Line #3 ParanoiaFuel/AnimeAndManga


1	Examples of ParanoiaFuel in Anime & Manga.
2	----
3	* ''Manga/SevenSeeds'': You're in a post-apocalyptic world, no idea how much time ''actually'' passed since you were cryogenically frozen to survive the disaster, you have to survive and you see ruins of cities or shelters. Is someone in there? Are they ''alive''? Is there a chance that ''you'' can survive in this world?
4	* ''Literature/{{Another}}'': You can't run, you can't hide. [[ElevatorFailure You can't take the elevator]], [[StaircaseTumble you can't take the stairs]]. Because [[EverythingTryingToKillYou every little thing could quite possibly kill you]], no matter what you do. The anime's oppressive atmosphere does not help this matter at all. Even worse is that the curse is not limited to the students of Class 3A but to family members related by two degrees of separation, so even if you make it out through the day w/o any incident you could make it home to find out that your parent or sibling has died or get a phone call saying one of them has been in an accident.
5	* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': Say you live in a walled city. Outside are a race of man-eating giants who want nothing more than to exterminate all of humanity. But good thing the wall’s over three times higher than any known Titan... until one day the Colossal titan (''even taller than the wall'') arrives and smashes a hole in one of the perimeter walls. Titans flood in and wreck havoc. Okay, so you’ve escaped the massacre with your two best friends and the three of you are now training in the military. You’re going to kill every last one of those titans... [[spoiler: only, wait, what? There’s ''spies''? Okay, but you trust your squad, right? No way any of them could betray you, right? Yes, they can. Think you can spot them? Well, unless you feel like accusing [[TheMentor your mentor]], the resident ExtremeDoormat, and the ''friggin' TeamDad''...]]
6	* In ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'', everything is out to get you it seems. EVERYTHING. Nobody is on your side, because you know what? Even your best friend will sell you out, so you really can't trust ''anybody'': your friends, your family, your lover, even your [[GodAndSatanAreBothJerks goddamned congregation wants to do something to you!]] And whenever something bad happens to you, it was MEANT to happen to you, because you know what else? [[spoiler: GodIsEvil.]] [[BecauseDestinySaysSo And it said so.]]
7	** In the case of the behelits and the sacrificial ceremony, you aren't sacrificed because you are detested or hated (at least not entirely): you're sacrificed because you are considered to be the most beloved and cherished person to the behelit owner. The whole sacrificial rite can pretty much be summed up as the powers of [[PowerOfLove love]] and [[PowerOfFriendship friendship]] being drunk on terror.
8	*** And just to top it off, even after a person sacrifices one beloved person and becomes a nigh-invulnerable apostle, there might come a time where they are weakened and must renew their lives again with ''another'' sacrifice. So if your new BFF has [[ArtifactOfDoom this weird]] [[EggMacGuffin egg-shaped stone]] [[ClingyMacGuffin laying around]], our best advice: '''[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere RUN.]]'''
9	* ''{{Manga/Bleach}}'':
10	** Sociopathic MadScientist Mayuri Kurotsuchi reveals that he put spy-bacteria in one of the heroes. Think about that for a moment. A literal "bug" that can never be detected -- no symptoms -- and thus, can't be eliminated. He sees and hears ''everything'' the infected person does. And there's nothing that can be done about it.
11	** Aizen Sousuke has the power of complete hypnosis. What this means is that once someone has seen him release his sword, even once, he can completely control what they see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Think about ''that''. You could just walk past the guy on the street one day... and from that moment, he has taken complete control of your mind, and you wouldn't even be able to tell. What's more, it has been shown repeatedly that the reader cannot see through his illusions unless he lets you. It would seem that anyone who reads the manga or watches the anime is already under his control. Does this world even exist? Does this wiki exist? Is this all an illusion created to further Aizen's plan? There is no way to know.
12	*** [[MemeticMutation EVERYTHING is part]] of [[EvilPlan Aizen's plan.]]
13	** Aizen later claims that he's been watching Ichigo since the day he was born. Ichigo quickly goes ShutUpHannibal, but he's rightfully unnerved. [[spoiler:It turns out Aizen wasn't lying, he was there when Ichigo's parents met, and he's the reason they met in the first place.]]
