What are Demon Slayer fans supposed to watch while they wait for season 3? Thankfully, there are numerous anime out there with premises similar to Kimetsu no Yaiba. There are also some shows that don’t quite fit the exact theme of slaying demons but have qualities that fans are likely to enjoy. What are some of the best anime like Demon Slayer?
Updated January 13, 2023 by Mark Sammut: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc is set for Spring 2023, which means fans of the shonen anime have a few months to kill in the meantime. The Winter 2023 season has a couple of fun action shows, but none are likely to fill the hole left by Tanjirou’s absence. This article has been expanded to include a few more anime similar to Demon Slayer.
15 Bleach
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 will be returning for a few more cours in the near future.
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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.
14 Blue Exorcist
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.
13 D.Gray-man
D.Gray-man is set in a steampunk era of the world wherein an evil demon, known as the Millennium Earl, is turning people into monsters. As a result, an exorcist society rose from the ashes in order to stop this madman from taking over the world.
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The manga is still ongoing but the anime has stopped for now. There was an original adaptation that lasted from 2006 to 2008 followed by a shorter-lived sequel series in 2016.
12 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
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.
11 Golden Kamuy
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. It’s a pretty down-to-earth anime at times with food and survival tips being thrown out almost like a travel show. It is exciting though and not completely devoid of action.
10 The Fate Series
In all honesty, the Fate series does not have all that much in common with Demon Slayer, outside of 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.
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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.
9 Inuyasha
Inuyasha might have served as some sort of inspiration for Demon Slayer, as they are both about slaying demons. It’s set in both the present and the past, with the past segments taking place in the golden age of Japan.
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It’s an Isekai wherein a young girl, Kagome, falls into a well that transports her back to the past. Japan is overrun with demons and only Kagome and her half-demon love interest, Inuyasha, can save the day. It’s an absolute anime classic.
8 Dororo
Due to his awful father, Hyakkimaru was born missing most of his body parts, each of which was handed over to a demon. The boy survives until adolescence and starts a blood-soaked quest to regain what was stolen from him, a journey that involves eliminating each of these demons.
An adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s classic shonen manga, Dororo is a timeless tale that should satisfy Demon Slayer fans yearning for more ronin-esque action anime. Dororo’s heart is the relationship between Hyakkimaru and the anime’s eponymous child, an endearing orphan who forms an unbreakable bond with the capable swordsman.
7 Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is primarily known for its parallels to Attack on Titan’s opening season, although their similarities are superficial. The show might be a better fit for people searching for anime like Demon Slayer since they both take place in relatively similar time periods and prioritize action.
The eponymous “iron fortress” is a train and serves as Kabaneri’s main setting, giving the series a unique connection to Demon Slayer’s Mugen Train arc and movie. Rather than demons, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress’ humans exist in a world overrun with zombies, and these undead creatures are not of the slow-as-molasses variety.
6 Ruroni Kenshin
Ruroni Kenshin, or Samurai X, has magical powers in a way, but it is more of a straightforward samurai anime. For example, one character can breathe fire because of oil tanks in their stomach.
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The anime tries to be grounded in combat in this way, even though many things about it really wouldn’t make sense. The core narrative follows the titular hero who is trying to make up for the thousands of men he killed. Along the way, he keeps getting dragged back into conflict.
5 Hunter X Hunter (2011)
Madhouse’s Hunter x Hunter is rightfully hailed as a battle shonen masterpiece. The show starts as a relatively typical entry in the genre as it follows Gon, a kid who aspires to become a hunter similar to his father. While taking this profession’s test, he meets a few lifelong friends along with a villainous figure who he will struggle to escape. However, in due time, Hunter x Hunter begins to shake up its formula, presenting arcs that go against the battle shonen grain.
Moving past its unique style of storytelling, the 2011 anime features fantastic action courtesy of well-defined characters, a brilliant power system, and Madhouse’s reliable animation. Hunter x Hunter might not be extremely similar to Demon Slayer, but both shows are among battle shonen’s crowning achievements.
4 Jujutsu Kaisen
Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen exploded in popularity roughly around the same time, causing the two action anime to be linked to each other. Moving past their very different settings, Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen both revolve around humans taking on supernatural threats, with the latter consisting of Curses stemming from innate energy that most people cannot control.
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Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen are two of the best shonen action anime of the last five years. Jujutsu Kaisen’s animation can rival Demon Slayer at its best, and the same can be said for its fight scenes.
3 Samurai Champloo
Samurai Champloo was made by the same team who made Cowboy Bebop. That’s the more classic anime of the two but Samurai Champloo is still a great anime. It mashed up samurai with modern hip-hop for one unique anime experience.
Samurai Champloo is a one-season series that follows a young girl named Fuu and her two bodyguards as they look for a samurai who smells of sunflowers. This anime has great animation and action, and it is hilarious to boot.
2 Ninja Scroll
If someone is not sure where to start with these recommendations, they should look no further than Ninja Scroll. This ’90s anime movie chronicles Kibagami Jubei’s violent battles against eight ninjas with monstrous and powerful abilities. Ninja Scroll is not for young viewers, but Demon Slayer fans searching for something a bit more mature are likely to have a blast with this classic film. Ninja Scroll’s action holds up incredibly well.
The movie received a sequel anime series in the early 2000s which is fine but nothing more than that. However, it is worth watching for those desperate to spend more time in this universe.
1 Soul Eater
Soul Eater is set in a fantasy world of monster hunters who are all training to be reapers at a special academy. Every student is paired with an anthropomorphic weapon that can change back and forth at will.
For example, protagonist Maka is partnered with Soul Evans who can turn into a scythe. It kind of feels like an anime Tim Burton would create as there is a very spooky and Halloween-like aesthetic to everything.
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