Best Anime Like Demon Slayer

Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba debuted on Weekly Shonen Jump in 2016, producing 23 volumes before coming to an end in 2020. The manga was successful enough to spawn a 2019 anime by Ufotable, which had a somewhat slow start before exploding in popularity thanks to the 19th episode’s stellar final scene. Since then, Demon Slayer has been firmly established as one of the biggest shonen properties of all time, with the anime going on to produce multiple seasons and two movies. While gradually creeping towards its end, the adaptation still has a few manga arcs to cover before concluding Tanjiro’s story; consequently, Kimetsu no Yaiba is not going to disappear from the public consciousness anytime soon.

Ufotable’s series has set a high standard for action anime in general, and very few shows can match Demon Slayer in terms of production value. However, at its core, the show tells a fairly by-the-numbers action shonen story, and it is not that difficult to find anime like Demon Slayer that touch upon similar themes and ideas. The challenge is discovering alternatives that can reach the bar set by Ufotable’s series.

Updated on November 7, 2024, by Mark Sammut: Fall 2024 has been pretty fun so far, but Demon Slayer is not part of the equation. Series like Bleach, Dandadan, Blue Exorcist: Beyond the Snow Saga, and Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance might be able to scratch a similar itch, but three of those need no introduction. Dandadan is the exception, and its animation can be just as impressive as Demon Slayer.

Instead of currently airing recommendations, two older anime have been added.

32 Solo Leveling

Going From Zero To Hero

One of the most hyped anime of 2024, Solo Leveling‘s long-awaited adaptation was (mostly) worth the wait. A-1 Pictures pulled off all the stops to craft an experience that lives up to the source material’s reputation and influence, bringing to life an action-heavy series that looks as good as most other shows on the market.

Narratively, Solo Leveling is both complicated and very simple. The world itself has enough nuance to maintain a level of intrigue; however, the story is largely a power fantasy that follows Sung Jin-woo as he transforms from the weakest to the most powerful hunter. Centering primarily around fights, Solo Leveling delivers fast-paced and intense action.

31 Hell’s Paradise

Action-Fantasy Anime With A Samurai Setting

Spring 2023 had quite a few exciting anime, and while most of the shows were not all that similar to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc, Hell’s Paradise was the one exception. Based on a Shonen Jump+ manga, the anime follows a group of convicts who are sent to a mysterious island to find an elixir of life, creating a battle royale sort of scenario. If someone finds this item, they are granted their freedom. As these characters are primarily murderers, they are accompanied by executioners who are meant to take off their heads if they step out of line.

Gabimaru the Hollow is one such criminal, and he might be the scariest of the bunch. However, he has a reason to survive and change: his wife. Hell’s Paradise follows Gabimaru and his executioner as they explore a surreal island defined by horrific monstrosities, death, and flowers. Similar to Demon Slayer, Hell’s Paradise is very action-heavy and is not afraid to throw out buckets of gore; in fact, the latter can get more violent and unsettling than the former.

30 Kaiju No. 8

Overcoming Larger-Than-Life Threats

Airing alongside the Hashira Training Arc, Kaiju No. 8 was the most hyped new anime of Spring 2024, a situation that could have backfired if the first few episodes failed to hit the ground running. Fortunately, that was not the case, and Production I.G’s series is an easy recommendation for anyone remotely interested in battle shonen stories. Despite the popularity of franchises like Godzilla, kaiju anime are not particularly common, especially removed from the mecha genre; consequently, Kaiju No. 8 feels fresh, even though it is not doing anything particularly original.

While they have a lot of differences, Kaiju No. 8 and Demon Slayer share one important thing in common: humanity is fighting an uphill battle against significant supernatural entities. In this alternate reality, kaiju attacks are very common, and they tend to be unpredictable and feature a wide assortment of monster types. Naturally, Japan has developed a special unit whose members use unique weapons to take out these threats, which is not that different from the Hashira in Demon Slayer.

Beyond that, Kaiju No. 8‘s male protagonist is refreshingly different for a shonen lead. In his early 30s, Kafka has regularly failed to qualify for the Defense Force; however, he gets a final chance when he accidentally swallows a small kaiju and gains unique powers. While he can transform and become incredibly powerful, he is still pretty weak as a human.