14	** The Shinigami are invisible to normal humans. They could be sitting next to you, watching what you do and deciding if you are a potential threat. They might be influencing your life their way to raise you the way ''they'' want. It's happened. Oh, and if you catch sight of them, they can modify your memories so that your closest friends might think you're crazy.
15	** Congratulations! Hollows also fit the criteria above but they have no sapience and no cunning. No, they are AlwaysChaoticEvil and act on their instinct. An instinct to kill, that is. They could kill you in your sleep, taunt you, or stalk you without you knowing. Those Shinigami we mentioned? Oh, they're not that reliable. And you yourself might become one when you die due to some Shinigami not sending to Soul Society in time. Let's not go into Arrancar, shall we?
16	** People affiliated with X-Cution. [[spoiler: One of them, Shukuro Tsukishima, has the power of rewriting people's memories. You've been away for few hours... and once you come back home, you find your loved ones (sisters, friends, boss) all under his control. And you '''can't''' call him out on anything, lest your brainwashed loved ones may think YOU are the bad guy.]] Brrrrrrr! Nicely summed up here:
17	--->"[[spoiler: Aizen]] made you think you lost your friend. [[spoiler: Bookman]] actually takes your friends. Makes them do a lap dance. Then they ask you what's wrong while the tassels are spinning."
18	** [[spoiler: Tsukishima can also rewrite the past of ''inanimate objects.'' The only thing [[SpannerInTheWorks that fails in these plans]] is that, well, the opponent he fought was none other than ''Byakuya Kuchiki''.]]
19	** Ginjo claims that [[spoiler: the Substitute Shinigami badge that Ukitake gave Ichigo was actually a device used to monitor him and suppress his powers, which would explain why Ichigo's powers fluctuate. Ukitake was the mastermind of a plot to use Ichigo as a pawn and then kill him if he steps out of line or [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlives his usefulness]].]] Even if Ginjo was lying, it's still very unsettling.
20	*** [[spoiler: And there's a subversion: Ichigo was smart enough to figure this on his own, and he actually thought it was a necessary (if not sensible) measure. [[ShutUpHannibal And then he tells Ginjo to STFU]].]]
21	** Guenael Lee is known as "The Vanishing Point", because he can instantly disappear from your sight and memory at will. He can be right next to you and you won't notice until he allows you to.
22	* ''Manga/CaseClosed'':
23	** The sheer ComplexityAddiction exhibited by practically every murderer shown in the series makes it so that were it not for the apparent abundance of [[BatDeduction implausibly]] [[GreatDetective clever detectives]] in the setting, the vast majority of the murders would go completely unsolved. In this world, OccamsRazor is a ''major handicap for a criminal investigator''. It's worse when there's a specific another suspect who was intended as TheScapegoat ''on purpose''.
24	** The [[MagnificentBastard creativity]] and [[BestServedCold patience]] of many murderers adds an element of this for the eventual victims. Imagine [[FalseFriend a friend]], [[BigScrewedUpFamily a]] [[CainAndAbel family]] [[SelfMadeOrphan member]], or a colleague whom [[FarmerAndTheViper you thought you've known for years]] suddenly coming for your head. It is only then that you find out they were actually very close to another person whom you'd wronged years ago, leading to that person's [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]].
25	*** The creepiest part is when the reason why the eventual murderer takes years to get into the victim's good graces is simply so that they can learn the victim's specific habits and tics, ones that nobody else would normally pay any attention to. Do you have an uncommon way of drinking tea? One day, the cup you were drinking from was poisoned on [[BatmanGambit the very spot where you rest your thumb]].
26	*** On the other hand, for a majority of the cases in the series, the victim seemed to always [[AssholeVictim have it coming]]. In fact, usually the very reason why in so many cases EveryoneIsASuspect is that [[WhoMurderedTheAsshole the victim seemed to go out of their way to give everyone they knew a motive to murder them]]. This is why, for long-time readers of the series, the expectation is that the [[HateSink most contemptible bastard]] who shows up in a new case will be [[StartToCorpse the one to go]]. So if there's any lesson to be had, it's "don't be a dick to literally everyone you ever meet".
27	* ''{{Manga/Claymore}}'': Your parents, your siblings, your best friend who you've known forever, that guy/girl you secretly have a crush on...they could all be disguised Youma and you wouldn't even be able to tell until five seconds after it starts eating you.
