History HellishPupils / AnimeAndManga

** Nia's cross-pupiled green-and-pink eyes are pretty freaky when you first see them, but still [[{{Moe}} extremely cute]]. [[spoiler: Until she gets {{More Than Mind Control}}led by the bad guys, her eye colors change to something scarier, and she turns into [[EvilIsSexy a hot version of the Silver Surfer]].]]

* In ''Manga/ApocalypseNoToride'' (Fortress of The Apocalypse), the four juvenile delinquents encounter a giant mountain of rotting zombies controlled by an androgynous naked man on the top, using the zombies like a grotesque throne. When Maeda (the most innocent of the gang) catches its attention, said naked man (who was about a half-mile away) uses the zombies to move like a hideous organism at lightning speed, until it's only a foot in front of the terrified youth. A close-up reveals that it has [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Sharingan]]-like eyes, with three smaller eyes inhabiting each of its pupils.

** Kirika's eyes become blank and soulless slits when her "other" personality awakens. In this case, her partner Mireille very clearly notices that something is wrong, making her more attentive that most people in animeland.

* In ''LightNovel/FateZero'', Gilgamesh has red eyes with snake-like slit pupils. This is emphasized in an extreme close-up on one at the end of Episode 12, and the pupil dilates and contracts several times as he talks.

* Xellos the Priest of ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' has these, along with purple eyes. Naturally, they serve as a RedRightHand to his true nature as a Monster, and he only shows them when he's being serious

* ''Lightnovel/TheWayToProtectTheFemaleLeadsOlderBrother'': Lant Agriche and a handful of his children have those, sometimes combined with [[RedEyesTakeWarning red irises]]. Agriches are well-known InUniverse for being a BigScrewedUpFamily full of carefully cultivated sociopaths, and this reputation is absolutely deserved.

** Many of the [[ArtificialHuman Homunculi]] have these. In fact, you can note the contrast between human eyes and homunculus eyes in [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]] when [[spoiler:Envy feeds Wrath incomplete Philosopher Stones]].

* [[AnAxeToGrind Bardiche]] of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' used to have [[FacelessEye a slitted eye in its]] PowerCrystal. When Fate [[HeelFaceTurn switched sides]], the eye is never seen again.

* Sumire from ''Manga/VenusVersusVirus'' has cross-shaped pupils along with RedEyesTakeWarning while in her Berserker state.
* Xellos the Priest of ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' has these, along with purple eyes. Naturally, they serve as a RedRightHand to his true nature as a Monster, and he only shows them when he's being serious

* Used by Evangeline A.K. [=McDowell=] of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' whenever she taps into her vampiric powers: the pupils slit, the sclera turns black and the iris starts to glow yellow. Interestingly enough she only does this AFTER she relinquishes her antagonistic role, for such purposes as [[RightBehindMe scaring the shit out of Anya]] for the lulz.
* Used by certain of the Aoyama girls in ''Manga/LoveHina'', typically right before doing something violent/evil. Happens somewhere around Chapter 70. Naru also gets a pair in Volume 8 on Parakelse Island.
* The [[BigBad Lunatic Magician]] from ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'' has creepy keyhole shaped pupils.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
** Many of the [[ArtificialHuman Homunculi]] have these. In fact, you can note the contrast between human eyes and homunculus eyes in [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]] when [[spoiler:Envy feeds Wrath incomplete Philosopher Stones]].
*** It's not immediately obvious, because Ling usually has his eyes closed, [[spoiler:but there is a noticeable difference between Ling's normal pupils when he's in control and his homunculus pupils when Greed is in control.]]
** Kimblee, who is human but a complete psycho has creepy, reptilian eyes.
** King Bradley [[spoiler:a.k.a. Wrath]] has his [[spoiler:Ouroboros mark]] on his left eye, covered by an [[EyepatchOfPower eyepatch]].

* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
** Gajeel Redfox has slitted red eyes, like those of a lizard or dragon. Makes sense, since he's the [[ExtraOreDinary Iron Dragon Slayer]], was raised by a dragon, and is easily the most feral of the seven Dragon Slayers shown so far.
** The Raijinshuu: Evergreen's and Bickslow's [[GlowingEyesOfDoom eyes glow]] underneath their PowerLimiter, whereas Fried's sclera turn black with a glowing purple pupil.
** Rogue has eyes identical to Gajeel's, though he is a calm if not somewhat overconfident person who gracefully accepts defeat and the idea that he may have overestimated himself, and shows kindness and consideration to others without even having to have Natsu beat the idea into him. The only design purpose they seem to serve is to make him look more like Gajeel.
* ''Anime/{{Noir}}'':
** Kirika's eyes become blank and soulless slits when her "other" personality awakens. In this case, her partner Mireille very clearly notices that something is wrong, making her more attentive that most people in animeland.
** Chloe has similar, if only slightly softer eyes all the time, indicating how she is far more deeply and closely indoctrinated to her role as Noir, than either Kirika or Mireille.
%%* Prince Lotor from ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''.
%%* Nehellenia from ''Manga/SailorMoon''.

* If someone's eyes do this in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'', they're in big, big trouble. [[spoiler:It means that whoever in that scene has ''normal'' eyes is hallucinating, and is about to go AxCrazy.]] If someone's eyes ''[[MindControlEyes lack]]'' pupils, that's a sure sign of craziness or emotional brokenness.
* Tyranno Hassleberry/Kenzan from ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' gets HellishPupils whenever accessing the power of his "Dinosaur DNA" that he gained from a bone transplant from an accident at a fossil dig.
** Then when Judai enters Haou mode or becomes Haou Judai, his eyes turn an evil yellow. After [[spoiler:fusing with Yubel,]] they then turn green and yellow, same as [[spoiler:hers.]]
* This is also one of the defining traits of the [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds Dark Signers]] -- they have very small pupils as well as black sclera.
* Around half the characters in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'', and almost any other show involving otherwise {{Badass Normal}}s with some form of berserker ability.
* Vinegar Doppio from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'' gains nightmarish black pupils with smaller black dots around them whenever [[spoiler: his [[SplitPersonality Diavolo persona]] takes over or influences his body.]]
%%* Ayano, in ''LightNovel/KazeNoStigma''.
* Several different characters in ''Manga/GetBackers'' begin to reveal that they carry [[spoiler:Stigma, their pupils forming a cross, which indicate that've surpassed mortal restrictions]] towards the end of the manga. Generally, characters use special contact lenses to hide this trait. When they remove the lens, however, even running away is generally not going to do much good. Other characters don't bother to hide it at all. Taken to its extreme by [[spoiler:the Voodoo King, who has ''three'' eyes and has Stigma in ''all three of them.'']]
* Train Heartnet from ''Manga/BlackCat'' sports a cat's slit eyes, although it seems to highlight his feline features more than it makes him evil. When the slits become especially pronounced, however, bad things start to happen. He manages to scare an entire squad of bodyguards into submission just by walking past them with these eyes.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** Whenever Naruto begins using the Nine Tailed Fox's power, his eyes turn red and his pupils become slits. [[TruthInTelevision Real foxes actually do have eyes like this]] except they are orange, yellow, or brown instead of red.
** Orochimaru has yellow eyes with slitted pupils to further the [[AnimalEyes snake]] motif.
** When Gaara's demonic side comes out, his eyes turn yellow, with pupils shaped along with the sand that envelops his body.
** The [[MagicalEye Sharingan eyes]], which are possessed by Sasuke, Itachi, Kakashi, and various other characters, and when activated are red and have three extra comma-shaped pupils surrounding the center.
** Naruto again, when he completes the Sage mode, accompanied by "froggy" eyes with rectangular pupils.
*** Additionally: at one point, he uses both sage mode and fox chakra at once, and ''both kinds'' [[http://i.neoseeker.com/mgv/459892/892/30/fox_sage_mode_display.jpg overlap with each other.]]
** The series has plenty of these, with the Rinnegan, Orochimaru's eyes... actually, most of the Akatsuki seems to have strange eyes.
* ''Manga/FruitsBasket'':
** Kyo is possessed by the Cat spirit of the Zodiac; thus, when he's angry or otherwise extremely emotional, his eyes become yellow and slitted. Played almost always for comedy in the anime, but the manga uses it half the time for dramatic effect.
** In the manga, Yuki has a similar effect; on occasion, he's displayed something like the Rat's eyes, where his eyes lighten and his pupils disappear altogether.
** On the other hand, Hatsuharu, when he goes [[SplitPersonality Black]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Haru]], goes from [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m34n57fyCY1qd3zeko1_500.jpg this]] to [[http://www.freewebs.com/pita_pyon/Black%20Haru.jpg this.]] Akito has done this too. Basically, if Natsuki Takaya draws someone's pupils clearly defined, then something's going down...

