We heard you came looking for dark fantasy/horror anime. You have come to the right place. Dante is a half-human, half-demon being who run a shop, or rather a business that is struggling to pay its debts. The business is simply called “Devil May Cry”. In the beginning of the series, he takes in an orphan/is hired as her bodyguard named Patty Lowell. Dante ends up forming a close bond with her. Supernatural forces are at work though as immediately they are dispatched to kill demons and get rewards. However, though, every single time Dante gets close to overcoming his debt, it is often seized by Lady, another human devil hunter like Dante, since he owes her a lot, or his old, meddling partner Trish. They have to keep hell from rising up, and somehow saving as many lives as possible. Even if that means spilling a lot of blood in the process.

To put a simple comparison between Berserk and Devil May Cry is rather easy. There is bloodshed, there is violence, and there is an overflowing of demons needing to be slain. Now moving deeper, the supernatural is very much at work in these two series’ realities. Dante hunts demons while Guts is pursued by them. Guts is hounded by side characters while Dante is hounded by Lady and Trish. Both Dante and Guts are forced into having companions although both would rather be alone. We have already mentioned Dragonslayer, but we also need to talk about Rebellion, the kickass sword that Dante sports. While it can feel a bit episodic at times, the underlying plot is still there, driving the series forward.

Drifters follows the story of Toyohisa Shimazu at the Battle of Sekigahara… or so you think. Facing death he finds himself in a corridor where he is sent to another world. There he meets Elves and other major characters from Japanese history such as Oda Nobunaga and Yoichi Nasu. They are Drifters, or people sent from other eras and times from around the world to help this struggling era. The Orte Empire of humans has mercilessly subjugated all other races of demi-humans such as Elves and Dwarves. Propped up by a fight against the humans, the Elves push Toyohisa and gang to fight harder and more ruthlessly to take back what was once theirs. However, the Ends, made up of other major historical figures, is not about to let that happen. They too have been brought into this world by the same corridor and all possess powers. Rasputin, Jean d’Arc, Toshizou Hijikata and more under the banner of Kokuou and evil, rise up against the Drifters to let evil spill forward and wreak havoc on this world.

If we are going to have Hellsing on one list, then Drifters needs to be here as well! Just to start, both series deal an excessive amount of bloodshed and violence so they are not for the weak of heart. Toyohisa, either through his own stupidity or cunning, cannot trust others, and he wants to often work alone. Even though Yoichi and Nobunaga are both co-main characters as well, the spotlight really shines on Toyohisa much like Guts. He accepts his companions because he is forced to and eventually comes to rely on them. True, Guts is more of a lone wolf himself, but the story is still similar enough. Then too, you also have these superpowers of the Ends akin to the superhuman, and possible superpowered, beings that Guts encounters while he searches for Casca. Fans expecting an exact copy, please look elsewhere, but for those who enjoy action, drama, supernatural, dark fantasy and more, this is for you!

Akame ga Kill, societal satire or not? You decide. The land is ruled by Prime Minister Honest. He is the representative of a child emperor, and this power has rotted him to the core. The empire is in ruin, people are starving and impoverished. However, there is a resistance that has formed known as the Revolutionary Army. Within the army, there is a further branch of skilled assassins known simply as Night Raid. They do not derive pleasure from killing, but for their ideals, anything is possible. Tatsumi, a newbie to the group has been converted into a revolutionary after an eye-opening experience with the empire after he stepped out from his hometown to work and send money home. Suddenly, Tatsumi finds himself a member of Night Raid killing has much as he needs to. The best part? He becomes even more powerful with every fight that he has. He rapidly grows from a disillusioned child to an adult with a purpose and a killing method to get there.

Dragonslayer? Meet all the swords that are at play within Akame ga Kill. So much bloodshed occurs in Akame ga Kill much like in Berserk. Both Guts and Tatsumi are forced to take up the blade for what they need and want. While motivations are a little different, they still do proceed. Also, to be frank, both the world in Akame ga Kill, and the medieval time's world that Guts is in, are really messed up and dark. The best part, it only gets increasingly darker in both. If you liked one, then you are sure, at the very least, to be able to enjoy the other.

If Shingeki no Kyojin is on this list, then Koutetsujou no Kabaneri deserves to be here as well. The world has been thrust into the future. Society has collapsed and humans now live in large stations that are surrounded by high walls and accessible only by high-speed trains. Why, you may ask? Well, it turns out that a new virus has struck making humans turn into monsters or Kabane when they are bitten by these monsters. Zombie-like in nature, they only exist to eat others and turn them into Kabane as well. The worst part? They are extremely hard to kill due to needing a direct shot to the heart to be killed. Not so bad? Well, the kicker is that their hearts are surrounded by steel-like cages making it hard to kill them. Enter Ikoma who is an engineer and a serviceman for the trains when they come through. When his village is overrun and he is bitten by a kabane, he stops the virus from overtaking his brain and becomes a Kabaneri or something that is between human and Kabane. Retaining what still remains of his fragile humanity, he takes up arms with a mysterious girl named Mumei to fight against this menace. Even if his fellow humans cannot fully comprehend him.

