Anime is a great medium for fantasy stories, and the anime in this list are proof.
Yokai are basically spirits, and in these anime they're the main points of their shows. Characters find themselves having to deal with yokai, and not all of them are good. The shows in this list put a new spin on old lore, so if myths are what you're into you've come to the right place.
10. Inu x Boku Secret Service
Ririchiyo Shirakiin is the sharp-tongued daughter of a wealthy family who is ready to finally leave the nest. However, she is only allowed to leave on the condition that she stays in the high security Maison de Ayakashi that is home to many half-humans half-yokai. To make matters even stranger, Ririchiyo must have Soushi Miketsukami, a secret service agent, by her side at all times. Ririchiyo is about to have the furthest thing from a normal highschool life possible..
You'll like Inu x Boku Secret Service if…
- You like light hearted rom coms
- You like anime with both shoujo and shounen elements
- You like slow, relaxing anime
9. Gugure! Kokkuri-San
Kohina Ichimatsu is a young girl living alone who calls herself a doll. One day she summons the fox spirit Kokkuri-san who is supposedly able to answer any question. Kokkuri-san is horrified at Kohina’s lifestyle, eating nothing but instant noodles all day, and takes it upon himself to become her friend and caretaker. Soon, more and more yokai begin to appear in Kohina’s life.
You’ll like Gugure! Kokkuri-San if…
- You like fluffy anime
- You like comedy
- You like supernatural slice of life
8. Inuyasha
Kagome Higurashi was a normal highschool girl up until she was dragged by a demon down the well of her family’s Shinto Shrine and sent 500 years into the past. Reborn within her is what the demon had been aiming for all along, the wish granting Shikon Jewel. When the jewel is broken, Kagome finds herself working with a hybrid demon named Inuyasha to collect the fragments before someone with the wrong intentions gets a hold of them.
You'll like Inuyasha if…
- You like action adventure anime
- You like historical anime
- You like romance anime
7. xxxHOLIC
Kimihiro Watanuki is a highschooler who can see spirits. This leads to him getting involved with the mysterious space time witch Yuuko, who runs a wish granting shop. Yuuko promises to grant Watanuki’s wish to leave the spirit world behind if he can pay for it, which he agrees to do by working for her. As they complete jobs, Watanuki learns more and more about the world of the supernatural as well as himself.
You'll like xxxHOLIC if...
- You like episodic stories
- You like unique plotlines
- You like mysteries
6. Noragami
Hiyori Iki was a normal highschool girl until she was hit by a car in an attempt to save someone in the middle of the street. That someone turned out to be Yato,a minor god, and because of her actions, Hiyori’s soul gains the ability to leave her body. Hiyori decides to partner up with Yato to figure out how to get herself back to normal, and in their adventures they meet many other spirits and gods, both good and evil.
You’ll like Noragami if…
- You like funny characters
- You like intense fight scenes
- You like fast paced anime
5. Kamisama Kiss
By a strange turn of fate highschool student Nanami Momozono has ended up as a replacement god. However, one of the residents at her shrine, fox familiar Tomoe, is unwilling to serve a human. Nanami refuses to go back to the life of struggle she was living before and works hard at her divine duties, but things aren’t easy with various yokai causing problems for her and her familiar refusing to work with her.
You’ll like Kamisama Kiss if…
- You like shoujo anime
- You like supernatural romcoms
- You like lighthearted anime
4. Natsume’s Book of Friends
Takashi Natsume hides a great secret: for as long as he can remember, he’s been chased by yokai. Natsume eventually learns that this is because his deceased grandmother passed down to him her “Book of Friends” that holds the names of spirits she has subdued, and so these spirits are after Natsume hoping to get their freedom back. Natsume has one friend in all this chaos: Madara, aka Nyanko-sensei, a strange cat spirit who sticks with Natsume for unknown reasons.
You’ll like Natsume’s Book of Friends if…
- You like episodic anime
- You like thought provoking anime
- You like diverse characters
3. Mononoke
The Medicine Seller travels across Japan in search of harmful spirits known as Mononoke in order to kill them. Killing them, however, is no mean feat and in order to do so he must learn the spirit’s Form, Truth, and Reason so that he can wield the mighty Exorcism Sword. His journey takes him to an inn that he discovers is full of a horde of Mononoke. It is up to the Medicine Seller to learn about these beings and defeat them before they cause any great damage.
You’ll like Mononoke if…
- You like historical anime
- You like horror and psychological anime
- You like mystery anime
2. Yu Yu Hakusho
Yuusuke Urameshi was a street fighting 14 year old delinquent, but then he is killed in a car accident for trying to save a life. His one act of goodness confused the underworld, and so he is given a chance to return to his body if he can pass a series of tests. Yuusuke succeeds, and is revived as a Spirit World Detective whose mission is to investigate supernatural activity in the human world. Enemies he must face include demons with nefarious goals and other humans with superhuman powers.
You’ll like Yu Yu Hakusho if…
- You like supernatural settings
- You like action driven plots
- You like shounen manga
1. Mushishi
Mushi are entities that exist for the sake of simply existing and can take on forms ranging from plants to phenomena like rainbows. Yet what exactly are Mushi and what is their reason for being remains unanswered for most do not even know they exist, let alone question why. Ginko is a mushishi, a mushi researcher, who investigates all mushi related occurrences with the hope of finding an answer to these questions.
You’ll like Mushishi if…
- You like anime that deal heavily with East Asian culture
- You like episodic anime
- You like peaceful anime
