Wisteria is an orphan who is forced to beg on the street for her orphanage in order to be fed. Her days are bleak, but her nights have a small ray of hope in the form of Marbas. This apathetic immortal demon comes to her window and they enjoy chats, despite him being hounded by hunters wherever he goes.
One day, Wisteria finds her freedom from her situation through Marbas, binding the two of them together with a promise to see the world. However, their pact did not come without a cost.
The Tale of Outcasts, even if it did get a little clearer and better by the end, did seem like a series that wanted to create the characters, but didn’t actually know what it wanted to do with them. However, the great demons are indeed fun characters. I just wish they were driven by more of a plot. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like The Tale of Outcasts? Let fans know in the comments section below.
Anime Like The Tale of Outcasts
For Fans of Girl and Her Non-Human Guardian
The Ancient Magus’ Bride
After being abandoned by her family, Chise Hatori is a 16-year-old teenager without hope.
In order to not have to worry about herself, she sells herself to slavers, only to be purchased by Magus Elias Ainsworth.
There, she is told she will become his apprentice and, in the future, his bride. Together they work to build a relationship and work to control her own magus powers that will eventually result in her early death.
Both The Tale of Outcasts and The Ancient Magus’ Bride craft a world where magic and magical beings exist, but exist out of the public view. Both series follow damaged girls with unique magical abilities who become friendly with a powerful demonic creature.
However, while The Tale of Outcasts has them becoming friends before binding their fates together, The Ancient Magus’ Bride has him buying her after she sold herself into slavery. A good chunk of the early plot is dedicated to them becoming friends and learning to trust each other.
Finally, both anime series are often a little adrift in the plot. There is no overall goal set early on, so it instead focuses on the characters and the various magical situations that they get pulled into.
Grimoire of Zero
While witches exist, very little is understood about magic, so their kind is ostracized. Half-beast men like Yohei are also shunned, causing him to make his living as a mercenary and wish he was human.
One day, he meets a witch called Zero who offers to grant the wish to turn him human, but only if he agrees to be her escort.
Both series follow a small, white-haired girl who finds herself in the company of an anthropomorphic, highly discriminated against guardian. However, while it is similar in that broad premise, they differ in the finer details.
In the Grimoire of Zero, the non-human guardian is a race/curse and not a demon. Furthermore, Zero, as a powerful witch, isn’t quite as in need of protecting as Wisteria. Finally, while The Tale of Outcasts has a plot that is essentially just wandering into different events, Grimoire of Zero has a driving plot that it is pursuing.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale
Fairies once lived free alongside humanity until humans discovered that stripping a wing from a fairy means literally holding their life in your hands. Now, fairies are enslaved to humans.
Ann is a young girl aspiring to become a Silver Sugar Master like her late mother was. To further this goal, she sets out to the royal capital, and on this dangerous journey she purchases a warrior fairy named Challe Fen Challe to protect her.
As Ann believes in the freedom and equality of faeries, she buys him and offers to give his wing back when she reaches her destination. However, as they travel, their bond together grows.
Both Sugar Apple Fairy Tale and The Tale of Outcasts follow the journey and adventures of a cute girl and her non-human companion.
At first, said companions start off curious, but widely indifferent to the girl. However, they bond deeply over the course of the anime and are endeared by the girl’s charms.
However, Ann isn’t quite as helpless (or blind) as Wisteria. Furthermore, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is a romance anime, but The Tale of Outcasts is not. They do also seem to share a general lack of direction in plot, but Sugar Apple Fairy Tale does have the main character have a goal.
For Fans of Victorian England, But With Demons
Black Butler
Young Earl Ciel Phantomhive is a noble in the service of Queen Victoria of England. Not only does he handle the business affairs of his family’s toy business, but he travels around solving mysteries that irk Her Majesty’s kingdom. However, he doesn’t do it alone.
After the death of his parents and in his darkest hour, Ciel formed a pact with a demon to help him get revenge on those that wronged him in exchange for his soul afterwards. Now this demon poses as his butler, Sebastian, a man with superhuman abilities.
Both Black Butler and The Tale of Outcasts follow young children in a fantasy version of Victorian Era England that has a sizable demon problem. They also have those children bind their lives to a demon in order for either power to seek revenge or to escape their miserable circumstances.
However, while both series have those kids being friendly with their demon protector, Sebastian in Black Butler is more menacing since he ultimately gets to eat his ward’s soul.
The most notable major difference between Black Butler and The Tale of Outcasts is that Black Butler is more of an action anime where both main characters have areas where they are competent, unlike Wisteria.
Pandora Hearts
Young Oz Vessalius is the heir to his noble house. However, during his coming-of-age ceremony, the Baskerville Clan comes to oust him from his seat and force him into the Abyss that he once thought fictional.
Inside, he finds it much like the stories so now he must learn to survive and escape this place infested with beings called Chains.
Both The Tale of Outcasts and Pandora Hearts feature characters who made pact with a dangerous demon that they became friendly with. They both also create unique Victorian England-inspired worlds, though Pandora Hearts has a lot more inspiration from Alice in Wonderland injected into it.
Both series follow the journey between the duo as they meet a whole slew of other dangerous beings that they almost always end up fighting.
Devils and Realist
After his uncle fails in his business venture, William, heir of his family, returns home with his butler to search for stuff to sell.
In the basement, William ends up inadvertently summoning a devil named Dantalion. This devil reveals that apparently William is the designator who can choose the acting ruler of the demon world.
Both anime series feature main characters in an England-inspired land that form contracts with a very powerful demon.
However, while Marbas is apathetic and cool, Dantalion is fiery and arrogant. While they are both pretty action-heavy, Devils and Realists is distinctly more shoujo in its character designs. Most characters are male and beautiful.
For Fans of Anthropomorphic Characters
Beastars
This is a world of anthropomorphic animals where carnivores and herbivores live side by side with each other.
At Cherryton Academy, young wolf Legoshi is a member of the drama club. While he is often called menacing due to his appearance, he wouldn’t hurt a fly.
However, when one herbivore classmate is killed and devoured, Legoshi finds himself as the primary suspect.
If what brought you to The Tale of Outcasts was the anthropomorphic demons, then Beastars is a must for you. Unlike The Tale of Outcasts, the characters aren’t demons or even necessarily symbolic. They are true anthropomorphic animals that engage in human activities, but still retain animal instincts.
However, if you enjoyed the darker tinge that The Tale of Outcasts has, you will enjoy Beastars more. It is a vastly darker and more brutal story in many instances.
Somali and the Forest Guardian
With humanity all but extinct after severe prosecution, the world is ruled over by spirits and all manner of strange creatures.
One day, a golem that serves as guardian of the forest meets a young human girl.
She has no memory of her parents, but the golem decides to at least seek out other humans to return her.
In The Tale of Outcasts, humans and demons seem to both be pretty plentiful. However, Somali and the Forest Guardian introduces us to a world where humans were thought to be extinct. Now all that remains is various kinds humanoid beast people.
Aside from their anthropomorphic animal characters, Somali and the Forest Guardian and The Tale of Outcasts are also about a non-human of ancient origins befriending a small girl whose humanity, in turn, humanizes them. However, Somali and the Forest Guardian likes to tug at the heartstrings by giving the golem a limited lifespan.
Do you have more anime recommendations like The Tale of Outcasts? Let fans know in the comments section below.
