When thinking of clowns, some might think about the entertainers that might be seen at a circus', or iconic characters in horror movies like IT's dancing clown, Pennywise. Thanks to him and many others, the creepy clown trope has not only remained popular over the years, but have made its way into anime.
While there aren't many characters that meet this trope, the few created have taken the scary clown dynamic and amplified it in ways that can only be done in anime. Some have played major antagonists and others have only appeared in a few episodes, but they are memorable for looking the part and being the stuff made of nightmares.
10 Piedmon From Digimon Adventure
A Digimon that is made from nightmares. Piedmon is a sadistic and cruel Digimon and is the deadliest of the Dark Masters. He ruled over the wastelands of the Digital World and had an army of Digimon at his disposal. He was also the leader of the Dark Master and had some of the most powerful Digimon working for him like LadyDevimon. He almost succeeded in killing WarGreymon, but thankfully MetalGarurumon and Matt showed up.
He’s tall, intimidating, and can use his swords without lifting a finger. Overall, he’s just a creepy clown-looking Digimon that matches all the creepy clown tropes. To top it off, he disguised himself as a clown and told the DigiDestined to their face how he would kill them.
9 Mad Pierrot From Cowboy Bebop
He might’ve only appeared in one episode, but Mad Pierrot is one of the most memorable villains from Cowboy Bebop. Compared to other villains, Mad Pierrot seemed supernatural in strength and speed. Plus, he could block projectiles and could fly. He’s probably the toughest villain to have ever fought aside from Vicious, but it can be argued that Spike was lucky to win the battle.
With the way that he’s dressed, the top, and the maniacal smile, Mad Pierrot is arguably the most terrifying-looking villain. After he escaped, anyone who saw him didn’t live to tell the tale until Spike.
8 Donato Porpora From Tokyo Ghoul
As if the Tokyo Ghoul world wasn't terrifying and creepy enough, Donato Porpora ups both elements by wearing a creepy clown mask. He is utterly ruthless and cruel, and other ghouls know him for being sadistic. He loves to make his victims suffer, physically or psychologically. He has no regard for others and is willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive, even if it means betraying other ghouls.
But what makes him terrifying is that he disguised himself as a Catholic priest and ran an orphanage only to eat the children in his care. If that didn’t sound disturbing enough, he would torture them before killing them and is believed to have served pieces of them to other children as appetizers.
7 Joker From Black Butler
While he’s not the typical creepy clown, both in looks and personality, it’s what he’s done that makes him scary. Joker had a tragic past, having been abandoned by his mother and fought to survive along with the other Circus members while living on the streets. Baron Kelvin found them and gave them a home, so naturally. Joker would be in his debt and want to pay him back.
However, this meant he had to kidnap children for Kelvin, who killed them in a gruesome fashion for his own amusement. Though he didn’t like doing this, Joker willingly continued to do this for him and that makes him just as bad as any other creepy clown villain.
6 Caesar Clown From One Piece
While Buggy the Clown might be the first character to come to mind when it comes to clowns from One Piece, he’s just not as scary as Caesar Clown. Caesar does have the terrifying smile of a creepy clown and has the personality to match. Described by Smoker as “one very crazy bastard”, Caesar Clown is arrogant, sinister, sadistic, and utterly evil.
He’s set off chemical weapons that crippled masses of people, performs experiments on children and even injects them with a liquid to prevent them from running, and loves creating biological weapons. He has egomaniac and maniacal tendencies, loving when others comment on his creations and obsessively researching weapons of mass destruction. He will lie, scheme, and test out his experiments on his loyal subordinates, and feels no remorse for any of the crimes he’s committed.
5 Death 13 From Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
Being from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, it’s not surprising that this clown character is scary and one of the most terrifying characters.Stardust Crusaders also kicks the creepy factor up a notch by having a tarot card character design reference to Death 13, which is based on the Death card and is equipped with a scythe. If that doesn’t sound scary enough, its user is Mannish Boy, a genius baby with some sadistic tendencies.
Because of their connection, Death 13 is just as sadistic and loves seeing its opponents suffer, physically or psychologically. It loves insulting and belittling them, and abusing its power in the dream world, where it's almighty.
4 The Earl Of Millennium From D Gray-Man
He might not look like a typical clown, but he does give off the creepy clown vibes with how he’s always smiling and his desire to end humanity. He gleefully turns people into akuma and feels no remorse for it. He’s sadistic, manipulative, and finds it amusing to toy with people’s lives.
The top hat, the cane, and the way he always looks like he’s smiling just makes him look terrifying. Not to mention, he has the goblin-like ears that are long and pointy and just match his over aesthetic.
3 Charlotte From Puella Magi Madoka Magica
At first glance, Charlotte looks more like a doll with some dark colors and an edgy theme. It looked like Mami had an easy victory under her belt when she fought against her, but viewers were shocked at what happened next. After it seemed like Mami won the fight, Charlotte reveals her true form, which looks like a clown with a caterpillar-like body. Before Mami and her friends (and probably some fans) could process what was happening, Charlotte bit her head off then ate her whole body shortly after.
Charlotte might’ve looked cute and relatively harmless, but she proved to viewers that this show wasn’t going to be a typical magical girl anime. Her true form is the stuff of nightmares and watching Charlotte spit it out of her mouth was downright scary.
2 Hisoka Morow From Hunter X Hunter
Hisoka is one of the first characters to come to mind when it comes to terrifying anime clowns. He’s strong, selfish, and divides some fans on if they love him or run away. The way he gets excited when finding strong opponents is strange and creepy. He’s had opportunities to kill Gon and his friends, but has let them live because he’s excited at the thought of how strong Gon will be later on.
It may seem like a simple quest for him to find a strong opponent, but anyone who crosses his path is in danger of being severely injured or killed. Age or gender doesn’t matter to him when it comes to fighting, which makes his dangerously unpredictable.
1 Quetzalcoatl From Beelzebub
If looking at him doesn’t give viewers the chills then his powers and how he uses them will. He might seem more interested in games that humans have invented, but this love comes with a twist for anyone who plays against him. When it comes to creepy clowns in anime, Quetzalcoatl is a little more laid back than some, but this is exactly what makes him terrifying.
He turns any game, like Sudoku, into a life-or-death situation and loves to mess with his opponents psychologically. Plus, he’s always smiling, which along with his choice of wardrobe and his makeup, makes him all the more terrifying to look at.