Members of the Weeaboo Army know that anime is life and anime is love, but we like other things too. The best part of anime is that there is so much out there, that we can easily relate it to other fandoms. This just also happens to be a great tool for converting normies if you are a little short on anime-liking friends as well. So whether it is recent phenomenon like Game of Thrones or an enduring fandom like Doctor Who, I bet there is an anime series out there like it.
Best Anime Recommendations Based on Your Favorite Non-Anime Shows
Anime Recommendations Like Game of Thrones
Captivating us with its incredibly detailed world, diverse cast of characters, and just devastating brutality, it is no surprise that Game of Thrones easily rose to be many people’s favorite show. No matter what you liked about Game of Thrones, whether it was the swords and chivalry or the heart-breaking betrayals, there are tons of anime series that can match that.
- Berserk – Berserk is the anime fan’s Game of Thrones. It follows a lone mercenary as he gets pulled into a mercenary group by their inspiring leader and follows them on their journey in a war between two countries. There are large battles, betrayal, royal intrigue, and just crushing deaths. Watch the 1997 version of Berserk first, or for a more concise version, the three movies that sum all that up, then move onto the 2016 version, also just called “Berserk,” but it is actually just a continuation and if you watch it first you miss all the best parts.
- The Twelve Kingdoms – While The Twelve Kingdoms does indeed have twelve kingdoms, each with their own culture and government, this anime doesn’t explore them as well as Game of Thrones does with Westeros and Essos. However, what it does excel in is taking characters you hate and making you love them through development. However, unlike Game of Thrones, it follows characters transported from the modern world to this fantasy universe, so it has its modern touches.
- Kingdom – If you wanted actual battles between different kingdoms, then Kingdoms is where you can get it. It takes place in an altered version of China’s Warring States period where seven different nation’s arise and they all fight for supremacy. It follows two war orphan slaves that battle their way towards the goal of becoming great leaders and generals. Like in Game of Thrones, Kingdom brings many betrayals, alliances, deaths, and intrigue. However, this one is for the battle lovers.
- Attack on Titan – In Game of Thrones, no one is safe. It is the same in Attack on Titan. Devastating injuries, maiming, and death happens frequently in the series. You follow Eren and his two friends Mikasa and Armin as they barely survive a breach in the walls that protect the last of humanity from their eternal enemy gigantic, Titans, a race that eat people just for fun. Together they train to become soldiers to fight back against the Titans, but even with training and equipment, humanity is still at a great disadvantage.
Anime Recommendations Like Doctor Who
While Doctor Who has enough series and episodes to keep fans pretty busy, it goes on hiatus too, and the sizable fanbase needs something else to keep them busy. However, across its 50-year history there are a lot of different things that Doctor Who fans love and hate about their series, which can make recommending an anime series pretty tricky since you definitely don’t want them to watch a show that reminds them of their least favorite Doctor.
- Steins;Gate – There couldn’t be an anime series more like Doctor Who unless there was an actual anime series of Doctor Who. Steins;Gate follows a self-titled mad scientist and genius as he accidentally discovers that his microwave that turns bananas into green goo can also send messages back in time. Of course, messing with time can cause unexpected events that ripple into the future, forcing this quirky genius need to fix his mess time and time again.
- Erased – This series is another time travel series, but the mechanism behind the time travel isn’t really explained. However, while Erased might not be as intelligent as Doctor Who, it tells a time travel story that draws you in like nothing else. It follows a struggling manga artist who has the ability to make short jumps back in time to prevent minor disasters like a car crash. However, when he comes home to find a loved one mysteriously murdered, he makes the biggest jump yet back to his childhood right before a series of child murders are about to occur that left him filled with regret his entire adult life. With all of his memories still intact, can he find a way to save them?
- Beautiful Bones – Is your favorite bit about Doctor Who how a brilliant Doctor solves various mysteries with his typically less intelligent sickkick? What a coincidence! That is pretty much the synopsis of Beautiful Bones. Well, technically Beautiful Bones is more closely similar to the TV show Bones, because you follow an eccentric osteologist as she solves mysteries by examining bones. However, all the bone work aside, there are engaging mysteries abound.
Anime Recommendations Like Supernatural
Well, you know, Supernatural already has an anime series. It is short, but actually pretty good. It could do with some more episodes, so mind as well watch something else since that will never happen. Whether you like epic battles between angels and demons (with some humans in the middle like pretty terrible sandwich) or just want to go back to old school Supernatural where they just hunted monsters every week, we have recommendations for that.
