Some of the scariest scenes in horror movies involve people or animals being forcibly transformed into something else, and that philosophy has certainly been applied to the scariest transformations in anime. These are not simple shape-shifting problems either. The best case scenario is that the character’s body is transformed into a monstrous form, because the worst case scenario is that they are forced to completely transfer to another world of existence.
If done correctly, these scenes will make viewers shudder in horror and disgust at what the character is going through. The appearance of variation, though grotesque, is secondary to the emotional impact of the scene. Even better is when the transition isn’t just about horror: it’s either an important plot twist or serves the character’s story in some way.
10 Shinichi’s Aging Process – Case Closed (1999 – present)
As a genius teen detective, Cased Closed’s Shinichi Kudo has made many criminal enemies. In the first episode, he is ambushed alone at night by two thugs, who stuff an experimental pill down his throat. They leave with the belief that they have poisoned Shinichi to death, and looking at how his aging into a child actually unfolds, it’s not hard to see why.
Shinichi’s transformation looks and sounds very painful. He trembled on the ground in too much pain to scream, let alone move. He describes the pain as his bones melt inside him, and viewers are more inclined to believe him from the way hot air rises from his body. There’s a lot of maturity involved in aging from a child to a young adult: undoing it all at once is a pain that no one but Shinichi has unfortunately experienced.
9 Kyo’s True Form – Fruits Basket (2019 – 2021)
Being one of the best cat companions in anime isn’t all for Fruits Basket’s Kyo. Unlike the other cursed Sohmas, Kyo has an additional “true form” that makes anyone who sees it be amazed and disgusted. A far cry from his orange cat form, Kyo’s true form is that of a giant creature unlike any other animal in the world, with bulging red eyes, elongated limbs, and the smell of decay and death.
The accumulation for this transformation is huge. Kyo himself fears it, fueled by his mother’s apparent fear of it when he was a child and the ridicule he faced from Akito and his biological father. By the time the bracelet holding him mostly human was removed, the audience was just as horrified as he was.
8 For The Tainted Sorrow – Bungou Stray Dogs (2016 – present)
Chuuya and Dazai can’t stand each other in Bungou Stray Dogs, but were once the most powerful partners of the Port Mafia. When they finally reunite, everyone finds out why. In order for Chuuya to fully unlock his Power, he needs Dazai to pull him back: he can’t reverse its transformation on his own.
Chuuya’s abandonment to his Abilities felt like the end of the world on a grand scale. As it took over him, blood-red streaks opened over his body and its aura enveloped him, while black holes formed around him. Perhaps the most disturbing part is Chuuya’s gaze: all traces of his normal personality are gone, leaving only a wild emptiness there.
Kaneki’s 7 Points of No Return – Tokyo Ghoul (2014)
Tokyo Ghoul’s extremely unlucky Ken Kaneki being turned into a vampire in the first place is one of the anime’s best episodes. Shockingly, this doesn’t even break down the five worst things that happen to the guy. Kaneki’s torture by Yamori marked his transformation from meek, shy and arrogant, to a cold and ruthless killer.
The torture scenes are like a nightmare, Kaneki has to endure everything for ten days from losing a finger (regeneration) to having a centipede tied to his ear. Kaneki eventually breaks down mentally, his hair turns white from his trauma, and breaks his resolve to never kill anyone by chopping down Yamori. For the entire rest of the series, he’s never the same again.
6 Vessel Of The Holy Grail – Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works (2014 – 2015)
In all of his appearances, Fate/Stay Night’s Gilgamesh is unattractive. He is willing to take down enemies as well as allies to assert his dominance as a king. When Shinji made the mistake of defaming him, he responded by gleefully shoving Ilya’s heart into Shinji’s chest, forcing him to transform into a vessel for the Holy Grail.
Although it couldn’t have happened to someone better than Shinji, it was still a terrifying fate. His body bubbled and swelled like a giant pile of pimples, until eventually bulging into a womb-like structure with him at the center. It’s hard to say which is worse: the ghastly creaking and longing of his body, or his pitiful, tearful cry for help as he transforms.
5 Transformation Jinchuuriki – Naruto (2002 – 2017)
Having some of the worst reputations in Naruto’s shinobi world is natural for the jinchuriki. Unfortunately, villagers have some reason to fear the beasts inside their human hosts. Harnessing the Tailed Beast’s chakra, or eventually being overtaken by it, results in a grueling transformation to the host’s body and mind.
Naruto’s gradual transformation in Part 1 and Part 2 gets the most attention. At first only enveloped in the chakra of the Nine-Tails Fox, the further he went, the more monstrous his body became, the later stage burning his skin and turning him into a lifeless, lifeless state. His loved ones were shocked and scared by them, fearing that if Naruto would get to the point they wouldn’t be able to bring him back.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)
Madoka Magica’s transformation of magical girls into witches is the scariest image of one of the best magical girl anime. Madoka’s repeated transformations into Kriemhild Gretchen over the thousands of timelines that Homura had to endure was terrifying enough. But the real horror performance is the transformation that reveals the girls’ inevitable fate: Sayaka into Octavia von Seckendorff.
Even before it was revealed, watching Sayaka fall into a spiral of despair was unsettling. She moves through the monochrome city with dead eyes, before her Grief Seed finally fills up and she transforms, her lair a storm of blades and musical notes. The only recognizable parts of Sayaka in Octavia are her swinging sword and her dreary screams.
3 Mechanical Mutants – Gyo (2012)
Junji Ito is one of the most popular horror mangakas in the world, and for good reason. His detailed art style and extremely unique story and monster concept haunt the dreams of fans everywhere. From “Layer of Fear” to “Slug Girl” to whatever Tomie is going on, body horror is one of his forte.
Gyo was adapted into an anime in 2012, but it’s hard to beat the nauseating visuals of the original manga. Poor Kaori can’t escape the gas that turns every living creature in Japan into mutant machines, and is turned into a barely conscious tool of a deadly weapon. Pipes and metal tools were fastened all over her body, her head the only vaguely human part to her left.
In some of the scariest episodes of non-horror anime, thankfully, audiences see no real transformation as Shou Tucker transforms her young daughter Nina and her dog together. The consequences were horrifying enough, with Nina in excruciating pain in her unnatural canine body, barely retaining her wits to speak and let Edward know how horrible she felt.
The real initiator comes later in the show, when Ed and Al meet legally successful human-animal hybrids who function flawlessly without any pain. Not only did the government of Amestris not need Shou’s research, but Shou’s alchemy wasn’t as advanced as he thought it would be. What he does to Nina is the equivalent of a medieval surgery in a world with modern medical technology.
1 Tetsuo’s Mutant – AKIRA (1988)
Tetsuo Shima loses control of his powers and body possibly the most famous body horror piece in all of anime. Tetsuo believes he has mastered his awakened psychic powers, but when he is wounded in battle, their true instability shows. He quickly transformed into a monster the size of a skyscraper.
The scariest aspect of this scene is that it is completely out of Tetsuo’s control. As he swelled and twisted, he was screaming for Kaneda’s help. When his girlfriend Kaori tries to help him and gets caught up in his growing mass of flesh, he can’t stop his body from crushing her to death. In the end, the only way to save Tetsuo is to free his body, sending him completely into another dimension.
There is nothing scarier than a person’s body changing suddenly, out of control and greatly detrimental to them. Some characters try to survive or even reverse their transformation, becoming stronger or better because of it. But worst, the scariest transformations in anime can never be reversed.