The demonic nature is not necessarily a reason for hatred.
Using human-like characters who have different powers and different morals due to their non-human upbringing is really fun and can spice the story up. There are manga and anime that are centered on the demonic characters and their journeys, how they interact with the human world, how they deal with their powers, and what it actually means — to be a demon. Usually in the stories that mix up human and demon characters the question of humanity is a very prominent one, and it adds depth even to the most stereotypical shounen. So we tried to make a list of some interesting demons that we encountered while obsessively watching anime and reading manga.
She's not the most popular demoness on this list, that's for sure. In a story about an otaku who aces harem games and ends up practically forced to enact his actions in real life and capture the hearts of a few girls, Elsie plays his sister. She really plays her: she was sent from New Hell to deal with the runaway souls that ended up in the bodies of the girls that Keima, the otaku, has to win over. Elsie is cute, naive, but her morals are strong, as is her will, and there's not much fanservice with her, mind you. She really acts like Keima's younger sister with not much romantic subtext and has a good development throughout the series.
These twin brothers are Satan's spawns. And if at first people thought that only Rin had inherited their dad's powers, later the manga showed that Yukio was just a late bloomer. But both of these brothers were raised by a priest to be good people, and they are, despite their demonic nature. While Rin is the hot-headed and brash one, Yukio is a more level-headed one, but both are very adamant about keeping the peace and balance and avenging the person who raised them.
Inuyasha has established a lot of tropes of the 2000s anime. He's a white-haired half-demon, powerful and a little wild, so even regular demons won't stand a chance in a fight with him. He's witty, always ready to fight without thinking, and that often leads to conflicts with the other main character of the show, Kagome Higurashi. Despite being a little brash, he has a kind heart and is willing to protect those who need it.
In the beginning of the series Akira doesn't show his demonic nature. There's nothing terrifying in him, he even looks wimpy. But sometime later he gains the demonic power of Amon — and uses this power for good: to protect humans from other demons that started spawning on Earth. He wants to save the world from evil, to help humanity get back on its feet, and he won't stop until the very end.
We won't be lying if we say that Nezuko is the most popular demon character in the anime industry. She, as some of the other characters on our list, was at first just a normal girl, but then a King of Demons slaughtered her and Tanjiro's family, and she got transformed into a demon. She tries to keep her demonic side under control using the bamboo muzzle, but the most important thing that allows her to keep this side of herself on a leash is her brother who is ready to do anything to save her. And Nezuko, in return, refuses to harm those that she cares for.
This one was an outsider in the demonic world because he didn't possess any magical powers. But he turned that flaw into his trademark feature and honed his Anti-Magic — the ability that allows him to nullify all the effects of magic. He's intimidating, full of hatred and pain, but that's what makes him different from other demons. He's even capable of showing compassion, to a degree, and can be empathetic, grieving, and sad.
The butler who takes the role of a shadow mastermind, Sebastian helps Ciel Phantomhive enact his revenge on society. The price, however, is high: Ciel will give Sebastian his soul. But before it happens, Sebastian is willing to perform any task he believes should be done and deal with everything he deems necessary. He was for a very long time one of the most popular demon characters; and for a reason.
Maou Sadao — The Devil Is A Part-Timer! (Hataraku Maou-sama!)
Maou is a Devil King who was stripped of his powers after he fled to Earth. And it's hard to consider his life a downgrade: it's peaceful now, at least. Perhaps the fact that he didn't just inherit the title of the Demon King but actually earned it through the years of hard work in unification of smaller demonic tribes and smart politics with as little destruction as possible makes him one of the humblest demons who is pretty okay with flipping burgers at MgRonald's.
There are different reasons for Berserk to be one of the best manga of all time, and the existence of Femto, his character arc and story, is one of those. Once he was a charismatic human leader known as Griffith, but some event broke him, and in order to achieve his dreams he commits atrocious acts and strips himself of humanity, becoming a demon, one of the main antagonists of the series.
Calcifer — Howl's Moving Castle
Please don't forget that behind the cute exterior Calcifer is actually a powerful demon, capable of igniting anything that's ignitable. He's the reason the titular castle is moving, after all. Howl gave him his own heart all those years ago, and Calcifer, despite being a little bit grumpy on the outside, does care for Howl.
