Best Anime Like DanMachi

DanMachi, or Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is a popular fantasy anime that has spawned a couple of seasons. Based on a light novel by Fujino Omori, the story envisions a world where adventurers pledge allegiance to gods, forming guilds dedicated to the deities. Hestia is one such goddess, but she is rather low in the pecking order due to the fact she only has one follower: Bell Cranel. While pure-hearted and assertive, Bell is also relatively weak, but he is willing to put himself on the line as he explores the eponymous dungeon. Along the way, Hestia’s guild starts to grow.

Although never producing anything close to bad, DanMachi can be polarizing since some of its arcs move away from the base premise: exploring a seemingly endless dungeon. However, season 4 marked a return to this original blueprint and was a huge step in the right direction. The show’s future is (hopefully) bright, but are there some anime similar to DanMachi that fans should check out?

Updated on November 9, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? 5 has been pretty great so far, giving Bell arguably his greatest challenge yet, which sees him as the target of one of the most powerful and dangerous characters. While DanMachi is producing weekly episodes at this point, fans still have plenty of hours to fill in; consequently, they might want to check out a few other Fall 2024 anime that can scratch a similar itch. They also happen to be sequels with plenty of content in the bank.

10 Shangri-La Frontier

The Ultimate Video Game Anime

Fantasy anime sure love their video game tropes. Even when not specifically stated to be set in an RPG, stories still throw out stats, progression systems, classes, guilds, and everything else. Although far from the most blatant example in anime, DanMachi incorporates a few gaming mechanics and sayings into its universe, albeit twisted enough to contain an element of originality.

Shangri-La Frontier said to hell with it and decided to just be about an MMO. This series follows a teenager as they play a “god” game, which is basically a dream RPG that everyone wishes existed. Due to its premise, this anime does not have much in the way of tension or genuine stakes; at most, a character might waste a few hours or be outsmarted by other players. Consequently, the series has nothing that compares to DanMachi‘s life-or-death conflicts, which are particularly prevalent in seasons 4 and 5.

However, Shangri-La Frontier shares quite a few positives with DanMachi. Both shows have fantastic action sequences that emphasize tactics, planning, and occasionally teamwork. They are capable of producing laughs, although Shangri-La Frontier is quite a bit funnier. The video game setting does not come at the expense of world-building, as Shangri-La Frontier is extremely well-developed and consistent.

9 Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-

From Zero To Hero

Anyone who enjoys isekai is likely already familiar with Re:Zero, a great novel that spawned a fantastic manga and perhaps the theme’s best anime. Like any isekai story, Re:Zero is somewhat divisive, largely thanks to an initially frustrating protagonist and a second season that threatens to overstay its welcome at points. However, at its best, this dark fantasy is not just an all-time great within its theme but also in the entire fantasy spectrum.

Now, Re:Zero and DanMachi are not directly similar. While not devoid of action, the former focuses far more on character-driven dialogue and battles of wits (and ideologies), especially due to revolving around an MC who is even weaker than Bell during the first season. A key ability notwithstanding, Subaru is physically vulnerable and cannot offer much in fights; however, like Bell, his refusal to back down and willingness to risk everything for those he loves attracts people to him.

8 Delicious In Dungeon

A Twist On Dungeon Crawling

A Winter 2024 delight, Delicious in Dungeon offers a charming take on dungeon crawling, and it is a must-watch for fans of fantasy anime or Dungeons & Dragons. The story follows a party as they traverse a dungeon to rescue a companion who was eaten by a dragon, and they have to get to her before she is digested. As they cannot afford to be bogged down by unnecessary weight or to waste time restocking supplies, they decide to eat the dungeon’s monstrous inhabitants, a solution that not every member is equally excited by.

As this premise implies, Delicious in Dungeon is a comedy that loves to twist genre tropes; that said, the anime still tells an effective fantasy story filled with endearing characters. While the show’s tone is lighthearted, the characters take their situations seriously, which heightens the humor while making room for the occasional action sequence. Unsurprisingly, Trigger’s animation is stunning, and the dungeon manages to be traditional while also oozing personality.

7 Tower Of Druaga: The Aegis Of Uruk

Unforgiving Dungeon

The Tower of Druaga is bizarre in more ways than one. Firstly, the anime is a sequel to a respected but old game, a fact the show loves to acknowledge in both blatant and subtle ways. Secondly, the first episode is a wacky parody of fantasy stories and clashes wildly with the anime’s otherwise serious tone. Both of these things might discourage DanMachi fans from giving The Tower of Druaga a try, which would be a shame as the shows are cut from a similar cloth.

While Bell strives to descend the dungeon’s levels, The Tower of Druaga‘s Jil wants to climb to the top of the titular structure. This journey cannot be done alone either, so Jil teams up with a few colorful class archetypes who make up for his weaknesses (and hard-headedness). The leads also have relatively similar arcs, particularly regarding their power scaling.

6 Made In Abyss

Harrowing Adventure In A Sadistic Dungeon

This recommendation comes with an asterisk since Made in Abyss is far darker than DanMachi, to the point the anime can be uncomfortable to watch at times. However, the shows share similar premises as they both follow adventurers who descend mysterious dungeons filled with awe-inspiring and terrifying things. The deeper they get, the worse nightmares they face.