28	* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
29	** ''Code Geass'' provides Paranoia Fuel in the form of Mao, an insane [[{{Telepathy}} mind-reader]] with the [[MoralMyopia moral sensibilities]] of a [[PsychopathicManchild six-year-old boy]]. He's not good with people, but if he takes any interest in you, he ''will'' dig through your head and read all your thoughts, and if he sees ''anything'' he doesn't approve of, he'll MindRape and kill you. ''Anytime he wants!'' ''Everybody'' has unpleasant thoughts or urges they may not even notice (including you). And if you have any ''real'' skeletons in your closet, may God help you! And if he ''does'' like you? You're not much better off. Because once Mao finds you, you'll see that ''[[ChainsawGood he loves his chainsaw]]''. And he'll try to ''[[AxCrazy make you compact]]''.
30	** How about the idea that your classmate is a terrorist that can make you do anything he wants, even if ''its against your very nature.''
31	* ''Manga/DGrayMan'' has Akuma. They are souls of the dead who wear the body of the person who asked the [[BigBad Millennium Earl]] to revive them. This means that anyone can be [[{{Squick}} killed and worn]] by an Akuma, with no outward signs. Only Allen Walker can tell who's an Akuma and who isn't. To make matters worse, even the weakest ones are ImmuneToBullets, and the stronger start the trip to NighInvulnerable.
32	** The manga goes into this further when Allen's Akuma-sensing eye is injured and recovering (and thus temporarily not usable). He becomes incredibly paranoid about being attacked, not knowing just who would be an Akuma (and wearing the uniform of the Black Order, so that Akuma would know just by looking at him that he's their enemy). It's then pointed out to Allen that's exactly the kind of thing his allies in the order have to deal with ''all the time'', since Allen is the only one able to see which are Akuma. [[spoiler: Although later, when Allen's eye upgrades to allow his nearby allies to see what he sees, it's all but stated that said ability becomes Paranoia Fuel for others in the Black Order.]]
33	** Another layer of Paranoia Fuel: every human has the potential to awaken as a Noah due to all humans carrying a bit of the blood of the original Noah.
34	* ''Manga/DeadmanWonderland'': You've been flawlessly framed for mass-murder, to the point that your girlfriend's father, whom you've known for your whole life, has to be restrained from beating you to death on the spot to avenge her death. Ditto for the parents of your other 28 classmates. You're the only surviving witness to the crime, and no one believes you. Your lawyer is part of the frame-up. In prison, you are forced to fight for your life with the guards actively trying to kill you, while you have to earn enough money to buy medicated candies every three days to counteract the poison they're pumping into your neck, and they're not cheap, so you have no choice but to volunteer for deadly competitions in order to come up with the money. Your new girlfriend is a ForgottenChildhoodFriend- forgotten because you repressed the memories of the cruel experiments you saw performed on her, but the truly horrifying part is that while this girl keeps saving your life, [[spoiler: she is actually the one who committed the mass-murder you were framed for.]]
35	* ''Manga/DeathNote:'' Your life can be ended at anytime just by having some Japanese god write your name in a notebook. Moreover, it's implied that this happens ''all the time.'' And any one of them can make it so you kill yourself. In fact, they can make you do almost anything they want for twenty-three days before you go. That doubt in the back of head, saying none of this is true? Are you sure that's what ''you'' think?
36	** The kicker is, even if you '''do''' know for sure that that's what's happening to you, [[YouCantFightFate there isn't a damn thing you can do about it.]]
37	** That handsome, friendly, incredibly smart guy in your math class, who's always such a gentleman? He's a SerialKiller.
38	** Even dying won't spare you from any of this. [[spoiler:[[CessationOfExistence There's no afterlife.]]]]
39	* ''Manga/DragonBallZ'': Trunks tells Goku that in 3 years time, a couple of killer cyborgs more powerful than he and the other Z Fighters will appear and kill them all. They spend the next 3 years training and when the day arrives, they realize they don't even know what the cyborgs look like! The Z Fighters split up and search the city for them, but there's another problem; being cyborgs, they can't be detected by sense and could literally be anybody in the sprawling metroplois. And then before he knows it, poor Yamcha has Android 20's hand round his mouth...
