Fans who love this kind of “hidden power” anime won’t need to look further, as there are a lot of anime out there with protagonists that seem innocent but hide a lot of ridiculous power behind their innocent demeanor. Fans of Mob Psycho 100 may be interested in some anime that follow a similar premise.
Updated on December 16, 2022 by Rhenn Taguiam: With Season 3 of Mob Psycho 100 close to its end this December 15, 2022, fans of the acclaimed sci-fi, slice-of-life, comedy flick will likely want something to calm their nerves or even act as a substitute for the rather riveting series. While recommendations won’t have a protagonist as unique as Mob, some anime come close to par with the series with their featuring of superpowered individuals, their quest for growth, and all the while having the rest of the world at stake due to some unforeseen threat.
Recommendations include an exiled prince starting a rebellion after attaining a superhuman power, a story set in a school dedicated to demon hunters, a god accompanying a commoner on an adventure, and even an old man dying only to be resurrected as a cyborg with superpowers.
15 Code Geass (2006)
While Code Geass isn’t about psychics per se, its concept certainly takes a unique spin on the hidden power concept. In an alternate timeline, the Holy Britannian Empire is enjoying its reign as one of the more potent superpowers on Earth, rivaled only by the Chinese Federation and Europa United. Beneath all the politicking of the Empire is Area 11, formerly Japan, and its housing of the exiled prince, Lelouch vi Britannia.
Although once living a peaceful stay in the Britannian province, a chance encounters with a mysterious woman only known as C.C. will bestow Lelouch the Geass, the Power of Kings. With his newfound Power of Absolute Obedience, Lelouch launches a revolution against the Empire under the masked guise of Zero, all the while creating “miracles” with his military prowess and the absolute hypnosis of his Geass. Aside from the intense mecha action, Code Geass boasts a lot of politicking on the part of Lelouch. Perhaps something to look forward to is interesting “battles” between Lelouch and other Geass users, some of which aren’t precisely aligned with his goals.
14 Jujutsu Kaisen (2020)
In an alternate reality of Jujutsu Kaisen, it’s revealed that all living beings emanate Cursed Energy out of negativity, and uncontrolled Cursed Energy becomes Curses - spiritual beings who want nothing but harm humanity. It’s only thanks to Jujutsu Sorcerers and their ability to control Cursed Energy that society has a chance of survival, and it’s in this world that protagonist Yuji Itadori is suddenly thrust into at the start of the series.
When Jujutsu Kaisen begins, Yuji becomes an accidental host to a powerful Curse named Ryomen Sukuna. While everyone around him wants Yuji dead to rid Ryomen, Yuji’s retention of his bodily control means he has the potential to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer. And while this forces Yuji’s transfer to the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School, his presence has started other powerful Curses to plot a massive attack on humanity. Unlike other anime protagonists who are “psychics,” Yuji’s abilities revolve primarily around physical strength. However, his use of Cursed Energy results in unique skills such as secondary energy punches, a familiar ability fitting viewers new to the world of Curses and Jujutsu Sorcerers with stranger skills.
13 Noragami (2014)
It’s natural for the realm of gods to be riddled with strangeness and oddities beyond human comprehension, and the initial confusion with the premise of Noragami precisely becomes a decent setup for its modern mythological approach to its story. The tale begins when Hiyori Iki becomes a victim of a bus accident while trying to save a stranger, an experience that allows her soul to astral project and travel regularly to one of two places - the Near Shore or the natural world and the Far Shore where souls and demonic beasts stay.
In her journey in Noragami, Hiyori discovers “Yato,” a nameless god without a shrine of his own. Due to his desire to make a name for himself, he accepts wishes for a mere 5 yen coins, one of which is Hiyori’s desire to fix her own body. It’s their chance meetup that Yato and Yuki, his Regalia or weapon made out of a human soul, join Hiyori in a tale that intersperses their respective dreams and pasts.
