The art of horror isn't an easy one. While the genre has become synonymous with "cheap thrills," the idea that a horror story is only about jump scares and scary faces takes away from how subtle and powerful the genre really is. Within the right hands, a horror story is not only scary on the surface but has a deep-seated sense of terror that can haunt people well past the credits.

RELATED: The 10 Best Horror Anime

And while the creators are the central Imagineer of these products, "right hands" mostly refers to the actual villains going bump in the night. The characters are the central part of the horror in any franchise, scaring the public with anything between their appearance, sense of violence, or even just their ideologies. While Freddy and Jason are iconic figures within their own right, the anime industry has its fair share of monsters to keep any viewer from sleeping.

10 Gotou (Parasyte: The Maxim)

Gotou

Parasyte: The Maxim tells the tale of a world in the midst of a subtle yet terrifying alien invasion. Known throughout the story as "parasites," these aliens infect human bodies and take over people's bodies, manipulating and contorting their bodies to help them fight and eat. As terrifying as this concept can already be, Gotou's presence ups the ante.

As an experimental parasite, Gotou is a superbeing comprised of five parasites. This makes him much stronger, his contortions much more disturbing, and his bloodlust and disdain for humanity even more aggressive.

9 Monokuma (Danganronpa: The Animation)

Monokuma smiling from Danganronpa

Who knew a teddy bear could be so demented? While Danganronpa makes it a point to be afraid of the people roaming the halls, no one can quite outdo how sadistic the robotic bear can be. Monokuma is the byproduct of Junko Enoshima's dastardly schemes and her plot's main face to create despair.

RELATED: Danganronpa: 10 Reasons V3 Needs an Anime

He is every bit as unfeeling, and dissonantly camp as Junko's death game demanded and has the kind of short temper and spoiled attitude that makes a hostage situation all the more volatile. As the self-proclaimed Headmaster of Hope Peak's Academy, he truly became every students' worst nightmare.

8 Isabella (The Promised Neverland)

Isabella From The Promised Neverland

The Promised Neverland literally features giant, vicious monsters who eat human flesh, yet most of them pale in comparison to the abject fear that Grace Field House's Mama can bring. Isabella is an intelligent and manipulative den mother who thrived on keeping her high-quality products happy, despite selling them off later.

Despite appearing as the orphan's kind caretaker for so long, her gentle face only hides her position as a cruel and tactful warden. Even when she's catching the kids as they escape or interrogating them for their lies, Isabella can maintain a smile that cuts deeper than any monster claw can.

7 Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

kyubey from madoka magica

Puella Magi Madoka Magica has done a lot to corrupt the beloved genre that it takes after. Its girls can be much more twisted and vulnerable than any Sailor Moon character would let on, its version of the magical girl job is much more dangerous, and it turns the once sweet mascot character into a leading villain.

RELATED: The 10 Best Studio Shaft Anime, Ranked (According To IMDb)

Kyubey initially appears as a magical being that kids see as a fateful encounter in most other fantasy stories. However, while Kyubey may bring promises of wishes and protecting the world, he's really just trying to harvest the girl's strong emotions to satisfy his people. As fluffy as Kyubey may look, this little kitty has led to the pain, suffering, and death of several girls.

6 Shiro (Deadman Wonderland)

Shiro creepy smile from Deadman Wonderland

Shiro may act as a friendly childhood friend. Still, a rough upbringing, isolation, and a lifetime of underground experimentation have turned her into a monster, both metaphorically in the sense that she's become desensitized to hurting people as well as literally given that she becomes a blood-fueled weapon.

Even when Shiro doesn't go into her vicious, fugue state, she barely has any regard for human life, going as far as to nearly kill Ganta at the beginning of the story. However, when she goes to that dark place, she becomes a malevolent force to drive fear into even the strongest users of the Branch of Sin.

5 Gantz (Gantz)

Gantz

Gantz is one of the most surreal and harrowing death game series out there. It takes newly deceased people and pits them in horrifying, sci-fi battles against strange aliens of different sizes, shapes, and levels of fear. While the aliens that the characters fight are the seeming enemy, the real puppeteer is Gantz, the balled up man within the black sphere.

He's the one running the program and can have quite the temper if anyone crosses him. Depending on whether Gantz likes a person, someone can either become one of his hunters or the very hunted of his deathly game.

4 Megumi Shimizu (Shiki)

Megumi Shimizu

Shiki tells the tale of how a lowly Japanese hamlet finds itself in the middle of a vampire outbreak. Loved ones disappear, a deathly sickness sweeps over the community, and everyone becomes suspicious of the new family that's moved into town. While there are plenty of creepy vampires stalking in this series, the one to creep even them out is Megumi Shimizu.

Megumi was the first victim of the newly-arrived vampire family and quickly became one of their most avid agents. She begins a lethal obsession over her high school crush and attempts to take away everything he loves. There's having a crush, and then there's being crushed.

3 Lucy (Elfen Lied)

Lucy from Elfen Lied

Kouta and his friends may know Lucy as a friendly, fragile girl who can barely speak a word. But beneath her pink bangs, a monster waits to exact vengeance in the world. Lucy is part of a superhuman species known as the diclonius. While they bare pointy horns, their real threat comes from their invisible, telekinetic arms that can rip a human body like ribbons.

In particular, Lucy has become corrupted by both an abusive upbringing and years of government experimentation. Lucy has become the perfect killer with every reason to hate the world and powers beyond human comprehension.

2 Shion Sonozaki (Higurashi: When They Cry)

Shion from Higurashi: When They Cry.

When They Cry is already a mind-bending tale that goes over the tragic pasts and motivations of its main characters and the horrifying events that they can cause. At the center of many of the series' worst moments is Shion Sonozaki. Shion appears like the kind and energetic girl next door, but she can be quite cruel and unforgiving if the mood strikes her.

RELATED: When They Cry: 10 Hidden Details About The Main Characters

Because she was banished from her family at a young age and forced to go to a cruel and demanding private school, Shion has become a cold and manipulative person. When her Hinamizawa Syndrome hits, she can take her intelligence and disdain for people to cause mass suffering, humiliation, and death.

1 Mamoru Uchida (Perfect Blue)

Anime perfect blue stalker close up Cropped

Mamoru Uchida is the culmination of what many anime fans or fans of any media are afraid of becoming. He's a quiet, lowly man who's often shunned for his lack of social skills and his off-putting demeanor. Finding solace in only his favorite idol singer, Mima, Uchida becomes upset and increasingly obsessed when he learns of her transition from music to acting.

This leads him to stalk Mima, send her threatening letters, and even attempt killing her. He's the type of fan that every celebrity is afraid will be waiting outside their doors and a monster that can give even the most dedicated otaku pause whenever they think about buying that next figurine.

NEXT: Perfect Blue: 10 Things You Never Knew About This Haunting Anime Movie