Clumsy and talentless, Tsunayoshi Sawada, dubbed “Loser Tsuna” by his class, is the personification of failure. However, this loser’s boring life takes a new turn when he encounters Reborn, a baby and a hitman from the strongest Mafia family in Italy. Reborn has been sent to whip this middle school loser into shape because he is the heir to the Vongola Mafia Family. However, as heir, he now faces a constant onslaught of rivals that Reborn needs to help him learn to take down.
Widely overlooked, but a decent shounen anime series with a good balance of action and comedy, if you are looking for more anime recommendations like Katekyo Hitman Reborn, then look no further because we’re about to hook you up.
Anime Like Katekyo Hitman Reborn
For Fans of Zero to Hero Main Characters
Eyeshield 21
As a shy and frequently bullied kid, Sena is accustomed to running away. However, after Hiruma, the captain of the American Football team, sees his skill at running, he goes to great lengths to recruit Sena as a running back in order to turn the team’s lackluster record around.
Although football and mafia activities have very little to do with each other, the main characters of these series are surprisingly similar. They are weak with the same personalities, but when they find a mentor, they step foot on the path that will ultimately make them stronger and more confident. While not violent action like in Katekyo, the sports action in Eyeshield is also balanced out well with comedy.
Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple
After years of reading self-improvement books, “weak legs” Kenichi finally works up the courage to join the karate club. Unfortunately, his school bully challenges him, intent on literally kicking him out. While all hope seemed lost, new classmate Miu invites him to her dojo for training. While he was able to defeat the bully, his new strength attracted the attention of a powerful group of students, and in order to overcome them, he must train in many martial arts styles.
If you enjoyed the fighting in Katekyo, but just wished there was more of it, then Kenichi can supply. You start off with a weak character and watch him grow stronger and more skilled with every encounter. However, in Kenichi, he’s not really training to be anything other than just strong, so there isn’t that ultimate goal like Katekyo.
My Hero Academia
After the sudden appearance of super powers, or “quirks,” now 80 percent of humanity has some kind of power. With some Quirk users turning to crime, it gave rise to super heroes that help the police keep the peace. Since he was a child, Izuku Midoriya has idolized super heroes, especially the symbol of peace, All Might, but he is devastated to learn that he won’t manifest a Quirk himself. Still, he studies super heroes and is determined to become one. After a chance encounter with All Might, Midoriya learns that there still may be a chance for him to be a hero after all.
Both of these series start off the same way. Both main characters start off as weak until they encounter someone who changes their life forever. Reborn gives Tsuna his hyper death flame mode while All Might gives Midoriya his quirk. Together they learn to be strong and come into their own.
For Fans of Mafia Themes
Arcana Famiglia
The island of Regalo is protected by a supernaturally power mafia-like group called the Arcana Famiglia. However, at his birthday party, the elder of the group announces his retirement. In order to choose his successor, he announces a competition. Furthermore, the winner also gets to marry his daughter. However, enraged, his daughter decides to enter as well.
Obviously both series are about training or choosing the next leader of their mafia family. The real difference is that Arcana Famiglia tends to be more shoujo. However, you get series that both feature supernatural Mafioso’s fighting each other.
Baccano
In the early 1930s, the transcontinental train, Flying Pussyfoot, starts a legendary journey across the country that will leave behind a trail of blood. During this same period, the ambitious scientist Szilarf and his unwilling assistant Ennis investigate missing bottles of immortality elixir in New York. This can be traced back to 1711 where the alchemists creating this elixir learn the real price of being immortal. Among these mysterious events, a Mafia war heats up. Follow this intricate tale of alchemy, immortality, and survival as it weaves together many seemingly unrelated events.
Baccano is a little more of a traditional crime mob story, but it has plenty of supernatural elements to it, but not as many action elements as Katekyo has. While Kayekyo is more of a “power up” story, Baccano has a little more intricate storytelling where there is more going on than just the next fight.
Kaze no Stigma
Kazuma Yagami is a Fuujitsu user able to control the wind. However, this ability led to banishment from his family home for not being able to control fire. Years later when he returns home, it leads to conflict, but worse yet, several members of his family have been killed by Fuujitsu. Now he must discover the true identity of the killer.
While Kaze no Stigma doesn’t have the same mafia element, the importance of family in the show gives it a certain mafia feel to it. Their family is special and it manifests in supernatural powers very similar to the way it does in Katekyo. Furthermore, they are both very shounen anime series where action is the most important element, as is comedy.
For Fans of Assassins
Assassination Classroom
After the moon is mysteriously turned into a permanent crescent by an unknown calamity, the students of class 3-E at Kunogigaoka Middle School are presented with a daunting task – Assassinate the creature that blew up half the moon before the year’s end or die when the world is destroyed. The creature in question, dubbed Koro-sensei by his class, is super fast, super strong, and by all respects, indestructible. However, while the students try and learn how to destroy him, they also learn that he is the best teacher that they have ever had.
While different in plot, these two series share the similarity of a strange and mysterious teacher appearing to teach kids how to be better criminals. Assassins and mob bosses are not so different, and Reborn and Koro-Sensei are not so different either. Both have excellent comedy, but AssClass has somewhat less action to it.
Black Cat
Completing every job with accuracy, Train is an infamous assassin under the moniker Black Cat. However, one night he stumbles upon Saya, a bounty hunter with a positive outlook on life. Her positivity begins to affect him and he begins to rethink his life, choosing to become an honest bounty hunter instead of an assassin.
Both of these series are widely overlook shounen series, and, if we are honest, they tend to blend together. While not specifically about crime families, Black Cat does heavily focus on the criminal underworld and often in a similarly silly way.
If you have more anime recommendations like Katekyo Hitman Reborn, let fans know in the comments section below.