29 Go! Go! Loser Ranger!

Flipping The Script

Sticking with Spring 2024 for a while longer, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! might seem like a weird mention in this context, especially since its modern setting and sentai tropes are far removed from Demon Slayer‘s ingredients. However, the series has a “strong versus weak” dynamic that echoes the Hashira’s underdog status against demons, with the twist being that the humans are (mostly) presented as the villains.

After defeating an invading army’s leaders, the Dragon Keepers agree to spare the remaining foot soldiers, as long as they take part in weekly “battles” where they always lose painfully. After more than a decade of this agreement, a soldier simply called “D” decides to break out, infiltrate the Rangers, and take out the Dragon Keepers. While technically immortal, the protagonist is nowhere near the same level as any of the heroes, who are vicious, cunning, and deadly.

28 Gintama

The Definitive Shonen Comedy (& Pretty Good Action Too)

Due to hailing from a different era, Gintama never got the opportunity to parody or reference Demon Slayer, a turn of events that would have almost certainly transpired if Hideaki Sorachi’s manga had gone on for a few more years. Nevertheless, any fan of battle shonen anime in general should take the time to watch this legendary property, not only for the jokes but also for the genuinely great serious arcs that make up the latter half of the series.

While Demon Slayer is set during the Taisho era, Gintama takes place in an alternate take on the Edo period that envisions a version of Earth that has been taken over by the Amato, who are essentially aliens. Although not underground like the demons in Demon Slayer, the Amato are nevertheless a constant threat throughout Gintama, leading to an eventual rebellion.

As good as those arcs are, this show shines the brightest when focusing on the nonsensical adventures of the Odd Jobs crew, a trio of misfits who will take on any paying mission. They might just mess it up.

27 The Elusive Samurai

A Historical Epic With Fantastic Animation

While lacking a prominent supernatural element, The Elusive Samurai should otherwise be a safe pick for Demon Slayer fans, particularly ones who want an action-heavy show set in historical Japan. Set during the 14th century, the anime tells the story of Hojo Tokiyuki, a child lord who had to go into hiding after his clan was eradicated. Hoping to start a revolt and bring his family’s name back into power, Tokiyuki begins to study under the tutelage of a unique monk, all the while collecting allies who are drawn to his charisma.

The Elusive Samurai primarily revolves around Tokiyuki’s attempts to stay one step ahead of the Ashikaga clan, something he accomplished by hiding in plain sight and relying on his incredible fleeing ability. While trying to keep a low profile, the lord’s big heart means he cannot take a backseat when innocent lives are in danger, prompting Tokiyuki and his allies to take on threats beyond their current abilities.

Although no demons are involved, The Elusive Samurai certainly exaggerates history to an extent, giving its characters powers that are borderline supernatural. The action sequences are almost always fantastic, and they can get quite bloody as well. The anime even has over-the-top humor similar to Demon Slayer, although The Elusive Samurai is arguably funnier.

26 Chainsaw Man

Humans Vs. Devils

One of the most hyped anime of 2022, Chainsaw Man arguably struggled to live up to expectations, unreasonably high as they were. Nevertheless, season 1 is still pretty great and does a good job of setting things up for a sequel. In this universe, Devils are real and manifest from the emotions of humans. As these creatures are extremely dangerous and powerful, the Public Safety Division was created to hunt them down, although its members tend to have very short careers (and lives).

On the verge of death, Denji merges with his Devil friend, allowing him to not only survive but transform into the eponymous Chainsaw Man. Driven by nothing but his own animalistic urges, Denji agrees to join the Public Safety Division, starting him down a path of personal growth and bloodshed.

25 Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?

The Protagonist’s Journey

Based on a popular light novel by Fujino Omori, DanMachi is a fantasy anime set in a city filled with adventurers who spend their time exploring a massive dungeon. Each person pledges allegiance to a Familia run by a deity, and the protagonist – Bell Cranel – is Hestia’s only follower. While initially weak, Bell works hard to make his goddess proud and to live up to a decorated adventurer who once saved his life.

Premise-wise, DanMachi and Demon Slayer are not particularly similar, but fans of the latter should at least try the former. The shows revolve around protagonists who undergo constant growth, and while they eventually become quite capable in battle, they are never overpowered. Both anime have expansive supporting casts that are allowed to flourish as their own people away from the protagonist, and each arc tends to push new characters (or, to be exact, girls) to the forefront.

