Staz C. Blood is a powerful vampire ruling over the East District of the Demon World. Rumour has it Staz is a vicious tyrant, but in reality, he’s just a vampire totally obsessed with Japanese culture. He lets his underlings do the admin of governing the east side while he plays video games, watches anime and reads manga all day long. Yanagi Fuyumi is a human girl who accidentally wanders through a portal into the Demon World. Staz is excited to meet a real-life Japanese girl; however, they’re soon attacked and Fuyumi is killed. She turns into a ghost and Staz vows to resurrect her because she’s his ticket to seeing the human world! Together, they meet other characters and traverse the Demon World in search of magic that could lead to Fuyumi’s revival.

Fuyumi is your average girl and that is one of the reasons why her untimely death greatly affected Staz. She has no special abilities or traits, she just finds herself in a state of limbo as her ghastly form is besieged with the prospect of disappearing forever. Despite the terrible situation she’s in, Fuyumi seems to have a fair amount of trust in Staz and his journey to bring her back to life.

Now coming into his own, Mob has matured and is more understanding of the impact that he could have on other people. He and Arataka continue with their exorcism work; however, things aren’t quite like they used to be. Mob now makes his own decisions, understanding that his growth as an esper comes in a time where there are heinous elements at play. With things now more dangerous than ever, can Mob come to grips with his endless power and become one with his emotions?

Dash Granny is a minor character in the most recent season of Mob Psycho 100; however, her presence was quite incredible. She gained notoriety as a ghost due to the fact that she’s really quick for an old person (an old ghost?) and that’s 100 times scarier than merely haunting a building or a patch of land. Why does Dash Granny dash? Is she late for something? Guess we’ll never know.

Fuyuzora Kogarashi is a broke psychic looking for a place to stay. He finds Yuragi-sou, an old hot springs inn-turned boarding house with extremely cheap rent. Rumour has it the place is haunted, so Kogarashi seeks to exorcise it; however, it turns out to be rather docile – it is a beautiful silver-haired girl who has no memories other than her name: Yuuna. Another thing he discovers is the fact that all the Yuragi-sou tenants have supernatural abilities over and above being able to see Yuuna. While settling in to his new life in his new home, Kogarashi tries to figure out what is keeping Yuuna affixed to the world of the living before she degenerates into an evil spirit destined for the pits of Hell.

Yuuna is a kind ghost, but her circumstances rather mysterious. For some reason, she remains in the world of the living – harbouring a regret of some kind. However, without her memories of the time when she was alive, figuring out what exactly that regret may be is definitely no easy task.

Located in the Pacific Ocean, Nanae Island is a man-made island which hosts all that is needed for a thorough education and training of children. Created by the Great Seven, a group of adventurers led by one Ryuugajou Nanana, Nanae Island is intended to be a place where young people can pursue their dreams. After being exiled by his family, Yama Juugo arrives on the island and moves into his new room… where he encounters the ghost of none other than the Great Seven leader, Ryuugajou Nanana. Bound to the room after her unsolved murder ten years prior, Nanana informs Juugo of a set of powerful items which each possess incredible power that she has spread all over the island. The items, known to those who are aware of their existence as the “Nanana Collection” could very well be the key to solving the mystery of Nanana’s death, so Juugo, alongside self-proclaimed Master Detective Ikkyuu Tensai and her assistant Hoshino Daruku, sets out to find them and lay Nanana to rest for good.

Ryuugajou Nanana was a brilliant adventurer and leader; however, she was murdered in her room on the island she helped create. Now, Nanana is a NEET, spending her time playing online games and inhaling snacks in the same room where she died. Her memories remain, but she has no idea who killed her. As a result, she remains, plagued by a regret she may not completely understand.

Negi Springfield is a ten-year-old Welsh wizard-in-training. In order to become a Master Wizard, he is faced with one more test: become an English teacher at a Japanese all-girls high school! Upon his arrival, Negi accidentally embarrasses one of his students and to make things worse, he is the replacement for her favourite homeroom teacher. Having earned Kagurazaka Asuna’s hatred on the very first day, things only get worse for Negi when she discovers that he is a wizard. She blackmails him into helping her in exchange for her silence; however, the both of them soon encounter more obstacles than they ever imagined.

