Demon slayer made a quick rise to fame as one of the biggest names in anime only months after its series debut. Over two current seasons and a movie, fans have followed the story of Tanjiro Kamado and his sister Nezuko as they hunt down the demons of Muzan Kibutsuji. Demon Slayer brings a uniquely fascinating world filled with action, emotion, adventure, and comedy to the screen and included a loveable cast of characters that you can’t help but grow attached to.
With a compelling storyline and a beautiful art style, Demon Slayer is held in high regard not just for its storytelling but also for its visual impact on the audience. Unfortunately, as with most anime, the wait times between seasons can be a struggle for die-hard fans who are up to date with the series. This top 10 list shares the best next anime options for fans looking to cure their hunger for a Demon Slayer-like series.
In no particular order, here are the 10 best anime like Demon Slayer.
Bleach
Just as Demon Slayer focuses on Tanjiro’s journey of becoming a Demon Slayer and going up against demons with his trusted Nichirin Sword, Bleach’s protagonist, Ichigo, follows a similar path of becoming a substitute Soul Reaper, and using his sword, Zangetsu, to go head to head with the corrupt spirits of the world known as “Hollows.”
While Demon Slayer’s monsters are the much-feared Demons that roam the land and feast on humans for survival, both Bleach’s Hollows and the Soul Reapers that deal with them are unseen by the human eye. This brings an interesting element to Ichigo’s story and drastically changes his daily life as a student.
Bleach is also filled with interesting and captivating characters, and just as Demon Slayer has the beloved cast of high-ranking Hashira, Bleach has a parallel of powerful figures in the Gotei 13. With the main series finishing at 366 episodes, plus a handful of animated movies and the final anime arc, “Thousand-Year Blood War,” there is plenty to keep you occupied.
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a show set in a universe where every person is born with a special power or ability, known as a quirk. With the use of a quirk, some choose to engage in villainous and violent acts, while Pro Heroes fight back against these individuals to protect society. Unfortunately for protagonist Izuku “Deku” Midoriya, who dreams of being a hero, he seems to have been born quirkless. This is until an unexpected encounter with his idol, number one Pro Hero All Might, who gives Deku a chance to live up to his dream.
My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer have a similar feel, with Deku and Tanjiro both being the underdog of their respective journeys. From the League of Villains to the Twelve Kizuki – both protagonists feel the desire to grow strong, so they can protect society and the ones they care for from these threats of danger.
The show has a unique and compelling cast of characters, complete with fascinating quirks, and these powers and abilities that each character’s quirk grants them are visually pleasing to watch while also featuring plenty of action-packed combat scenes that fans of Demon Slayer will certainly enjoy.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is a story that takes place in modern-day society, following Yuji Itadori, a student whose life is turned upside down when he meets jujutsu sorcerer Megumi Fushiguro, who is hunting a cursed talisman. When this cursed talisman puts Yuji and his friends in danger, he swallows this object and absorbs its power, throwing him into the world of jujutsu sorcery and Curses.
Despite taking place in different settings, both Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen follow the same theme of the main characters taking on great supernatural threats. While Demon Slayer’s main threats to humanity are Muzan Kibutsuji and the demons that roam the lands, Jujutsu Kaisen contains Curses –dangerous spiritual beings made up of cursed energy from negative human emotions.
Just as Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps to fight back against them, Yuji joins Tokyo Jujutsu High and begins training as a Sorcerer to take on Curses and eliminate the threat of Ryomen Sukuna. Similarly to Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen has been held in high regard for its animation and incredible fight scenes, which continue to keep viewers coming back for more.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an adventure-packed anime tale featuring brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who attempt to bring their deceased mother back to life using alchemy –only to result in Edward losing his left leg, and Alphonse his entire body. To save Alphonse, Ed sacrifices his right arm in exchange for his brother’s soul, which he binds to a suit of armor –and thus begins their adventure to get Alphonse’s physical body back.
Just like Demon Slayer, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood follows the story of two siblings, with the eldest embarking on a quest to restore their younger sibling back to the way they were prior to a significant, traumatic incident. Packed full of plotlines that’ll tear at your heartstrings, light-hearted and fun comedy, action-packed fight sequences, and a badass set of villains based on the Seven Deadly Sins, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is considered one of the greatest anime shows of all time. The series is also fully complete, meaning there’s no waiting between season cliffhangers to find out what happens next.
Attack On Titan
Attack on Titan is a brutal tale of humans fighting back against man-eating giants, known as Titans. After young Eren Yaeger’s life is struck with the tragic loss of his mother during an invasion of Titans that breaks through the protective barrier known as Wall Maria, he and his friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert dedicate their life to fighting back against the Titans and saving others from suffering the same fate. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin join the 104th Cadet Corp, where they meet several new friends and complete their training, advancing to join the Scout Regiment and fight on the frontlines against the most horrific and powerful titans.