* Another not-really-human example: Arcueid from ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}''. Whenever she gets [[UnstoppableRage really, really angry]], her HypnoticEyes turn [[SupernaturalGoldEyes Gold]] and slitted, at which point only the strongest of characters can fight back, or even move.
* The Blade Children in ''Manga/{{Spiral}}'' all have slit pupils (and crazy hair colours). They don't seem to actually exist, as the characters constantly talk about how the only way to identify one is their missing ''rib''.
** This is kind of weird, actually. With the five primary Blade Children, the boys always have the slit-pupils, while the girls only have them when they're feeling something very strongly. The anime uses this to good effect in one episode focusing on Sayoko Shiranagatani, a Blade Child who has amnesia and is being targeted by a Hunter. The camera constantly focuses on her eyes when she's in danger, and her pupils never go down to slits the way Rio's or Ryoko's would, emphasizing the point that she's escaped the Blade Children's fate.
*** Or the fact that she's completely deadpan and emotionless in that episode. Anyway, the above only works with the anime; in the manga, Blade Children's pupils go weird when they're feeling murderous - either actually fighting or just being threatening. (It makes the threatening very effective.) That also stands for the boys and is particularly striking in Kanone's case, as his eyes go from large and kind-looking to just freaky.
** And then Hizumi's eyes are just crazy all the time. (It's in fact sort of related.)

* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'':
** Nia's cross-pupiled green-and-pink eyes are pretty freaky when you first see them, but still [[{{Moe}} extremely cute]]. [[spoiler: Until she gets {{More Than Mind Control}}led by the bad guys, her eye colors change to something scarier, and she turns into [[EvilIsSexy a hot version of the Silver Surfer]].]]
** Viral also has HellishPupils, and he's a particularly BadassLongcoat in a series that runneth over with badass. {{Justified|Trope}} in that he's part cat-shark-man, so he has cat-like pupils.
** [[spoiler:Nia's father]] Lord Genome has spiral-shaped eyes, but this is less to show him as being evil (since he's a WellIntentionedExtremist) and more to emphasise his badassery and mastery of Spiral Energy.
* ''Manga/DGrayMan'':
** When the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent not-quite-a-vampire]] Arystar Krory drinks the blood of an Akuma, his hair stands up and his eyes get this black veiny sunken look to them. He is a good guy, though.
** Allen Walker has a cursed eye, which goes black with concentric red rings when he spots an Akuma.
** Beside having goden eyes in his noah form like all Noah, the earl of Millennium has slitted pupils.
*** Major spoiler ahead [[spoiler: Allen Walker in his Noah form too. This serves as a Foreshadowing that the memory inside Allen is that of half the Millennium earl]] Hellish indeed.
* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'':
** Kiria. Bonus for them being different colored HellishPupils, specifically one vertical slit, one horizontal.
** This is also a common trait among vampires, except Outer Moka (and even then, her SuperpoweredEvilSide has them).