12 Parasyte (2014)
Bordering on body horror, Parasyte takes the sci-fi powers genre of Mob Psycho to the extreme by involving the somewhat bizarre. The story of Parasyte begins when high schooler Shinichi Izumi comes into contact with the alien Migi, who belongs to a race of aliens called Parasites who try to take over human hosts after penetrating their brains. When Migi fails to do this to Shinichi and instead burrows into his arm, Shinichi retains control of his body.
This weird mix forces Migi and Shinichi to exist for survival, especially when they have to battle other Parasites who realize Shinichi has retained his consciousness. An exciting take Parasyte provides to the genre is how Shinichi and Migi’s adventures dabble deeper into usual shonen fighting. Instead, the ongoing invasion of aliens has made Shinichi and Migi ponder psychological and philosophical subjects such as the nature of humanity and the whatnot.
11 Inuyashiki (2017)
Aliens suddenly visiting humanity to provide mysterious gifts has been a trope in usual sci-fi stories, and Inuyashiki takes a similar approach. When senior Inuyashiki Ichiro ponders upon a miserable existence, a UFO crash kills him. Thankfully, the merciful aliens who found him felt pity upon the accidental victim and “recreated” him with a cyborg body - with a few extras, namely superhuman weapons.
When Inuyashiki discovers this new body, he takes on a life of superheroics - saving others and using his newfound healing powers to cure the sick. Sadly, around the time of the explosion, Shishigami Hiro suffers the same fate as Inuyashiki, and receives a similarly-powerful body. Due to his tragic past, Hiro takes a psychopathic approach with his new abilities, killing for fun and committing atrocities. This puts Hiro on the crosshairs of Inuyashiki, who dedicates himself to stopping Hiro’s rampage.
10 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K. (2016)
Fans of the comedic and innocent nature of Mob Psycho will definitely love The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K., which handles all the things “not” to do when in the presence of a guy with superpowers. At its core, Kusuo Saiki possesses extremely powerful psychic abilities, which for Saiki is a curse and an inconvenience.
Unlike other anime with powers, Saiki can actually completely control all of his abilities. However, his powers do attract a lot of people, something he absolutely abhors. Unfortunately for him, Saiki can’t exactly get out of the spotlight when his friends are equally just as crazy, forcing Saiki to use his abilities during their weird hijinks.
9 One-Punch Man (2015)
Fans of Mob Psycho who love the idea of Mob being “the most powerful” there is yet seemingly too ordinary that he’s affected by other people will love One-Punch Man for a similar premise. This time around, One-Punch Man deals with the exploits of B-Class Hero Saitama as he saves the world as One-Punch Man, a person capable of defeating anything with a single punch.
Thing is, well, no one ever sees Saitama for the heroism he does, so no one ever really acknowledges his worth. This makes for quite a hilarious series, as his student Genos, who is a cyborg, is the only one who notices him but ends up being more noticeable in Hero Association compared to him. It’s their adventures, and saving the world countless of times, that makes One-Punch Man a delight.
8 Hinamatsuri (2018)
Viewers who love the rather meek and innocent nature of Mob as he explores his psychic powers would appreciate the innate appeal of Hinamatsuri. In this anime, yakuza member Yoshifumi Nitta is living his everyday yakuza life when a large capsule suddenly drops on his head. Inside it is a girl who has no memories except for her name, Hina.
The first episode in itself is mad crazy, with Hina revealing she has vast psychokinetic abilities with origins she’s not necessarily aware about. However, she starts helping Yoshifumi and his yakuza group deal with rivals and help manage the yakuza business. However, things get hectic when more girls arrive with supernatural powers, transforming Hinamatsuri into a crazy fun yet entertaining anime with psychics.
7 Shinsekai Yori (2012)
Viewers who appreciate the way Mob is slowly being taught to use his abilities might want to give Shinsekai Yori a shot, as this precisely deals with this very matter. The story begins when teenager Saki develops psychic abilities, something that’s been common among humans as some of them suddenly awakened latent telekinetic powers.
With this happening to her, Saki is enrolled at Sage Academy and joins her friends in learning how to use her powers. Unlike the comedic nature of Mob Psycho, the world of Shinsekai Yori will end up much darker than what Saki has realized, and it’s up to her to help solve its mysteries.
