It has been five hundred years since humanity went extinct at the hands of the mysterious beasts that roam the land. Now the surviving races have retreated to floating islands in the sky out of reach of most of the beasts. However, there are ones nimble enough to put these people in danger. A small group of young girls, a race called the Leprechauns, are now raised as the only ones that can wield ancient weapons to fend off invasion by the beasts, but it often requires them to sacrifice themselves and they don’t often live to see adulthood. Enter Willem, the last surviving human woken from his slumber and sent to watch over these girls, still feeling the sting from the final battle where he lost everything five hundred years ago.
Despite starting off kind of fan service-y, there is a melancholic tone that runs throughout SukaSuka that makes you intrigued to watch more. If you want more fantasy and melancholy, try these anime recommendations.
Anime Like WorldEnd: What Do You Do at the End of the World?
For Fans of Little Girl Weapons
Black Bullet
In the year 2021, a parasitic virus has ravaged humanity by turning them into monsters, driving the remaining humans into massive walled cities. However, while a special metal can keep these monsters at bay and fight them, children are already being born with the virus dormant within them. It is decided that these “cursed children” are humanity’s best hope for fighting the virus.
There are quite a few series that use humans as expendable weapons, but Black Bullet features the similarity of making those expendable weapons female. However, while in WorldEnd, the girls wield the weapons, they are the weapons in Black Bullet. While the plot of Black Bullet is a bit darker, they both use nice bright colors.
Gunslinger Girl
In Italy, the Social Welfare Agency rescues girls dying in hospitals and gives them a second shot at life using cybernetics. However, these girls are then brainwashed and turned into assassins that carry out missions for the government. Despite this, they are still children and crave recognition for those they love, even if that love is manufactured.
Ah, the only thing more tragic than fairies expected to die is cybernetic assassins expected to die. Anyway, these two series have little in common in terms of plot and setting, but what they do have in common is a focus on the relationship between the little girls and those responsible for them.
Alice and Zouroku
Sana is a special girl who holds the power of Alice’s Dream, the ability to materialize anything she can imagine. After she escapes from a lab where she was a test subject, she ends up in Shinjuku where she meets an old man named Zouroku, but will he help her escape her pursuers?
Alice and Zouroku is airing in the same Spring 2017 season as WorldEnd, but it features the similar plot of a man watching over a girl with a special power that she can wield to fight. The difference is in the setting (obviously) and with the male leads. Zouroku is rather unremarkable while Willem has some back story to unfold.
For Fantasy of Fantasy Settings
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash
Thrown into a fantasy land with no memories of their previous life, the strong among this new group of people bind together while the weak are left to fend for themselves. Grimgar tells the tale of the struggles of the weak as they pick up combat skills and fight the creatures of the world in order to earn a living.
Both Grimgar and WorldEnd put heavy focus onto a fantasy world as well as its group of characters. However, while Grimgar focuses on expanding and explaining the world, WorldEnd sticks to the characters and the plot, only briefly explaining the world they live in and how it came to be.
Re:Zero
When Subaru Natsuki goes out for a midnight snack run, he suddenly finds himself transported to another world. As a bewildered teen in a land of swords and magic, he wanders around and ends up attacked by thugs. After being saved by a mysterious woman, he agrees to help her get back something that was stolen. Unfortunately, it ends in both their deaths. With his dying breath, he finds that he possesses the power of revival, escaping his death by the repeating the last few hours.
From the very first episode WorldEnd reminds you of Re:Zero. It isn’t about a human transported to a new world, but it does start off with a human surrounded by a bunch of beastmen where he clearly doesn’t belong. Both present you with a new vibrant world to explore and do just that through its stories. However, while both have their moments, Re:Zero remains the darker show.
Humanity Has Declined
After constantly declining birth rates, human civilization is almost extinct. The few humans left now coexist with fairies who have extremely advanced technology and very little regard for humans safety. The story follows a mediator between humans and fairies that tries to make it so both races can live peacefully.
Naturally, the biggest similarity between Humanity Has Declined and WorldEnd is the fact that they are about fairies. However, the roles are reversed. In WorldEnd, the fairies are under the thumb of other races while in Humanity Has Declined, they dominate humans. Needless to say, one is more of a comedy while the other is a bit more dramatic.
For Fans of a Main Character with a Mysterious Past
Grimoire of Zero
While witches exist, very little is understood about magic, so their kind is ostracized. Half-beast men like Yohei are also shunned, causing him to make his living as a mercenary and wish he was human. One day, he meets a witch called Zero who offers to grant the wish to turn him human, but only if he agrees to be her escort.
Both of these series have similar aspects, but different plots. You have beastmen, women who are a bit shunned by society because of what they are, and a man agreeing to help a woman through her troubles. While Grimoire of Zero can be a bit on the adventure side, you have the same fantasy elements and main character with a dark past to learn.
Utawarerumono
One day, a girl from a small village finds a mysterious man in the woods. With no knowledge of his past and a mask on his face, her family still welcomes him in. However, not long after, a revolution against the tyrannical emperor that rules the land begins and conflict find its way to their home.
Both main characters have both the intrigue of their character and the plot built around what they don’t automatically make known to the audience. Both shows you watch and keep watching to learn who this man is and what makes him so special.
Guin Saga
The kingdom of Parros has been invaded. The king and queen have been slain, but their twin children have been spirited away by a strange device in the palace. Lost in the Roodwood, they are rescued from invading soldiers by a strange amnesiac leopard-headed man named Guin.
What both shows have in common is that a strong male lead ends up being the caretaker for a bunch of kids, for which they eventually develop family feelings for. However, the interest in these characters is built by a mysterious past that is hinted at throughout.
Did we miss any anime recommendations for WorldEnd? Let us know in the comments section below.
