Hell Girl is a mysterious, psychological series directed by Hiroshi Watanabe and Takahiro Oomori that examines a female named Ai Enma and her acquaintance's contractual duties in transporting despised souls to the underworld. Although the punished individuals receive no mercy, Enma and her followers make sure the person requesting this action pays a heavy price.
Although Hell Girl was episodic, it's known for being a chilling horror anime that'll terrify fans, with many claiming that Enma still gives them the creeps. If you liked this series, though, there are some great anime series to check out that have some similar elements.
10 HIGURASHI WHEN THEY CRY
Higurashi When They Cry is about a boy named Keiichi Maebara who moves to a village called Hinamizawa and becomes friends with five female classmates. However, during the village's sacred festival, Keiichi learns about Hinamizawa's dark past and receives no information from his friends when he confronts them. This series provides viewers with several mysteries to solve as madness escalates between each tale.
Like Hell Girl, Higurashi When They Cry is known for being one of the best Horror anime and will leave viewers feeling creeped out upon watching. Both anime even highlight the darker sides of humanity.
9 DEATH NOTE
Death Note is about a death god named Ryuk who leaves a dangerous notebook in the human world that is eventually found by a boy named Light Yagami. After receiving an explanation of the notebook's power from Ryuk, Light undergoes the alias Kira and uses the notebook to murder criminals to become a hero in the eyes of many. The police hire a great detective named L Lawliet to put an end to Kira's antics.
Like Hell Girl, Death Note is a mystery anime that everyone needs to see considering how well-loved and memorable the characters and plotline are. Both series will even have fans questioning whether the characters' actions are justified or not.
8 GHOST HOUND
Ghost Hound is about three boys who endured a rough life in their town of Suiten and question why they see supernatural occurrences happening around them. Thus the story focuses on these three boys as they explore a mysterious, magical world to conquer their fears and repair a gap between this world and their own to put an end to these strange events around them.
Like Hell Girl, Ghost Hound's storyline can be difficult to understand and deal with themes concerning the afterlife. Both series are wonderfully animated with the character designs looking similar in form.
7 SHIKI
Shiki is about a village that features numerous deaths its villagers believe are occurring because of influenza. However, a doctor named Toshio Ozaki partners up with a boy named Natsuno Yuuki to take down the Shiki, the individuals he argues are causing the deaths to happen.
Like Hell Girl, Shiki has a similar eery sound-track and creepy animation that'll frighten most fans. The violence is amped-up a lot in both series, and the tone felt in both shows is nothing to scoff at either.
6 GHOST HUNT
Ghost Hunt is about a school-girl named Taniyama Mai who loves to tell spooky stories with her friends. Mai later encounters a boy named Shibuya Kazuya that is called forth by Mai's school principal to investigate the school's strange mysteries. After accidentally breaking Kazuya's assistant's camera and injuring them in the process, Kazuya demands Mai to become his new assistant to pay for her actions. Thus the story revolves around Mai as she experiences the ins and outs of ghost hunting.
Like Hell Girl, Ghost Hunt follows an episodic format that'll leave viewers feeling creeped out by each show's horrific moments. Ghost Hunt's manga is arguably one of the best Horror manga series ever via MyAnimeList.
5 DEATH PARADE
Death Parade is about a man named Decim who decides a person's fate after death through various activities that showcase their true colors. Although Decim has no issue with handing out proper judgment, he soon meets someone who'll make him judge his occupation.
Like Hell Girl, Death Parade is also episodic and highlights different characters and their tales within an interconnected plotline. Both series highlight the death theme and feature protagonists who are cruel at-first but become more open as the story progresses. However, it is worth mentioning that Death Parade's concepts are brought out more through character.
4 PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA
Puella Magi Madoka Magica (or Madoka Magica) is about a girl named Madoka Kaname who meets a supernatural creature called Kyubey. He grants her the opportunity to become a magical being. Despite how positive it sounds, Madoka, and her friends, later discover the hidden secret behind its proposal.
Like Hell Girl, Madoka Magica follows the happy life turn dark approach to its storyline and is a thought-provoking and strange series that diverts expectations. Both series have wonderfully stylized animation and aren't afraid to get a little intense with the violence incorporated in each series.
3 PARANOIA AGENT
Paranoia Agent is about a mysterious attacker named Shounen Bat who's endlessly hurting civilians in his town with his golden baseball bat. Wanting to put a stop to his rampage, two detectives decide to investigate the matter. However, with each passing day, the citizens' anxiety spikes as many are worried that Shounen Bat will get them next. Thus this anime is a race against time as the detectives must stop Shounen Bat before everyone becomes overly paranoid.
Like Hell Girl, Paranoia Agent features different problems happening to new characters per episode alongside a deep dive into the mindset of each new character introduced. Paranoia Agent is considered a classic Horror anime that some modern shows can't top today.
2 ELFEN LIED
Elfen Lied is about an exotic girl named Lucy, who is imprisoned by the government because of her supernatural abilities. Lucy does escape her confinement and meets two individuals--who happily take her in--though they do not know of her importance to the government and problems they will encounter soon.
Like Hell Girl, Elfen Lied has a female main character who's powerful, murders individuals, and feels desolated from everyone they're around. Both anime also invoke hopelessness and sadness within a psychological, gloomy world and end with the viewers wanting to know more.
1 SERIAL EXPERIMENTS LAIN
Serial Experiments Lain is about Lain Iwakura, who receives a strange email from a friend who ended her own life. After opening the email, Lain's sent to a virtual world called the Wired--where she confronts puzzling mysteries. Not to mention that Lain also must deal with strange men who know more about Lain than she knows. Having to make crucial decisions to protect both worlds, Lain discovers a deeper meaning behind individuality, awareness, and insight.
Like Hell Girl, Serial Experiments Lain tackles unpleasant topics and has sharp psychological and thriller elements to keep people tuned to the story. Serial Experiments Lain is also considered a must-watch for any fan of horror anime.