Demon Slayer Season 2 has just ended but that doesn’t mean you should stop your anime journey. These are 10 anime like Demon Slayer worth your time, and just for your convenience, they are ranked not in any particular order but according to the many things that make Demon Slayer fans.
From Jujutsu Kaisen to Yu Yu Hakusho, these are 10 anime like Demon Slayer that will keep you fed till the next chapter in Demon Slayer unfolds:
10. My Hero Academia – Fights that keep you on your toes
One thing that reigns supreme in Demon Slayer is the crazy fights that are choreographed to the tea. When it comes to direct competition, My Hero Academia’s fights can go hand in hand with any of Tanjiro’s bouts with the insurmountable number of demons.
My Hero Academia is the story of Izuku Midoriya, a kid born without any kind of superpowers in a world where powers are everything. This anime follows his journey of becoming the Number 1 Hero in the entire world.
The fights in this anime range from Endeavor and Hawks vs Upgraded Nomu, a fight with amazing sequences and shots that will kill you with the way they were directed to the ideologies that govern the outcome of the fight.
Whereas the plot and storyline beats are few and far similar between both the series, if you are thirsting for more action-packed sequences with amazing stories stitched in for good measure, then My Hero Academia is the anime for you if you are looking for anime like Demon Slayer.
9. Jujutsu Kaisen – Slick and smooth animation
Demon Slayer is known primarily for the standard it has set in the animation industry regarding its key animation during its bonkers crazy fights. And no series does it better, but Jujutsu Kaisen comes very close to beating Demon Slayer at that.
The three big kahunas, alongside My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen run on very different themes and motifs running through either one of them, but the thing that makes them both a must-watch is the killer animation.
Jujutsu Kaisen is the story of Yuji Itadori, a normal guy who is forced into the world of curses due to the most defining moment of his life, eating the world’s strongest cursed object.
The animation’s pedigree can be seen through the opening of the show itself, the characters move in such a smooth way and the way it opens to showcase each individual in every detail is immaculate. Demon Slayer might be setting the standard, but Jujutsu Kaisen is smoothing over to that standard.
8. InuYasha – Biggest Influence for Demon Slayer
The most similar to the aesthetic of Demon Slayer, Inuyasha is also a fantastical retelling of a period in Japan’s long history where demons and humans fight for either species to prosper.
In Inuyasha, we follow the titular character of InuYasha, a half-human half-demon with dog ears in his battle against the horde of demons that are in the same search for the power granting crystal that is reborn in the modern-day high school going teenage girl, Kagome Higurashi as she winds up in this Sengoku period, 500 years back in history.
If you are looking for another anime that sets its stage in Japan which is bedridden with swords and katana-battles, then InuYasha should be on your watchlist.
7. The Rising of the Shield Hero – Unfortunate starting circumstances
Demon Slayer starts with Tanjiro’s whole life crumbling down in front of us and we see how he rebuilds his life with his demon sister, Nezuko. Another such anime darling is Naofumi from The Rising of the Shield Hero.
The Rising of the Shield Hero follows the journey of Naofumi when he gets transported to another world, where humans who have been transported are given the task of protecting the royal family.
Unfortunately for Naofumi the princess of the kingdom, the person he was assigned to protect strategies to ruin her life by shaming him in front of all, which is how the story starts and we see his climb back to the graces of the public.
Demon Slayer and Rising of the Shield Hero may not have many similar beats but the things that bind them well is the twist on the Hero’s journey that they both take.
6. Fire Force – Speed of action
One thing that Demon Slayer is famous for is the fights but what about the fights is so catchy? Well, one of those reasons is the greyness that is shown between humans and demons, which we have discussed earlier.
The other thing that makes the fights break the internet, again and again, is the speed and choreography. In that prospect, I would like to focus your attention on Fire Force.
In a world where spontaneous human combustion is a regular occurrence, Fire Force has been created but now with the help of the fastest human ever, travelling at the speed of a rocket, the Fire Force can finally look into the real root of this chaotic problem.
With a protagonist who fights at the speed of a rocket, things are going to be quick and explosive in all the right ways, just how you like it in Demon Slayer.
5. Hunter X Hunter – Strongest Four-Man Group
If the chemistry between Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke, and all the running gags that they travel with, along with Nezuko, makes it a perfect four-man team, I have an amazing recommendation for you.
Hunter X Hunter follows the journey of Gon as he gets out into the world to find his father that left him when he was little, along the way he learns more about the world and makes friends with an amazing cast of colorful characters.
Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio make up the best friend group who travel along for a few episodes only but the bond that they share is a pure and productive friendship. If you wanna see another bunch of friends who have goals and motivations of their own, then Hunter X Hunter.
4. Yu Yu Hakusho – Battle between Demons and Humans
As the name says, Demon Slayer is about slaying demons who are after the lives of humans, it is much more complex than just that. The demons have personalities and motivations, they aren’t just your one-note villain wanting to kill you all the time.
The same conversation is discussed in Yu Yu Hakusho, a shonen classic. When Yusuke, the delinquent of the town gets caught in an accident saving someone else, the grim reaper comes down and grants him his life back but for a favour. To be the human representative of the spirit world against the demon world.
Just like Nezuko is the outlier in the whole series, sometimes following her instincts while other times bridging the gap between what is a demon and what is a human, Hiei is another one of those outliers in the world of Yu Yu Hakusho.
If you wanna see a more in-depth analysis of how and why we call demons, the stuff of nightmares while still fighting for them as well as against them then watch Yu Yu Hakusho.
3. Black Clover – Amazing Hierarchies
While Demon Slayer has just begun introducing us to the wide array of personalities that inhabit this world, the system of the Hashira and the whole Demon Slayer Corps is an exciting concept that no one in shonen has been able to do perfectly.
Except Black Clover, with every leader having a personality that could certainly govern a whole room and personal motivations that command them forward to do their job of protecting the citizens.
Black Clover follows the story of Asta, a boy who aspires to become the Wizard King while knowing that he has no magic of himself. The journey takes him to unearth a different kind of magic that helps him in his journey.
If you are looking for an anime similar to the Hashira of Demon Slayer and amazing action and personalities then Black Clover is waiting for you.
2. Re: Zero – Victory in the face of Desperation
Demon Slayer Season 2 showed us that Demon Slayer is completely able to subvert our expectations, Uzui’s hand cut off and Inosuke being stabbed in the stomach. The tension in the battle against the Upper-Rank Demon Duo, Daki and Gyutaro was sky-high.
If that tension kept you on your toes only to be massively satisfied at the end of the battle, think bigger. What if the whole season this kind of tension bugged only to give you a massive outburst of relief at the end of the season.
Meet Re: Zero, which follows the story of Subaru, the recluse who got out only to transport into another world when he was out buying chips. The twist with Subaru is that a witch is controlling the thread of his life, making a save and load feature in his life in another world.
The tension is high, the characters range from being cute to having depth. In a fantasy where every decision that Subaru makes has massive consequences. This is one of the best shows to watch right after completing the second season of Demon Slayer.
1. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood – Pure Siblings Love
Finally, let’s talk about the main attraction of Demon Slayer, the innocent and pure relationship between Tanjiro and Nezuko. If you were looking to follow another pair of siblings, Edward and Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.
We follow the journey of Ed and Al in a world where science is magic, alchemy is king. Due to an experiment to bring back their mother from the dead, Ed and Al lose parts of their bodies due to the taboo spell. Now Ed and Al are on a journey to get back to the way they were prior to the spell.
A big brother wanting to bring back the body of his young sibling, doesn’t this sound familiar? Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is a certified classic anime and considered by many to be the best anime of all time.
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