If a good story with a good plot similar to another major anime puts you in a frenzy, go see if your mother will listen to you. Ikoma is a very unlikely, and slightly unwilling hero as is Guts, even though, Guts is more of an anti-hero. Society trudges along in both of these series, but it is dark, fragile, and could collapse at any moment. Supernatural also comes into play as all we know about the Kabane is that they come from a virus, and just a glance at the cover art for Berserk, or a watch of the PV, will tell you the same. Action galore, blood, shoot-em-up/slice and dice, these two series are for those who enjoy action, dark plots, engaging characters, and more!

Kei Kurono is not having a good day. In fact, he is having the worst day ever. You know why? Because he is DEAD. To add insult to injury, he is now thrown into a game that will test his wits, instinct and who he is as a person. A black sphere and a room are all he sees after he dies along with his best friend Masaru Katou. Suddenly the sphere commands them to kill someone. While Kei and Masaru resist, others do not and it just gets darker and darker from there. The game begins. Betrayal and more keep the story going.

The themes of betrayal, violence, murder, fighting and more, are what Gantz and Berserk share primarily. Kei takes up his fighting because he has to, and while Guts is a mercenary, he too as a goal in mind. It is not survival though as with Kei, but rather vengeance. To be honest here too, the worlds are quite a bit beyond mental, moral, emotional, and physical repair. This is dark fantasy at its finest and the stories, while incredibly gruesome, will keep you wanting to know more.

Kiseijuu follows Shinichi Izumi who, unfortunately, one night, has a parasite that landed on his body while he was sleeping. It was aiming for his head, as the brain is what these creatures need to find to survive, but fails, landing on his right hand. Shinichi wants to get rid of it, but he cannot and it cannot leave his body. Known as “Migi”, Shinichi now has to live out his days trying to fight other parasites as they not only hunt him down but try to kill him as well. Bit by bit though, they become a ruthless killing machine. They need to take down the other parasites before they manage to take down the human race.

Kiseijuu really takes the ideas of these supernatural viruses, or rather Sci-fi viruses and dials up the horror, drama, and bloodshed to a rather high degree. While Kiseijuu is dark, it still only holds a candle to the masterpiece that is Berserk. Shinichi really is an anti-hero as well with his constant struggle to stay alive while needing to kill other parasites and hosts around him. The same is reflected as Guts is also an anti-hero. Truly a dark thriller through and through, fans who loved Berserk for what it offers, will enjoy Kiseijuu for its rush of a ride.

Shigurui takes us back to the Edo Era of Japan, when many citizens of society enjoyed a great deal of peace, and Japan was thriving as a whole. Lord Tokugawa had other plans however, and declares a tournament will be held for anyone interested. The only stipulation is that real swords will be used in battle as opposed to the traditional wooden swords. Main protagonists Fujiki, a one-armed swordsman, and the blind Irako, must battle each other in this event. Both are disciples of the infamous Iwamoto Kogan, also known as Japan's greatest swordsmen. The two of them duke it out to see who is the true successor of the Iwamoto school, and to become the champion.

Berserk and Shigurui share a lot in common in that, they both explain the story of characters who are out to prove to themselves they can overcome their pasts. Guts lost his arm which was then replaced with a metallic prosthetic one, while Fujiki despite not having a metal replacement, uses one arm to swing his long sword swiftly in battle. The two, along with Irako, must go through an entire cast of characters, with swords piercing through every part of the body in hopes that they can discover the answer to everything around them. With their setbacks being at the forefront of every battle, they reach toward their willpower in order to survive each encounter they confront, with vigor and intensity. Both shows are incredibly deep and tell such a powerful story of how setbacks can be the catalyst in order to set oneself free.

Claymore is an action packed thrill ride that takes us along with Clare, as she battles through constant hordes of enemies called Yoma , while trying to find some solace within herself. These beasts feast on the innards of the human body, while taking on the appearance of a real human to blend in with society. For this reason, a special organization created half-human, half-Yoma warriors called Claymores are sent out to eliminate the enemy that threatens to seal the fate of all humanity. Clare is detested by society due to being half-Yoma while her comrade Raki experienced a dark encounter with a Yoma in his past. The two together set out on a journey to extinguish these deadly creatures, restore peace back into society, and to discover their deeper qualities while fulfilling childhood goals.

Guts and Clare both share a deep dark past, where the two had witnessed a lot of disasters and have undergone a lot of suffering. They use their pain as a fuel to overcome their dark past, wielding huge swords to slash and take down their enemies. The two have a purpose to serve and that's to uncover the secrets to their upbringing, while protecting others from facing the same obstacles they did. Lots of blood is shed throughout both anime, and while it all may seem gruesome at first, the purpose behind it all is more so to cleanse the darkness that controls them and to seek inner peace.