Mahora Academy is an old institution with a rich history. 60 years prior to the events of Negima, Aisaka Sayo was a student at the school. She and her little sister had spent a long time tending to the clocktower’s garden. Legend had it that if they could fill the garden with tsuwabuki flowers, their mother would come back. On a stormy night, Sayo headed out to tend to the flowers and protect them from the elements. She died of pneumonia not too long after that. Despite having been dead for over 60 years, Professor Takahata had her included in Negi’s class’s registry and her seat had never changed. Eventually, she was integrated into the class and Negi began being able to see her too.

Okazaki Tomoya is a cynical delinquent who believes he’ll never become anything. He often skips school with his friend, Sunohara Youhei. One day while walking to school, Tomoya passes a girl from his school muttering to herself. She then exclaims “sweet bread!”, catching Tomoya’s attention. Her name is Furukawa Nagisa and she quickly thinks of Tomoya as a friend, but he isn’t too moved by their encounter. However, he starts seeing more of her around school and so he eventually befriends her. He learns that Nagisa has been held back a year due to a severe illness and she wishes to revive the school drama club. Tomoya decides to help her, with the assistance of four others. As Tomoya interacts with each girl, he learns more about them and their problems, trying to help each one overcome her obstacles.

Fuko is a first year at the same school as Tomoya and Nagisa. She is introduced as a childish girl who really loves starfish; to the point of carving starfish shapes out of wood. However, she gives these wooden starfish out to people as an invitation to her sister’s wedding. Her sister was the art teacher at the school about three years prior, so no one currently at the school knows who she is. Fuko was involved in an accident that left her comatose, so the vast majority of interactions the other characters had with Fuko were with her ghost.

Yadomi Jinta lives the life of a recluse; refusing to go to school on most days and playing videogames all day. His long-deceased childhood friend, Honma “Menma” Meiko, appears to him on a hot summer day in order to get him to grant her forgotten wish. Initially thinking himself to be hallucinating, Jinta soon realises that he’s seeing Menma’s ghost. He and his childhood friends grew apart after Menma died but they find themselves patching things up in order to finally lay Menma to rest. Forced to revisit the past, the group must confront their own guilt in addition to granting Menma’s final wish.

When Jinta and the other characters were still children, they played with Menma a lot; however, on one day, Menma dies and the trauma shatters the friendship dynamic in the group. Years later, Jinta is a reclusive teenager, but Menma’s ghost appears before him, imploring him to grant her final wish. For the majority of the series, only Jinta is able to see Menma.

God has turned his back on the world, rendering it a land where life cannot be born nor taken away. The dead walk among the living; however, before leaving forever, God created Gravekeepers, being capable of putting the dead to rest. Ai is a young girl who is her village’s Gravekeeper in her late mother’s place. One day, a man named Hampnie Hambart arrives and kills everyone in the village. He claims to be Ai’s father. With her village wiped out, Ai sees no future there and accompanies Hampnie on his journey all while trying to live true to her job as a Gravekeeper.

Dee Ensy is a ghost without a true form. She can appear anywhere at any time, possess people and even grant wishes. She has a crush on Alis Color and possesses him too. She and Ai have formed a friendship based on love and mutual respect; however, due to her feelings for Alis, Dee can’t quite help feeling jealous whenever Ai gets more attention from Alis than she does.

Takeya Yuki loves school so much that she never wants to leave. Attending Megurigaoka High, Yuki gets to enjoy her life as a senior student and member of the School Living Club, alongside the president Wakasa Yuuri, the athletic Ebisuzawa Kurumi, their junior, Naoki Miki, their supervisor Sakura Megumi and their dog, Taroumaru. Life is good; as long as Yuki continues to be ignorant of the reality of the situation around her. The School Living Club is a ruse to avoid the crushing reality of the zombie apocalypse which has left them barricaded inside their school as the only survivors.

Sakura Megumi was a Japanese teacher at Megurigaoka High and the advisor for the School Life Club. This is apparent when you see how close she is with the members of the club. Her last ever act was to take on a horde of zombies in order to protect the School Life Club from harm. The trauma of knowing that their teacher died while protecting them greatly shakes Yuki and so she continues to see, hear and interact with a vision of Megu-nee to the point of it not being immediately obvious that Megu-nee is merely a spectre from Yuki’s imagination.

