During the industrial revolution of their world, a monster appeared that cannot be killed unless pierced through its iron-protected heart. Those who are bitten by the creature become zombies know as Kabane.
On the island of Hinomoto, humanity has built stations to seek refuge from these creatures. Ikoma lives at a station that brings supplies to the island and has created a weapon he believes can fight these creatures.
While waiting for a chance to test it, he meets a mysterious girl named Mumei. After following her, he might just get the chance he desires.
While destined to forever be compared to Attack on Titan, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress had some great concepts and characters of its own, though I wish its plot stayed on one set of rails towards a conclusion. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, head on down below.
Anime Like Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
For Fans of Monsters Pushing Humanity to the Brink
Attack on Titan
Facing imminent extinction, humanity retreated behind a series of tall, thick walls to escape their most dangerous threat – massive human-like Titans with a taste for human flesh.
With an enemy that eats humanity for fun rather than food, they are constantly threatened. As such, it is the duty of every human to defend the species.
Enter Eren Yegaer who, after his village was destroyed by Titans breaching the outer wall, he and his adopted sister Mikasa join the Survey Corps. They are one of three factions of the military that scouts and combats Titans outside the walls.
After joining in the brutal war, Eren discovers a secret about himself that could unravel what the world thinks they know about Titans.
Studio Wit caught lightning with Attack on Titan, and two years later they wanted to try to catch it again with the original yet curiously similar story of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.
While unfortunately Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress will often be seen as a “less good Attack on Titan,” they do have enough similarities that if you liked one, you will likely enjoy the other.
Both Attack on Titan and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress follow humanity pushed to the brink in protected cities by creatures that are hard to kill and desire to eat them. The main characters suddenly discover that they are a hybrid version of this creature and use it to, at least at first, protect humanity.
Seraph of the End
After a mysterious virus killed every human over 13 years old, the vampires rose up with a promise to protect the survivors. The only thing they asked in return is donations of blood.
For Yuuichirou and Mikaela, they have grown tired of being livestock and pose a daring escape plan. It ultimately fails with only Yuuichirou left alive. However, after joining up with a mercenary company, he swears vengeance on the vampires, no matter the cost.
Both Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Seraph of the End follow humanity at the end of the world where an apocalyptic event has dealt them a serious blow. However, while the Kabane in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress are more akin to zombies, Seraph of the End is firmly breathing vicious new life into vampires.
While the threat is different, both series follow a main character of iron determination to destroy every last creature. They are so determined, they are even willing to risk becoming a monster themselves. However, that doesn’t play a role in Seraph of the End until later.
God Eater
In the year 2071, humanity has been pushed to the brink of extinction by man-eating monsters called Aragami. Immune to traditional weapons, they roam the land, but an organization called Fenrir with it’s human-hybrid God Eaters are the only ones capable of killing these Aragami.
Lenka is a new God Eater who must master his powers in order to have any hope of fulfilling his wish to wipe out the Aragami once and for all.
God Eater and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress have the same premise of humanity being pushed back into fortresses and only a select few even having a shot of fighting back.
God Eater is a lot like Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress if the weapons used to fight Kabane were a lot bigger and a lot more powerful. As God Eater is based on a monster hunting game, you have to expect some cool looking weapons, cool looking monsters, but the general plot to be a bit weak.
Gibiate
In the year 2030, Earth has been overrun by a disease that turns humans into freakish monsters.
Joining a small group searching for a cure are a samurai and ninja transported from the Edo period. Their skills in battle turn the tide for this struggling small group.
Gibiate takes your standard “humanity facing an apocalypse after an infection turns most people into violent monsters,” and adds a time travel twist to it instead of the usual human-monster hybrid twist that Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress uses.
Both series are about the main characters being the most effective weapon against the monsters, though Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress has the more interesting reason.
Unfortunately, both series also have the unfortunate similarity of having kind of unsatisfactory plots overall. You enjoy what you get, but the plot could have used more work.
Cagaster of an Insect Cage
When a disease known as “Cagaster” started to manifest, those infected turned into insects.
30 years of this disease running rampant has lead to people like Kidou, who now battle the growing onslaught of insects.