Just as Tanjiro’s family was slaughtered, leaving him to flee with Nezuko and train in anticipation of becoming a Demon Slayer, Eren’s mother was one of the many lives lost in the gruesome fall of Wall Maria, leaving himself to flee his home alongside Mikasa and Armin and join the 104th Cadet Corp. Similarly to Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan has a visually impressive art and animation style, and features a never-ending assortment of dynamic fight scenes complete with a beautifully horrific and haunting soundtrack. For fans of Demon Slayer looking for something a little more brutal and bloody, Attack on Titan is one you won’t want to miss.
InuYasha
InuYasha follows Kagome Higurashi, a modern-day schoolgirl who finds herself transported back in time to a feudal Japan filled with demons. Here she meets half-demon Inuyasha, and the two set out alongside an adventurous band of allies to collect the scattered fragments of the sacred Shikon Jewel before it falls into the hands of the villainous half-demon, Naraku.
Much like Demon Slayer, InuYasha features gorgeous landscapes and environments, charming and lovable characters, and a world inhabited by demons. However, just as some demons are allies to Tanjiro in Demon Slayer, there are several characters, such as half-demon Inuyasha, and his elder brother and full-demon, Sessomaru, who aim to stop the evil caused by other demons in the world. InuYasha also features plenty of sword-based combat and magical abilities and is the perfect anime series to fill that void for Demon Slayer fans.
Dororo
Dororo follows the story of young ronin with prosthetic limbs named Hyakkimaru, whose body was sacrificed to demons by his father in exchange for power. Hyakkimaru rescues an orphan thief named Dororo from a band of men that he had attempted to rob, and the two of them set out on a journey to locate and kill 12 powerful demons in order for Hyakkimaru to regain the limbs that were taken from him, and exact revenge on his father.
Bringing the same dark atmosphere to the screen that Demon Slayer is so well-known for, Dororo brings both a sinister world full of demons and a protagonist driven by loss. Similarly to Tanjiro and Nezuko’s relationship as siblings, Hyakkimaru unexpectedly takes on an elder brother and caregiver role of Dororo throughout their journey. Parallels featuring intense fight scenes and an emotional undertone of family and loss throughout the story, Dororo makes a solid choice for fans of the demon-slaying genre.
Samurai Champloo
From the creator of the hit series Cowboy Bebop comes Samurai Champloo – a story set in the Japanese Edo period, featuring a world run by Samurai. Samurai Champloo features the story of tea waitress Fuu, who prevents the execution of sworn Samurai enemies Jin and Mugen, then brings them together as a team to journey and finds the Samurai that smells of sunflowers.
While Demon Slayer has the loud and exaggerated antics of trio Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu to keep viewers entertained, Samurai Champloo’s cast of Mugen, Jin, and Fuu are a breath of fresh air with relaxed, nonchalant humor and quiet, sarcastic bickering. Even though there are no demons in Samurai Champloo, the fight scenes are no less stunning – using a fascinating hip-hop soundtrack in which every movement is choreographed and synced perfectly. Samurai Champloo features just a single 26-episode season, so it’s the perfect binge for a Demon Slayer fan to finish in one weekend.
Naurto
Naruto, set in the world of the Shinobi, tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki on his quest to train as a ninja and achieve his dream of becoming Hokage of his Village. Naruto is placed onto a team, where both his classmate, Sakura Haruno, and his rival, Sasuke Uchiha, join him and are guided and trained in the way of the ninja by their sensei, Kakashi Hatake, as they set foot in the life of a ninja.
Both Naruto and Demon Slayer are similar beneath the surface of their different plots, with plenty of comedy, emotion, action, and chaos in the trio of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, which will bring joy to fans of Demon Slayer’s Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke trio. Just as Demon Slayer’s 12 Kizuki play the main antagonists of Tanjiro’s story,
Naruto also has its own mysterious, villainous organization known as the Akatsuki, with many characters who pose a threat throughout his journey. Naruto is filled with beautiful environments, a large and unique cast of characters that you can’t help but grow attached to, and captivating, fluid combat scenes that will keep fans of Demon Slayer on the edge of their seats.
Soul Eater
Soul Eater takes place in a fantasy world where characters attend a school known as Death Weapon Meister Academy, where they are paired into teams consisting of a human Meister and a Demon Weapon – a human possible of shape-shifting into a physical weapon. The story follows the Weapon & Meister team of Soul Evans and Maka Albarn, alongside their friends, as they try to collect the souls of 99 evil humans and one witch in order to achieve the ultimate rank of Death Weapon.
Despite Soul Eater featuring a dark, Halloweenish fantasy world, as opposed to Demon Slayer’s more traditional route, Soul and Maka are tasked with slaying evil spirits, ghouls, and witches, much like Tanjiro’s duties as a Demon Slayer. This anime is filled with characters that build off each other for both comedic value and emotion and features exciting and unique fights with teams of top-skilled Meisters and their badass Weapons.
With 51 episodes spread over two seasons, Soul Eater is an anime that Demon Slayer fans would not want to miss.
Published: Oct 18, 2022 09:00 am