In order to pursue his childhood dream of being a hero, the ordinary and unimpressive Saitama trained so hard that his hair fell out. However, his hard work paid off. Now it only takes one punch to defeat most villains in the city. Unfortunately, beating opponents in one punch is actually pretty boring, but that all changes when a cyborg named Genos, wanting to be his disciple, suggests that they join the Hero Association together.
Super heroes in anime come in all forms and it is actually pretty rare to see a series play them straightforward in the western-type way. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like One Punch Man, then head on down below.
Anime Like One Punch Man
For Fans of Super Heroes
Tiger and Bunny
In Stern Bild City, there exist those with NEXT powers who can use them for good or evil. A TV channel called Hero TV showcases heroes as they chase down evildoers and earn Hero Points. Enter, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, or “Wild Tiger,” a veteran hero, but his performance has been on the downswing. In order to do better, he pairs up with a new hero, Barnaby Brooks Jr., or “Bunny,” but they mix about as well as oil and water.
Not only are both series about super heroes, but they are about super hero-ing after it has been turned into a business. Public relations, popularity, attracting fan clubs – it is all there. However, unlike One Punch Man, Tiger and Bunny is less over-the-top and more realistic in its portrayal.
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.
Like One Punch Man, My Hero Academia features a hero system where the heroes fight and are ranked by performance and power. However, the two main characters are the reverse of each other. Saitama is strong while Izuku is weak and needs to put in work to overcome his handicap.
Dragonball Z
Goku is living a peaceful life with his wife and son when an alien from the stars falls to Earth and claims to be his brother and member of an alien race called the Saiyans. From there, this leads Goku and his fellow martial artist friends on a non-stop fight to prevent the destruction of the world.
While different in plot, the similarities between One Punch Man and Dragonball Z are myriad. Both feature light-hearted heroes that are overly strong, lots of random humor, aliens, insane villains, and a huge amount of hype. However, Goku increases in power level while Saitama stays the same.
Samurai Flamenco
Fueled by hero tales, the legend of his own grandfather, and an enduring sense of justice, the superstar model Masayoshi Hazama turns into the Samurai Flamenco by night. Featuring a cheesy handmade costume, he tries to foil crime with his nonexistent fighting skills.
Samurai Flamenco starts off as a bit of a parody of Super Sentai / Power Rangers-type super heroes. However, it does this weird thing where it starts becoming serious about it later. That does make it more akin to One Punch Man, but it just doesn’t balance comedy and action as successfully.
Gatchaman Crowds
One day, Hajime Ichinose is given a small book called a NOTE. It turns out that this is a device that allows her to transform into a Gatchaman, one of the legendary protectors of her city. Meeting other Gatchamen, they stress upon her the importance of staying secret and invite her into their base of operations and task her with helping them keep the city safe.
While One Punch Man is more western super hero media-oriented, Gatchaman Crowds works in the realm of Super Sentai / Power Rangers. However, a super hero is a super hero no matter the genre. Gatchaman Crowds, like One Punch Man, has some interesting and diverse characters, but plays the action a lot more straightforward.
For Fans of Comically Overpowered Main Characters
The Devil Is A Part-Timer
Right on the cusp of conquering his known world, the Demon Lord Satan was sucked through a dimensional portal to Tokyo. Powerless in this world without magic, Satan must find a way to make ends meet. This ends up being a part-time job at McRonald’s. Will he find his way back or is being a part-timer his fate?
In both One Punch Man and The Devil Is A Part-Timer, both main characters are incredibly strong (although the Devil is neutered in power for a time), but they both play it extremely serious about occasionally silly things. It is part of the comedy and it works very well for both of them.
Seven Deadly Sins
In this feudal world, the realm is protected from those who seek to spread their evil by the Holy Knights. However, in the kingdom of Liones, a small group of Holy Knights known as the Seven Deadly Sins sought to overthrown the king only to be driven off. Now, ten years later, the world hunts for the Seven Deadly Sins, but the Holy Knights have now turned their blades on the king and taken control of the kingdom. Now it is up to his third daughter, Elizabeth, to find the Sins and help them take back control.
You like watching heroes that can literally beat anyone without really even trying? Well then, like One Punch Man, Seven Deadly Sins is like that. It isn’t until much later in both series that anyone even has to try that hard in a fight.
Trigun
Vash the Stampede is a heinous criminal with a huge bounty on his head. Known as the “Human Typhoon,” he brings destruction wherever he goes. However, when two insurance agents finally meet him, they find out that Vash is not quite the villain so much as he is a light-hearted buffoon.
Like Saitama, Vash is an incredibly skilled fighter (gunman, really), but he doesn’t have the personality to match it. They both genuinely want to save people, but they are both silly bastards at heart.
Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto
Sophisticated, suave, sublime, and perfect in every way – it’s Sakamoto. Even though it is only his first day in high school, every girl swoons for him, and every man wants to be him. However, some, even teachers, want to trip him up, but nothing works. While they can’t touch his perfection, they may be able to learn something from him.
