Fictional characters must always make a strong first impression when they first appear, and for many reasons. A character’s introduction in Japanese anime, for example, is the first and best opportunity for the narrative to clearly show what that character is like with their appearance, their dialogue, and their actions.
Plenty of anime characters made a distinct first impression, often with goofy antics or showing their lovable, compassionate side right away. Other anime characters, including heroes and villains alike, made a scary first impression, often to intimidate their enemies or to warn everyone to not mess with them lightly or suffer the consequences.
10 Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi (Bleach)
In Bleach‘s iconic Soul Society story arc, most Soul Reaper Captains made a cameo before they made their proper introduction as antagonists, including Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of Squad 12. He first appeared in a Captains’ meeting, but his real first impression was when he ambushed Uryu and Orihime.
Mayuri made a terrifying first impression as a sadistic, twisted scientist who had stocked his own body with gruesome weapons like a villainous Inspector Gadget. That, combined with his bizarre face paint, hat, and intimidating speaking style, made him the scariest character in that arc.
9 Itachi Uchiha (Naruto)
Not long after Orochimaru’s defeat in Operation Konoha Crush, two new Naruto villains appeared, the shark-like Kisame Hoshigaki and Sasuke’s brother, Itachi Uchiha. Itachi made a cold first impression as a Sharingan-toting prodigy who would crush anyone who got in his way.
Itachi is one of those anime antagonists who’s scary because of his cold glares and colder attitude, and he also tortured Kakashi Hatake with the Tsukuyomi, which made viewers squirm in their seats. Then Itachi moved on to Naruto Uzumaki and nearly captured him in that hotel.
8 Stain The Hero Killer (My Hero Academia)
A variety of My Hero Academia villains made a truly frightening first impression with their gruesome Quirks or their bizarre costumes, such as Tomura Shigaraki first appearing with all those severed hands in the USJ battle. Then Stain the hero killer entered the picture as the UA sports festival wound down.
Stain chilled My Hero Academia fans with his sinister appearance, his blood-based Quirk and swords, and his grim habit of ambushing and killing pro heroes in nighttime alleyways. He nearly killed Tenya Iida’s brother Tensei, and it took multiple heroes and class 1-A students to finally defeat him later.
7 Bertolt Hoover (Attack On Titan)
Bertolt Hoover was a Marleyan warrior who made his first appearance not as himself, but in his Colossal Titan form in Attack on Titan‘s first episode. His eerie, skinless Titan towered over the seemingly invincible walls, immediately establishing the overwhelming threat of all Titans in Eren’s eyes.
At the time, Attack on Titan fans didn’t realize that the Colossal Titan was actually a character rather than a thing, but it may still count as Hoover’s nightmarish first impression. It set the tone for the entire anime, that overwhelming sense of terror and danger, and Reiner’s Armored Titan soon followed suit.
6 Tatara (Tokyo Ghoul)
Many Tokyo Ghoul characters made a scary first impression, including ghouls and CCG investigators alike. Kureo Mado creeped fans out from the very start, but the ghoul Tatara made an even scarier and more impactful first impression when Ken Kaneki met him.
Tatara was a cold, aloof Aogiri Tree member with pitiless eyes and a mask over his mouth, making him totally unreadable. He also brutally thrust his arm clean through Ken’s chest with practically no provocation, setting a precedent for how stern and violent Aogiri Tree’s leaders can be.
5 Akito Sohma (Fruits Basket)
Not every scary first impression in anime involves monsters or violence, with Fruits Basket’s main antagonist, Akito Sohma, being a major example. Some anime antagonists can be perfectly human but still scary because their misdeeds and twisted personalities are so realistic, such as verbal abuse or insidious manipulation.
Akito Sohma was built up to be the all-powerful, abusive head of the Sohma family, and protagonist Tohru Honda was rattled when they first met. Akito is falsely polite on the outside while also having cunning, cold eyes and cruel smiles, a powerful preview of her depravity later in Fruits Basket.
4 Killua Zoldyck (Hunter X Hunter)
The entire Hunter exam arc was a good chance for Hunter x Hunter’s main characters to make their first impressions, with Gon Freecss being an easygoing deredere and Leorio being kind but stubborn and cautious. Then there’s Killua Zoldyck, who knew how to put the “kill” in “Killua.”
Killua was outwardly punkish and cool, but he was also a trained killer and didn’t take long to prove it. He tore a man’s beating heart right out of his chest without mercy or pity, which made a powerful and brutal first impression on anime fans. Fortunately, Killua is a friendly antihero ally to Gon, not a true villain.
3 Jogo (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Most of Jujutsu Kaisen’s villains are monstrous curses, and among them, the volcanic Jogo made the nastiest first impression of all. He met up with a few allies in an ordinary restaurant, and when the meeting concluded, Jogo set the whole place on fire.
Jogo coldly watched as the terrified patrons burned alive, with one poor woman almost making it to the front doors before she also succumbed to the lethal heat. That helped prove how little Jogo and his fellow curses cared about human life in general and demonstrated his overwhelming strength.
2 Cioccolata (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Many Stand users in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure made a wacky first impression with their outfits, behavior, and Stand abilities, but Cioccolata definitely ranks among the creepiest and most disturbing of all. He was introduced as an evil doctor who tormented his elderly patients for sadistic fun.
Cioccolata made a chilling impression with his eerie behavior, his intense facial expressions, and his deadly Stand Green Day, which kills people with mold. It was a relief when the hero, Giorno Giovanna, finally defeated him and pummeled him half to death with Gold Experience.
1 Muzan Kibutsuji (Demon Slayer)
Demon Slayer began with a heart-wrenching and bloody tragedy. Protagonist Tanjiro Kamado returned home to find his family slaughtered, and he learned that his true enemy was now the demon king, named Muzan Kibutsuji. Then, in Tokyo, Tanjiro actually met Muzan in person.
Muzan appeared deceptively kind and ordinary at first, but Tanjiro could see his demonic traits, and then Muzan coldly slashed a nearby man and turned him into a demon. Then Muzan escaped in the chaos, proving what a brutal and deceptive monster he is.