The vast library that makes up the anime portion of the entertainment world includes plenty of supernatural or occult-themed stories. Angels and demons exist in several cultural legends, so the lore of these celestial and hellish characters varies depending on what legend mythology the animators use for inspiration.
There’s plenty of variety for anime that features these fantastic creatures, and angels and demons serve as a useful cultural flashpoint when the writers or producers want to use famous and familiar names.
Updated October 7, 2024, by Mark Sammut: The Fall 2024 season is underway, and a couple of shows are borderline recommendations for this article. DanMachi features goddesses, although angels and demons are not exactly a thing (Spirits are similar, though). Blue Exorcist is airing a new season, so that is naturally an option, and Demon Lord 2099 qualifies as well.
This article has been updated with two more great angel anime.
Angel Beats!
was not included since the characters are not angels. Good show, though, and a fascinating take on the afterlife.
Also, an anime does not need to have both angels and demons to be considered.
14 High School DxD
MyAnimeList Score: 7.32
This anime is set in a school that’s covertly a training center for angels and demons, but a few normal humans enroll and are none the wiser about its real purpose. One of the students is Issei Hyoudou, the protagonist of this story. He’s obsessed with girls, but unmotivated when it comes to school, work, or anything else.
Issei’s attitude makes him a fool for a pretty face, and when the beautiful Yuma from school asks him out, he doesn’t hesitate. However, Yuma is a fallen angel and ends the date by killing him. Coincidentally, a devil named Rias, another girl from the school, resurrects Issei as a devil, making him a servant.
13 Ah! My Goddess
MyAnimeList Score: 7.31
When Keiichi Morisato accidentally rings the Goddess Help Line, someone answers, a goddess named Belldandy who can grant him a single wish. Thinking this must be a prank, Keiichi wishes that the goddess stay with him forever, and the hijinks ensue when his wish is granted.
This anime series was inspired by the popular manga of the same name and is now part of an extensive franchise that includes live-action television and film adaptations, several video games, and even a soundtrack. The plot includes a variety of demons, angels, and other supernatural creatures, with the now-famous Belldandy being the one that takes up most of the storyline.
12 The Devil Is A Part-Timer!
MyAnimeList Score: 7.72
Demons and angels might be intimidating on their home planes of existence, but The Devil Is A Part-Timer! showcases what these supernatural beings would look like if they found themselves in the mundane dimension of real life. In this case, that’s the world of Ente Isla. Demon Lord Satan, aided by his fellow devils, attempts to conquer Ente Isla but is thwarted by a hero named Emi Yusa, who also happens to be descended from an archangel. She follows his defeat into the material world, where they are both reduced to teenagers but retain some of their powers.
The Devil Is A Part-Timer! is difficult to rate nowadays. The first season offers a pretty novel twist on the reverse isekai format, all the while delivering constantly big laughs that make great use of the core premise. However, the sequels really struggle to match their predecessor’s quality, to the point of detracting from the overall package.
11 Claymore
MyAnimeList Score: 7.73
Claymore is about a group of women who have been augmented by a mysterious group called The Organization to fight demons. It’s unknown exactly how this is done, but rumor has it that these women are somehow part-demon themselves or have learned to use the same deadly powers.
The knights featured in this series aren’t referred to as angels, but so much of how they are depicted refers to these celestial beings that it’s hard not to draw an obvious comparison. This is especially true of characters like Teresa, who keeps a Stoic, peaceful visage and hardly ever uses their demonic powers.
Claymore
is ranked somewhat low since the characters are technically not angels.
10 Neon Genesis Evangelion
MyAnimeList Score: 8.35
.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2)
There are so many occult references in Neon Genesis Evangelion that several of the episodes are preceded by a note with recommended readings, and many of them are Biblical. The genre is officially science fiction, but the show has also been classified as experimental along with being a psychological thriller.