6 Mirai Nikki (2011)
With Mob’s abilities getting more powerful as he grows up, it’s natural for others to think - just what if Mob snaps and enslaves mankind as a self-proclaimed god? While this is far from happening in the story, Mirai Nikki tells of the struggle of groups of people with mystic abilities in a fight to the death to become god itself.
Unlike Mob Psycho, characters in Mirai Nikki don’t have innate psychic abilities. Rather, they each have a mobile phone with a “Future Diary” (the name of the anime!), capable of telling the future in their own way. They’re thrust into a deadly battle royale against other diary users, with protagonist Yukiteru and his stalker/lover Yuno up against others out to kill them in a bid to become god.
5 Overlord (2015)
What in Mob did become a god but not necessarily lose himself in the process? Something similar happens in Overlord, when player Momonga suddenly finds himself trapped and unable to log out of a virtual reality game called Yggdrasil. Classified as an Overlord, the skeletal Momonga is one of the most powerful wizards out there.
To make matters weirder, somehow Momonga realized that the NPCs of the game have become sentient, and events now entrusted him with the safety of the world they’re in. Momonga has set out with his Ainz Ooal Gown guild to find out if there are other humans trapped inside the game with him, and all the while uncovering the truth behind the game’s no-logout mode.
4 My Hero Academia (2016)
Viewers who want a similar take on “learning” how to use abilities might appreciate My Hero Academia. While not necessarily solely involving psychics compared to Mob Psychic, the cast of My Hero Academia definitely have unique powers. Set in a world where humans developed the ability to have superpowers, pro heroes are trained to professionally eliminate villains that plague the world.
The story starts when Izuku Midoriya, a powerless student, has his dreams of becoming a hero come true after he receives the powers of none other than All-Might, the most powerful hero of all time. His trials and tribulations as a superhero begin as he enrolls in U.A. High School and encounters other students, heroes, and villains in his quest to become a better hero.
3 To Aru Majutsu No Index (2009)
Viewers interested in the idea of Mob being thrust into rather weird situations might appreciate To Aru Majutsu No Index, as it has a rather similar premise. A Certain Magical Index takes place in Academy City, a city populated by students with special abilities. One such student that doesn’t particularly belong is Touma Kamijou, who doesn’t seem to have such an ability. In fact, he’s classified as a Level 0 because of it.
However, he’s actually an anomaly, as his right hand is seemingly capable of dispelling any ability thrust at him. His weird adventures begin after encountering Index, an English nun with a secret that would put Touma at the center of a conspiracy involving superpowered Espers and spellcasting Magicians.
2 Kokoro Connect (2012)
Fans who want a more serious take on a story involving superpowers and psychic abilities might appreciate Kokoro Connect. As the name implies, Kokoro Connect deals with connections of the heart, where five high school friends within the Student Cultural Research Club - Taichi, Yui, Yoshifumi, Himeko, and Iori - become entangled in a weird phenomenon in their high school.
Apparently, something called the Heartseed has begun using strange phenomena for some undetermined goal involving the youngsters. All they know is that these challenges will test their existing friendships and even temper their relationships.
1 Akira (1988)
Viewers who want a more realistic take on the psychic premise might want to try watching Akira, perhaps one of the most influential cyberpunk and futuristic films out there. Set in the year 1998, Tokyo has been rebuilt as Neo-Tokyo after the sudden explosion of the prior Tokyo triggered World War 3. Protagonist Shotaro Kaneda is now living as a gang leader in Neo-Tokyo, whose streets are littered with terrorism and gang violence.
Things get crazy when Kaneda’s best friend Tetsuo, an ESPer, escapes from a laboratory and starts wreaking havoc when his psychic abilities go haywire. While Mob has his friends to help him control his powers, Kaneda has to struggle with reining Tetsuo in, as the fate of Neo Tokyo and possibly the world lies in the balance.
Mob Psycho 100 season three is available now on Crunchyroll
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