Immortal humans known as Ajin first appeared in Africa 17 years ago. While they were labeled a threat to mankind, to many they were just an infrequent news item. However, for Kei Nagai, a high schooler studying hard to be a doctor, he discovers he is an Ajin after being fatally hit by a car. Now on the run from the government that wants to imprison him, Kei must find a way to survive.
Although featuring some occasionally distracting 3D animation, Ajin tells a story that other series have tried to tell, and for once, succeeds. Shocking and intriguing, this psychological horror series leads the genre, but these anime recommendations might be able to entertain you, too.
Anime Like Ajin: Demi-Human
For Fans of Human Hybrids
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.
Ajin is basically what Tokyo Ghoul wanted to be. They are both dark, horrific, psychological shows about humans getting brutally hurt. While ghouls eat people, Ajin just manifest superhuman abilities. While Tokyo Ghoul delves more into the interactions among ghouls, Ajin takes a more cynical tone when it comes to both humans and other Ajin.
Parasyte
Quietly overnight, the world was overrun by aliens that took over human bodies. Luckily for the young Shinichi Izumi, he was sleeping on his arm and trapped the alien parasite trying to take over his brain in his arm. Now with humans unable to understand the alien in his hand and aliens seeing his failure to take over the brain as unsatisfactory, Shinichi and the alien Migi must work together to survive.
Both Parasyte and Ajin are about otherwise normal humans that wake up different one day. Through this new superhuman ability they find out they have been automatically thrust into a brutal and violent world where they must adapt to survive. By the end, both characters are unrecognizable compared to the people they were at the beginning of the series.
From the New World
After a small portion of the world suddenly developed psychokinetic powers, a select nefarious few used them for malicious deeds. Far into the future, the village of Kamisu 66 is entirely made up of these psychics, with 12-year-old Saki being one of the last in her class to awaken them. Elated to join her friends at the Sage Academy finally, things are not as they seem in this village that harbors numerous dark secrets.
Both series are about new evolutions in humanity. However while Ajin shows things in the beginning, that era of violence is glossed over in From the New World where things have settled down somewhat. However, you watch both characters explore and learn new things about the world.
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For Fans of Dark Psychology
Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne
For Rin Asogi, things like getting stabbed are just an inconvenience, not a death sentence. Rin has eaten the time fruit from the world tree, rendering her immortal. While she has lived long, she suddenly learns of someone that is hunting down other immortals like herself.
Both Ajin and Rin take something that a lot of people think would be cool – immortality – and shows you all the reasons it is bad. Not only does dying hurt, but you basically watch the mortals you like die around you constantly.
Psycho-Pass
In the 22nd century, the justice system has changed. The Sibyl System now determines the threat level of each citizen by examining their mental state for criminal intent. This has become known as their Psycho-Pass. Once criminal intent has been identified, Inspectors like Akane Tsunemori are in charge of subjugating them. However, this tough job is not without dangers. This is why Inspectors are paired with Enforcers, like Shinya Kougami, latent criminals with just the right amount of psychopathy to keep other criminals in their place.
Although Ajin is about the actual threat to society, both it and Psycho-Pass are about people trying to stop the violent people. Within, both series paint a depressingly dark and violent world with very little happiness.
Monster
Dr Kenzou Tenma has the perfect life as one of the world’s most renowned brain surgeons. However, one night he is presented with a doctor’s most painful choice – to save an injured child or the mayor, both mortally wounded. Against his colleague’s advice, he saves the kid. However, when a series of crimes start happening around him, all evidence points to the child he saved.
Did you enjoy Ajin because of the plot twists, intriguing characters, and the somewhat intelligent story it presented? Well, Monster takes all those things and turns the dial up to eleven. As the best thriller series out there, both keep you on the edge of your seat.
For Fans of Government Control / Terrorism
Elfen Lied
Lucy is a special breed of human known as a Diclonius, sporting a pair of small horns and telekinetic powers. All her life she has been held captive in a government facility. However, after staging a bloody break out one night, she is hit in the head and sent tumbling over a cliff. Washing up on shore with amnesia, she is taken in by some college students who are about to be pulled into the bloody world of government conspiracy.
Both series tell the tales of people that society perceive as monsters. While they don’t seem like monsters at first, you watch the main characters in both series progressively pass over that line, making you understand why society fears them.
Big Order
Ten years ago, a fairy appeared and asked Eiji Hoshimiya what his only wish was. Whatever that wish was, the results were catastrophic – everything in the world collapsed. Fast forward to the present and Eiji’s only concern is his sick sister and the other people that are trying to kill him.
The main characters are the most similar parts of these two series. Both anime series tell the story of a boy that is not quite human as well as have some sort of immortality in the mix. They both have younger sisters in the hospital and they both have to constantly be on the run for what they are.
Terror in Resonance
After a terrorist attack on a Japanese nuclear facility, the country was paralyzed to act. After six months of searching for the perpetrators, the public is shown a video of two boys known as Sphinx who take credit for a recent bomb attack. The pair are soon linked to the terrorist attack on the nuclear facility by police. Threatening more mayhem to come, it is up to the police to catch these terrorists. However, Sphinx has been very careful to never kill anyone with their attacks. Instead, they hope to use them to expose a secret government experiment and its cruelty.
Although vastly different in terms of plot, Ajin and Terror in Resonance have quite a bit in common. Both feature main characters on the run from the government, were treated cruelly, and feature superhuman abilities. However, their most similar traits is that neither character is innately good or terribly evil.
Do you have any more anime recommendations for Ajin? Tell us in the comments section below.