The “angels” in Evangelion appear to be alien beings at first, and their history on the planet is referred to in spiritual terms, with one of the first being nicknamed Adam. The other angels are given the same Biblical names as the ones in the Bible that brought forth the end of the world. The show borrows much more from occult beliefs and includes a vision of the apocalypse, as the Book of Revelation foretold, complete with a final battle that brings God to earth.
NGE
‘s low ranking is due to its “angels” being borderline cases.
9 Rage Of Bahamut: Genesis
MyAnimeList Score: 7.61
There’s a monstrous being named Bahamut in real-world legends that holds up the Earth, but he’s not inherently evil like the titular creature of Rage of Bahamut. The story takes place in the world of Mistarcia, which is populated by demons, humans, and angels living together in relative harmony as long as Bahamut is safely contained.
The only thing that can release him is a special key, and this key has been split into two pieces. One has been gifted to the demons and the other to the gods, who take the place of the angels in this narrative, ensuring the key will never be restored. The plot is set in motion by the appearance of a mysterious girl named Amira, who has the god’s half of the key. All she remembers is that she has to find her mother, and recruits the two protagonists, bounty hunters Favaro Leone and Kaisar Lidfard, to help her.
Genesis is the first season of Rage of Bahamut. It was released in 2014, and the final season, Virgin Soul, followed a few years later in 2017. The story takes place ten years after the heroes from the first part joined together to defeat Bahamut, and the power dynamic in Mistarcia has shifted. The local demon population is now being enslaved and exploited by humans and the gods have fallen from power, and resentment among the different races is growing.
Virgin Soul follows the same template as Genesis with the different factions vying for power and the main characters caught between them.
8 Blue Exorcist
MyAnimeList Score: 7.48
Also known by its Japanese title, Ao no Exorcist, Blue Exorcist has built a complex world of angels vs. demon-themed lore that’s loosely based on the Biblical dichotomy of heaven and hell along with the existence of a devil that rules over it all. The twist is that the humans inhabit the world of Assiah, and the demons live in Gehenna, but the king of the demons wants to recruit his sons to help him conquer the human world.
The stars of this show are the brothers Rin and Yukio, who are the literal sons of Satan, and they are learning the art of exorcism to resist the power of their father. Rin is the one who seems to struggle more against the power of Satan, but the battle is just as real for the reliable Yukio. The anime revolves around their experiences as students of exorcism as well as their encounters with Satan and his minions.
Blue Exorcist is one of the definitive demon anime, with the story incorporating heavy religious themes and imagery. The show is also just a fun battle shonen with a strong core roster of characters.
7 Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
MyAnimeList Score: 7.73
Perhaps the most irreverent angel anime, P anty & Stocking with Garterbelt is a non-stop shockfest in the best possible way. Due to not quite fitting the “angel” mold, Panty and Stocking are sent to Earth to defeat ghosts and mature a little, a transformation that should be aided by the assignment of a priest. In truth, all three characters indulge in debauchery, embracing human vices while showing no desire to change their paths.
P anty & Stocking with Garterbelt is hilarious, as long as somebody enjoys purposefully dumb humor or gross-out gags. The eponymous angels can venture into obnoxious territory at times, but they complement each other well. Furthermore, the anime has a unique art style that is perfect for both comedy and action.
6 Black Butler
MyAnimeList Score: 7.65
The handsome and poised Sebastian Michaelis, the butler of the Phantomhive family, is the perfect example of style, grace, elegance, and above all, social protocol. If that sounds like the description of a demon, that’s because it is.
The young master of the household, Ciel Phantomhive, has the serious responsibility of being “the Queen’s guard dog” and is called upon to secure the throne from supernatural threats, as is tradition. He does so partly with the help of the demon Sebastian, to whom the young master has pledged his soul.
Ciel might be able to give his butler orders for now, but that’s only because of the deal he made. Sebastian the demon will devour his sweet, delicious soul eventually, so whether or not Sebastian is a good or bad character is one of the story’s more interesting dilemmas.