Hokuto no Ken is an all time classic that features main protagonist Kenshiro on his continuous journey to uncover the mysteries that lie ahead. Kenshiro had been betrayed and left for dead by rival Shin, who kidnapped his fiancee Yuria. Throughout his arduous journey he makes use of his extremely powerful fighting form, Hokuto Shinken, to help defend the helpless from bloodthirsty hooligans. Due to his overwhelming strength this caught the attention of more powerful enemies along his journey, such as warlords, and martial artists who all sought out to challenge his extraordinary abilities. Kenshiro is now forced to put his skills to the test in order to take back what he cares for the most.

Kenshiro has a very strong motive in his actions, which is to help save his fiance from danger, but also to ensure the well being of everyone around him. This is extremely similar to Guts where he too is also out to help the ones he deeply cares about, while ensuring that no one around him gets hurt. They both wield extraordinary powers and can wipe out an entire army of enemies with a few attacks. Kenshiro is more like the inspiration to Guts as Hokuto no Ken released long before Berserk, which is why we can we see such a resemblance in both main characters. They both were left for dead and were betrayed by those who they thought had their support, which led them to only trust in their own intentions to move forward.

Afro Samurai is simply a fantastic anime that truly sells the story of Afro and his determination to seek revenge for the brutal death of his father. Justice, who is the main antagonist of the series, decides to wear the number one headband in order to claim all godly powers as his own. After obtaining the number two headband which granted him permission to challenge number one, Afro decides to hunt down the killer who took his father's life, and to thrust his sword through his soul. There only lies one major problem for Afro, and it's that everyone else becomes his enemy as they strive to take the number two headband away, so that they can battle the number one. Afro must now fight his way through a myriad of foes in order to seek vengeance.

Guts and Afro both are very skilled in the art of sword play, and the two have some sort of vendetta towards the antagonist of their respective story. Both take place in a very dark and gritty time where corruption and mass murder were rampant, and so the two must use their skills and determination in order to stay ahead of the pack. We love how Afro never backs down from any fight, and how the both main characters emerged from the darkness as champions of the light in many regards. They both struggled with an early tragedy which led them on a new life path in order to bring clarity into their opaque present moment. Each scene presented to us is filled with an array of high flying performance, heads being chopped off, and only one person standing among the stack of corpses that lay in front of them. Both share a great experience that we encourage you check out for yourself when you can.

Texhnolyze takes place in the cyberpunk city of Lux, a man-made underground city that has turned to rubble after years of neglect. Ichise was once an orphan who has made a name for himself as a prize fighter in Lux. During a violent altercation after an event, a fight promoter loses control which resulted in Ichise losing his arm and leg. Before the grim reaper could have Ichise sign over the contract of death, Eriko, a Scientist, discovers him and begins experimentation on her new design called Texhnolyze. Now equipped with his new powerful mechanical limbs, Ichise decides to work with one of the organizations known as Organo under the leadership of Oonishi. He soon meets with a mysterious woman known as Ran, and now the two must work together to save Lux which is on the brink of war and collapse.

Ichise and Guts both were orphans who ended up losing their limbs at the cost of surviving. They were discovered, repaired, and brought back into the fray with new extraordinary abilities. Both Guts and Ichise are faced with a huge ongoing problem that is war, and they must put an end to all of the destruction that threatens human existence. Along the way they meet up with female characters who aid them in their journey, but also play a major role in ensuring the two survive at all costs. Guts and Ichise have suffered severely at the hands of another, and so they devote their entire life to make sure no one else goes through those very ordeals they did.

Hellsing revolves around Alucard and an organization who are dedicated to destroying supernatural creatures who threaten the existence of humanity. Hellsing Ultimate is an OVA that continues much of the previous story that the original anime had, but brings more depth and development about the antagonist Millennium as they plot to destroy mankind. Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing leads her own military while donating her time to destroying the deadly creatures that are seen as a threat to her world. Alucard serves as the organization's greatest asset as he is the most powerful vampire to ever be committed to the organization, along with his vampire assistant Seras. Their mission is very simple: leave no one behind and eliminate all invaders as swiftly as possible.

Guts and Alucard are two insanely powerful beings, both with nightmares they have to come to terms with. They almost always find themselves in harms way, having to battle out of it with everything they have, leaving no traces of their opposition. The two are very self sufficient and don't usually have to rely on other people for help unless it's truly necessary, which is very seldom. Alucard draws much of his power from the supernatural realm, while Guts draws most of his power all from his will to survive. While their weapon styles may differ, their objective is quite clear and it is to ensure that they discover a clear solution to their most dangerous battle: Their inner struggle.