Often considered part of the new “Big 3“, Jujutsu Kaisen takes everything good about the shonen series before it, and does it better. The series especially stands out for its dark fantasy themes, supernatural elements, and of course, the action.
There is also its treatment of female characters, avoiding the gender tropes so prevalent in shonen anime to portray a wider variety of female perspectives. With Jujutsu Kaisen coming to an end with just a few more chapters, fans now have the opportunity to experience other, similar shonen anime and manga that have gone under the radar.
Ushio To Tora
Remember the initial relationship between Sukuna and Yuji? Now imagine that but if Sukuna was a softie who came around and started working with Yuji instead of against him. That’s the premise of Ushio To Tora. The anime centers around a young boy, Ushio Aotsuki and a supernatural tiger-like monster called Tora who follows him around.
Ushio accidentally frees Tora at the start of the series, but is able to keep him from devouring him. The two’s relationship starts as an antagonistic one, but as Tora agrees to help Ushio, the antagonism becomes more comical than anything. The anime is fast-paced with lots of good action and plenty of funny scenes as the ancient tiger-like demon tries to adapt to modern life.
Devilman Crybaby
Based on Go Nagai’s Devilman, Devilman Crybaby follows Akira Fudo, who becomes the titular Devilman after being possessed by a powerful demon named Amon. Not too different from Yuji gaining cursed energy via Sukuna’s possession of him – he major difference, however, is that unlike Yuji, Akira completely absorbs Amon, gaining access to all his powers.
The story then follows Akira’s childhood friend Ryo Asuka’s attempts to expose the existence of demons while protecting Akira’s secret, with plenty of twists along the way. Much like Jujutsu Kaisen, Devilman Crybaby is also a dark fantasy. The anime features a lot of graphic violence and adult content, making it a must-watch for any dark fantasy fan.
Fire Force
Another dark fantasy like Jujutsu Kaisen, Fire Force features a post-apocalyptic world with few habitable areas after “The Great Cataclysm” set everything on fire. Almost 200 years after this incident, the Fire Force fights “Infernals”, humans made into living infernos via spontaneous human combustion.
The anime follows Shinra Kusakabe, who’s a third generation pyrokinetic with the ability to ignite his feet at will. This leads him to join Special Fire Force Company 8 made up of other pyrokinetics. While there, Shinra learns that his presumed-dead brother was actually kidnapped by a doomsday cult called the White Clad. Now they’re after him to redo the Great Cataclysm for an ancient being.
Beyond the Boundary
Despite its moe artstyle, Beyond the Boundary is a great series for fans of Jujutsu Kaisen to dive into, and is actually relatively short – making it a great binge-watch. The series follows Akihito Kanbara after rescuing his classmate, Mirai Kuriyama, from taking her own life. Suddenly, Mirai stabs Akihito with a sword, discovering that the very normal-looking Akihito is actually a “half-youmu”, making him immortal. Akihito subsequently discovers that Mirai is a Spirit World Warrior sworn to protect humanity from youmu.
She’s also the last surviving member of her clan, so, in classic shonen fashion –she and Akihito join forces to help her gain enough confidence to properly fight youmu. Beyond the Boundary is a gorgeous series, whose animation is just as impactful as its story. It’s a great choice for fans that want something that isn’t afraid to deliver powerful gut-punches to its audience.
D. Gray-Man
Katsura Hoshino’s D.Gray-Man takes place in an alternate 19th century where exorcists fight to protect humanity against demons called Akuma. This premise is already similar to Jujutsu Kaisen’s, except Akuma are artificial creatures made by the Millennium Earl.
In contrast to Jujutsu Kaisen’s sorcerers use cursed energy, D.Gray-Man’s exorcists fight using sentient holy artifacts called Innocence. The titular character Allen Walker starts by working with other Black Order exorcists to search for Innocence, but things quickly become complicated as the series continues.
Hell’s Paradise
Hell’s Paradise asks its audience what they would be willing to do to return home with grisly, horrific body horror and mythology-fueled action. The series follows “Gabimaru the Hollow”, a shinobi on death row with a reputation as a soulless, mindless killing machine, who’s given the opportunity to earn his freedom by traveling to a deadly island of Shisenkyo in search of the elusive elixir of youth.
Competing against other death row inmates, Gabimaru, alongside his would-be executioner must traverse the deadly landscape and survive against not only other criminals, but against the horrific monsters on Shisenkyo.
Soul Eater
Soul Eater is a shonen anime set at the Death Weapon Meister Academy or DWMA, a school for humans that can transform into weapons and their Meisters who can wield them. The anime follows Meister Maka Albarn and her scythe partner, Soul “Eater” Evans, on their journey to have Soul ‘eat’ the souls of 99 evil humans and one witch to turn into a “death scythe”.
Akame Ga Kill!