40	* ''Manga/TheEnigmaOfAmigaraFault''. Human-shaped holes in the wall could unexpectedly and (for unexplained reasons) just show up one day on a cliffside after an earthquake. Odd enough right there. But, now you can't help but be utterly fascinated by these human-shaped holes. And, then you see one that looks ''exactly'' like you... And, you can't help but want to see what happens if you walk inside. [[spoiler:Drr...Drr...]]
41	* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''
42	** Pride is a LivingShadow. As long as there is light, he can be ''anywhere''. See that shadow over there? Any minute it can turn into a rippling black mass of eyes and teeth which will tear you to shreds.
43	** Once Riza figures out who Pride is he says to her "[[BeingWatched I'll be watching from the shadows!]]"
44	** [[{{Manga/Hellsing}} Hellsing's]] Alucard can also do this.
45	*** Wait, so...which one of them was [[Film/TheWall tormenting Pink?]]
46	** Envy, the psycho shapeshifter. [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse Envy could be anyone.]]
47	** ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'' gives us Sloth, who can turn into water and kill people. Or spy on people. Or spy on people ''and then'' kill them.
48	** In both versions, we have the true identity of [[spoiler:Fuhrer King Bradley]]. He seems like a pretty cool guy, a wise, tough as nails war hero and all that...and then, [[spoiler:his eyepatch falls off. And reveals an ouroborus tattoo etched on his eye. The leader of the country is a homunculus]]. To put it into perspective, it's pretty much like finding out that [[spoiler:the president of the United States was a member of TheIlluminati all along]].
49	* For a show that usually dealt in 30-foot vacuum cleaners with angry eyes and bald guys in off-color Piccolo costumes, ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure'' sure threw in some creepiness from the villains. Kiriya infiltrating the school was bad enough, and Poisony's various disguises earned her a special place in Cartoon Hell (particularly when she impersonated Honoka ''very'' effectively, and was foiled only because she ''slightly'' misspoke and Nagisa caught it), but the worst of all--and the king of Paranoia Fuel -- would have to be the three Seeds. The scenes of them remembering their real identities are quite disturbing, and serve to underscore the idea that, until that point, they thought they were ordinary people. Translated to kid language: Forget being attacked by monsters -- you might ''be'' a monster.
50	* In ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' a talented hacker can hack peoples brains. What this means is they can control anything your brain controls; your muscles, your sensory organs, even your memories. So imagine going about your daily business and finding out that wife and kid you loved so much never existed, or that government agents or terrorists are spying on you using your own eyes and ears.
51	* ''Anime/GhostStories'': The whole series is full of paranoia fuel ghost stories, especially the one with the headless motorcyclist, for a specific reason... you'll understand it when you watch it completely. [[spoiler:Just keep a scarf handy IRL.]] ...Unless you happen to watch the [[GagDub English version]]. Even if you ''do'' watch it in English, you're not immune. Sure the dialogue is more tongue-in-cheek, but the characteristics of the ghosts and the terror they cause remain largely intact.
52	* ''Manga/GhostTalkersDaydream'': The ghosts themselves, especially [[{{Muggle}} for people like Kadotake.]]
53	** Think about it: They're everywhere. Yet, [[InvisibleMonsters he can't see them]] even if they're right there in front of him. The only way he can tell if one's present, is by watching [[MagneticMedium Misaki's]] [[http://www.mangapark.com/manga/vulgar-ghost-daydream/v6/c0/66 reaction.]] Then he has to ''hope'' she can handle it, because many of them are hostile. With some being so malevolent that they can potentially kill a medium [[TheGift as talented as she is]], or [[MeatPuppet completely take over her body]], [[http://www.mangapark.com/manga/vulgar-ghost-daydream/v6/c0/101 if she isn't careful.]] And it can happen at anytime they're [[ParanormalInvestigation on assignment.]] It's no wonder [[http://www.mangapark.com/manga/vulgar-ghost-daydream/v6/c0/65 he's terrified.]]
54	* ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'' is a series about the Italian government creating a team of cyborg assassins from little girls to deal with a terrorist emergency. To an Italian this is ''terrifying'', as Italy ''did'' go through [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Years_of_Lead_(Italy) a terrifying terrorist emergency]] that [[GodzillaThreshold the Italian government would have done just that and worse to stop it if they could have]]... An emergency that suddenly started to decline, with Italian police forces enjoying a 100% success rate against terrorists ever since 2003.