24 Rage Of Bahamut

Demons & Humans Co-Exist

Loosely based on a card game, Rage of Bahamut produced two fairly different seasons. Genesis is a typical action-adventure anime that follows a group of “heroes” as they travel across a fantastical nation and take on largely self-contained stories while pursuing a larger goal. Meanwhile, Virgin Soul focuses on a single city, pushes a new character, Nina, as its protagonist, and focuses more on the social element that defines its universe. Season one is generally regarded as superior, but both entries are enjoyable in their own right.

Exceptions aside, Demon Slayer depicts demons as almost universally bad, even if some of them receive sympathetic backstories. Conversely, Rage of Bahamut envisions a world where humans, demons, and gods co-exist, and all of them have their good and evil parties. In fact, season two paints humanity as the aggressor against the demon race.

23 Undead Murder Farce

A Historical Supernatural Epic With A Dark But Silly Tone

Undead Murder Farce is an absolute blast. Similar to Demon Slayer, the 2023 anime blends a historical setting with supernatural elements, taking specific inspiration from fictional sources like Sherlock Holmes. There are vampires, immortals, oni, Frankenstein’s Monster, magicians, and even Arsene Lupin. If that sounds excessive, well, it is. However, everything comes together to create a ridiculously entertaining and surprisingly balanced whole.

Undead Murder Farce is primarily a mystery series with action rather than a full-blown fight fest, so the pacing is slightly slower than the typical battle shonen. That said, the second half of the series has quite a few battles, all of which are well-animated and incredibly engaging due to featuring such a diverse roster of characters with unique abilities. The core trio are fantastic too, being both charismatic and enigmatic.

22 Basilisk

A Battle Royale Between Two Ninja Clans

An oldie but a goodie, Basilisk is gory, action-packed, and narratively tense. Set during the 1500s, the story follows two ninja clans that crave each other’s destruction, resulting in an agreement to stage a war pitting their best warriors in a to-the-death battle royale. Caught in the middle are Kouga and Iga, lovers from opposite sides who struggle to decide their allegiances.

While the Romeo & Juliet-style story is pretty engaging, Basilisk is primarily worth watching for his top-notch fight sequences, which are fantastically animated and constantly unpredictable. At its best, Gonzo was capable of producing some of the greatest animation in the industry, and this series represented the studio at its peak.

The sequel season is awful.

21 Drifters

Gloriously Violent Fights

Drifters can be difficult to recommend since a sequel seems unlikely to ever come to fruition, which is a shame as season one is among the most enjoyable action anime of the 2010s. Similar to Fate, the isekai series brings together famous historical figures and makes them fight to the death; however, Drifters takes place in a fantasy world and essentially divides its characters into two groups.

Unapologetically gory and over-the-top, the anime does not hold back during its many fights, which compare favorably with most other series. Silly as its core premise might sound, Drifters offers an interesting take on the isekai theme, and the anime has a lot of fun presenting outlandish versions of figures like Joan of Arc and Oda Nobunaga.

20 Claymore

Yoma

Based on Norihiro Yagi’s shonen manga, Claymore takes place in a world where humans live in constant fear of Yomas, which are essentially shape-shifting demons. As these creatures can easily overpower a regular person, towns and villages hire powerful knights called Claymores to take down these threats. Half-human, half-Yoma, these women are generally stripped of emotion, with their identity being largely defined by their loyalty to their organization.

Clare is one such Claymore, and while on a mission, she saves an orphaned boy named Raki. The latter ends up joining the former on her travels, creating a bond that inspires Clare to grow and change. Featuring good production value courtesy of Madhouse and a story that starts slow but blooms into something fairly complex and engaging, Claymore is a minor classic.

19 Kemono Jihen

Investigating The Bizarre

Based on a fairly popular Jump Square manga that has over 20 volumes, Kemono Jihen is a good pick for viewers who want a genre-blender that incorporates action, supernatural themes, mystery, and character development. While nowhere near as packed with epic fight sequences as Demon Slayer, Kemono Jihen shares a few things in common with the former. For one, the main children are half-human, half-kemono (a blanket term for mythological entities like ghouls or yokai), and Kabane – the central child – is thrust into the supernatural world with very little preparation. Unlike Tanjirou’s slow climb, Kabane is powerful right out of the gate, and he can handle most situations without any real issues; however, he is emotionally stunted and often struggles to relate with other people.

