(Photo Credit: MAPPA | TOHO Animation)
The best anime like Jujutsu Kaisen can fill the holes in our hearts as we wait for the next season to drop sometime next year (fingers crossed). If you’re still bemoaning the end of the latest season and are looking for your next watch between releases, we have a feeling these can hold you over in the meantime. There’s really no shortage of great options, but we’ve narrowed it down to our top ten.
What’s the best anime like Jujutsu Kaisen?
When we think about JJK, our favorite elements are, of course, the stellar fights and the supernatural world. Add to that the complex power systems and achievements in animation.Whether you’re new to anime or a longtime fan looking for something to watch between releases, these are just a few of our favorites.
Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku (2023)
This modern dark shonen series, much like some of our other picks on this list, is heavy on violence and gore. The animation comes from MAPPA, a studio known for its high-quality, fluid action sequences and detailed visuals. There’s a lot going on here, and it’s no surprise this series usually shows up on lists of things to watch after Jujutsu Kaisen.
As for the plot, it centers on Gabimaru the Hollow, a remarkably skilled shinobi sentenced to death. He’s given a chance at freedom by joining a group of criminals and executioners sent to a mysterious island, Shinsenkyō, to retrieve the elixir of immortality. And yes, as you might expect, a mission to a deadly island to grab a mysterious elixir in exchange for freedom does not sound like it would go smoothly. The group gets stranded and must survive this terrifying island and its inhabitants. Gory, dramatic, inventive — this series pretty much checks all the boxes.
Chainsaw Man (2022)
If you’ve seen Jujutsu Kaisen, odds are you’ve already watched Chainsaw Man. And if not, you’ve probably seen it mentioned on fan forums as a must-watch. So we can’t say this pick is necessarily anything you wouldn’t expect on this list, but we’re putting it here because it’s so clearly the one you should jump to next, in the off-chance you haven’t seen it yet.
From the same studio that produced Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man gives us another superheroic protagonist tasked with tracking down and destroying supernatural evil that threatens to consume humans if left unchecked. In Chainsaw Man, the main hero we follow is a teenager who makes a deal that fuses his body with Pochita, a dog-like chainsaw devil. This contract gives him the transformative ability to turn his limbs into chainsaws (and his head, if we’re being accurate), which is a useful power when dealing with evil. And as you might expect from the chainsaw-body situation, the series gives us some of the goriest battles. That should keep your adrenaline pumping until January.
Dororo (2019)
Well, there’s Chainsaw Man, and then there’s this wildly imaginative, twisty anime that should scratch any itches if you’re drawn to the darker, more tragic side of Jujutsu Kaisen. Set in feudal Japan, the story follows Hyakkimaru, a warrior born without limbs, skin, or many of his senses, after his father sacrificed parts of his body to demons in exchange for power. Yep, really, that’s the premise. It just keeps getting better, though. As Hyakkimaru hunts those demons down one by one, he slowly reclaims the pieces of his body that were stolen from him.
If you enjoy the more supernatural elements in the fights (water, lightning, elemental powers, etc.), this one might not be as much your jam as some of the other picks. It does, however, lean heavily into swordplay. Expect gore and brutality — but you probably guessed that from the sacrificial amputation exposition.
Demon Slayer: Kimetshu no Yaiba (2019)
Another series that follows heroes taking out evil is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The series, produced by Ufotable, is based on the manga series created by Koyoharu Gotouge. The story is set in Japan during the Taisho era (1912-1926). It follows a teenage Tanjiro Kamado, who enlists in the Demon Slayer Corps after demons kill his family, and his sister is cursed by a demon. That’s as good a motive as any. From here, the story tracks Tanjiro’s progression as a fighter and the journey to take down the Demon King.
Aside from the storyline itself, fans of Jujutsu Kaisen will appreciate the animation style. Both shows are recent releases, so their animation styles speak to each other. No shortage of enjoyment comes from the exceptional choreographed battle sequences. Though extended battles sometimes have the risk of getting boring, Demon Slayer gives us plenty of variation based on the supernatural powers and skills at play. If this piques your interest, you can easily check it out on Netflix.
Attack on Titan (2013)
Another fan-favorite dark fantasy pick, Attack on Titan adapts the hugely popular manga that ran from 2009 to 2021. There’s a lot that can be said about this series, but really, what you need to know is that it was dark, violent, and subversive enough to be banned in China in 2015. If that’s not enticing, what is? That being said, it’s worth knowing that this anime is rated MA for intense themes, violence, and gore.