55	* ''Anime/HellGirl'' definitely deserves a mention. You can be sent to Hell at any time, just because someone wished it. Like a good, caring nurse who gets sent to Hell by a junkie for no reason.
56	* ''{{Manga/Hellsing}}''. It might not be that obvious, but this series is oozing with ParanoiaFuel. Consider its three prominent organizations:
57	** [[ChurchMilitant Iscariot]]: The supposedly nonexistent arm of the Catholic church, they appear to [[WeAreEverywhere have contacts everywhere]] in every country that is Catholic or has a Catholic population, as well being capable of raising an army to attack London and having enough scientific resources to [[SuperSoldier make someone able to beat vampires]]. And all the relics they have like [[DeadlyUpgrade Helena's]] [[BodyHorror Nail]]...
58	** The titular Hellsing organisation is surprisingly less paranoia-inducing, as their operations appear to be limited in Great Britain, but the sole fact that they can send someone like [[EldritchAbomination Alucard]] anywhere is quite scary.
59	** And finally, [[ThoseWackyNazis Millenium]]. [[WeAreEverywhere They have infiltrated the British military]], and can transform anyone into a vampire; that means that if you're a soldier, anyone from your commanding officer to your best friend could be a horrifying killing machine just waiting a command from a [[ColonelKilgore guy who makes Colonel Kilgore]] [[WarForFunAndProfit look like a pacifist]]. Going FromBadToWorse, they can monitor the transformed and burn them alive if necessary to preserve their secrets and have a sniper [[ImprobableAimingSkills who can shoot down jet fighters with an antique musket]], a MasterOfIllusion, [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent a werewolf]] and a [[CatGirl catboy]] who cannot die and can go anywhere with no restrictions.
60	** To top it all off, it's a tough world for Muggles in this universe if they're not BadassNormal. If they catch a vampire's fancy and happen to be a virgin, the vampire is not above raping them before turning them into a ghoul, and it is implied that virgin blood is desirable and they might just end up as dinner. If you aren't a virgin and are turned, you become a mindless ghoul under the vampire's command and will go after any humans, including your loved ones, if not put out of your misery. Hope that the vampire who finds you isn't going on a bloody rampage and will just shoot you in the head instead of slowly crushing your head with their foot until it explodes from the pressure.
61	* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'':
62	** One of the symptoms of going crazy in Hinamizawa is an overpowering, irrational sense of paranoia, so this theme pops up ''a lot'' in the series.
63	** ''Any'' of your friends could be suddenly possessed by the village's ancient death god and be overcome with a single-minded desire to kill you. [[spoiler: Or worse, you could have a parasite that drives you insane, and forces you to kill your friends before doing yourself in.]] Oh, and is your throat itching? And that's just ''Onikakushi-hen''.
64	** ''Watanagashi-hen'' is even worse. Here we have the main character [[spoiler:perform an act that is considered a grievous crime against the local deity (sneaking into the Shrine's Tool Shed) by the townspeople. This is a day after finding out about a mysterious chain of deaths that have been happening annually for four years - which always occur on the very same night he is sneaking into the shrine (which, by the way, is stuffed to the brim with grotesque torture tools)]]. This gets even worse towards the end of the arc; [[spoiler:the perpetrator has been having conversations with someone he believes to be the girl who entered the Shrine with him... except she went missing the day after the crime was committed, and it was actually her twin sister (who he has reason to believe is behind the chain of deaths) he was talking to the whole time]]. The manga tops this royal MindScrew off with [[http://www.mangareader.net/568-31098-22/higurashi-no-naku-koro-ni-watanagashi/chapter-10.html this image]].
65	** The chain of mysterious deaths? Turns out it's a [[spoiler:literal conspiracy by a secret society composed of some of the richest and most influential people in Japan.]]
66	* There's a manga series called ''The Horror Mansion'' that's a big anthology of short horror stories. After reading the story "Cursed Water," you will never want to scratch an itch ''ever'' again.
67	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
68	** The [[FightingSpirit Stands]] have a lot of Paranoia Fuel potential. First off, they're invisible to [[{{Muggles}} non-Stand Users]] if they're not bound to something physical, so anyone without one is helpless. Second, a number of them have some truly paranoia-inducing abilities.
