Ryuuko Matoi is on the hunt for her father’s killer, and her only lead is the missing half of his invention, the Scissor Blade. On her quest, she arrives at the prestigious Honnouji Academy, a school that is ruled over by the super powerful Satsuki Kiryuuin and her Elite Four. Believing Satsuki knows who killed her father, Ryuuko challenges one of the elite, but gets beaten due to their special uniforms. After receiving a special uniform of her own, Ryuuko sets plans into motion to dominate the school and find out what happened to her father.
To many, Kill la Kill is known as the anime that “saved anime,” whatever that means, but regardless it is a fun-filled wild romp that parodies action anime as a whole. If you like your anime wild, bizarre, and often nonsensical, then the following anime recommendations will make your heart soar.
Anime Like Kill la Kill
For Fans of Over-the-Top Action
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
When English nobleman George Joestar takes in the orphaned son of a man who once saved his life in 1868, he is unknowingly setting off a chain of events that will bring his family to their knees and echo out through centuries to come. In the future, George’s great-grandson Joseph Joestar discovers a legacy left by his family that might just be the key to destroying mystical beings that the Joestar family unknowingly created in the past.
You literally can’t bring up over-the-top action without bringing up Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Really, you can’t. I saw someone try once and they got slapped right in their face. It’s dangerous. Anyway, joking aside, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is the right anime for you if you were ever watching Kill la Kill and found yourself wanting more GAR men engaging in similarly energetic fights.
Punch Line
Yuuta Iridatsu is your average high school kid, except that he faints when he sees a girl’s panties. However, on a chance encounter with a vigilante fighter called Strange Juice, his soul gets separated from his body. Not only does this allow him to go on panty adventures unseen, but it may make him the key to saving the world.
Punch Line and Kill la Kill both have just ridiculous-sounding plots that are both ridiculous and also excellent. Both are excellent parodies that are filled with just bizarre situations and breathe new life into the action genre of anime.
Blood Blockade Battlefront
Vampires, fishmen, supersonic monkeys – They are all normal residents living alongside humans in Hellsalem’s Lot, formerly known as New York City. When a gate between Earth and the Beyond popped up there three years ago, old NYC became dominated by monsters, and now Libra, a secret organization, is tasked with keeping it in order. After hobbyist photographer Leonardo Watch obtains the All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods, he finds himself recruited into Libra.
Although the synopsis above suggests Blood Blockade Battlefront takes the serious route that would result in a mundane anime, it actually shares a lot with Kill la Kill. The action is over-the-top, but still firmly rooted in satire, the characters all have the same air of silliness about them, and even the art style looks the same. Both series are fast-paced series that are mired in parody and grand battles.
For Fans of Faction-Based Territory Wars
Rolling Girls
After the Great Tokyo Wars, Japan’s power vacuum was filled by ten different territories, each vying for the control of the other. Within these territories, their leaders are primarily made up of heroes from the war called Mosas that lead groups called Mobs. This is the story of young Mob Nozomi Moritomo who is ordered by her Mosas to travel and observe other territories.
Rolling Girls is essentially like the school clubs and cliques in Kill la Kill, but on a larger scale. Both societies feature strong hierarchies, and both shows have strong motorcycle-riding females, seemingly merciless antagonists, and over-the-top action in common. Both shows also feature a pretty bright color palate, but Rolling Girls is more of a feast for the eyes.
Durarara
Tokyo’s downtown district of Ikebukuro is awash in strange rumors, everything from colorless color gangs to a headless rider roaming town populate the rumors. For Mikado Ryuugamine who just moved there from the countryside, he is but one witness to the district’s slew of strange events.
Kill la Kill is about navigating all the different groups in the strict hierarchy of a school while Durarara is about the different stories and interactions of different cliques throughout a city. While Kill la Kill goes way over the top in its action, Durarara starts off deeply steeped in realism and things get progressively more supernatural and insane as the series goes on.
Sengoku Basara
In the Sengoku Period of Japan, constant struggle between local lords has fostered a chaotic Japan. Quelling these lords one after another under his might and military prowess was the Demon King of Owari, Oda Nobunaga who was slowly uniting Japan. However, only two dared rebel against his rule, the One-eyed Dragon of Oshu, Masamune Date and the hot blooded warrior of the Takeda clan, Yukimura Sanada. Though Masamune and Yukimura share a similar goal of defying Oda rule, the two are locked in fierce rivalry that thwarts any hope of a united front. However, under pressure from Oda’s looming force, they must learn to make peace and work together if they hope to survive.
While the events and the names of the characters in Samurai Kings are based after history, like in Kill la Kill, you get these characters clashing in massive over-the-top battles. In its purest form, both anime series are about red versus blue fighting each other for supremacy.
For Fans of Strong Women Who Show Some Skin
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
The “Anarchy Sisters,” Panty and Stocking, were kicked out of heavan for bad behavior. In Daten City, these angels, led by the priest Gaterbelt, buy their way back by exterminating ghosts. However, in order to defeat these foes, they must transform their lingerie into weapons.
Most obviously, the similarity between these two shows is clothes. They are used as weapons and to enhance abilities in battle. However, you also get a lot of sexy gags, singular and energetic animation, and they both address serious topics in a not-so-serious way. Essentially, while Kill la Kill has superior animation, you get the same feel and bright color palate with these series. That also has a lot to do with the fact that they share some creators as well.
Medaka Box
As the perfect girl, it is only natural that Medaka Kurokami would win the election for school president by a landslide. Her first order of business is to install a “Medaka Box” in which the students could request her help. Medaka fulfills these requests with top speed, adding a flower to the student council room with each student helped. However, during her trials, she discovered a malicious plot on the academy and herself.
While Medaka Box sounds more like a slice-of-life series, it gets very Kill la Kill very fast. It goes from blissful school days to characters screaming at the top of their lungs in battle. It features a strong school hierarchy with frequent battles, but also balances it out with a fair bit of fan service as well.
Black Rock Shooter
On the first day of school, Mato Kuroi runs into Yomi Takanashi, and they become fast friends after bonding over a phone strap. However, in an alternate universe, the two girls exist as parallel beings. When the two worlds begin to overlap, the pair becomes entangled in the threads of fate.
With Kill la Kill and Black Rock Shooter, you get two female protagonists that are strong and likeable, but they also happen to lack clothes that cover their assets. While both shows also focus on friendships, they bring fast-paced action in equal measure.
Know any more good anime recommendations like Kill la Kill? Then tell us about them in the comments section below.