* All of the demons in ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'' have these (of course), but some are more evil than others -- in fact, the title character (Chrono) has them, and he's one of the ''good'' guys.

* [[AnAxeToGrind Bardiche]] of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' used to have [[FacelessEye a slitted eye in its]] PowerCrystal. When Fate [[HeelFaceTurn switched sides]], the eye is never seen again (barring her transformation in the ''A's'' movie).
** Speaking of the ''A's'' movie, Vita's pupils go slitted when [[BerserkButton Nanoha damages her hat]] (in the anime, she had WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises).
* In ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' Manga only, Hinagiku and Wataru. It might symbolize their aggressive personalities; as they're certainly not evil. Certain other characters get them when being sneaky/violent, but these two ''sometimes'' have them when not doing anything in particular. There is no meaning, yet. In the anime adaptation, the Superintendent and Wataru normally have the eyes, and Hinagiku can summon it when she gets really annoyed.
* In ''Manga/SoulEater'' Arachne has spiderweb patterns on her eyeballs; Medusa has snake-like eyes; Asura has 'eyes' inside his eyes (more like vertical eye-shaped irises).
** Not to mention when [[spoiler:Black Star]] starts showing signs of turning out like [[spoiler:his father (who nearly became another [[HumanoidAbomination Kishin]])]] his pupils sometimes have yellow stars appear in them.
*** [[spoiler:More recently his has taken on a blue color]]
*** [[spoiler:Akane from the spin-off also has them.]]
** This is also inverted somewhat since some normal characters have strange pupils (for example Kid has multi-shaded gold coloured irises while Maka's aren't even visible unless she's getting worked up).
** Kid's eyes can look [[http://www.onemanga.com/Soul_Eater/0/c-07/ kind of creepy]]. Can't see another example of it, though, so might be a one-off. In his case, the main physical indication he's other than human has turned out to be his [[MarkOfTheSupernatural skunk-striped hair]].
*** [[spoiler: When he becomes a full Shinigami, his pupils permanently turn into skulls.]]
*** Another slightly off indication would be whenever his eyes are drawn triangular and blank white. This has shown up in two particularly intense/serious fight scenes - when he's forced to fight both Black Star and later Mosquito 'seriously'.
** Blair's human form features yellow irises and slitted pupils, akin to Medusa. Justified that she's actually a cat.