69	** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]'':
70	*** Make sure to be careful around reflective surfaces. J. Giel could be readying [[MirrorMonster Hanged Man]] for an attack in any of them. Mirrors, water, steel, ''[[ReflectiveEyes corneas]]''...
71	*** There's a reason [[BigBad DIO]] and [[TimeStandsStill The World]] are so heavily feared by all the other characters. You could be going about your business, when all of sudden, without any time having passed, everyone around you is dead, ''including yourself''.
72	** In ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond is Unbreakable]]'', it's in your best interest to not get scared around [[IKnowWhatYouFear Terunosuke Miyamoto]], for all you know, he could have activated [[PaperMaster Enigma]] and you're about to become a piece of paper. For that matter, don't go picking up any folded pieces of paper you find lying around, there could be a loaded gun ready to go off in one...
73	** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'':
74	*** Imagine if, one by one, all your friends disappeared, with no one knowing what the heck in happening. Mario Zucchero may be hiding somewhere, waiting for the perfect opportunity to use Soft Machine to take you out.
75	*** Don't go near any body of water, ''especially'' if it's a big one. Squalo may have planted [[ThreateningShark Clash]] in it.
76	** In ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureJoJolion JoJolion]]'', '''''do not''''', under any circumstance, open '''''anything'''''. Doors, notebooks, even ''cellphones'' aren't safe. For all you know, Kyo Nijimura may be targeting you with [[BlowYouAway Born Th]][[AnIcePerson is Way]], and is very much ready to ambush you.
77	* In ''Manga/KarakuridoujiUltimo'', the occupations of the Evil doji masters are startling. Among them are a music producer, a cute little girl, an ''elementary school teacher'', a [[{{MemeticMutation}} pro golfer]], and [[TheHero the hero's]] best friend. They all look pretty normal, but they control supremely destructive robots that can blow up the entire world.
78	** The pure good robot, Ultimo himself, is a fair source of it as well. He's probably just as destructive as the bad guys.
79	* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': has this in the form of [[spoiler:Himiko Toga]], whose quirk allows her to take the shape of anyone she ingest the blood of. It's implied that she was able to live another person's life for about three days, hanging out with her family and friends with no one realizing anything. [[spoiler:To make matters worse, by the end of the Hero License Exam, she has the blood of [[GenkiGirl Uraraka]] and [[TheParagon Midoriya]], and could very well harm Class 1-A while looking like one of their best friends]]. This is all worsened due to the FridgeHorror of the revelation. [[spoiler:And if that's not bad enough, she awakens the ability to ''copy the quirk'' of whoever blood she drinks as long as she knows their quirk well enough. Even testing her by making her use her victim's quirk might not be enough to unmask her]].
80	* ''Anime/MyHime'' doesn't trumpet it, but it's there if you look for it. How do you know someone is really all they seem? That alluring redhead?[[note]]Nao[[/note]] She wants your money, and not in the gold digger sense. That handsome chap[[note]]Reito[[/note]] is (a vessel for) the BigBad. That adorable chorister[[note]]Alyssa[[/note]] is a key figure of an AncientConspiracy. The goofy, somewhat dorky teacher[[note]]Ishigami[[/note]] is part of a conspiracy, and he's willing to cause the death of his bosses as well as virtually anyone who, whether wittingly or willingly, is in the way of his plan, except for the one person he needs in order to succeed. The kindly priest with an adopted daughter[[note]]Joseph and Miyu[[/note]] is actually an evil scientist and his RobotGirl creation. So on and so forth. Ironically, the KnowledgeBroker[=/=]MysteriousInformant, traditionally a shady figure, is one of the most trustworthy people in the series.
81	** And there's the idea that one of your friends might be a MagicalGirl of some sort without your ever realizing it. If you're most important to them, you'll die if they're defeated, possibly without ever understanding why. If not, there's a possibility that they might snap and kill you for the sake of the person who is most important to them. Outside of the extreme cases, [[spoiler:Yukino]], one of the relatively well-adjusted [=HiMEs=], once tried to kill Mai in response to a threat on her and her most important person [[spoiler:Haruka's]] lives.
82	* ''{{Manga/Naruto}}'':
83	** [[ManEatingPlant Zetsu]] can fuse with any natural surface and emerge from anywhere, completely untraceable, which means any place outdoors is dangerous. Later it turns out he can [[spoiler:release a bunch of undetectable spores which grow into freakish duplicates of himself by clinging to people's bodies and leeching off their LifeEnergy]] and [[spoiler:transform himself or one of his copies into an almost perfect copy of ''anyone'' he touches.]]