Kemono Jihen‘s strongest feature is the friendship between its primary characters, and it is nice their relationships blossom over the episodes. The storylines are pretty interesting as well, and they incorporate a few different supernatural creatures that help keep things fresh. The main villain, Yoko, is also very manipulative and generally a fun presence.

18 Bleach

One Of The Big Three

One of battle shonen’s big three manga, Bleach enjoyed a decent anime run between 2004 and 2012 before making a successful comeback in the Fall 2022 season. Currently adapting the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, the show has never been better, and Pierrot has pulled no punches when it comes to the animation.

In this universe, spirits can roam the land as Hollows, which are put to rest by a secret otherworldly organization known as the Soul Society. One night, a normal student named Ichigo meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper, and soon finds himself face to face with a Hollow. Bleach gets complicated quite quickly, and the anime nearly always nails its battle sequences.

17 Blue Exorcist

Half-Human, Half-Satan

Blue Exorcist takes place in the modern-day wherein there is a secret academy that trains teenagers how to exercise demons. Rin is the son of the devil and is treated like a second-class citizen, even though he wants to slay demons as much as anyone else.

Will he succumb to the power of the devil or will he become the hero he wants everyone to see him as? Blue Exorcist is like Harry Potter meets Demon Slayer as far as the themes go. Although Rin takes center stage for most of the story, he is hardly the only notable character, and the anime dedicates a lot of time to exploring the other exorcists, creating a dynamic comparable to the Hashira.

A Battle Shonen Masterpiece

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a reboot of the first anime adaptation that went off the rails into its own storyline. This adaptation is more faithful to the manga and is complete. Both series have their fans, but this is the one to check out.

It’s set in a steampunk version of the world wherein alchemy is real and a corrupt government is trying to slowly take over the world through it. The anime centers around Ed and Al, brothers who pushed their experiments with alchemy too far, lost parts of their bodies, and are now trying to make things right.

15 Golden Kamuy

Brilliant Action & Hilarious Humor

Golden Kamuy is set around the early 1900s involving the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War. The war is all but over now and Saichi is trying to forget his past all while trying to uncover a treasure trove of gold.

The maps he needs are tattooed on the backs of men so let’s just say he does what he needs to in order to get what he needs. Demon Slayer blends action and comedy to a polarizing degree, with the latter being quite divisive among many viewers. Golden Kamuy is much the same way as it can go from extremely bloody action and high-stakes to goofy shenanigans at the drop of a pin; however, an argument could be made that Golden Kamuy handles humor better than Demon Slayer.

14 The Fate Series

The Pinnacle Of Action Anime?

In all honesty, the Fate series does not have all that much in common with Demon Slayer, outside the fact that they are both action anime made by Ufotable. Narratively, Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night revolve around the Holy Grail War, a battle royale where mages summon heroes from history to fight until only one is left standing. The shows are brutal, complex, and ambiguous in the presentation of most of their characters.

Despite not sharing much common ground when it comes to story or plot, Demon Slayer and Fate are ideal companion pieces as they both showcase Ufotable’s near-unparalleled talent for animating visceral and smooth action sequences.

13 Seraph Of The End: Vampire Reign

Humans Vs. Vampires

Thanks to a disease wiping out most adults, humanity has been largely subjugated by vampires, who use the surviving children as a blood bank. Seeking to escape with the other kids, Yuu and Mikaela make a run for it, only for the plan to end in disaster. Somehow, Yuu makes it out and finds a human resistance force, which he quickly joins to satisfy his thirst for revenge. Meanwhile, Mikaela is turned into a vampire. Seraph of the End chronicles Yuu and Mikaela’s growth, eventual collision, and friendship, all the while dissecting both the human and vampire societies that are at war.

Consisting of two seasons, Seraph of the End is an enjoyable, if unspectacular shonen anime with a solid premise and above-average action. While rushed at times, the series gets by on spectacle and the intriguing dynamic between its two leads.