One of the edgiest anime of its time, Akame Ga Kill! is a staple for fans of anime that get gritty and dark just for the sake of breaking the hearts of its audience. The series initially follows Tatsumi, a young man who’s setting off to the Capital to earn enough money to send home and aid his poverty-stricken village. After unsuccessfully trying to join the army, Tatsumi is taken in by a noble family in the city who gets attacked by a group of assassins called the Night Raid. He then, in true edgy fashion, learns that this noble family was planning to brutally torture him.
After surviving the attack made on the family, Tatsumi joins the Night Raid, consisting of powerful fighters – including the titular Akame – who wield Teigu, ancient weaponry forged 900 years before the story takes place. Life doesn’t get any easier, though, as being a member of the Night Raid is filled with grievous challenges that threaten Tatsumi and the other member’s lives at every turn.
Baccano!
Featuring alchemists, demons, and immortals, Baccano! is a highly underrated 16-episode anime based on Ryohgo Narita’s award-winning light novels by the same name. The anime follows a non-linear storyline with lots of interesting characters and has a good mix of drama, adventure, action, and fantasy.
Much like Jujutsu Kaisen, many Baccano! characters are highly eccentric, like the assassin Vino or the nonsensical thief duo Isaac and Miria. The anime even features immortals reminiscent of Jujutsu Kaisen’s Master Tengen, except Baccano!’s immortals do not age or evolve beyond the point they became immortal.
Dororo
Dororo follows the mysterious warrior Hyakkimaru as he travels with a young Dororo in Sengoku era Japan. Hyakkimaru had his organs and limbs sacrificed to demons as a newborn. Now, much like Yuji and his fellow sorcerers’ quest to collect all of Sukuna’s fingers, Hyakkimaru is on a journey to regain his body by fighting and killing these demons.
Much like Jujutsu Kaisen, Dororo also falls in the dark fantasy genre, although the former has more adventure elements while Dororo is more horror and action elements. There’s also a parallel between Dororo’s Hyakkimaru and Jujutsu Kaisen’s Mechamaru, as both have weak/damaged bodies and must rely on prosthetics to fight.
Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoul‘s anime adaptation is far from being perfect, and while the original manga absolutely reigns supreme, those wanting to fill the void left behind in Jujutsu Kaisen‘s absence would be missing out if they didn’t at least give the series a try.
The anime follows Ken Kaneki, a young man who exists in an alternate version of the real world where a subspecies of humans called ghouls exist, creating a looming threat as they can only survive by consuming human flesh. Going about his days as a normal young adult, Ken is asked out by a striking woman named Rize, who reveals herself to be a ghoul and tries to eat him, when in a twist of fate, heavy construction materials collapse, killing her and injuring Kaneki. Awaking in the hospital, surgeons inform Kaneki that they replaced his damaged organs with Rize, and in turn, he begins to realize that he’s turning into a ghoul.
Yu Yu Hakusho
While not exactly underrated, Yu Yu Hakusho is a great retro shounen anime centered on a teenage delinquent named Yusuke Urameshi. Despite his troubled past, Yusuke has a soft side, much like Jujutsu Kaisen‘s protagonist Yuji Itadori. After Yusuke dies trying to protect a kid from a car accident, he enters the afterlife where he is named the Spirit Detective and sent back.
This opening is very similar to Jujutsu Kaisen’s, with both Yuji and Yusuke being sucked into the world of supernatural creatures due to circumstances beyond their control. And while Yusuke’s new position is initially about investigating cases concerning demons and spirits, the anime quickly transitions into a more fighting-oriented one.
Shaman King
A supernatural adventure like Jujutsu Kaisen, Shaman King follows the medium Yoh Asakura on his quest to become the Shaman King capable of channeling the Great Spirit. To do this, Yoh must win the Shaman Fight, a tournament held once every 500 years.
While this anime is very different from Jujutsu Kaisen on the surface, thanks to its tournament style, fans of the Kyoto Goodwill Event arc will find it to be a very enjoyable watch nonetheless. The series features lots of interesting characters, imaginative plot twists, and nonstop action which will have any shonen fan hooked.
Noragami: Stray God
Noragami is a supernatural shonen series that follows a minor God named Yato who yearns to someday be recognized and have a shrine made in his honor. One day, Yato is saved from being hit by a young woman named Hiyori, who tragically dies in the process. Her soul becomes suspended in an in-between state, and requests Yato’s help to return her to normal. As the two bond and spend more time together, she becomes involved in the matters of gods, the afterlife, and other supernatural beings.
The series explores concepts like death and identity through many tried-and-true shonen tropes, and, much like Jujutsu Kaisen, tackles it all in a narrative structure that doesn’t spoon-feed its audience its true message.
Blue Exorcist
In the world of Blue Exorcist, demons possess living beings to hide unnoticed among humans. But like Jujutsu Kaisen, there are Exorcists who can see and destroy these demons. The story follows Rin Okumura, who, along with twin brother Yukio Okumura, is the son of Satan. Neither care much for that fact, with Rin seeking revenge against Satan for the death of their adoptive father.
The main character’s origins are reminiscent of Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji, who doesn’t have the most conventional parentage either and gained his power by getting possessed by the King of Curses Sukuna.
Published: Sep 6, 2024 01:28 pm