In an era akin to the European Middle Ages, the Holy Knights of the Britannia of the Kingdom of Liones use powerful magic to maintain order and protect the region. Despite this, a small squadron of Knights turned their blades towards the kingdom in an attempt to overthrow the ruler of their country, Liones. This treason was subdued by the Holy Knights, but rumours of their, of the “Seven Deadly Sins”’ survival. Ten years later, the Holy Knights staged an insurgence of their own, becoming the new tyrannical rulers of Britannia. Elizabeth, the third princess of Britannia embarks on a personal mission to find the Seven Deadly Sins and ask for their help in order to take back her kingdom from the Holy Knights.

King’s sister and the love of Ban’s life, Elaine tragically lost her life when a demon attacked the Fountain of Youth, of which she is the guardian. She and Ban were fatally wounded and he’d wanted her to drink the water in order to gain immortality, but she tricked him into drinking it. Her death greatly affects Ban; however, she makes an appearance when the Boar Hat gang travel to the Capital of the Dead.

Something to keep in mind when it comes to ghosts is that only very people if not a single person may see them, and Alma’s role is the best definition of that. A former Vestrian soldier, Alma was in a relationship with Phantom until he adopted the Zombie Tattoo from Queen Diana, causing a rift due to his appreciation for immortality. Alma left him and fought with her crew in the 1st Mar Heaven War only to be killed and cursed by the King to remain as ghosts and forever haunt Vestry’s underground cave, the place Alma left Phantom. However, Alma is able to escape this fate years later thanks to Ginta, and as a reward gives him not only a Magic Stone, but also the Holy ÄRM Purific Avea, the only ARM that can undo Phantom’s Zombie Tattoo and defeat Phantom as a result. In addition to appearing to Ginta, Alma also makes one last appearance to Phantom to help him reach salvation before his death. Even though her appearances are brief and she only appears to a few characters, Alma’s impact on the events of the series cannot be ignored.

Even though she’s technically not a ghost, you’d be hard-pressed to find characters that use ghost like powers as well as ghosts as their method for fighting, and “Ghost Princess” Perona comes through in spades in this category. Eating the Hollow-Hollow Fruit allows Perona all kinds of ghost-like abilities, from creating multiple types of Hollows that can fight for her to creating an astral image of herself that can fly and change sizes. Perona can also hear and see whatever her ghosts can hear and see, allowing her to pick up information in a variety of ways. Perona’s abilities definitely make her stand out among those related to the ghost genre.

Most people tend to think of ghosts as terrifying, not cheerful, but Mayoi is one of many that has helped to break that way of thinking. A fifth grade girl that was run over by a truck while looking for her mother’s home, Mayoi is definitely the complete opposite when it comes to being scared by ghosts. Constantly cheerful, curious, and just full of energy, Mayoi is quite a lot to handle, and it’s a surprise that someone so happy actually has a sad past. Yet despite her past as well as her extremely youthful appearance, Mayoi is actually pretty mature, and as the story progresses, her character is developed a lot more, especially when she and Koyomi end up going back in time. Mayoi certainly turns the tables on the typical ghost character in traditional stories by setting a new standard definition for ghost girls when it comes to anime.

Not all ghost are good, and Enma Ai, or Hell Girl, is the go to example for that. Ai’s main responsibility is to carry out the grudges on behalf of the people who choose to request her services. By giving the requester a special doll, they can pull a red string around the neck of said doll if they choose to have Ai carry out their grievances over the person of their choosing, where Ai will take that person directly to Hell. The condition, however, is that once the requester die, they too will go to Hell. Ai carries herself in a way where expressing little emotion, no matter what the circumstances are, is normal for her, making her that much more of an antihero as opposed to the good guy. As the series progresses, we get a much better understanding of why Ai chooses to be this way, especially based on the things she’s seen as well as the length of time she has been performing these services. Certainly a much scarier ghost girl than most.