5 Gabriel DropOut
MyAnimeList Score: 7.43
The reference to the angel Gabriel is clear as one of the better-known names in the Biblical celestial pantheon, but the similarities end there. In the universe of Gabriel DropOut, angels are schooled and trained in Heaven before graduating from a high school on Earth, and not all of these supernatural beings are equipped to weather the perils of moral life. The main character is an angel named Gabriel who becomes addicted to video games when she arrives on the earthly plane. She neglects all of her other responsibilities and studies as a result, hence the title of the anime.
A fairly classic “cute girls doing cute things” formula, Gabriel DropOut is just funny, offering a pack of likable characters who fall within both the demon and angel categories. While the show never takes itself seriously, the world-building is pretty decent for a comedy, and the audience gets a peek at Heaven.
4 Devilman Crybaby
MyAnimeList Score: 7.75
The original manga, Devilman, was a favorite among both fans and critics, so the anime adaptation was eagerly anticipated by a loyal fanbase. Devilman Crybaby follows the same basic premise and storyline but moves the setting from the 1970s into the present day.
As the title suggests, this anime series is about devils. Akira is a character who is partly possessed by a demon but controls its powers through his force of will and seeks others like him to help fight the demons off before they possess all of humanity. The angels don’t appear until the very end, but revealing the details is too much of a spoiler.
3 Black Clover
MyAnimeList Score: 8.14
The world of Black Clover looks very much like a continental medieval village, complete with the Christian religious aesthetic that includes using Biblical terms like devil instead of demon, and the benevolent mages and wizards that fight them resemble angels in their appearance and abilities. These are mages that surround devils with circles of shining crosses and read from a holy book that was gifted to them by the universe, and the symbolism is fairly clear.
The main characters of Black Clover are Asta and Yuno, two boys who were abandoned at an orphanage on the same day, but there are profound and mysterious differences between them and not just their personalities. Yuno is a quiet and thoughtful person who also happens to be a talented magic user, which is common in the land of the Wizard King, but Asta can’t use magic at all at first, and in the first few episodes he is constantly testing himself physically to try and awaken his powers.
The Wizard King isn’t literally the ruling monarch. It’s the title given to the most powerful wizard in the region, and both Asta and Yuna have vowed to become the next Wizard King and protect the land from devils. The story of their journey involves both divine and demonic intervention along with their own supernatural abilities.
2 Demon Slayer
MyAnimeList Score: 8.45
Demon Slayer relies heavily on Japanese demons and their related mythologies. That means there are a lot of demons and very few angels to be seen in this popular series, which started as a manga, spawned an anime television series, and several video games.
Tanjiro Kamado, the main character, has a life that’s so idyllic that it’s bound to be ruined by something. His family is attacked by demons, and his sister is possessed by one, so not only does he have to save the world from demons, but he also has to save her. It’s found in the horror section, and it’s earned that title for the level of gore alone. It could also be considered a period piece with traditional clothing and design lifted from Japan’s Taisho era.
Popularity-wise, Demon Slayer is the definitive demon anime, offering top-notch animation, consistently great fight sequences, and (mostly) endearing characters. The demons are not particularly unique as a whole, but they have fun powers and usually interesting backstories.
1 Haibane Renmei
MyAnimeList: 7.98
Most angel and demon anime focus on larger-than-life characters, which can make for some fantastic and ambitious action set pieces; however, these types of figures are also ideal candidates for philosophical and (naturally) spiritual discussions. Haibane Renmei is unlike any other series, and its lethargic pacing and lack of straightforward drive might not hit the mark with all viewers. That said, arguably no other series explores the afterlife in as thorough and as cerebral a way as this cult classic.
As a blind viewing is ideal, let’s just say that the anime revolves around a girl who awakens in a strange place with no memories. Also, she has a halo and wings. Haibane Renmei tackles topics like depression and self-discovery, along with plenty of well-implemented religious themes.