* Outright subverted in ''Manga/TheLawOfUeki'' by the title character Kosuke Ueki, who has very narrow slit-like irises (possibly just pupils and no irises at all), and yet he's a very kind and just person. The same is true for his [[SinkOrSwimMentor mentor]] Kobayashi... when his ScaryShinyGlasses aren't in full swing, that is.
* ''Manga/GeGeGeNoKitaro'' has this in spades because let's face it, it's full of fucking ''youkai.''
* Yomi of ''Manga/GaRei''. It's much clearer in the prequel anime, ''Anime/GaReiZero''. Either way, she's more of an AntiVillain than anything else.
* A subversion of this can be found in ''Manga/NatsumesBookOfFriends'', where the protagonist has slitted eyes, but this indicates not that he's a nasty youkai but that he can see them. Played straight with some youkai, who also have slitted eyes and at least start off rather nasty.
* ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'':
** Kisara has catlike eyes. Initially this depicts her as vicious, but a new light gets thrown on this with the discovery that she is actually a closet KindheartedCatLover.
** Aagard Jum Sai, the Muay Thai master of Yami, has asterisk-shaped pupils. [[http://www.onemanga.com/Historys_Strongest_Disciple_Kenichi/375/05/ Not sure how that works]].
* Subverted with ''Anime/BloodyMonday'''s Fujimaru and his dad, whose Hellish Pupils show up when they're about to do something heroically badass.
* Subverted/played as a variant of MysticEyes in the manga adaptation of ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV''. In this 'verse, HellishPupils are seen as Dragon Eyes, signs that the bearer is of great destiny and possessed with PsychicPowers of being a {{Seer|s}} of the future [[spoiler:not to mention being a PhysicalGod]]. (This even extends to a summoner-character developing HellishPupils when voluntarily possessed by CoolBigSis Deis.)
* ''Manga/PandoraHearts'':
** Charlotte, [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname also known as]] Lotti. Also Zwei and [[spoiler:Leo]].
** [[spoiler:The previous Glen AKA Revis]] has them too.
* Andrea of ''Anime/{{Gankutsuou}}'' has these, which help to highlight his insanity.
%%* Luka of ''Manga/BetrayalKnowsMyName''.
* ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' has Guilmon do this whenever he smells a Digimon. His normally round pupils go slitted and he starts growling. And it may be due only to their extremely strong bond, but the one time in the series that [[BewareTheNiceOnes Takato]] lost his temper, his eyes underwent the same transformation.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'':
** Inuyasha is a [[HalfHumanHybrid half-demon]] that has SupernaturalGoldEyes with slitted pupils. Considering what those tropes usually represent it is a little surprising that not only is he a good guy he's the ''hero.'' Now, if his pupils turn more slitted and ''blue'' and his [[RedEyesTakeWarning sclera red]], [[SuperPoweredEvilSide then we have a problem.]]
** The same applies to Sesshoumaru. (This also gives a ''really'' good excuse to flee; you don't want to mess with an unbelievably large, powerful, angry, and regally fluffy dog [[{{Youkai}} demon]] lord.)
** Many, if not most, bestial {{Youkai}} also have slitted eyes. And yes, that includes [[TagalongKid Shippo]] and [[TeamPet Kirara]].
** Koga's eyes in fact have ''no'' pupils. By the time of his introduction, we've decided that if a character has not-round pupils, they ain't human.
* ''Manga/BlackButler'':
** When Sebastian is acting especially demonic, his eyes are a dark shade of pink/pinkish red and his pupils are slits
** Also, In episode 12 of Season 2 [[spoiler:Ciel]] also gets turned into a demon, and is shown a few times with eyes similar to Sebastian's.
* Cell from ''Manga/DragonBall Z'' has these in his first form.
* All Dream Demons in ''Manga/DreamEaterMerry'' have eyes with pupils of nonstandard shape, which occasionally glow white. Merry herself has rectangular pupils like a sheep's.