- Blue Exorcist – So, Blue Exorcist is about two brothers that fight demons with one of the brothers actually being a little demonic himself. That’s pretty much the plot of Supernatural’s early seasons. Unfortunately, there isn’t quite as much snark as Supernatural, but fortunately the battles are beautifully animated and fast-paced.
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – This is another show about two brothers. Like Supernatural, they have an absentee father and their mother died. However, the brothers in Fullmetal Alchemist tried to bring her back via alchemy which resulted in one brother losing and arm and a leg and the other brother losing his body completely, only saved when his soul was bound to a suit of armor. Now, they joined government alchemists in order to search for the Philosopher’s Stone in order to restore their bodies. Like Supernatural, this of course ends up with them solving other problems and getting tied up in a lot of other people’s business along the way.
- Psychic Detective Yakumo – Plain and simple, Psychic Detective Yakumo is like old school Supernatural because it has a “mystery of the week” feel to it where the characters solve various supernatural cases in various ways. However, it is more ghosts and other phenomena and less monsters.
- Rage of Bahamut: Genesis – If you are more of a recent seasons of Supernatural fan, then you want some good old-fashioned demons versus angels drama. Rage of Bahamut has that, in its own way. The story is based in a world where angels and demons banded together to seal away the ancient dragon Bahamut who was destroying the world. After it was done, the seal was split between them so he would never awaken again. The series follows a snarky mercenary who meets a girl that has half the seal to awaken Bahamut and the adventures that follow due to it.
Anime Recommendations Like Harry Potter
The Harry Potter fandom may be old, but damn is it still ragin’. Of course, when you release new movies within the same Potter-verse, it only fans those flames. However, it is not like we are getting a new Harry Potter book or movie every year anymore, now are we? So hopefully these anime recommendations will help keep the magic alive.
- Little Witch Academia – You can probably tell by the name, but this has Harry Potter written all over it. However, it takes witches as a literal term, so it follows a bunch of girls. No wizards here, guys. However, you watch these distinctively unique girls grow and wield magic against vastly superior foes. If a magical world and a magical school enticed you to Harry Potter, this can do the same if you let it.
- Fate/Zero – While not specifically about witches or wizards, Fate/Zero follows the warring battle between several different families over the Holy Grail, something that is said to grant any wish. There have been many battles fought over it in the past, and now a new one is beginning. In it, these families wield the spirits of legendary and mythological warriors to fight by their side. Like Harry Potter, Fate/Zero features ancient blood lines and often plots in the shadows that tend to draw innocent kids in.
- From the New World – While Harry Potter has a whole wizarding world out of the muggle’s eye, From the New World is about a select portion of humanity suddenly evolving psychic powers. However, it doesn’t follow that story, instead it jumps far into the future to a village made completely of psychics. In it, the main character has just awoken to her powers, much to the relief of her parents, and can go to the psychic school. However, while that is all very Harry Potter-esque, things turn dark as you follow these children as they unravel dark secrets like what happens to the kids that don’t awaken powers or what happened to all the non-psychic humans in the first place.
- Soul Eater – While the Soul Eater universe has witches in it, they aren’t the heroes. Instead, you follow Miesters who train human weapons to be scythes for the Grim Reaper. In order for the weapon to become a weapon for the Grim Reaper, it must first collect 100 evils souls and one witch soul, but that is no easy task. In order to better harvest these souls, both Miesters and their weapon partners attend school to hone their technique. I like to call Soul Eater “Nightmare Before Christmas: The Anime” because of the Halloween-themed cityscape and characters, but there are a lot of similarities to Harry Potter as well.
Anime Recommendations Like The Marvel / DC Universe
Unlike Harry Potter, the Marvel / DC universe is still hopping with one (or more) movies coming out each year as well as a whole hell of a lot of TV series. There is actually enough superhero media from these two comic rivals that you might not have time for any anime (there is also Marvel / DC animated series, too), but if you do…
- My Hero Academia – You can’t go wrong with an anime series that was based on western comic books. My Hero Academia takes place in a world where a large percentage of humanity has developed random superpowers, or Quirks. This has made becoming a superhero a viable profession since many choose to use them for crime. However, Midoriya, despite wanting to be like the strongest hero ever, All Might, has no quirk. That is, until he meets All Might and finds out his quirk is transferable, setting him down the path to become the strongest hero ever.
- One Punch Man – One Punch Man has become so wildly popular that many Marvel and DC fans have already been exposed to it. It follows relatively ordinary Saitama who has a childhood dream of becoming a hero. He wanted it so bad that he trained so hard that all his hair fell out and he can now defeat evildoers with one punch. Of course, he now no longer enjoys battle. That is, until a young cyborg convinces him to join the Hero Association. What makes this, as well as Marvel and DC media so lovable is not only the epic battles, but the comedy woven in as well.
