15 'Five Nights at Freddy's' Animatronic Characters, Ranked By How Creepy They Are
Vote up the FNAF animatronic characters that haunt your nightmares.
Ever since Scott Cawthon debuted the original Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) game, the franchise has seldom failed in terrifying gamers. Prominent themes of tragedy and horror are embodied by the animatronics which stalk players in the games. Players are generally tasked with trying to survive them through several night shifts working at Freddy Fazbear’s pizzeria or its affiliated locations, though the setting and objectives have shifted over time.
The often-possessed machines have evolved with each new installment and become more varied in their numbers and threat level. They did their jobs well and instilled fear in players with their unpredictability and uncanny appearances. However, the following animatronics are some that managed to fulfill their purpose a little too well, haunting players beyond their monitors.
- 144 VOTES
Fredbear
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's 4 / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: Fredbear is depicted in FNAF 4 as a large monstrous golden bear animatronic similar to Freddy and Nightmare, and similarly appears as a nightmare of the Crying Child. Players must move quickly and listen carefully to beat him, as there is little margin for error. Audio cues are extremely important when hiding from Fredbear. The player has to be deathly silent in order to hear the animatronic breathing on the other side of the door. In a likely tie-in to Fredbear's connection to the Crying Child, he presents an increasingly difficult obstacle as the nights progress.
The Lore: The real Fredbear, along with Spring Bonnie, were the original animatronics from Fredbear's Family Diner. They were created by Henry Emily and William Afton and were the main attractions of the diner, but it was closed after Fredbear killed the Crying Child in the Bite of ‘83. Like Spring Bonnie, Fredbear was intended to be worn by a human operator as well as function independently.
- 257 VOTES
Nightmare
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's 4 / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: In Five Nights at Freddy's 4, Nightmare stalks the player throughout the five nights along with the other terrifying animatronics. Players must use audio cues and visual clues to avoid him and survive the night. Unlike the jump scares of the others, Nightmare does not have an animation which accompanies his appearance. Instead, it's a still image of his face along with garbled audio, which unnerves players as he stares at them insidiously.
The Lore: Nightmare is the one of the most horrifying visions of the Fazbear animatronics that haunt the Crying Child, who was the victim of the infamous Bite of ‘83. He is a dark and twisted version of Freddy Fazbear, with sharp teeth, glowing eyes, and a tattered body. His especially monstrous appearance reflects the deep trauma experienced by the Child as he haunts the latter’s mind.
- 365 VOTES
Springtrap
Photo: Five Nights At Freddy's 3 / Scott GamesWhy They're Nightmare Fuel: Springtrap doesn't have a set starting location in Five Nights at Freddy's 3, and can potentially be seen on any camera. He increases in speed from night to night, and will use jump scares by the harmless (but just as terrifying) Phantom animatronics to attack the player. Springtrap is also uniquely morbid in appearance, with the corpse of William Afton being visible through the many rips and tears in the suit.
The Lore: Springtrap is a wearable early “Spring Bonnie” suit that was used by Afton to lure and kill children in Freddy Fazbear’s. He himself was killed by its spring locks after using it to hide from the souls of his victims. Afterward, Afton’s own soul animated the suit and years later proceeded to stalk potential victims in the Fazbear's Fright building.
- 467 VOTES
Ennard
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location / Scott GamesWhy They're Nightmare Fuel: Ennard is an animatronic made of various endoskeleton parts and wears a clown-inspired mask. Ennard is an especially sneaky foe that regularly catches players off guard with horrifying jump scares. Beating it requires the player to listen carefully, as using the cameras to watch its movements is not a reliable method.
The Lore: Ennard is an amalgamation of the different animatronics found in Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rentals. The haunted animatronics continually made escape attempts, and the arrival of Micheal Afton finally presented them with a chance for success. Their plan was to form Ennard and kill Afton in the scooping room. They would then use his remains as a disguise so as to blend into the outside world.
