Some of the scariest scenes in horror involve a human or animal being forcibly transformed into something else, and that philosophy certainly carries over into anime’s scariest transformations. These are no simple shapeshifting incidents, either. The best case scenario is the character’s body being twisted into a monstrous form, because the worst case scenario is that they are being forced into a different plane of existence entirely.
If executed correctly, these sequences make the viewer cringe in horror and disgust at what the character is going through. The appearance of the transformed, though grotesque, is secondary to the emotional impact of the scene. Even better is when the transformation isn’t played solely for horror: it’s a key plot twist or serves the character’s story in some way.
10 Shinichi’s De-Aging – Case Closed (1999 – present)
As a teen genius 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 force an experimental pill down his throat. They leave believing they’ve fatally poisoned Shinichi, and looking at how his de-aging into a child actually goes, it’s not hard to get why.
Shinichi’s transformation looks and sounds intensely painful. He shivers on the ground in too much agony to scream, let alone move. He describes the pain as his bones melting inside him, and viewers are more than inclined to believe him from the way hot gas rises off his body. There’s a lot of growth involved in aging from a child to a young adult: undoing all of that at once is a pain nobody but Shinichi has had the misfortune to experience.
9 Kyo’s True Form – Fruits Basket (2019 – 2021)
Being one of the best cat companions in anime isn’t all it’s cracked up to be for Fruits Basket’s Kyo. Unlike the other cursed Sohmas, Kyo has an additional “true form” that shocks and repulses everyone who sees it. Far from his orange cat form, Kyo’s true form is a massive creature unlike any animal in the world, with bulging red eyes, elongated limbs, and an odor of rot and death.
The buildup to this transformation is excruciating. Kyo himself is terrified of it, fueled by his mother’s obvious fear of it when he was a child and the derision he faces for it from Akito and his biological father. By the time the bracelet that keeps him mostly human is forced off, the audience is as horrified as he is.
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 Port Mafia’s most deadly effective partners. When they’re finally reunited, everyone finds out why. In order for Chuuya to fully unlock his Ability’s power, he needs Dazai to pull him back: he can’t reverse its transformation on his own.
Chuuya giving himself over to his Ability feels apocalyptic in scale. As it takes hold of him, fiery, blood-red streaks open up on his body and its aura encases him, while black holes materialize all around him. Possibly the most disturbing part is the look in Chuuya’s eyes: every trace of his normal personality vanishes, leaving only feral blankness there.
7 Kaneki’s Point Of No Return – Tokyo Ghoul (2014)
Tokyo Ghoul’s supremely unlucky Ken Kaneki being transformed into a ghoul in the first place is one of anime’s best episode one plot twists. Shockingly, this doesn’t even crack the top five worst things to happen to the guy. Kaneki’s torture by Yamori marks his transformation from meek, timid, and in over his head, to a cold and ruthless killer.
The torture sequences are nightmarish, with Kaneki suffering through ten days of everything from losing his (regenerating) fingers to having a centipede forced into his ear. Kaneki eventually shatters mentally, his hair turning white with the trauma, and breaks his resolve to never kill by chowing down on Yamori. Throughout the entire rest of the series, he is 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 far from charming. He’s willing to screw over enemies and allies alike to assert his dominance as king. When Shinji makes the mistake of mouthing off to him, he responds by happily jamming Ilya’s heart into Shinji’s chest, forcibly transforming him into a vessel for the Holy Grail.
Though it couldn’t have happened to a better guy than Shinji, it’s still a horrifying fate. His body bubbles and swells like a mess of enormous zits, until finally inflating into a womblike structure with him at the center. It’s difficult to say what’s worse: the sickening cracking and stretching sounds of his body, or his tearful, pitiful cries for help as he transforms.
5 Jinchuuriki Transformations – Naruto (2002 – 2017)
Having some of the worst reputations in Naruto’s shinobi world is par for the course for the jinchuuriki. Unfortunately, the villagers do have some reason to be afraid of the beasts within their human hosts. Tapping into the Tailed Beast’s chakra, or ending up overtaken by it, results in a grueling transformation of the host’s body and mind.
Naruto’s gradual transformations across Part 1 and Part 2 get the biggest spotlight. At first only enveloped in the Nine-Tailed Fox’s chakra, the further he goes, the more monstrous his body becomes, the latter stages burning his skin off and reverting him to a mindless, bestial state. His loved ones are shocked and frightened by them, fearing that if Naruto will reach a point where they can’t bring him back.
4 Becoming A Witch – Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)
The transformations of Madoka Magica’s magical girls into witches are the most horrifying images of the one of the best magical girl anime. The repeated transformations of Madoka into Kriemhild Gretchen in the thousands of timelines Homura endures are excruciating enough. But the true horror show is the transformation that reveals the girls’ inevitable fates: Sayaka’s into Octavia von Seckendorff.
Even before the reveal, Sayaka’s spiral into despair is disturbing to witness. 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 mournful screams.
3 Mechanical Mutants – Gyo (2012)
Junji Ito is one of the most famous horror mangaka in the world, and for good reason. His detailed art style and wildly unique story and monster concepts haunt the dreams of fans everywhere. From “Layers of Fear” to “Slug Girl” to whatever Tomie’s got going on, body horror is one of his specialties.
Gyo received an animated adaptation in 2012, but it’s hard to beat the nauseating images of the original manga. Poor Kaori is unable to escape the gas mutating every living thing in Japan into mutant machines, and is transformed into a barely conscious tool of the deadly weapon. Pipes and metal implements are forcibly wired throughout her body, her head the only vaguely human part of her left.
2 Becoming A Chimera – Fullmetal Alchemist (2004 and 2009)
In some of the scariest episodes of non-horror anime, audiences thankfully don’t see the actual transformation when Shou Tucker transmutes his young daughter Nina and her dog together. The aftermath is horrifying enough, with Nina in incredible pain in her unnatural canine body, just barely hanging on to her intelligence enough to speak and tell Edward how horrible she feels.
The real kicker comes later in the show, when Ed and Al meet legitimately successful human-animal chimera, who function perfectly without any pain. Not only did Amestris’ government not need Shou’s research, but Shou’s alchemy was nowhere near as advanced as he thought. What he did to Nina was the equivalent of a medieval surgery in a world where modern medical techniques are available.
1 Tetsuo’s Mutation – AKIRA (1988)
Tetsuo Shima losing control of his powers and his body is possibly the most famous piece of body horror in all of anime. Tetsuo believes he’s mastered his awakened psychic powers, but when he’s wounded in battle, their true instability shows. He rapidly mutates into a monstrosity the size of a skyscraper.
The most frightening aspect of the scene is how absolutely out of Tetsuo’s control it is. As he swells and contorts, he’s screaming for Kaneda for help. When his girlfriend Kaori tries to help him and gets caught in his masses of growing flesh, he’s unable to stop his body from crushing her to death. Ultimately, the only way to save Tetsuo is to free him of his body, whisking him away to another dimension entirely.
There’s nothing scarier than a person’s body changing suddenly, out of control, and very, very much to their detriment. Some characters manage to survive or even reverse their transformation, growing stronger or better for it. But at worst, anime’s scariest transformations can never be reversed.
