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Nightmare Fuel / Zatch Bell!

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A Broken Smile from manipulation, courtesy of Zofis.

  • The very first time we see a Mamodo's book burn, particularly in the third episode of the anime which involved the Mamodo crying. Sure, we later learn it's not nearly as bad as it looks but seeing a childlike entity (even someone as irredeemable as Reycom) desperately trying to put out their book as they apparently fade from existence is more than a little unsettling before we know what's actually going on.
  • Any time Kolulu transforms through Zeruk, complete with a deeper voice, muscular appearance, sharp claws, and a never-ending thirst for blood.
  • In episode 36, Zatch has a nightmare about Naomi. Needless to say, it's creepy as all hell.
  • Episode 121 of Zatch Bell!. Tia (or Tio) gets pissed off at a Mamodo named Momon, who is known to be a pervert because of the use of his evasion-themed powers. As she gets angrier from his taunts, her powers grow, and her face becomes monstrous. Soon, she gains a new spell called Chajiru Saifodon, an attack in which the power of the spell depends on her anger. At first, the spell will take an appearance of a sword with goddess-like figure on top and a mirror in the middle that displays negative experiences she dealt with at the time. As said experiences are displayed, the goddess' face will grow more distorted over the course, eventually showing demonic traits and starts screeching. It probably didn't help that her close friends were afraid. The spell has to be seen to be believed. Her pupil-less Slasher Smile she made when Momon slowed her down deserves more points of scary.
  • Penny (or Patie) gains a monstrous look on her face whenever she's pissed off at Zatch (or Gash) rejecting her feelings or being unable to remember her (as she's unaware of his amnesia and believes that he forgot about her), going absolutely berserk and either trying to beat the living hell out of him or burn his book and eliminate him from the tournament. It probably doesn't help that both Zatch and Kiyo (or Kiyomaro) were afraid.
  • Tio got monstrously pissed off after Momon had peeked at her panties one too many times, then went off the deep end when he tore a pair of her panties he stole. This rage unlocked her Chaajiru Saifodon spell, which took the form of an angelic woman's bust holding a huge sword blade with a mirror. The spell's power is also amplified by the amount of hate and rage Tio is feeling towards her intended target. With every angry thought fueled into the spell, the angel woman roars out inhuman screams of rage followed by her face growing nightmarishly demonic with each wail. Everyone witnessing it were freaking out at the sight. Goes to show Tio really wanted to utterly kill Momon for his transgressions against her.
  • Clear Note is an unnaturally human-like Mamodo as well as the final Big Bad of the series, whose power is annihilate anything that comes in his radius, well as reduce arms to withered stumps due to the pressure As Brago can testify
  • The thousand-year demons. They were sealed in stone, completely conscious, for an entire millennium. Made worse when you remember that the demons in this competition are children, sometimes as young as six years old.
  • Zofis' manipulation of Koko. Koko started to gain a degree of insanity and a cruel personality because of his mind-controlling abilities. One of the first things she does under his influence was to burn down her home village as revenge for the cruelty she endured. All with a Broken Smile on her face.
  • Zeon's own Slasher Smile in the manga where he talks about wanting to see everyone's Despair Event Horizon when he tries to destroy Japan is so evil and nightmare-inducing that it makes Tia's abovementioned expressions look charming by comparison.
  • Clear Note, the final antagonist and an enigmatic Mamodo with a terrifying ambition. Unlike Zofis, he doesn't show any sort of humanizing desire in his motivation. He doesn't want to rule - he only wants to eradicate the Mamodo, because he believes that is his reason for being. His Annihilation Magic renders him capable of erasing anything, whether spells themselves or his opponents' flesh. As the battle escalates, Clear becomes increasingly warped and twisted, culminating in him merging with his own spell, awakening as a giant monster representing "the power to destroy everything". Even scarier is that Kiyo tried to figure out a weakness using Answer Talker, only to learn that there is no way to defeat him.

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