84	** Uchiha Shisui's hypnotic abilities were so overpowered that he could guide your thoughts and actions without eye contact or even having the eye open, and would never even noticing you were being manipulated. The only way to tell anything was happening was to be a sensor type that could feel the chakra trying to affect you, and even then it wasn't a given thing. But he was a Leaf Loyalist and didn't abuse his power for his own gain.... [[spoiler: and then Danzo ripped his eye out while he was still alive and then Itachi killed him. They never go into detail what all Danzo actually DID with the eye beyond what we saw in the present, and there is a long list of things that COULD have been done with the eye. Why wasn't Sasuke given and adult guardian and just left on his own after his clan was killed, which doing to an emotionally unstable child and making him not have proper guidance could only lead to problems later on, and DID? Was the Third Hokage's delay in picking a successor really his own choice? Did the council and Hokage really make the hard choice of killing the Uchiha clan on their own volition? Was it really Shisui's idea to go to Itachi to commit SuicideByCop so that Itachi could get the Mangekyo Sharingan, specially since the chances of him escaping someone as thorough as Danzo are incredibly low and Shisui was never said to be immune to his own power, when he could have gone public to the Hokage and put a stop to Danzo? And the last thing Shisui planned to do before Danzo took his eye was to use his powers against the warmongers in his own family to pacify them and prevent the coup. Did Danzo know this? And if he did, did he do what he did so that nothing would stop him from getting rid of the Uchiha clan?]]
85	* ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'': Designed to produce as much of this fuel as possible, both in-universe and real life. [[UrbanLegend Lil'Slugger]] is a fictional character that a girl blames her assault on. He turns out not to be real, but people keep using him as an excuse anyway. Just by believing in him, Lil' Slugger becomes real, and he feeds off excuses. Got a problem? Lil' Slugger will help, you wanted your head smashed in, right? Also, he can appear anywhere, at any time, and you can't stop him because he's not technically real.
86	* ''Film/TheThing1982'' is disturbing. ''Film/TheyLive'' is disturbing. ''Manga/{{Parasyte}}'' mixes the two and manages to be a reservoir of high-octane Paranoia Fuel. Basically, the entire series is full of cannibalistic parasites that can eat the brain of whoever they invade and impersonate them near-perfectly, given enough time. They can change their bodies (ie. part of their hair becoming a whip capable of decapitating someone) to whatever they want, and they're notoriously difficult to kill, and they could be ANYONE you know.
87	* ''Anime/PerfectBlue'': enjoy the thought that many of your memories and experiences could actually be elaborate delusions.
88	* ''Anime/PsychoPass'': By about the 22nd century, people's minds can be [[{{Telepathy}} quantified]] by [[BigBrotherIsWatching the all-seeing authorities]], which means they can detect "criminal tendencies" in ''everyone's'' mind. Perhaps even yours. [[spoiler:If you're rated as a "latent criminal" but lucky, you might have an opportunity as a special police officer tasked with tracking down criminals. If you're unlucky, you're summarily executed by a futuristic gun that turns you into a PinkMist. ButWaitTheresMore! People's criminal tendencies ''can transfer to other people as well!'' So if, say, you're a woman and get raped by someone, your contact with him may get you eligible to be "misted" as well!]]
89	* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': [[EldritchAbomination Witches]] are everywhere and they are responsible for suicides. Whats worse, they are completely invisible to normal humans until you wander into their lair, wherein you will be killed in a most horrific way. That friend of yours online that just killed herself? Could have been because of a witch. Wanna take that shortcut through the alleyway? Could walk right into a witch's lair. You are never safe.
90	** [[spoiler:Also, once the true nature of Kyubey comes out, the implications are nightmarish. He's working towards postponing an event that will happen after the Sun reaches its end, consumes the Earth and cools down. He's driven by logic, lacks emotions and is 100% dedicated to his goal no matter what. He was present on Earth for millennia. He's a sort of hive mind capable of creating new bodies out of thin air. His influence is such that his kind seems responsible for lifting humanity out of the stone age. And yet, this nightmarish entity has a quota to fulfill, suggesting he's relatively low ranked in his own race. Kyubey himself easily terrifies people. Think of what that says about his superiors. Alternatively, maybe his race found out that the heat death of the universe will be much sooner than we think. But their way of fixing it suggests very, very bad things for us in the name of the greater good.]]