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': Guts gets these when he's in his standard action kill-kill-kill mode, which are merely his irises drawn in scribbled detail (its the BlankWhiteEyes or WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises that you need to ''really'' [[UhOhEyes look out for]]). Griffith, on the other hand, has piercing white slitted irises when he is in his Godhand form that is Femto. It makes his KubrickStare all the more terrifying.
* When Yakumo from ''Manga/SazanEyes'' draws power from [[spoiler:Amara]], his eyes become completely white with no pupils at all, along with some other demonic changes. [[TheDragon Benares]], who otherwise looks like a normal if large human, always has deep red eyes with reptilian pupils. [[spoiler: Yoko Ayanokoji and Yakumo sports the same eyes when they're temporarily possessed by him.]]
* In ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'', the former captain of the Generation of Miracles, Akashi, has these.
* In ''Manga/ApocalypseNoToride'' (Fortress of The Apocalypse), the four juvenile delinquents encounter a giant mountain of rotting zombies controlled by an androgynous naked man on the top, using the zombies like a grotesque throne. When Maeda (the most innocent of the gang) catches its attention, said naked man (who was about a half-mile away) uses the zombies to move like a hideous organism at lightning speed, until it's only a foot in front of the terrified youth. A close-up reveals that it has [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Sharingan]]-like eyes, with three smaller eyes inhabiting each of its pupils.
* [[AsianFoxSpirit Tomoe]] from ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' has them. So does Mizuki, Sukuna and Akura-Ou.
* Arlong from ''Manga/OnePiece'', when angry, has bloodshot eyes resembling those of a Sea King that's about to attack. Not even Nami, who spent eight years forced to work under him, ever saw him this pissed off.
* In ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'', the eyes of the Remnants of Sephiroth have catlike slits for pupils -- as do those of Sephiroth himself, though less pronounced. When Cloud is suffering from a particularly intense spasm from the Geostigma disease, his eyes briefly turn like the Remnants'.
* In ''LightNovel/FateZero'', Gilgamesh has red eyes with snake-like slit pupils. This is emphasized in an extreme close-up on one at the end of Episode 12, and the pupil dilates and contracts several times as he talks.
* Demons in ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'' tend to have slitted pupils when not wearing {{Power Limiter}}s.
* Mashiro from ''Manga/ThouShaltNotDie'' ends up with these types of eyes after she snaps.
* [[Manga/HellsKitchen2010 Dogma]] has cross-shaped pupils. Somewhat ironic when you consider that he's a [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon.]]
* Sendo from ''Manga/HajimeNoIppo'', tying in with his nickname 'the Naniwa Tiger', sometimes displays these, most prominently in chapter 1091 in his fight against the Mexican champion Nargo.
* ''Anime/Dororo2019'': Hyakkimaru and Dororo have the same dark red eyes, but Hyakkimaru's eyes alternate between having slit demonic pupils when he is fighting and round human pupils when calm or emotional.
* In ''Manga/ExcelSaga'', people from the lost civilization of Solaria have yellow cat eyes, a trait Il Palazzo, Doctor Kabapu, and [[spoiler:Miwa Rengaya]] share.
* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'': The series loves experimenting with eye design, and nowhere is this more evident than its demons, who ''often'' have slits for pupils, but not always - others have X-shaped pupils, double pupils, and the Twelve Kizuki have numbers in one eye (with outcast Kizuki having it messily crossed out). Interestingly, Tamayo, a "free" demon who [[FriendlyNeighbourhoodVampire gets by on small amounts of blood]] and has devoted her life to healing rather than killing, has no pupils ''at all''. Nezuko's eyes look relatively normal, if pink, when her human side is dominant, but when they turn into slits, [[LetsGetDangerous she's about to make a mess]].

* The title heroine of ''Manga/BirdyTheMighty'' is depicted with reptile or cat-like eyes, though with more focus on them in the remake manga as they're a sign [[spoiler:her genetics came from Atlan Emperor Etania.]]
* The aptly named Oculus in ''Anime/DeathParade'' has big black eyes with a green slit for a pupil that narrows depending on his mood. While not technically a villain, he is one of the more antagonistic characters in the series and definitely the most mysterious.

* When Yakumo from ''Manga/SazanEyes'' draws power from [[spoiler:Amara]], his eyes become completely white with no pupils at all, along with some other demonic changes. [[TheDragon Benares]], who otherwise looks like a normal if large human, always has deep red eyes with reptilian pupils. [[spoiler: Yoko Ayanokoji and Yakumo sports the same eyes when they're temporarly possessed by him.]]

* Taken UpToEleven in ''Manga/ApocalypseNoToride'' (Fortress of The Apocalypse) where the four juvenile delinquents encounter a giant mountain of rotting zombies controlled by an androgynous naked man on the top, using the zombies like a grotesque throne. When Maeda (the most innocent of the gang) catches its attention, said naked man (who was about a half-mile away) uses the zombies to move like a hideous organism at lightening speed, until its only a foot in front of the terrified youth. A close-up reveals that it has [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Sharingan]]-like eyes, with three smaller eyes inhabiting each of its pupils.

* [[{{Kitsune}} Tomoe]] from ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' has them. So does Mizuki, Sukuna and Akura-Ou.

** [[ChaoticEvil Kiria]]. Bonus for them being different colored HellishPupils, specifically one vertical slit, one horizontal.

* In ''Manga/SoulEater'' Arachne has spiderweb patterns on her eyeballs; Medusa (shown above) has snake-like eyes; Asura has 'eyes' inside his eyes (more like vertical eye-shaped irises).