Anime starring a demon lord with enormous powers has been increasingly popular in recent times, so much so that there is now one per season, more or less.
It may be their supernatural appeal or it may be that they are incredibly strong, but there is no denying that their appeal is well-deserved.
Whether you are already a fan of this genre or are interested in discovering it, we have gathered for you the best anime with a demon lord as the main character.
As always this listicle is purely based on our opinions and knowledge.
Table of Contents
15. How not to Summon a Demon Lord
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is an isekai anime heavily focused on ecchi and comedy that has been quite successful in recent times.
Takuma Sakamoto is a frequent player of the MMORPG Cross Reverie, so strong that he is called the king of demons.
At one point he is transported, in the form of his demon avatar, to another world where 2 girls try to make him their slave through magic.
Too bad Takuma casts reflex magic at just the right moment, so it is now the girls who become his loyal followers in the conquest of that new world.
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord from its premise lets us know that it will be nothing groundbreaking, but more like an easygoing classic isekai series with ecchi and harem and nothing more.
But if you like the genre or want to see something without commitment, you might still like it.
14. Overlord
Overlord is an anime based on another light novel series written by Kugane Maruyama and illustrated by So-Bin in 2012.
A nice Isekai classic, it takes the basics of the genre and reworks them into a dark fantasy atmosphere all its own.
Although the initial premise is the same as much other anime in the genre, here the protagonist Momonga is not reincarnated into a weakling, but rather into what is considered the most powerful being in his world.
This will lead him to be in command of a powerless army with which he will slowly conquer everything conquerable, in a series of events that are never predictable or trivial.
The great virtue of Overlord is the rawness of the actions performed by Momonga and the real and tangible weight they have on the people of the world. And indeed we consider him as one of the best evil MCs you can find.
Indeed, we aren’t dealing with the classic weak and generous Isekai protagonist.
13. Black Clover
This anime tells the story of Asta and Yuno, 2 orphans that have been abandoned at the same church on the same day so they grew up as brothers.
Since they were little they decided that they will compete for the title of ‘Wizard King’ the strongest mage in the kingdom.
The only peculiarity is that Asta, in a world where magic is now everything, is born totally without powers.
We cannot anticipate too much, but the grimoire that will be given to Asta, the black clover, will give him demonic powers, enough to make him a demon lord.
Black Clover doesn’t offer anything new in the battle shonen scene, but puts together and takes cues from other series. Nonetheless, it’s still a mediocre series that we recommend if you like the premises some cool anime with elemental powers.
12. Blue Exorcist
Captivating combat anime with a very heated and upbeat atmosphere, featuring demons and exorcisms as the main theme of the entire work.
The world consists of two parallel worlds that mirror each other. The first is the world of humans, Assiah, and the second is the realm of demons, Gehenna.
The main character, Rin, is none other than the son of Satan conceived by a human woman for the sole purpose of using him to fulfill his purposes in the human world.
But will Rin accept his father’s plans or will he prefer to go his own way and become an exorcist?
Fighting, comedy, and scenes marked by bright colors populated by well-characterized characters make this anime an excellent mix.
Although it won’t be anything groundbreaking and certainly not a masterpiece, Blue Exorcist is a good anime to watch some entertaining action scenes and a setting full of creatures like demons, zombies, and more.
11. Beelzebub
Beelzebub is a shonen manga serialized by Weekly Shonen Jump that received a 60-episode adaptation between 2011 and 2012.
The plot follows the adventures of the delinquent Oga, who is tasked with watching over the Devil King’s son and the future successor to the throne, Beelzebub, after accidentally meeting him.
As the fate of humanity hangs by a thread, Oga chooses to raise the child together with the demon maid Hilda until he is old enough to destroy humanity.
An excellent series that combines good fighting with a dose of comedy that is always on point, making it a light and interesting viewing not to be missed while not expecting a masterpiece.
Also, The anime adaptation isn’t at the same level as the manga but it can be considered as a demo before you read it.
10. The Seven Deadly Sins
Seven Deadly Sins is one of the most popular fighting anime in recent years, which has been quite successful.
Elizabeth, daughter of the King, sets out on a journey to find the Seven Deadly Sins, intending to recruit them and take back her recently fallen kingdom due to a coup. The 7 are extremely powerful warriors, capable of great things if brought together.
Set in Britain with fantasy elements, The Seven Deadly Sins shows us an ancient and magical side of the country, fantasy elements, featuring demons, angels, and fairies.
The main character himself, Meliodas, is a member of the demon race, and the son of the demon lord.
It certainly won’t be anything extremely groundbreaking, but we recommend that you watch it to witness a fun and noncommittal fighting anime with ecchi.
We however suggest watching the anime until Season 4, when the animation starts to leak, and continuing with the manga if you like the story.
9. 3×3 Eyes
From a manga that won the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award in the shonen category, 3×3 Eyes is adapted into a 4-episode OAV released in the early 1990s.
Pai, the last descendant of the Cyclops people, immortal demon-like creatures equipped with three eyes, wants at all costs to assume human form to leave her past behind.
She will be helped by Yakumo, and together they will set out on the trail of the Statue of Humanity, which makes it possible to transform into a human being.
A series that can be considered a mere sampling of the original work, since in 4 episodes it’s impossible to adapt a manga of no less than 40 volumes and 577 chapters.
Use this short OAV to see if you like the plot and possibly start reading the manga, the better and truer experience.
