Zombies have become a major theme in almost every form of entertainment these past few years. The zombie genre itself has evolved over the years as well since the world was exposed to Night of the Living Dead. Resident Evil pioneered the survival horror genre, 28 Days later introduced us to fast moving swarm zombies and The Walking Dead really brought the undead into the homes of millions.

This week, which just happens to be Easter/Passover as well, let’s take a quick look at our Top 5 Zombie anime.

5. Zombie Loan (ゾンビローン) – Not your typical brain eating zombie anime. In fact the main characters are good guys who just happen to be zombies themselves! The only thing keeping them alive is paying back a zombie loan – a deal they strike with a ferryman which involves them hunting down lesser zombies.

4. Resident Evil Degeneration – Speaking of Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan), this CG features Leon and Claire 1 year after the events in Resident Evil 4 the game.  It’s choc-ful of RE goodness with a not-so-surprise cameo by some series favorites.

3. High School of the Dead (学園黙示録 ) – If one ever needed a clearer example of Japanese anime culture meeting western zombie conventions, High School of the Dead is it! A mysterious pandemic gives rise to a zombie apocalypse that rips through the heart o Tokyo and it’s up to a rag tag group of gung-ho Battle Royale type high school students to make it back to school – a designated “safe zone”. The series creator Daisuke Sato recently passed away at the age of 52 leaving the fate of his 4 volume series in limbo but the 12 episode anime is still worth watching.

2. Tokyo Ghoul (東京喰種) – College student and social misfit Ken Kaneki goes on a date with a cute girl somewhere in Tokyo who just so happens to be, yup you guessed it.. a ghoul. He barely manages to survive the encounter and is saved only because some doctor decided to give him an organ transplant from the dun dun duuuuunnnnnn.. yup his zombie date. Gore ensues. Also there is the issue of him hiding his new identity to humans around him as well as trying to fit into the ghoul/zombie lifestyle.  You think Vampire life sucks? Try being a zombie!

1. Koutetsujou no Kabaneri – Set in the industrial revolution, a virus (ring any bells?) infects a populace and turns normal humans into flesh eating zombies called Kabane (カバネ) or corpses . Those who were lucky enough to survive manage to create stations / bases to protect them from attack and infection. Picture Attack on Titan with zombies- complete with a human – corpse hybrid as the main hero. This new series is pretty brutal and sure to satisfy your gore-tastic cravings!

Hope some of these titles sparked some interest. If you happen to like some that aren’t on the list, let us know! And in the spirit of the season, Happy Easter everyone!