Both Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Cagaster of an Insect Cage follow the same sort of apocalypse where humanity is threatened by an infection that turns them into monsters. The monsters are also armored so that they are not so easy to kill.
However, while Ikoma is kind of a complex main character in some ways, the main character in Cagaster of an Insect Cage is your standard action anime protagonist. You know, cold and guarded veteran monster slayer that tries not to care about his comrades, but cares a lot. That type.
Deca-Dence
Driven to the point of extinction by creatures known as the Gadoll, humanity now lives out of a large mobile fortress known as Deca-Dence.
Inside, the residents are separated into Gears, warriors that fight the Gadoll, and Tankers who maintain the fortress. Natsume, a Tanker, has dreams of becoming a Gear, but is forced into armor repair where she meets a surly senpai named Kaburagi that has more skills than he lets on.
These anime both take place in worlds where humanity has long been enduring an apocalypse caused by frequent monster attack. Instead of fleeing behind walls like in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Deca-Dence has them hold up inside a mobile fortress.
That said, while Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress plays this straight, Deca-Dence definitely adds a unique twist to this frequently used formula.
For Fans of Becoming Monsters to Fight Monsters
Black Bullet
In the year 2021, a parasitic virus has ravaged humanity by turning them into monsters, driving the remaining humans into massive walled cities.
However, while a special metal can keep these monsters at bay and fight them, children are already being born with the virus dormant within them. It is decided that these “cursed children” are humanity’s best hope for fighting the virus.
Both Black Bullet and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress focus on humanity battling a virus that turns people into monsters. They not only flee behind walls, but these monsters can only be hurt by specific means.
While Ikoma is the only hybrid in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress because he did it to himself as an experiment, Black Bullet has humanity start to utilize beings that have traces of the virus in their bodies by pairing them with human partners.
While Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress enjoys its steampunk settings and more unique weaponry, Black Bullet enjoys its guns, guns, and more guns when it comes to action.
Claymore
In Claymore, the world is overcome with demons called Yoma that constantly plague humanity. After Raki’s parents were killed by Yoma, he teams up with Claire, a Claymore, an order of powerful half-human, half-Yoma women that are shunned by society but fight to rid the world of Yoma.
Together, each learns more about the each other and work towards their own goals.
Both Claymore and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress follow fighters who are infused with the blood and powers of the very thing they are going to be fighting. As they are tainted half-breeds, they also face discrimination because of it.
Both series follow these hybrids as they travel and fight these monsters, and both are kind of bleak anime worlds, but they differ in the setting. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is steampunk-inspired apocalypse and Claymore is a more traditional medieval-inspired dark fantasy.
Parasyte
One night, sixteen-year-old Shinichi Izumi was peacefully sleeping when a race of parasitic aliens descended on Earth.
One parasite infects Shinichi, trying to get to his brain to take over his body, but ends up getting stuck in his right hand. Unable to relocate to the brain, the alien, named Migi, now has no choice but to learn to coexist with Shinichi in his body in order to stay alive.
Unfortunately, the other parasitic aliens are not so friendly with humans or to parasites that failed to complete their mission.
While Parasyte is different in that the story is about the early days of an alien apocalypse, both Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Parasyte are about boys that become hybrid monsters of the things that are threatening the world.
Furthermore, both main characters are kind-hearted and almost wimpy, but grow to rise to the occasion with their powers.
Although both series are oriented towards action, Parasytre is often more one-on-one battles since the aliens are infecting humans quietly.
Devilman Crybaby
Akira has always been a little weak and blends into the background, so when his childhood friend asks for help uncovering devils, he agrees. The pair head to Sabbath where many gather for debauchery and to be possessed by devils.
When the devils begin to wreck havoc in their new living hosts, Akira agrees to merge bodies with a devil in order to save his friend. Though he now has a voracious devil inside him, he still has the heart of a crybaby.
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Devilman Crybaby both start off with kind-hearted characters who become monsters that still keep their humanity. They use this power to then fight their own kind.
However, while they are similar in their main characters, these two series different when it comes to plot. They are both technically fighting for the world, but Devilman Crybaby has a world in more imminent danger. It also enjoys more sex, violence, and punching you right in your emotions.
