Body horror is a subgenre that is defined by disturbing transformations of human flesh. While Akira set the standard for the use of body horror in anime, this aspect of the genre has always existed. Long ago, stories were told of yokai like Futakuchi-Onna, who had a mouth hidden beneath the hair at the back of her head. In the modern world, an urban legend about a slit-mouthed woman is as common in Japan as Bloody Mary is in the States.

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Body horror is terrifying not simply because bodies are transformed. Human beings are no stranger to growing and changing naturally or unnaturally as their lives demand, and there are many people who live their lives in bodies that may be considered atypical. The horrific aspect of body horror has less to do with the idea of change and more to do with a deeper terror. Often, a many-eyed body or a gory permutation of limbs serves as an analogy for something worse: a corrupted heart manifesting, retaliation against the world's cruelties, or a symbol of powerlessness.

10 Attack On Titan Turns Humans Into The Titans Themselves

Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan looking terrified.

In Attack on Titan, the analogy of monstrosity is as heavy-handed as it is effective. The titans themselves are often twisted interpretations of the human body, their proportions off and their features uncanny.

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In a series that is in many ways a condemnation of war and human corruption, it isn't surprising that Eren and the other shifters must become the very thing they fear to survive. And as the series goes on and it becomes apparent that mundane people are often the evilest of all, the titans themselves seem less like monsters and more like tragic reflections of humanity's mistakes.

9 Parasyte: The Maxim Features An Alien Who Invades A Teen's Body Until They Can't Function Without One Another

Body horror in Parasyte.

As in John Carpenter's The Thing, body horror is often used to demonstrate a loss of self. In Parasyte: The Maxim, the protagonist, Shinichi, is possessed by an alien who would happily have killed him had things gone differently. Migi twists and contorts Shinichi's flesh as he chooses, and the loss of control is initially deeply perturbing. But teens often feel uneasy in their bodies even without alien invaders, and humans are nothing if not adaptable. The eeriest element of Migi's possession is the way it changes both parties over time until they really could not function without each other.

8 Tokyo Ghoul Uses Flesh-Eating Ghouls To Address Discrimination

tokyo ghoul kaneki

Tokyo Ghoul is unabashedly violent, but in the best parts of the series, the violence has a purpose. The show is initially a great allegory for discrimination, using flesh-eating ghouls as a counterpoint to humanity. It is easy to loathe a monster seen on the news, but after becoming one of them, it's impossible not to empathize.

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In the real world, people are often content with their lives so long as the trials of others don't affect them. In its better moments, Tokyo Ghoul challenges this notion. Change can be violent, but it isn't always a bad thing.

7 Beyond The Boundary Shows Outsiders Finding A Sense Of Belonging With One Another

beyond the boundary

Who says body horror can't be romantic or set in a slice-of-life school setting? In Kyoani's 2012 series Beyond the Boundary, the first meet-cute involves one character stabbing another in the heart with a sword made of her own blood. Mirai is cursed with blood magic, and Akihito is only half-human.

For both characters, their bodies have often felt like a burden, but in meeting each other they feel a sense of belonging. Many anime deal with themes of "the other," and there's no high schooler who doesn't feel like an outsider. The successful oddball combination of light gore and heavy feelings is a tribute to Kyoani.

6 Dororo All Begins With A Boy Who Must Regain His Limbs

A new born Hyakkimaru in Dororo

In Tezuka's Dororo, body horror is an exploration of abuse and redemption. When Hyakkimaru's father trades his son's limbs and organs for wealth, Hyakkimaru must rebuild himself from the ground up. Disabled and abandoned, his growth as a character is reflected literally by the gradual regaining of his limbs. The horror here is never Hyakkimaru himself; as anyone who is born with a disability can attest, the horror is other people. The monsters Hyakkimaru must defeat to regain his life are never as awful as the father who abused him.

5 Fullmetal Alchemist Shows The Consequences Of Trying To Defy Death

alphonse elric transmutation fma

Everyone makes mistakes, especially as children. But few people have more regrets than the Elric brothers, who sacrifice varying degrees of their bodies in a failed attempt to bring their mother back from the dead. But it is their humanity and mistakes that make the story very compelling. The Elrics alone are responsible for their bodies changing, and there is no one to wreak revenge upon. Instead, Fullmetal Alchemist remains a perennial fan-favorite because it is about growth and validation. When one falls, they get back up again.

4 Mushishi Explores Bacterial Spirits Known As Mushi & Their Effects On Humans

mushishi silver eyes

There are few series as beautiful as Mushishi, but it is certainly not without its eerie terrors. The protagonist, Ginko, lost an eye to a mushi, or kind of bacterial spirit, and often other mushi manifest as illnesses. It involves a boy who grows horns on his head as a sign of terminal illness, a green-haired girl who can't be parted from a swamp, and a child whose rash proves he isn't human. These are just a few of the premises that develop in existential observations about humanity. There is nothing like Mushishi, which shows that horrifying changes can be a revelation.

3 Dorohedoro Is A World Where Cursed & Twisted Bodies Are The Norm

dorohedoro horror

While in most shows, body horror usually impacts the protagonists or villains, in Dorohedoro such mutations are the norm for everyone. In an alternative world where magicians have twisted the bodies of people willy-nilly, it's rare to meet a character who hasn't been brutally changed.

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And while the lizard-headed protagonist, Caiman, wants nothing more than to know who cursed him out of his original human body, he functions well in this environment. The audience has to wonder what normal is anyway, once it's been twisted so far from recognition.

2 Sankarea Is A Zombie Love Story About A Protagonist Who Falls For A Deceased Girl

sankarea horror

Zombie stories are perhaps the most popularly adapted branch of the body horror subgenre. But while most zombie plotlines are overly familiar, featuring a band of humans who must fight back mindless monsters, Sankarea had something very different and odd to say. The protagonist who's obsessed with zombie movies finds and falls for a dead girl who was abused and killed by her father.

The show toes the line between sweet and creepy with unnerving care. Are viewers supposed to be grossed out or rooting for this couple? Years later, the show remains a memorable experience.

1 Jujutsu Kaisen Features A Protagonist Who Is Possessed By A Demonic Spirit

jujutsu kaisen protagonist Yuuji Itadori manga cover

Jujutsu Kaisen isn't doing anything fans haven't seen before, but that's not a bad thing. The protagonist, Yuji, is possessed by a demonic spirit named Sukuna who sometimes takes command of and deforms his body. Sukuna is truly monstrous, joking about hurting women and children from the get-go, and he's not the sort of character who's likely to grow more humane. But Jujutsu Kaisen has achieved a fascinating character balance between the host and spirit. Yuji never loses his sense of self even after frequently losing control of himself, proving he's a tougher nut than many shonen characters. Though Yuji's body is often stolen from him, his heart and mind remain his own.

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