In the anime realm, these days, it's more common for characters to have horns instead of the rather passé cat ears. The reasons for this vary from series to series, but the design choice appears to be a hit.

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While horns have been drawn on all kinds of characters over the past few decades, girls with horns have grown markedly prevalent, especially in shonen series. Be it because monster anime has been on the rise or because everyone needs a permanent fetching accessory, this is a pattern that's likely to continue.

10 Eri's Horn Is The Source Of Her Powerful Quirk (My Hero Academia)

My Hero Academia Eri scared

Eri's introduction to the My Hero Academia universe is a tragic one. Due to her powerful quirk, she's held captive by the villainous yakuza organization known as Shie Hassaikai. Eri has the ability to restore other people to their former states. In other words, she can heal wounds or make someone return to a younger, undamaged version of themself.

The horn on Eri's head is the source of her power, and the larger it grows, the more powerful her ability becomes. In a sense, Eri's horn is the fountain of youth, and it has caused her a lot of trouble in life.

9 Zero Two Is Only Half Human (Darling In The Franxx)

Zero Two Smiling

Zero Two's horns may look like part of her headband, but they symbolize a lot more. A member of APE special forces, she's a product of experimentation that formed a hybrid race of people. Half-human and half-Klaxosaur, Zero Two's horns and teeth are the most visible reminder of her origins.

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Zero Two longs to be fully human, but her Klaxosaur nature seems like an irrevocable part of her, and it's hard to undo who you are.

8 Albedo's Design Is As Questionable As Her "Character" (Overlord)

Albedo Clasping Her Hands And Smiling Overlord

Hailing from a popular isekai series, Albedo looks like a goddess, but she's really just the Guardian of a Tomb. A character who seems to have been designed mostly to serve as eye candy, her features and personality are idealized and a bit shallow. In fact, according to her backstory, Albedo was originally programmed to want sex all the time. This backstory was changed by Ainz, the protagonist, so that she would be obsessively devoted to him instead.

Other than her design taking inspiration from a succubus, Albedo has wings on her waist and horns on her head for no other discernible reason, and her main personality trait seems to be her obsession with Ainz. It's a shame she wasn't written with care, because her design has a lot of potential.

7 Aries's Name Is Fitting (Fairy Tail)

aries fairy tail

Fairy Tail incorporates tons of folklore into its storytelling, including classic astrological symbols. Aries is one of several characters representative of this, as her name suggests. A Celestial Spirit from another world, Aries is yet another horned anime girl with pink hair. As her name would imply, Aries has a pair of ram horns, but they don't serve a specific purpose. Despite her shy nature, Aries is obedient and devoted to her master.

6 Power Is A Fiend (Chainsaw Man)

Chainsaw Man Power

Power hasn't yet made her anime debut, but it's only a matter of time. Chainsaw Man is the most highly-anticipated anime of the year, and images of the snaggle-toothed, uncouth Devil Hunter have proliferated online for months.

In the series, Fiends are monsters made from devils that have taken over a corpse. Power is a Blood Fiend, and she can restore her power by consuming blood. When she does so, her horns grow larger and even branch out farther from her head. Her personality is as devilish as her appearance: Power is a selfish liar and doesn't care much about hygiene or empathy. Despite or because of this, fans have embraced her heartily.

5 Tohru's Horns Have Nothing On Her Tail (Dragon-Maid)

tohru dragon maid kobayashi

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid has finally returned for a new season, and new fans have flocked to the series. A show about a peculiar live-in servant and her friends, most of whom are monster girls and dragons specifically, is bound to have several horned characters.

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Tohru, Ilulu, and Quetzalcoatl each have their own uniquely styled horns while they're in human form. Elma has just one horn, and Kanna has white triangular horns. Each of these dragon girls has a different origin story, so none of their horns are quite the same.

4 Lucy's "Ears" Are Really Horns (Elfen Lied)

Lucy from Elfen Lied

Lucy's horns are just one of many aspects of Elfen Lied that have aged poorly. Her horns look more like cat ears and feel like an attempt by the designers to deliberately pander to fans of such a design. Even so, the story attempts to give her horns more meaning. Lucy is one of the Diclonius: an evolved, violent human with esper abilities. These horns help Lucy and the rest of her species to channel their psychic powers.

3 Eri's Not The Only One With Horns, Actually (My Hero Academia)

mina in battle

Eri is far from the only My Hero Academia girl with horns. While some of these are part of their hero costumes, others are simply part of these characters' anatomy. Given how diverse character designs and Quirks are throughout the series, horns are hardly even remarkable.

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Mt. Lady's professional hero costume includes a horned mask, and Mina has two yellow horns growing on her head. Pony Tsunotori's horns are tall and sharp, and Cow Lady's are thick and curved: both sets of horns hint at their Quirks.

2 Kneesocks Looks Nothing Like Her Sister (Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt)

Scanty and Kneesocks

Panty And Stocking With Garterbelt had a lot of fans when it debuted, but the Gainax series is far from the studio's best work, and these days, few otaku recommend it. Even so, it's hard to deny that the show is visually one of a kind, a curious homage to American cartoons of the '90s.

The titular characters have two demonic rivals, sisters Scanty and Kneesocks. Kneesocks has red skin like her older sister, but unlike her sister, also has a horn. It serves little purpose other than to look cool.

1 Rem And Her Sister Are Oni (Re: Zero)

Rem in Oni form

Re: Zero is full of interesting, nuanced characters, but a clear fan favorite from the first season is Rem. Rem and her twin sister, Ram, were actually raised in an oni village. But because each of them had only one horn instead of the usual two, the other oni loathed the sisters and even tried to kill them. Her elder sister, Ram, used her extraordinary powers to save herself and Rem, leaving the villagers awestruck.

Later, their village was attacked by witches, and Ram's horn was cut off, severely reducing her power. Thereafter, Rem longs to fill Ram's shoes, trying to live up to who her sister once was.

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