- Tiger and Bunny – In Tiger and Bunny, being a hero has become a lucrative business, so long as you have the right sponsorship. This series is like a buddy cop movie if the buddy cops wore Iron Man-like suits. The plot forces two very different personalities to team up and fight crime while trying to get along with each other.
- Seven Deadly Sins – The Seven Deadly Sins tells the story of the Seven Sins, a group of ex-Knights that were blamed for trying to take over the kingdom they served in what was really a coup by other knight leaders. While the world thinks they are the bad guys, the princess of the kingdom seeks them out and the Sins, now all spread out, gather together again to answer the call. While not strictly about superheroes, in the series you soon find that these warriors are vastly stronger than most people and almost always fight for what is good despite their negative reputation.
Anime Recommendations Like Star Wars
After years of almost drifting into cult status, the Star Wars fandom is revving up again with some movies that are almost as good as the original ones. However, it takes time to pump them out and delays are bound to happen. So in between that yearly release schedule to continue that classic space epic, let’s try some anime space epics.
- Legend of Galactic Heroes – If you like space politics and epic battles, you have two anime choices. Gundam or Legend of Galactic Heroes. While Gundam is a bit daunting to get into, Legend of Galactic Heroes is more concise and a masterful space opera. You have battle, intrigue, and politics all woven together in a great series. While the animation is on the older side, if you can look past the effects in the original Star Wars, you can watch this just fine.
- Code Geass – Like Star Wars, Code Geass is about rebellion against a powerful empire. While it is more mechanical suits and less space travel, it follows the exiled Prince of the empire as he rebels against his father and the government he hates after he gains the ability to look anyone in the eye and command them to do anything. With this power and his natural genius, throughout the series, he turns the world on its head.
- Cowboy Bebop – If you enjoy how cool and morally grey Han Solo was in Star Wars, then Cowboy Bebop is exactly up your alley. If follows a group of misfits that make ends meet as intergalactic bounty hunters. While they are good at combat, luck is not always on their side and they find themselves just barely scraping by. With everyone aboard having a unique back story and Spike being the Han Solo of all anime, you get a fun space adventure in this one.
- Last Exile – Last Exile follows a duo on their adventures as pilots and couriers before they get caught in an epic conflict. While this is more of a steampunk version of Star Wars, it has a lot of the same themes. You have kids that want to surpass their parents, conflict consuming the known world, and watching these kids fly is a lot like watching an X-Wing go at it.
Anime Recommendations Like The Walking Dead
When The Walking Dead came around, zombie media was already a pretty well-beaten dead horse, but the show revived it to a fever pitch. Between the surprise character deaths, the complex groups forming in the post-apocalypse, and the good old theme of survival, there was a lot to love despite the blinding rage comic fans felt every time it deviated from the comics. Unfortunately, zombies are rather underutilized in anime, but there are still some gems.
(I really want to recommend High School of the Dead, but any normies you show that to will think you are a huge pervert and it will further the stereotype that all anime is porn. So… No, but it’s out there.)
- School Live! – Since High School of the Dead is too perverse, best to go to the only other zombie anime worth watching. School Live can be deceptive in its first episode about a girl living a happy school life, but it soon turns out it is all delusion that she made up to protect herself from reality – the zombie apocalypse is in full swing and she is surviving by being hold up in her school with several other girls and a dog. While there is very little shocking death like in The Walking Dead (there is some, though), this is the best zombie series anime can serve up.
- Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress – This series, instead of being set in modern times like The Walking Dead, takes place in a world going through an industrial revolution. From this event rose monsters immune to weapons due to their hearts being encased in steel Worse yet, one bite from them and a human turns into a member of the undead. In order to survive, not unlike several arcs in The Walking Dead, humanity retreats behind fortifications and searches for a way to strike back.
- Shiki – Instead of zombies, Shiki focuses on vampires slowly taking over a small town by biting and infecting others. However, these aren’t Twilight vampires, they are brutal and hungry. Since the characters in the show don’t realize the large cluster of deaths is due to vampires at first, you watch as they try to unravel the mystery. Of course, you also bond with those characters and watch them die in many heart-breaking ways like in The Walking Dead.
- Attack on Titan – A Titan is just like a zombie except about 20 times larger and with more creepy smiles. In Attack on Titan, the last of humanity has retreated behind giant walls to survive massive, mindless man-eating Titans that have overwhelmed the world. However, when a colossal Titan appears and knocks a hole in their walls, three kids barely escape and join the military to seek vengeance.
Yes indeed all these fandoms have so many more recommendations we could make, but why don’t you just tell us in the comments section below.
