Kara Dennison
November 20, 2024 
This season, school is getting spooky thanks to A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School. Hopeful educator and uniform “enthusiast” Haruaki Abe gets more than he bargained for in his latest teaching job. Thugs were one thing—these are literal monsters! But he soon learns to appreciate them, as well as his own seemingly inherited abilities.
If you can’t get enough of anime populated by friendly yokai, try these three series on for size. From retro classics to modern creations, they’ll all feed that monster need!
GeGeGe no Kitaro
You won’t find this young boy at ghoul school, but he’s still doing his part to help yokai and humans live in harmony! GeGeGe no Kitaro started as a manga by Shigeru Mizuki in 1960, and it’s gone on to have many adaptations since then. The latest anime adaptation premiered in 2018, starring Miyuki Sawashiro as the one-eyed yokai boy.
In all his iterations, Kitaro fights for peace between humans and yokai. Aided by his father, who is currently an eyeball, he protects humans from the monstrous machinations of his brethren. Each adaptation puts its own spin on the classic story, with the latest anime becoming famous for calling out certain YouTube streamers for their bad behavior while on holiday.
Tonari no Yokai-san
Love A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School but need the energy brought down a notch? Tonari no Yokai-san may be exactly what you’re looking for. Based on the 2018 manga by noho, this series takes place in a world where humans and yokai live side-by-side as a matter of course. The series begins when Buchio, the Oishi family cat, is reborn as a nekomata. And while the story originally starts as a look a daily life in this small town, things soon become even stranger.
There’s a dark force looming in the mountains that has been disappearing people, including young human girl Mu-chan’s father. There’s also interference from other dimensions—including one where yokai are nothing more than legends! It’s a slow-paced but story-packed series, perfect for lovers of Studio Ghibli.
Urusei Yatsura
If anything accurately matches the energy of A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School, it’s Urusei Yatsura. This Rumiko Takahashi classic has been adapted into an anime twice, not counting its many movies and specials. The difference between this and other entries on the list is that the yokai are actually aliens! (And most of them are cute girls.) The many alien races seen in this series take their inspiration from monsters of Japanese folklore. Lum and her family are based on oni, for instance. And a good portion of these aliens want to marry Ataru, who has found himself accidentally engaged to Lum.
Want to dig into this wacky rom-com? Choose from classic or modern edition!
Need more monsters in your watchlist? Check out these three spooky anime!