91	** The paranoia is driven further if you have a (read: younger sister, female cousin, younger female neighbor, younger female friend, girlfriend, etc.). Why have they suddenly become so distant and depressed lately, even though they've [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor had their dreams come true]]? Why do they go out and then return home late at night with mysterious injuries? [[spoiler: Here's why: They may have contracted with Kyubey or one of its "associates", which means that no matter what, that poor girl (or perhaps even ''[[TomatoInTheMirror you, if you're female]]'' and were either gullible or desperate enough to make a [[FateWorseThanDeath contract]]), will inevitably corrupt and become one of the aforementioned Witches.]]
92	* Even ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' wasn't exempt from this:
93	** So there are all these really creepy villains drawn in this weird realistic style that want to steal your life force... and they can look ''just like anybody''. To a 6-year-old, that is ''terrifying''.
94	** Watch the ''S'' or the ''Stars'' seasons of the [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]], which are chock full of creepy scenes and Paranoia Fuel, especially Kaolinite's Daimons, which make ''inanimate objects'' turn against you and ''rip your heart (crystal) out of your chest'', and you'll understand.
95	** The Infinity Arc of the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]] notes that and retaliates with its daimons that can hide/be incubated in any living thing (from cats to humans) without anyone noticing, and burst out said host as a boneless hideously misshappen thing with ''fangs as long as your hand''.
96	* Later chapters of ''Manga/SchoolLive'' reveal how zombification works: All mammals can turn into zombies and the zombie virus is airborne. Some people are immune to the airborne virus, but it's constantly changing so that even formerly immune people can suddenly turn into zombies.
97	* ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain'':
98	** ''Serial Experiments Lain'' is one of those {{mind screw}}s involving your computer, the government, and REALITY AS WE KNOW IT being out to get you.
99	** During the title sequence, we see Lain being watched on television by people. She's staring back at them. Those people are ''you''. ''She can see you''. [[FromBadToWorse It Gets Worse]] if you're watching the episodes on TheInternet, say, via Website/YouTube... But then it crosses into TearJerker territory when you realize the people may not actually be paying attention to her, so she is just there staring with this sad look in her eyes.
100	* ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'': At any point in the past, you may have been killed and eaten by a crazy evil hellspawn and replaced with a placeholder. A placeholder that will eventually run out of power. And when it does, [[RetGone no one will even remember that you existed]].
101	* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': If the Spiral Power of humanity grows too high, [[spoiler: The [[WellIntentionedExtremist Anti-Spirals]] will [[BrainwashedAndCrazy activate the genes of a chosen person to be their messenger]] and bring about the destruction of Earth via ColonyDrop. The worst part is, it could be anyone. It could be your mom or dad, your best friend, your significant other, your class mate; it could even be ''you'', and you wouldn't even know it until you notice the glowing red circuits suddenly growing on your skin...]]
102	* If you watched Episode 2 of ''Anime/ThrillerRestaurant'', you better think twice before you order flounder for dinner again.
103	* What [[spoiler:Albert Maverick did to Barnaby]] in ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' is pure ParanoiaFuel for anyone who has ever been raised by foster parents. The people who (apparently) loved and cared for you? They're [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative bastards]] who only ever saw you as a tool to fulfill their own agendas. And while people in RealLife ''probably'' don't [[spoiler:have PsychicPowers that rewrite memories, there are still plenty of ways to manipulate a child.]]
104	* ''{{Manga/Uzumaki}}'', anyone? In the room you are in right now, there are at least ten [[TheVirus spirals]] ... wait, one in each ear, at least twenty on your fingers and toes, and ''untold billions'' in your DNA (plus the fact that you live on the edge of a galaxy-sized one)... Your brain is ''full'' of the things. Meaning that the [[spoiler: EldritchAbomination of the work]] could erase or outright control your mind at will. And it could, theoretically, do so without you or anyone else even noticing.
105	* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': A friendly game with a stranger suddenly turns into a fight for your life. And god have mercy on your soul should you decide to cheat or quit.

Context ParanoiaFuel / AnimeAndManga