I know, right? What does one have to do with the other? Well, Saitama is strong and can’t be beaten, but Sakamoto is so cool and perfect as a human being that he never shows any flaws. Essentially each main character is perfect in their fields, but wants someone to be on par with them.
Mob Psycho 100
Kageyama Shigeo, otherwise known as Mob, is a young psychic with a wide range of blossoming abilities. Despite having this incredible power, he just wants to become friends with Tsubomi, a girl in his class. Due to negative reactions to his psychic abilities in the past, he now tries to keep them in check. In an effort to learn to better control his abilities, Mob becomes the apprentice to Reigen Arataka, who claims to be a psychic, but is actually a con artist that exploits Mob’s very real powers for money.
As One Punch Man and Mob Psycho share a creator, you will find more crossover to both of them than just a similar art style. While Mob is a more positive character, you do see some personality overlap. Also, you will find that same sort of sudden switch between slice of life and grand, well-animated action.
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
Saiki Kusou has a wide array of superpowers that include things like telepathy and telekinesis. He is so overpowered that he could, in fact, conquer the world in just a few days, but Saiki just wants to live a normal life. He dislikes his superpowers and does his best to hide them so he can live peacefully. It doesn’t go well.
While Saiki K doesn’t really have any action to it, both it and One Punch Man have the same approach to comedy. Both characters could be gods if they really wanted, but they pursue more apathetic approaches to existence. Therein lies the jokes.
The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace
800 years ago, as terrifying demons pushed mankind to the brink, they prayed to the gods and called for their aid. Emerging from these prayers, battle deities called Idaten came forth. With great strength and endurance, they defeated the demons, sealing many of them away. Now, in a long era of peace, the present generation of Idaten have grown soft, save for a spare few that endure the brutal training of Rin, the last Idaten from the demon war. However, the Zoble Empire seeks to resurrect the demons and it seems these peaceful Idaten must remember their original purpose.
Imagine if all the villains from One Punch Man simply stopped and the heroes were left to just… Exist. That would make it pretty close to the world of The Idaten Deities Only Know Peace. Some of them have remained trained up while others have pursued other hobbies that ended up twisting their personalities. Both series have beautifully animated action, but maintain a distinct silliness, even in moments of brutal action.
Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town?
In ancient times, those who saved humanity settled outside of the infamous Last Dungeon. Their descendants have all been strong enough to survive in the area by building a community. Lloyd is one such descendant, but the weakest in the village. Hoping to grow strong, he heads to the Kingdom of Azami to enroll in their military academy. However, in this starter zone, Lloyd’s powers seem otherworldly to everyone around him.
While innately different in that Boonies Kid is a fantasy series, like One Punch Man its singular main joke is that the main character is comically strong compared to everyone around him. However, unlike Saitama, he doesn’t know that. Instead, as the weakest in his village, he thinks he is quite weak.
For Fans of Absurd Action Comedy
Gintama
After aliens invade Japan, they put a prohibition on swords. However, Gintoki Sakata still possesses the heart of a samurai. Taking on odd jobs alongside of his friends, Gintama follows Gintoki during his chaotic life as an errand boy.
Both series have the same type of plot progression. At many points, the series are just comically absurd jokes as the characters live their lives. However, when it is time to battle, both One Punch Man and the unassuming Gintama really know how to throw down. Gintama is most known for its parody and comedy, but its sparse serious arcs really are quite good.
Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren’t They?
Three extraordinary teenagers are blessed with psychic abilities, but are bored with their mundane lives. Unexpectedly, they are invited to go to a mysterious new place to participate in a high-stakes game using their abilities.
Bored kids looking for something interesting to do – that is the premise that these two series have in common. However, while Problem Children has some twists, the main characters in each series never forget their true purpose of helping people with their powers.
Space Dandy
The universe is a vast and strange place, full of even stranger beings. For a man named Dandy, his job is to travel around and register new species for a reward. What should be an easy job is made less so by a series of odd coincidences that happen along the way.
The similarities here most lie in the main characters. Saitama is an apathetic oppai admirer while Dandy is filled with unearned confidence and also an oppai connoisseur. While action often finds Saitama, Dandy is a little more of a go-getter when it comes to finding trouble.
Kill la Kill
Ryuuko Matoi is on the hunt for her father’s killer, and her only lead is the missing half of his invention, the Scissor Blade. On her quest, she arrives at the prestigious Honnouji Academy, a school that is ruled over by the super powerful Satsuki Kiryuuin and her Elite Four. Believing Satsuki knows who killed her father, Ryuuko challenges one of the elite, but gets beaten due to their special uniforms. After receiving a special uniform of her own, Ryuuko sets plans into motion to dominate the school and find out what happened to her father.
Both One Punch Man and Kill la Kill are known as acclaimed “must-watch” action anime. However, what makes them most similar is that they can go from the biggest, most over-the-top action scenes to the most nonsensical jokes in a matter of a few frames. Kill la Kill is a little more notorious for that, but it is probably difficult to make an anime that is as good at action as it is at comedy, but both series do succeed at that.
Do you have more anime recommendations like One Punch Man? Let fans know in the comments section below.
HOW ISNT MOB PSYCHO 100 IN THIS LIST
he is…..