After three years training with one of their prestigious Generals that saved him as a kid, Allen Walker is finally ready to join the Black Order, an organization of exorcists that fight Akuma and their leader, the Millennium Earl. With their Innocence weapons, Allen and his fellow exorcist embark on a journey to stop the Earl’s plot of ultimate destruction.
D. Gray Man never quite took off as a staple shounen show, but for those who gave it a chance, there is a unique tale to fall in love with full of macabre stories and unique powers. If you are looking for something similar, then check out these D. Gray Man anime recommendations.
Anime Like D. Gray Man
For Fans of Dark Shounen
Blue Exorcist
Humans and demons have always been separated by two different worlds, humans in Assiah and demons in Gehenna. The only way to travel between the worlds is by possession, which is how Satan, the ruler of Gehenna, wages his war. Blue Exorcist follows Rin Okumura, a somewhat trouble teen and son of Satan. However, while his father wants him to help conquer the human world, Rin decides to become an exorcist to fight him instead.
Both shows are very much shounen battle shows where they are always progressing towards the next battle between the characters and next new baddie, but they also have a more macabre tone to then. They deal with a little more dark subject matter than your standard shounen show.
Soul Eater
Death City is home to a famous technical academy and ran by Lord Death himself. At this academy, meisters train with their human weapons in order to evolve them into Death Scythes to be wielded by the Grim Reaper, Lord Death. Only by consuming 99 evils souls and the soul of one witch will a weapon be able to evolve. This is the story of several students of the academy as they try to grow stronger and protect Death City in the process.
Both shows are like the goth version of shounen. They have this sort of dark style to them that works really well. They both have moments where they have their fun, but the characters themselves aren’t particularly bubbly all the time.
Hunter x Hunter
Twelve-year-old Gon Freecss is determined to become a world-class Hunter, a skilled individual that performs all manner of dangerous tasks, just like his long-absent father. However, Gon finds that the path to achieving his goals is more challenging than he could have ever imagined, but in order to overcome it, Gon recruits some powerful friends.
While you can tell that D. Gray Man is going to be a darker show from the get-go, Hunter x Hunter hides its hand for awhile. It is presented like a standard shounen, but when it gets dark, man, it does not pull any punches.
For Fans of Unique Powers
Fairy Tail
While looking to enhance her magic, celestial mage Lucy meets an energetic fire mage name Natsu. After finding out he is a member of the famous wizard guild Fairy Tail that she has long admired, the pair travel home so Lucy can join. Together with her new guildmates, Lucy and Natsu embark on adventures to help people, make money, and explore their vast magical world.
If you enjoyed how every character basically came with a new style of fighting, then Fairy Tail is for you. Every character uses magic in a different sort of way which keeps fights from becoming boring or repetitive.
Bleach
Ichigo Kurosaki is an average high school student except for his ability to see ghosts. One night, his family is attacked by a Hollow, a corrupted spirit that devours souls. He and a Soul Reaper who appears named Rukia manage to fight it off. However, in the process, Rukia is injured, forcing her to share her powers with Ichigo in order to survive the battle. From there, Ichigo must face down with Hollows and other Soul Reapers alike, not yet knowing what powerful enemies lurk out in the universe and what devastating powers lie within himself.
In D. Gray Man, every innocence presents itself in different forms. In Bleach, it is the same for soul reapers and their swords. They can take the form of different weapons, which makes their fighting styles unique. Furthermore, both shows have a lot of unique character designs.
Fullmetal Alchemist
After their attempt to bring their mother back from the dead goes horribly wrong, Edward is left without an arm and leg while his brother Al’s soul is only bound to this world by a suit of armor. The two brothers journey to look for a way to bring Al’s body back, in the process joining the military as alchemists. However, the object that could bring back Al’s body is not the only problem they encounter.
As you are introduced to different characters in both shows, you learn their different specialties. Not everyone is a fighter, but everyone has a talent. Furthermore, as Fullmetal Alchemist goes on, it gets really quite dark.
For Fans of Monster Hunters
Claymore
In the world of Claymore, humans coexists with demons called Youma. In order to combat these violent creatures, human / Youma hybrids called Claymores were made. The story begins with Raki, a young boy who lost his family to a Youma attack meeting the Claymore Claire. Though detested by society, Raki begins to bond with the Claymore, and as they journey, they come to understand each other better.
Both series are about organizations that hunt down monsters that plague humanity. The difference is that Claymores don’t really hide in the shadows, but they are greatly disdained by humanity. Exorcists, however, fly widely under the radar.
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 series follow rather formal, almost militaristic organizations that fight monsters that feed on humanity in various ways. They also focus on characters who can develop unique powers from their weapons.
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.
Humanity in both series lives in fear of titans and akuma. As such, there are organizations in place that are trained to fight them. Furthermore, both series are set in kind of a historical setting, but not really, as they have some non-historical conveniences.
Do you have more anime recommendations like D. Gray Man? Let fans know in the comments section below.
