Halloween is such a beloved holiday that it isn't only celebrated in the real world, but within the realm of fiction as well. After all, what's better than a spooky festive event in a high school setting to gather classmates together and give characters a potentially high-stakes chance to interact? It's all harmless fun, but some still get much more worked up than others, making things entertaining to watch.
Then there's the costume parties and all the different creative ways that characters can dress up. While it may be uncommon for entire anime series to base themselves around Halloween, having an episode or two dedicated to the holiday is something isn't.
10 The Test Of Courage Brings Haruhi And Hikaru Closer Together (Ouran High School Host Club)
Ouran's Halloween episode is destined to be an extravagant one due to the prestigious nature of the academy. Surprisingly, there's actually a serious and tense spooky vibe throughout a good bit of the episode.
It's broken up with moments of relationship-building, specifically between Hikaru and Haruhi, that are always nice to see. Finally, to top everything off, the Host Club is seen dressing up like vampires as an extra treat.
9 Ichigo Is Dragged Into A Castle Of Costumes And Chaos (Bleach)
Bleach's Halloween episode is interesting as it all takes place within one of the character's dreams. Rukia, dressed as a tiny succubus, appears and drags Ichigo to a castle where he finds all of his friends dressed up in wacky costumes.
The events of this episode are almost entirely nonsensical, making this episode one to simply watch to relax and have fun. Getting to see everyone's costumes is fun as well, including Frankenstein Ichigo, pumpkin Orihime, and Dracula Uryu.
8 Eiji Makes It His Mission To Use Halloween To Help Lift Ash's Spirits (Banana Fish)
Banana Fish's ode to Halloween doesn't take up the entire episode but is instead used as a plot device at the end of one. Eiji, both thinking that Ash's fear of pumpkins is cute and wanting to do something to take his mind off of heavier recent events, sets up a small Halloween party for when Ash comes home.
It's a heartwarming gesture, and while Ash is initially freaked out, he still appreciates it and is genuinely smiling throughout the night. While there could have been even more packed into a full episode about the holiday, what fans got is still sweet.
7 The Girls Dress Up, Celebrate Halloween, And Fight Evil In A Single Episode (Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!)
Happiness Charge Pretty Cure's Halloween episode isn't anything shocking, but it's still cute and captures the spirit of the holiday. Getting to see all of the girls dressed up in creative costumes is always going to be a treat, no matter what else the episode might bring.
The girls spend the episode attempting to make Ako feel more included within the group, and their wholesome attempts at doing so are heartwarming. There's a typical villain fight to wrap things up, but the best parts of this episode are seeing Ako react to all the Halloween festivities since she isn't entirely familiar with them.
6 America Invites Everyone To A Chaos-Filled Halloween Party (Hetalia: The World Twinkle)
Any time the characters within the Hetalia series get together, chaos is bound to ensue, and their Halloween special is no different. It's also slightly longer than the series' typical episodes, which makes it an extra-special spooky treat for the season.
America decides to host a grand Halloween party, all centering around a costume contest- so, naturally, fans get to see their favorites dressed up in their Halloween bests. England is the only one unaware of the contest, and what happens next needs to be seen to be believed.
5 Muse Cycles Through A Variety Of Costumes, Unsure About Their Look (Love Live! School Idol Project)
Love Live!'s Halloween episode, fittingly titled "Happy Halloween," has less to do with the holiday itself and more about the tradition of dressing up in costumes. Both Muse and A-Rise are invited to perform at a Halloween event, and the girls become convinced that they have to change their image to keep up.
To this end, they dress up in all sorts of different costumes, including outfits that pay tribute to KISS. However, most of the episode is sadly filler, as, by the end, they realize they don't need to change themselves and perform normally. Given the episode's title and how many costumes the girls appear in, though, it was Halloween fun all the same.
4 Haruhi Wants To Celebrate Halloween, But No One In The Club Knows What The Holiday's About (The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya)
The Halloween episode present within The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya is much less of one that celebrates the holiday and more of one where the characters try to figure out what said holiday is supposed to be. This makes it incredibly entertaining to watch from start to finish.
Haruhi wishes to celebrate Halloween, but no one within the club is familiar enough with the holiday to know how to celebrate it correctly. They end up decorating an anatomy model that, strangely enough, manages to capture the creepy spirit of the season.
3 The Akatsuki Fail To Sabotage Lee's Halloween Celebration Planning (Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals)
In Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals, Lee and his squad are put in charge of the village's Halloween festivities, though even they aren't entirely sure how they ended up in that position. Deidara shows up with a gigantic bomb that's disguised as a large pumpkin, and he plans to detonate it while everyone is enjoying themselves.
It's a cute episode in which Lee and the others explain Halloween to Deidara. At the end of everything, he ends up retreating along with the bomb instead of letting it go off, meaning that Deidara and Tobi take the brunt of the explosion rather than the village.
2 Ash And Friends Come Across A Costume Festival, And Even Team Rocket Dresses Up (Pokemon X&Y)
Pokémon's Halloween tribute episode is another one where they don't explicitly state that they're celebrating the holiday, but it's still fairly obvious nonetheless. Ash and friends stumble upon what's known as a Gourgeist Festival, where everyone dresses up in Pokémon costumes.
Not only are everyone's favorite heroes dressed up, but Team Rocket can be seen donning costumes of their own, and Jessie especially goes all out with hers. There's also a small side plot involving Jessie's Pumpkaboo being courted by another, which adds some cute humor.
1 Gintoki, Shinpachi, And Kagura Help Out At A Haunted House (Gintama)
Gintama's Halloween episode sees the trio of Gintoki, Shinpachi, and Kagura helping out at a haunted house. They naturally dress up, and while their costumes don't exactly capture the spooky vibe, they're quite humorous, especially Shinpachi's werewolf outfit.
They fail spectacularly at scaring customers, but it's more about the emotional scenes that take place between Gin and the owner. The owner feels as if he has to give up his dreams of having a successful haunted house, but Gintoki spends the episode reassuring him, and it's quite heartwarming.