The best immortal anime characters

Important takeaways

• Immortal anime characters can be demons, elves, cultists, and curses, each with unique abilities and goals.
• Their immortality allows for longevity and ambition, from seeking true immortality to terrorizing as terrorists.
• Immortal characters like Sebastian, Frieren and Muzan are complex, with dark pasts and grandiose ambitions.

Anime has run the gamut when it comes to characters, from the most overpowered to those with no moral compass at all. However, when it comes to characters that are considered immortal, they are either practically immortal or have a naturally infinite lifespan.

A few sustain their lives by criminal means, while others can innovate at astonishing rates. These long-lived characters have ambitions as long as their lifespan, whether it's worldwide destruction or societal advancement. Vampires, gods of death, and demons, here are some of the best immortal characters anime has to offer.

10 Sebastian Michaelis

Black Butler

Sebastian Michaelis, a demon afflicted by Ciel Phantomhive, poses as Ciel's butler and helps run his household. As a demon, Sebastian is already immortal and has unimaginable strength and skill, while also being able to wield and manipulate fire.

As per his contract, Sebastian serves and obeys Ciel's orders to a tee. But Sebastian is cruel and evil – as is his nature as a demon – and helps Ciel in his crusade to get revenge on the chance to consume his soul.

9 The Suitor

The Suitor: Beyond Journey's End

The Suitor: Beyond Journey's End is one of the best anime of 2024, a pinnacle of fantasy adventure series. Its main character, the Friar, is a long-lived, near-immortal elf mage who is hailed as a hero for defeating the Demon King along with his companions.

But while the Frieren has a long lifespan, her companion does not. She is forced to watch them age and wither, while remaining as youthful as ever. She sets out to fulfill her dying friend's wish while gaining an apprentice and new friends and companions along the way.

8 Hidan

Naruto

One of the series' antagonists, Hidan, is a fanatical cultist who serves the god Jashin. Hidan, a missing-nin, allowed other sects to experiment on him, resulting in his immortality. However, he believes it is a gift from his god.

Hidan has the ability to regenerate and maintain consciousness even when decapitated. Wielding a triple-bladed scythe, he wreaks havoc wherever he goes, in keeping with the malevolent nature and goals of his chosen god. Shikamaru managed to find a way around Hidan's immortality, blowing him up and burying Hidan alive, dooming him to a slow death of malnutrition.

7 Muzan Kibutsuji

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Muzan Kibutsuji is the show's main villain and, as the first demon ever created, is the strongest of his kind. He has lived for a thousand years but aims to seek true immortality by finding a cure for a demon's weakness to sunlight.

Sensitive, cruel and manipulative, Muzan leads the twelve Kizuki with an iron fist. He does not hesitate to brutally punish those who do not meet his expectations, carelessly discarding human life because he considers them inferior. He likely would have continued to live – perhaps even found the cure – had he not been defeated by the Demon Slayers.

6 Sato

Ajin: Demi-Human

One of the coolest antagonists ever depicted, Sato is the leader of a terrorist group fighting for Ajin (or demi-human) rights. Although the Ajin are a species that are effectively immortal, Sato rises above them all thanks to her unmatched fighting skills and cunning, tactical mind.

Ruthless and indifferent to the suffering of others, Sato is a one-man army capable of taking out entire troops all by himself. He doesn't hesitate to put a gun to his head to revive himself at a later date if it serves a purpose. A former US soldier, he has learned to work effectively alongside his Ajin to the point where you find yourself rooting for him.

5 Yato

Noragami

Yato is one of the many Japanese gods in the Noragami series and as such is an immortal. Despite being a god, Yato is considered a minor, low-ranking deity among the hierarchy of gods. As such, this is why he is so determined to have his own shrine, with dreams of becoming as popular and revered as the war goddess Bishamonten.

Although he seems playful and carefree, in truth, Yato has a dark past covered in blood. He was once a god of misfortune and was raised to sow chaos and death wherever he went. Yato tries to reform himself throughout the series with the help of his Regalia Yukine and half-phantom half-mortal Iki Hiyori.

4 Alucard

Castlevania

The son of Dracula and a human woman, Alucard serves as one of the main characters in the Netflix Castlevania series. Also known as Adrian Tepes, Alucard inherited his immortality from his father. But the murder of his mother and Dracula's subsequent need for revenge causes Alucard to take a stand against him.

3 Dio Brando

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Dio Brando takes center stage in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure as its main villain. Immortal due to his status as a vampire, Dio is also extremely powerful, being the only character in the series to have two tripods. His personal stand, known as The World, is already powerful in its own right and can manipulate time.

Due to his traumatic childhood, Dio has greater ambitions and wants to become the most powerful person in the world. As with all the villains on this list, Dio is arrogant, ruthless, and charismatic, willing to do anything to achieve his dreams, no matter the cost.

2 Sukuna

Jujutsu Kaisen

As the King of Curses and the most powerful curse in jujutsu history, Sukuna achieved immortality and near-immortal status beyond any other curse. Originally human, Sukuna was a powerful curse user dating back to the Heian era and considered one of the worst sorcerers to ever live.

Sukuna makes a contract with Kenjaku, who splits his soul into 20 fingers to extend his life indefinitely. This came about after Sukuna agreed to participate in the Culling Game, intending to return to life through a suitable vessel (aka Itadori Yuji). However, the latter did not exactly pan out as Sukuna and Kenjaku had intended, instead spelling their doom.

1 Ryuk

Death Note

A god of death (or Shinigami), Death Note's Ryuk is a naturally immortal being and an iconic character in the series. He gives away his Death Note due to boredom and is thoroughly entertained by the chaos Light Yagami causes using the notebook.

Ryuk would occasionally provide information about the Death Note and Shinigami. But he's blunt, telling Light that he's only here as long as it amuses him. The moment Light was revealed and defeated by Near, Ryuk did as he promised, killing Light and retrieving his Death Note.