For Fans of Brutal Battles for Survival
Guilty Crown
After being ravaged by the Apocalypse Virus, Japan has fallen under control of the GHQ, an independent military force dedicated to the restoration of order. However, a guerrilla group called Funeral Parlor seeks to put an end to their despotism.
After a fateful run in with a key member of Funeral Parlor, weak and anti-social Shuu Ouma finds himself with a powerful new weapon, the ability to pull out manifestations of a person’s personality to wield as weapons.
Now he must make use of it in order to free Japan once and for all.
Both Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Guilty Crown take place in a world that suffered a sort of catastrophic event. However, unlike Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress’ apocalyptic Kabane plague, Guilty Crown is only affecting one country.
Regardless, both series see the main character become, essentially, the one great hope to stand between the apocalypse and innocent lives, suffering as many losses as they do victories. However, Guilty Crown focuses more on how this power, and using it in actual warfare warps the main character.
86
For years, the Republic of San Magnolia has been at war with the Giadian Empire. They were constantly plagued by their hordes of unmanned drones until the government created an unmanned solution of their own, finally able to wage their war without casualties.
However, that is not quite the truth. The “unmanned” combat weapons are actually used by those of the 86th sector of the Republic, but they are not considered even human.
This is the tale of both Shin, an 86er and battle commander, and Lena, their sympathetic handler who remotely commands the detachment from inside the city.
While of different kinds, both 86 and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress take place in a world where humanity is at the later ends of an apocalyptic war that they are slowly losing. Unlike the ion-heart zombies in Kabaneri, the people of 86 are plagued by self-replicating sentient machinery bent on human eradication.
While both are a story of survival, 86 is a bit of a different type. One human settlement has taken to using child soldiers in a sort of genocide of a specific people. They are made to fight, and they are expected to die. As such, while Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is often aimed at heroic action, 86 is distinctly more melancholic and, in many cases, a hopeless struggle for the characters.
Tokyo Ghoul
The citizens of Tokyo now live in fear of vicious creatures called ghouls that blend in alongside humans and feast on their flesh.
One day, Ken Kaneki, a shy college student, meets a girl called Rize who is also an avid reader like him. Unfortunately, as he finds out on his first date, Rize turns out to be a ghoul.
Just when she is about to eat him, Kaneki is saved, barely clinging to life. In the process of surviving this attack, Kaneki finds out that he has now become a ghoul.
Both Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Tokyo Ghoul follow a main character who was kind of a nerd that became a hybrid of the creatures in the world that want to eat humanity.
While Ikoma jumps right into the fight for his people, Kaneki mostly shies away from it at first. While it takes more time, Kaneki becomes a more action-oriented main character.
If you enjoy watching your main characters go through some suffering, Tokyo Ghoul has that in spades.
For Fans of Road Trips in the Apocalypse
Vampire in the Garden
After a great war, humankind has been pushed to the brink by vampires. Now they live in pockets that each find their own way to survive.
In a small city-state guarded by a large military and a wall of light that protects them from vampire attacks, Momo dreams of exploring a more peaceful means of coexistence with vampires after developing a love of music, something from vampire culture. On the other side of the battlefield, vampire queen Fine still morns her dead human lover and seeks to die.
When they cross paths, together they start a journey for “Eden,” a peaceful place told about in whispers where humans and vampires live peacefully side by side.
Both Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Vampire in the Garden focus on characters that are traveling through a world where humanity is very nearly dead. They are looking for a place that is safe, and each potential place they find is more problems than safety.
However, Vampire in the Garden is a much shorter series and doesn’t have as much big action.
High School of the Dead
It happened suddenly. The dead rose and threw Japan into chaos.
In the high school of Takashi Kimuro, the situation forced him to kill his bitten best friend and protect the man’s girlfriend, Rei.
As they narrowly escape the school with a few others, they find the real survival just beginning.
Both anime take place in a world in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. However, High School of the Dead is more a modern zombie apocalypse and follows a group of high schoolers in the early days of the event. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is a more of a fantasy world where human society stalled out after the kabane appeared and the world likely never reached the modern age.
While both anime are filled with zombie slaughter, High School of the Dead is a more ecchi anime. Lots and lots of ecchi in it. To the point where it is distracting from the horror of the situation.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress? Let fans know in the comments section below.
