Thousands of years ago, ancient dragon Bahamut terrorized the world. However, when gods and demons allied themselves to prevent the world’s destruction, they sealed him away, splitting the key among them so he would be eternally imprisoned. After the dragon was sealed, humanity returned to normal. However, things are about to get very abnormal for bounty hunter Favaro when he meets a mysterious women that holds half the key to Bahamut’s seal.
Due some almost blindingly flashy visuals and one lovable son of a bitch for a main character, Rage of Bahamut managed to elevate itself from what should have been a completely forgettable series into something that feels exciting and wholly unique. If you finished watching Genesis and Virgin Soul only to find you need more, see if these anime recommendations will do it for you.
Anime Like Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
For Fans of Rivalries
Samurai Champloo
Fuu is a young girl working as a waitress at a small tea house. Things are peaceful until one day she spills tea on a customer and finds the samurai harassing her. Calling for help, a thuggish young rogue by the name of Mugen steps in only to pick a fight with another tightly wound samurai named Jin. In their fight, they end up destroying the shop and getting arrested. After saving the two fighters from their execution, Fuu hires them as bodyguards to help her find a samurai that smells of sunflowers.
Did you appreciate the dynamic between the laidback dubious Favaro and the uptight law-abiding Kaiser? That is essentially the same relationship between Mugen and Jin in Samurai Champloo. Of course, Mugen and Jin don’t build the same trust and friendship in each other, mostly they just bicker like old women. You not only get a set of rivals in Samurai Champloo, but the action is pretty spectacular as well, but seeing as it is just sword fights, it is not quite as blindingly flashy.
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.
Both shows tell a story about friends (and rivals) that are reunited by a woman seeking them out. While the Sins are a larger group, they have many of the same dynamics of the main group in Rage of Bahamut. These shows also share a similarity in the medieval setting while still having a strong magical presence in the world as well.
Tiger and Bunny
In Stern Bild City, those who use their special powers for either good or evil are called NEXT, and heroes are regularly featured on TV catching the bad guys, getting paid for their entertainment. The hero known as Wild Tiger has been putting on less thrilling performances lately due to his inability to cooperate with other heroes, but when he teams up with his by-the-books new partner he nicknames Bunny, his luck might just turn around.
Both stories focus on main characters that are just complete opposites in almost every way. This leads to some character development, but mostly is used for comedic in-fighting. While the settings of these shows are vastly different, they share a distinct similarity of being carried by the characters and not so much the story of the show.
For Fans of the Relationship Between Gods, Demons, and Humans
Tales of Zestiria the X
Sorey is a human that was raised among the seraphim, spiritual beings that are not visible to normal humans. However, one day when a human princess-knight wanders into their territory, he finds himself drawn to the human capital. This eventually leads him to become the new Shepherd, the one destined to defeat the Lord of Calamity and prevent the ruin of the world.
Based on a video game, you will note the distinctly JRPG story of Zestiria. However, like Rage of Bahamut, it explores the relationship between spiritual beings and humans. Both shows also have a particular propensity for some very, very flashy action that burn those retinas in the best possible way.
Noragami
There will be times where you may happen across an odd phone number written in red. If you call it, you will get in touch with a young man who introduces himself as the Yato God. This Yato God is a minor deity and the self-proclaimed God of Delivery. He dreams of having millions of worshippers, but there isn’t a single shrine dedicated to his name. He spends his time doing odd jobs for spare yen until the day his weapons partner deserts him. Just as things are looking down, he happens across a young school girl that saves him from a car accident by taking the hit for him. She survives, but her soul becomes loose. Together they set out to find a way to tighten her soul back up.
Like Rage of Bahamut, Noragami switches frequently between serious action and light-hearted comedy. However, both series have big selling points as showing off a variety of gods and other deities, but they actually show a rather small variety of gods. Yet, each god and goddess that is displayed is distinctly interesting. While Noragami doesn’t have as flashy of action, it is still fairly interesting to watch if only for the comedy.
Maria the Virgin Witch
Maria is a powerful young witch living in France during the Hundred Year War with her two familiars. After watching countless innocents swept away in the chaos, she attempts to use her magic to bring peace. Unfortunately, this attracts the attention of the heavens and they declare that her powers will be taken away if she loses her virginity or if she continues to intervene.
Throughout Rage of Bahamut you notice the slight contention between gods and humanity who once worked together, it is similar in Maria the Virgin Witch. However, Maria does not have the same variety of gods as Rage of Bahamut. In both stories, it explores these relationships, but never without a hearty does of action.
For Fans of the Unexpected Quest
The Heroic Legend of Arslan
The young prince Arslan is ready to prove himself on the battlefield, but on his first battle, his father is betrayed and his kingdom is conquered. With his army in shambles, Arslan is forced to go on the run in search of allies to bring him back home.
In both shows, the main characters were living relatively normal lives for their station before events happened that thrust them into a journey of a lifetime. In Arslan, that journey is more one of taking back his kingdom while Rage of Bahamut focuses on a good old saving the world story. While Arslan has its fair share of action, it isn’t quite as magic-minded as Bahamut.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
In 1868, English nobleman George Joestar had his life saved by Dario Brando. When Dario passes away, George repays the favor he owed by taking in Dario’s son, Dio. However, unsatisfied with his life, Dio soon moves to take control of the Joestar house with the help of an Aztec stone mask that grants him supernatural powers. In his quest to destroy George and his son Jonathan, it sets off a chain of events that will echo through the decades, including half a century later when Jonathan’s grandson, Joseph, discovers his family’s legacy.
The story of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is vastly different from the one presented in Rage of Bahamut, but it shares a lot of similar themes. The nice bit about it is that it feels like an adventure. Rage of Bahamut only had a few episodes to tell its story so it is pretty compact, but Jojo makes things grand and does everything to a brilliant extreme.
Chaika the Coffin Princess
Chaika Trabant is on a quest. Carrying a coffin on her back, with no memory of her past, and highly adept at casting spells, she is hunting down the scattered remains of the Emperor Gaz who once held the world in an iron grip. One day, she meets Toru Akari in the woods, a warrior who is having trouble finding a job to support himself. Together along with Toru’s sister, they start their journey.
You know the old tale, boy meets girl and girl pulls him into a grander scheme that they could not have imagined. These two anime series tell that same story. While Chaika isn’t quite as flashy with the action, it has a good deal of it, but sadly doesn’t have the same fun characters as Rage of Bahamut.
Do you have more recommendations for Rage of Bahamut? Let us know in the comments section below.
