Crunchyroll’s 13-Episode Anime Horror Hidden Gem Is Still the Scariest of All Time

Paranoia Agent,now streaming on Crunchyroll, is industry legend Satoshi Kon’s 2004 anime about the fallout of a bizarre assault and the panic that follows. Tsukiko Sagi is a character designer suddenly thrust into the spotlight after creating an immensely popular cartoon dog. Facing debilitating burnout and under pressure from her manager to achieve greater success, she walks home alone at night. She's stressed out, and her dazed, anxious state has already caused several accidents. After breaking down in a parking lot, discarded drafts are strewn about... Klunk! A bent, gold softball bat clobbers the poor woman. At the hospital, she describes the assailant to the detectives: a small boy wearing shorts and a baseball bat, shredding across the city streets on golden inline skates. A figure the panicked city calls Shōnen Batto, or Lil' Slugger.