- 545 VOTES
Glitchtrap
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: Glitchtrap's game mechanic involves its ability to corrupt and manipulate the virtual reality environment, often causing glitches and distractions in addition to delivering morbid dialogue in line with William Afton’s murderous past. Defeating it requires careful timing when shutting off the monitor it emerges from. However, what often stays with players is how close Glitchtrap’s dialogue feels to real-world murderers.
The Lore: Glitchtrap is a digital entity that presents itself as Afton, appearing to the player as an animatronic similar to Spring Bonnie. Whether it actually is Afton himself or Glitchtrap is merely affecting his personality is a matter of debate, but it certainly conducts itself as if it were the former. Either way, the sadism expressed by Glitchtrap gives a new angle to the horror of Afton’s past actions.
- 659 VOTES
Marionette
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's 2 / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: The Marionette is a thin puppet-like animatronic that first appears in FNAF 2. It must be constantly kept stationary via the winding of a music box, as failure to do so will result in it springing toward the player. This is something that can easily happen given the number of other tasks required to survive and the careful timing required to execute them, making the Marionette one of the most relentless enemies in Five Nights at Freddy's.
The Lore: The Marionette is possessed by the soul of Charlotte Emily, a victim of William Afton and the daughter of his former business partner, Henry Emily. Depending on the ending, Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator culminates in Henry burning the facility. This presumably freed not only her soul, but those of all the other animatronics present as well.
- 746 VOTES
Withered Bonnie
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's 2 / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: Like other animatronics in FNAF 2, Withered Bonnie is able to travel through the vents. In this small space, his absent face and wire-strewn red eyes can be startling when viewed in the camera. He's especially intimidating when he reaches the office, towering over the player who, at that point, must rely on their flashlight and Freddy disguise to survive.
The Lore: Bonnie and the other original animatronics were subjected to an attempt to retrofit them with new technology. These efforts failed and left Bonnie without a face, as well as missing an arm and other signs of wear. He and the others were placed into storage and used for spare parts, while newer “Toy” models such as Toy Bonnie replaced them.
- 844 VOTES
Scrap Baby
Photo: Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: Beating Scrap Baby in Ultimate Custom Night demands the player pay attention to subtle changes in the former’s posture. These are vital to knowing what she will do. Shocking can be used to subdue her as was the case with the animatronics in Sister Location, however this will drain power and should be used sparingly. Her more active role and degraded appearance instills fear in the player in ways previous appearances hadn’t.
The Lore: Scrap Baby is the devolution of Circus Baby, who at some point was ejected from Ennard following their collective escape within Micheal Afton’s body. She managed to reconstruct her body, though her endoskeleton was left visible in a number of spots. The separation from Ennard evidently worsened her mental state and resulted in her being far more violent than before.
- 941 VOTES
Withered Chica
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's 2 / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: Withered Chica’s tattered appearance is distinct from both the original Chica and Toy Chica. As players defend themselves by observing the vents, they will often be met with the sight of her large toothy beak filling the monitor. As with several other animatronics in FNAF 2 she can be deterred by rapid flashes of the flashlight, though this will drain the power.
The Lore: Withered Chica is an older and deteriorated model of Chica. The tears in her body, unhinged jaw, and lack of hands stem from a failed attempt to retrofit the original animatronics with new technology. She was kept on the premises for parts, and by the time of FNAF 2 she and the other original animatronics had been replaced by their “Toy” counterparts.
- 1067 VOTES
Mangle
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's 2 / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: Mangle has the ability to descend from the ceiling as well as traverse the vents which lead into the player’s office. This makes the aggressive animatronic particularly difficult to track and easy to be startled by. Like many of the other animatronics in FNAF 2, if it gets too close, the player can flash the flashlight and don the Freddy mask, which ideally causes Mangle to leave.
