Blood Lad is another series that casts demons in a more humorous, upbeat light. The protagonist, Staz Charlie Blood, is a vampire with a love for otaku goods. He lives in the demon world, but cares more about anime than he does about drinking blood. Over the course of the series, Staz befriends a human girl named Fuyumi Yanagi.
In the realm of anime, demonic characters feature prominently in the fantasy and paranormal subgenre. Many shows make use of demonic or otherworldly powers, and frequently enough, heroic characters must work with monsters to get things done.
Inuyasha himself is half-demon, half-human, although the show's demons are a bit more diverse than demons are in the traditional Western sense. Borrowing from yokai folklore especially, characters range from dog demons to tree demons and horse demons and beyond.
But in a colloquial context, the cursed spirit Sukuna and the rest can be equivocated to "demons" in a Western sense. While it can be argued that Yuji has to repress and use Sukuna's power rather than work with him, other jujutsu sorcerers also use cursed spirits to get things done.
Jujutsu Kaisen won over a lot of shonen fans in the late months of 2020, and for good reason. A stellar cast of characters, a dark and often violent premise, and monsters galore all came to life thanks to MAPPA's excellent animation. Where Jujutsu Kaisen falls a bit short, arguably, is in its terminology.
While most demons appear in action or horror-fantasy series, every so often they take center stage in a comedy. Such is the case in The Devil Is Part-Timer, which brings the idiom of "giving the devil his due" to a very literal conclusion.
Family drama factors into everyone's life, but it's hard to fathom how Yukio manages to cope with his circumstances. Raised by a priest, Yukio and his unruly twin brother, Rin, believe in good and evil, heaven and hell.
If any character is following the textbook Faustian model for dealing with devils, it's Ciel Phantomhive of Black Butler. After his parents are mysteriously, brutally murdered, Ciel survives and goes on to make a deal with a demon. Sebastian Michaelis serves Ciel under the guise of being his butler but holds the contract to Ciel's immortal soul.
Siblings make for great protagonists. Most audiences can relate to the bond that exists between brothers and sisters, and some of the best series of all time feature this relationship front and center. Recently, Tanjiro and Nezuko of Demon Slayer have charmed fans around the world.
It's not really fair to say that Akira and Ryo work together in Devilman Crybaby. It's Ryo's fault that Akira becomes fused with a demon in the first place, and his reasons for manipulating his so-called best friend are nefarious indeed.
Yu Yu Hakusho is among the most beloved shonen series to indulge in the supernatural, and many of its characters fit into the demonic category. Notable among these is Raizen, a former Demon King who swore never to eat humans again after falling in love with a human woman.