Misao Minakami is a great example of the ghost girl that is the best friend of the main character. The childhood friend of Tomoharu Natsume, Misao died in a plane accident that Tomoharu barely survived. However, Misao returns as a ghost that only Tomoharu can see and remains as devoted as ever to him. As the series progresses, Misao begins to develop strong feelings for Tomoharu, which only complicates their relationship even more as their adventures get more dangerous. Definitely a solid example of a ghost girl that is 100% devoted to their best friend

Not all romances occur without their share of bumps in the road, and Eliza’s story very much reflects that. Born with a fatal disease, Eliza’s life seemed to be bleak until her meeting with Faust XIII. Because of her devotion to him, Faust worked on and eventually found a cure for her, leading to their marriage and opening a clinic together. Unfortunately, Eliza ended up losing her life to a burglar that shoots her point blank in the head, leading to Faust’s obsession with necromancy as a way to bring her back. Although Faust succeeds, the Eliza he brings back is only an image as opposed to her true spirit, raising an important question of whether we’re really seeing Eliza or not. Eliza’s story luckily as a happy ending due to Anna summoning her back for Faust and Faust finally becoming a strong enough shaman to bring back her true spirit herself. Eliza’s story really calls into question about who someone’s true self really is, something that can be applied to any of the ghosts on this list.

One of the unique aspects explored when it comes to ghosts in general is their connection to time, especially since the ghost character in turn usually remains the age they died throughout the length of their respective series. Sayoko Arashiyama’s story is unique in the sense that it goes 1 step further by involving time travel. A beautiful 16 year old girl during the time of World War 2 that later becomes a ghost, Sayoko’s mission is to rescue the people in her community from the air raids done by American fighter planes. Sayoko discovers that by making a connection with a living person in the present day, she can achieve her goal, leading to the events of the series. Despite her simple mindedness, Sayoko is a good person at heart, and her purity of trying to save her community shines through and through.

The 1st Guild Master as well as a cofounder of the Fairy Tail Guild, Mavis Vermillion is over 100 years old despite having the appearance of someone barely in their teens. Even though Mavis’ body is sealed in Lacrima, Mavis herself exists in a ghostlike form that interacts with the current members of the Guild. Despite acting like a child at times and having unique quirks (such as wanting to be barefoot all the time), Mavis has had a traumatic past that not only causes her to be serious at crucial moments, but has also made her quite powerful. When it comes to creating a complex backstory for how a ghost girl came to be, Mavis’ backstory is certainly worth putting in the time to get to know.

The Guardian Saint of the Fountain of Youth, Elaine definitely serves as a great example of a ghost girl with a classic romantic story. Tasked with protecting the Fountain of Youth, Elaine grows to distrust humans due to the number of them that attempted to take control of the Fountain. It was only after meeting Bandit Ban and learning his intentions for wanting immortality that Elaine began to open herself up again after hundreds of years of guarding the Fountain. However, Elaine loses her life to a demon that attacks them and saves Ban by giving him the water from the Fountain at the cost of her life. Elaine is eventually resurrected later in the story and appears as a ghost before that happens, and the events that take place between her, Ban, and her brother King stand out in a romantic sense, serving as a model romance for ghost girls in general.

In addition to the happy stories and scary stories we’ve seen with ghost characters, there are also sad ones that cause some deep thinking about those who have died too early, and Menma in The Flower We Saw That Day nails that feeling on the head. Six childhood friends drift apart after one of them, Menma, dies in a tragic accident; 10 years later, the leader, Jinta, is living as a recluse until Menma appears to him saying that she can’t pass on until her wish is granted. Since she can’t remember what it is, it’s up to Jinta to find the rest of their friends and work together to discover what that wish is. A lot of feelings are experienced mainly due to the strong connections people can make with each of the characters based on how each of them dealt with what happened. In Menma’s case, the pain of not being able to communicate with most of her friends because she’s a ghost as well as not being present for 10 years takes an incredible toll on her despite her selflessness and childlike innocence. Even though none of us can technically never directly relate to this, how we imagine how those who have passed on would act in certain situations is one of the hardest things to overcome if we were close to that person. In a way, we can forever be haunted by their ghost until we find inner peace and the strength to move forward. Menma stands as a ghost character who can have quite the impact if the storytelling is masterfully done as this one is.