The Lore: Mangle was originally intended to be a redesign of Foxy made by Fazbear Entertainment, analogous to the newer “Toy” Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica. Its function was to act as a building toy for younger patrons of the establishment. However, over time, Mangle became a tangled mess of wires and parts, resulting in its unsettling appearance.
- 1159 VOTES
Ballora
Photo: Five Nights At Freddy's: Sister Location / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: Ballora is a ballerina-inspired animatronic and is among the most human-like in terms of her appearance and dialogue. While trying to access the breaker room on night two of Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location, players must navigate her dark room. They need to both rely on their hearing to avoid bumping into her as she dances around the room, as well as avoid making noise themselves.
The Lore: While there is a theory among fans that Ballora is possessed by Afton’s wife, she is not known to be possessed by any specific individual. Despite this she still has a serene demeanor and is capable of vocalizing like the possessed Circus Baby. Like her peers, she ultimately merges into Ennard in order to escape the facility in Afton’s body.
- 1246 VOTES
Circus Baby
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: In Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location, Circus Baby functions as a guide for the player, Micheal Afton, rather than as a proactive antagonist. She regularly, if not always straightforwardly, offers exposition that is vital to understanding the narrative and gameplay. However, her nefarious intent is to aid the other animatronics by directing the player to the “scooping room.” They plan to kill Micheal, merge with Ennard, and then use his body as a disguise.
The Lore: Circus Baby was initially created by Afton to kill children, and is revealed to be possessed by his daughter, Elizabeth. Unlike many of the other possessed animatronics who were intentionally killed by Afton, Elizabeth's death was accidental after she got too close to Circus Baby. Her soul proceeded to inhabit it and was left trapped in Circus Baby’s Entertainment and Rental.
- 1337 VOTES
DJ Music Man
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: DJ Music Man is one of the largest animatronics in both Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach and the franchise as a whole. He is typically found in the establishment's "Fazcade" manning DJ equipment. Once the player turns off the safety protocols, he makes several attempts to corner and grab them. Players need to be quick when going from room to room and be mindful of doorways lest he reach his hand in.
The Lore: He is an animatronic DJ with a massive menacing arachnid body plan, sporting neon colors and piano key teeth. He typically appears in his normal spot and generally will not be trouble so long as the player keeps their distance. He is not known to be possessed by anyone and is consequently more open to outside influence.
- 1450 VOTES
Foxy
Photo: Five Night's at Freddy's / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: Foxy is an extremely aggressive animatronic and often requires unique strategies to be beaten. In the first game, he will immediately run for the office once he’s no longer visible, and the player must shut the left door as soon as he’s noticed to be missing or running. In FNAF 2 he is one of the few animatronics unfazed by the players’ Freddy mask, and needs to be constantly monitored.
The Lore: Foxy is a pirate-themed Fox animatronic occupied by the soul of Fritz, one of Afton’s victims. Even after Afton was killed Fritz and the others were still bound to their animatronics. Decades later, the souls of those present in Fazbear’s Fright were finally freed after the location burned down.
- 1547 VOTES
Sun & Moon
Photo: Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach / Scott GamesWhy They’re Nightmare Fuel: Sun & Moon is a single character who will shift in appearance and behavior throughout Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach. Sun actually seems pretty cool when the player first meets them, but there's one rule that's made very clear: Don't turn off the lights. When the lights do turn off, its Moon persona becomes activated and starts pursuing the player as the other animatronics would.
However, even when the more positive Sun returns, it will brand the player a “rule breaker” and, unintentionally, alert the other animatronics to their location.
The Lore: Sun & Moon is an animatronic that was intended for use as a daycare assistant. It is adorned in a jester outfit, while its aesthetic is centered on reflecting a sun or moon depending on which persona is active. While it is not known to be possessed by anyone, Sun evidently has some inclination to care for patrons as intended. Moon on the other hand is generally malevolent, having behaviors more in line with the other animatronics. In the Ruin DLC its damaged forms are merged into a new animatronic called Eclipse.