Set in a world where the remnants of humanity live behind enormous walls to protect themselves from giant man-eating creatures known as Titans, the story follows Eren Yeager and his friends after a devastating attack shatters their lives. As they fight for survival, they begin to uncover shocking truths about the Titans, their world, and humanity itself. If your favorite parts of Jujutsu Kaisen are the intense fights, supernatural threats, and sense that no one is truly safe, Attack on Titan should be at the top of your watchlist.
Blue Exorcist (2011)
Easily one of the most beloved anime series in this subgenre, Blue Exorcist follows Rin Okumura, a teenager who discovers he’s the son of Satan. He vows to defeat his father by becoming an exorcist. But first, he’s got to go to school to make that happen. So he enrolls at True Cross Academy to learn how to fight evil with his powers.
This series is a go-to for anyone who is a fan of the dark fantasy action stylings of Jujutsu Kaisen. This is also one of the series that does a great job of bringing in the side characters and putting them to good use. Between the writing, detailed setting, animation, and character development, there’s so much artistry in this series that makes it one we return to time and time again.
Soul Eater (2004)
Created by Atsushi Ohkubo and produced by Studio Bones (the studio behind My Hero Academia), Soul Eater is based on his manga series and is one of those anime picks that’s sometimes overlooked in favor of newer shows. Though its setup is a little different from JJK, it absolutely gives us the human–weapon transformation. And you should know, the manga series did it all the way back in 2004.
Set in the Death Weapon Meister Academy, the series follows three teams, each made up of a weapon meister, or the weapon-wielder, and a human who can transform into that weapon. Now that’s what we call teamwork, folks. In this setup, the main protagonists, Maka Albarn and Soul Evans, set out to hunt down the souls of evil humans, which they can absorb to boost their supernatural powers.
Bleach (2004)
Bleach ran from 2004 to 2012 and gave us a satisfying 366 episodes. While that barely makes it past the halfway mark compared to Naruto‘s 700-something, it’s still more than enough to keep you occupied for a while. But beyond the episode count, Bleach is absolutely a series that influenced Jujutsu Kaisen.
Produced by Studio Pierrot, a veteran studio known for long-running shonen hits like Naruto, Bleach centers on a high school student named Ichigo Kurosaki, who unexpectedly gains the powers of a Soul Reaper, which is what we’d consider akin to the Grim Reaper — cue the cowbell. With these new powers, he is now tasked with protecting humans from evil spirits known as Hollows and guiding wandering souls to the afterlife. That’s a big responsibility for a high schooler, but he’s up to the demand. However, as he grows in abilities, he also battles increasingly powerful enemies.
These two series are constantly compared, though they have very different vibes. Still, you’ll find plenty of fan forum threads debating which is better. The result often ends up around a 50/50 split. JJK may be new, but Bleach was ahead of its time.
Hunter x Hunter (1999)
Based on Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga series, Hunter x Hunter begins with a young boy, Gon Freecss, who learns that his father, whom he thought was dead, is alive. Beyond being alive, he’s very much active as a Hunter, an individual who is tasked with particularly dangerous jobs. Think of these professionals as superhuman bounty hunters, but the bounty could be almost anything. This could be from tracking down treasure or busting criminals. The whole Hunter progression system gets explored more throughout the series, and that alone is just fun to watch. After learning about his father, Gon is determined to take the exam himself. The pass rate is bleak: less than 1 in 100,000. But Gon is nothing if determined, and he sets out to make it happen.
Even though this blurb might not make it seem like there’s a ton of overlap between Hunter x Hunter and Jujutsu Kaisen, JJK’s creator Gege Akutami has said Togashi’s work heavily influenced them. As a note, some parts are definitely slower than JJK. If it’s not giving you the breakneck pace you’re used to, hang in there. It’s worth the patience.
Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files (1992)
If you love Jujutsu Kaisen for its team of supernatural fighters battling dangerous curses, then Yu Yu Hakusho is what we’d gracefully call required viewing. This 90’s anime from the heyday of anime follows Yusuke Urameshi, a teenager who dies unexpectedly while saving a child. Instead of moving on to the afterlife, he’s given a second chance and becomes a “Spirit Detective.” In this new role, he’s tasked with tracking down demons and other supernatural threats that creep into the human world.
If you somehow ventured to the live-action version on Netflix, you’ll know the downside is that it’s only five episodes, compressing the 112-chapter manga series into one sprint of a season. We’re holding out hope that a second season may come at some point, but for now, we have to be satisfied with what we’ve got. Still, the ’90s anime adaptation faithfully brings the story to life across 112 episodes (which, in our humble opinion, makes it superior).
How we picked the best anime like Jujutsu Kaisen
We narrowed down our choices to series that fit the supernatural action-shonen style. These picks offer our favorite battles, animation, power systems, and protagonists who square off against monsters, curses, demons, and otherworldly threats.