8. High School DxD
What could be called by many the king of fanservice anime. In fact, it’s practically its workhorse and High School DxD doesn’t intend to hide it.
The story follows the events of Issei Hyoudou, a perverted student attending high school like any other who sees his highly anticipated first date goes decidedly wrong.
The boy is killed by the beautiful girl he is dating, only to come back to life thanks to the intervention of the beautiful demon and popular girl Rias Gremory, who makes him her assistant slave and gives him demoniac powers.
Thus begins his adventure filled with fights between Angels and Demons, but also with beautiful girls who increase his Harem of which he dreams of becoming the King.
High School DxD is a must for any fan of ecchi anime with lots of fanservice. It can be funny, and serious, with lots of action and well-fitting and contextualized erotic moments.
7. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
One of the most popular isekai and fantasy anime of recent times, animated in various series by Studio 8-Bit and based on Fuse’s light novel of the same name.
Like much of isekai, here too we find a character who after his death is transported to a fantasy world. In this case, the protagonist is Satoru Mikami, a salaryman who dies stabbed after saving a colleague from a robber.
The special feature lies in the fact that he will be reincarnated as a blind slime. After befriending the dragon Veldra, he begins his adventure in the world, gathering around him a vast array of followers.
The main character is non-human and this brings some freshness into the overall story.
Don’t be fooled by his appearance, because Rimuru, that’s the name of the protagonist in the isekai world, is extremely strong, and even one of the strongest characters ever.
This is so much so that he is recognized by the 7 strongest demons in that isekai world as a real demon lord with incredible powers.
6. The Misfit of Demon King Academy
After defeating everyone, the Demon King Anos is now tired of the perennial fighting and decides to reincarnate hoping to have a finally peaceful second life.
He awakens 2000 years in the future in a peaceful world, but where the level of magic has plummeted and his wizard descendants are much weaker than he remembered.
Ending up as a student at the Demon King’s Academy, he decides to set things right.
This anime is memorable for the presence of its charismatic and strong male lead in a fantasy anime, quite a true badass.
In addition, it has well-realized action moments combined with a striking atmosphere and a good amount of ecchi to satisfy every taste.
5. The Devil is a Part Timer
A highly acclaimed and award-winning work, The Devil is a Part-Timer! is another fantasy-style comedy released in 2013.
The demon king Satan is only one step away from conquering his world when he is transported to Tokyo He ends up working part-time at a restaurant to survive in the human world.
And to realize his new idea, which is to conquer Japan, he must first become a full-fledged employee and settle into society.
A very light anime, almost a parody of the isekai genre. Making Satan himself an awkward, job-seeking individual like any teenager is undoubtedly a bold move.
If you want to watch an anime that revolutionizes the classic narrative patterns then this is one of the best recommendations.
4. Chrono Crusade
Chrono Crusade is set in the 1920s in New York, with America just emerging from WWI. On the way to apparent prosperity, evil lurks in the shadows in the form of hellish demons.
The Order of the Magdalene, a military organization, was founded to fight this menace. Priests and exorcist nuns are charged with fighting such demons to protect the public order and the world.
The two main characters are Chrono and Rosette, who go steady in this eternal struggle against evil. The particularity? Chrono is a devil, and Rosette is a nun.
It may seem like a simple and light-hearted anime on the surface, focused on action, but it’s not all. Chrono Crusade hides a sad story of love and loss that you will hardly forget.
3. Ushio to Tora
A classic work by Kazuhiro Fujita, Ushio, and Tora tells of the adventures of young Ushio.
The boy, following an unfortunate series of events, finds himself confronted by the evil demon lord Tora, pierced by a sacred spear that restricts his movements.
The young man doesn’t succumb to the creature’s temptations and initially refuses to release it. But its aura attracts other demonic creatures nearby, forcing them into a temporary truce to eliminate them.
Tora clearly wants to kill Ushio, but the use of the sacred spear transforms the latter into a powerful samurai, capable of intimidating even the monster.
From there on, the series will focus not only on the battles but also on the relationship between the 2, painting a much less obvious reality about the origins of the demon and its spear.
2. Inuyasha
Everybody knows Inuyasha, a big classic of the shonen genre and anime in general.
The story stars Kagome, a young girl who, as a result of an accident, will fall a well and is catapulted into Sengoku-era Japan.
Here she will be reborn as the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo, to protect the four winds’ sphere with Inuyasha’s help, a canine-like demon.
Inuyasha is undoubtedly one of the greatest cult greats ever, and there must be a reason for that.
It’s a simple but solid story, with excellent settings, and its romance with demons and spirits is one of the best ever made.
1. Devilman Crybaby
Devilman is the most iconic Go Nagai manga, released in 1973 and still considered one of the most important productions ever, and probably the best demons anime ever made.
Masaaki Yuasa decided to pay homage to the work by taking it and catapulting the events to the present day without unhinging its soul.
Akira is far too good a boy, reasoning that he ends up receiving the nickname, Crybaby. Not so is Ryo, his best friend who is more fearless and arrogant than he is, and by who he gets carried away.
One day, Akira will be persuaded to go on a Sabbath, which ends up turning out to be a full-blown satanic ritual to attract demons.
Everyone will be possessed, including Akira, who manages through his gentle spirit to control the beast. This marks the birth of Devilman, a hybrid between humans and devils with supernatural powers to protect humanity.