts receives aid from the eerie Skull Knight, a fellow antihero who has a grudge against the God Hand and Nosferatu Zodd. Even now, little is known of the Skull Knight, such as whether he was once alive or was always an animated skeleton.

It was the Skull Knight who rescued Guts and Casca from the eclipse, and he appeared again in the Conviction arc and in later arcs as well. He is terrifying to behold, but as far as Guts can determine, he is a crucial ally in the fight against evil.

3 Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-San’s Titular Protagonist Lives An Average Life As A Retail Worker

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san

Honda-san is at war – with business, with out-of-print books, and with people who love manga! Who knew there were so many laughs to be found at the manga counter of a bookstore?! These are the day-to-day happenings that take place at a certain bookstore where the love of manga is abundant.

 

Release Date

October 8, 2018

Cast

Soma Saito , Shizuka Itou , Yûko Sanpei , Eri Kitamura , Akemi Okamura

Seasons

1

Studio

DLE

Creator

Honda

Number of Episodes

12

Honda-san is a polite skeleton working hard in the world of retail, and interestingly, his mundane adventures are based on the original author’s own experience in this department. Remarkably, Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-San is a shojo anime series, despite its spooky protagonist.

Honda-san can lift heavy stacks and boxes of books on the job, but when dealing with foreign customers, he can only manage a word or two, but that won’t stop him from providing the best customer service he can. All this makes for a bizarre but lovable slice-of-life shojo anime for fans who are in the mood for something totally new.

2 Inferno Cop’s Main Protagonist Is A Skeletal Cop On The Hunt For Crime

Inferno Cop

A cop with a skeleton head towards evil around the world

Release Date

December 24, 2012

Seasons

1

Production Company

Trigger

Number of Episodes

13

Main Cast

Junichi Goto, Yuya Hayashi, Ren Shimorenjaku, Kaname Shimorenjaku, Natsuki Wada, Fumihiko Morohashi

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Inferno Cop is a very short but amusing online animated series starring Inferno Cop, a no-nonsense law enforcer who refuses to let criminals bribe their way out of trouble. Most other cops in Jack Knife Edge City accept bribes and turn a blind eye to crime, but like a true antihero, Inferno Cop confronts wrongdoers every time.

Inferno Cop’s character is clearly similar to the Marvel character Ghost Rider, from his flaming skull head to his antihero ways, and not even going underwater will douse his flames. He’s still not terribly comfortable underwater, however.

1 Skeleton Knight In Another World’s Arc Wakes Up In The World Of His Favorite Game As A Skeleton

Skeleton Knight in Another World

A gamer ends up in the world he was playing, but also with the skeletal appearance he was using. Now he must make his way in the new world conscious of his frightening appearance.

Release Date

April 7, 2022

Cast

Tomoaki Maeno , Brandon Johnson , Caitlin Glass , Akira Ishida , Fairouz Ai , Nene Hieda

Seasons

1

Studio

Studio Kai

Number of Episodes

12

Skeleton Knight in Another World is an isekai anime series with a classic premise. The story begins when an average guy with a passion for games falls asleep while playing an MMORPG. He soon awakens to find himself transported into the world of that very game, taking the form of a skeleton, which was his avatar’s skin at the time. Now, Arc, the series’ protagonist and hero of the story, must navigate his new surroundings stuck in this form.

This hero may look like bare bones, but Arc has a heart, and he is ready to explore this world and everything it has to offer. If anyone needs his help, Arc will stand for them as a noble knight, even if he looks more like an envoy of death itself.