The demonic nature is not necessarily a reason for hatred.
Using human-like characters who have different powers and different morals due to their non-human upbringing is really fun and can spice the story up. There are manga and anime that are centered on the demonic characters and their journeys, how they interact with the human world, how they deal with their powers, and what it actually means — to be a demon. Usually in the stories that mix up human and demon characters the question of humanity is a very prominent one, and it adds depth even to the most stereotypical shounen. So we tried to make a list of some interesting demons that we encountered while obsessively watching anime and reading manga.
She's not the most popular demoness on this list, that's for sure. In a story about an otaku who aces harem games and ends up practically forced to enact his actions in real life and capture the hearts of a few girls, Elsie plays his sister. She really plays her: she was sent from New Hell to deal with the runaway souls that ended up in the bodies of the girls that Keima, the otaku, has to win over. Elsie is cute, naive, but her morals are strong, as is her will, and there's not much fanservice with her, mind you. She really acts like Keima's younger sister with not much romantic subtext and has a good development throughout the series.
These twin brothers are Satan's spawns. And if at first people thought that only Rin had inherited their dad's powers, later the manga showed that Yukio was just a late bloomer. But both of these brothers were raised by a priest to be good people, and they are, despite their demonic nature. While Rin is the hot-headed and brash one, Yukio is a more level-headed one, but both are very adamant about keeping the peace and balance and avenging the person who raised them.
Inuyasha has established a lot of tropes of the 2000s anime. He's a white-haired half-demon, powerful and a little wild, so even regular demons won't stand a chance in a fight with him. He's witty, always ready to fight without thinking, and that often leads to conflicts with the other main character of the show, Kagome Higurashi. Despite being a little brash, he has a kind heart and is willing to protect those who need it.
In the beginning of the series Akira doesn't show his demonic nature. There's nothing terrifying in him, he even looks wimpy. But sometime later he gains the demonic power of Amon — and uses this power for good: to protect humans from other demons that started spawning on Earth. He wants to save the world from evil, to help humanity get back on its feet, and he won't stop until the very end.
We won't be lying if we say that Nezuko is the most popular demon character in the anime industry. She, as some of the other characters on our list, was at first just a normal girl, but then a King of Demons slaughtered her and Tanjiro's family, and she got transformed into a demon. She tries to keep her demonic side under control using the bamboo muzzle, but the most important thing that allows her to keep this side of herself on a leash is her brother who is ready to do anything to save her. And Nezuko, in return, refuses to harm those that she cares for.
This one was an outsider in the demonic world because he didn't possess any magical powers. But he turned that flaw into his trademark feature and honed his Anti-Magic — the ability that allows him to nullify all the effects of magic. He's intimidating, full of hatred and pain, but that's what makes him different from other demons. He's even capable of showing compassion, to a degree, and can be empathetic, grieving, and sad.
The butler who takes the role of a shadow mastermind, Sebastian helps Ciel Phantomhive enact his revenge on society. The price, however, is high: Ciel will give Sebastian his soul. But before it happens, Sebastian is willing to perform any task he believes should be done and deal with everything he deems necessary. He was for a very long time one of the most popular demon characters; and for a reason.
Maou Sadao — The Devil Is A Part-Timer! (Hataraku Maou-sama!)
Maou is a Devil King who was stripped of his powers after he fled to Earth. And it's hard to consider his life a downgrade: it's peaceful now, at least. Perhaps the fact that he didn't just inherit the title of the Demon King but actually earned it through the years of hard work in unification of smaller demonic tribes and smart politics with as little destruction as possible makes him one of the humblest demons who is pretty okay with flipping burgers at MgRonald's.
There are different reasons for Berserk to be one of the best manga of all time, and the existence of Femto, his character arc and story, is one of those. Once he was a charismatic human leader known as Griffith, but some event broke him, and in order to achieve his dreams he commits atrocious acts and strips himself of humanity, becoming a demon, one of the main antagonists of the series.
Calcifer — Howl's Moving Castle
Please don't forget that behind the cute exterior Calcifer is actually a powerful demon, capable of igniting anything that's ignitable. He's the reason the titular castle is moving, after all. Howl gave him his own heart all those years ago, and Calcifer, despite being a little bit grumpy on the outside, does care for Howl.