Made in Abyss tortures its heroes in ways that go beyond any setbacks endured by Bell, although both anime touch upon similar themes like human corruption. Kinema Citrus’ series also dedicates a lot of time to establishing the mythos of the Abyss, ensuring the location feels like a living entity.

5 Grimgar: Ashes And Illusions

A Realistic Isekai Where Survival is Not Guaranteed

Although not devoid of comedy, each new season of DanMachi has heightened the dramatic tension at the cost of humor. It is a dark fantasy show that emphasizes the inherent dangers of Bell’s chosen lifestyle. Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions does effectively the same thing, albeit with an isekai twist.

Stripped of their memory and lacking much in the way of survival skills, a group of teenagers are stranded in a cutthroat fantasy world that shows little sympathy for the weak. In order to survive, they begin to take on basic quests that offer high risk but little reward.

4 KonoSuba: God’s Blessing On This Wonderful World!

Laughing Through Misadventures

KonoSuba has a completely different tone than DanMachi since it is primarily a parody of the isekai genre, despite some episodes and the movie dabbling in a touch of action. Still, this show is only for people looking for a comedic take on the fantasy genre; however, these two series have some things in common.

For one, both stories revolve around a human and goddess dynamic, although Kazuma and Aqua’s banter tends to be more adversarial than Bell and Hestia’s supporting friendship. As the anime progresses, Kazuma gradually forms a party of misfits who can hold their own in battle but also have a few glaring weaknesses.

3 The Rising Of The Shield Hero

Protagonist With The World Against Him

Naofumi Iwatani is a university student who suddenly gets transported to a strange world. He soon learns of The Four Cardinal Heroes who are offered a spear, bow, shield, and sword to defeat the Waves of Catastrophe. Once Naofumi arrives in this world, he is cursed with the title of “Shield Hero”, and quickly becomes the butt of many jokes, as the Shield Hero is often seen as weaker than the rest.

Certain events lead to Naofumi being discriminated against by the people of Melromarc, thanks to the cunning Malty Melromarc. This, understandably, causes Naofumi to lose all trust in those around him and vows to improve his reputation and overall strength. He quickly realizes that working alone isn’t the smartest idea, and decides to purchase a troubled demi-human slave called Raphtalia. The Rising of the Shield Hero follows Naofumi and his companion, Raphtalia, on their journey to defeat the Waves.

The Rising of the Shield Hero tends to be a polarizing anime, particularly the sequel. That said, the first season is quite entertaining, and Naofumi is, at least, a fairly unique protagonist for the isekai genre. Like DanMachi, Shield Hero features a protagonist who is largely shunned by society, although he quickly begins to prove everyone wrong.

2 That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

Satoru Mikami comes face to face with his murderer as he is brutally stabbed in Tokyo. While he feels the pain of the attack and is slowly losing consciousness, he hears a strange and unfamiliar voice inside his head. Satoru wakes up to find that he has been reincarnated into a slime. As he takes in the surroundings, he realizes that he’s in an unknown world.

His reincarnated form allows him to consume anything, giving him the ability to imitate the appearance and overall capabilities of whatever it is that he has eaten. While he explores the area, he comes across the Storm Dragon, Veldora, a monster who has been sealed away for 300 years for destroying a town. Satoru promises to help Veldora by breaking the seal that has held the Storm Dragon captive for centuries, leading to Veldora naming the slime, Rimuru Tempest.

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime is not exactly the same as DanMachi, mostly due to featuring a very overpowered protagonist who is generally not challenged during most of the currently available seasons. However, both anime focus on a gradually forming new society (or guild) featuring powerful figures who feel naturally attracted to a charismatic central figure. More importantly, both series blends humor, action, and suspense well, even if Slime is a bit more lighthearted than DanMachi‘s later seasons.

1 Wistoria: Wand and Sword

Another Action Epic By Fujino Omori

Wistoria: Wand and Sword is such an obvious pick that it almost seems unnecessary to mention; however, some people might not be aware that the Summer 2024 anime is an adaptation of a manga by Fujino Omori. The DanMachi author followed up his brilliant light novel with another story that comes very close to being just as good, although it is still young compared to Omori’s more well-known property.

Just to be clear,
Wistoria
earns this recommendation on merit and not due to its association with
DanMachi
.

Unsurprisingly, these two epics share a few common threads. Both stories focus on protagonists who are treated as outsiders and regarded by many to be weak. In the case of Wistoria‘s Will, he is a warrior in a mage’s world; crucially, he is studying at a magic academy with the hope of becoming a Magia Vander, a goal that is considered insulting by many of the teachers and students. Fortunately, like DanMachi, Will is supported by one female friend; also, again like DanMachi, he is driven by a desire to catch up with a girl. Even if it is not included in the title, the anime prominently features a dungeon that Will visits frequently to train.

Wistoria hits the ground running, delivering fantastic action sequences right out of the gate. The show’s production value is incredibly high, easily matching DanMachi at its best. While quite straightforward, Will is likable and walks the fine line between powerful but still vulnerable and overpowered. Although still being fleshed out, the world is interesting enough as well, particularly the relationships between mages and other races.