One day a young man witnesses an assassination carried out by the organization Inferno, one of the most powerful criminal organizations. The assassin was Phantom, a young woman who happens to be the organization’s top assassin, and because the boy saw her perform the murder; he is kidnapped by the head of the organization and turned into one of their assassins. That’s how this tale of death and survival starts out.

Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom is just like Black Lagoon. Gory. Check. For the most part unremorseful. Check. Fantastic female lead who can take down anyone. Check. The similarities between the two characters, Revy and Ein, might not be apparent at first glance but are definitely there. They both have tragic lives, but move forward relentlessly. They know how to take care of themselves and are masters when it comes to fighting. Though the portrayal of affection is done differently, it is quite clear that the two main characters of each show develop feelings for one another as they work side by side.

Hellsing Ultimate follows the Hellsing Organization in its war against an army of Nazi vampires. You may be asking how any organization is able to take on such a threat? Well, this group has a vampire of its own. In fact, the vampire they have is the oldest and most powerful vampire and goes by the name Alucard. Him, the new vampire under his care, Seras, and the rest of the Hellsing Organization turn out to be quite a good match for the horde of undead Nazis.

Hellsing Ultimate is like Black Lagoon because it does not care that it breakis concepts of what it means to be the hero. Much like the mercenary group Black Lagoon, the Hellsing Organization is almost a necessary evil. To be specific, Alucard seems to be a necessary evil. The creator directly compares Alucard to the Nazi enemy to make it clear that he is no better than the enemy. In fact, he might even be worse. However, he is in fact the only one that can stop the enemy. This is the show’s way of saying that no one is good in war and that’s something Black Lagoon explores in depth.

Much like Black Lagoon, Hellsing Ultimate furthers this social commentary by even displaying the church as a corrupted organization. Admittedly, Black Lagoon does draw some lines in terms of both moral code and gore. Hellsing Ultimate does not.

During the Battle of Sekigahara, Shimazu Toyohisa sacrifices his own body to give his uncle time to escape. This action brings him to death’s door where he is then transported into an alternate universe full of elves, dwarves, and other fantasy beings. Who also happens to be in this world is Oda Nobunaga, Billy the Kid, and a host of other historical figures. All of these outsiders have been brought in to enact change. However, one side is trying to establish an evil empire while the other is just trying to stop the advances of that growing empire.

Once again we are sent into a world where a lot of characters represent a morally gray area. Like Black Lagoon, Drifters has no problem showing the darker parts of society and that corruption exists in just about every aspect of society. Both powerfully show the importance of chasing threads and discovering exactly who is the head puppeteer. This is because, both want to show that the worst, most dangerous areas are generally tied directly with the most prosperous through some means, whether it is extortion or something else.

Another point of comparison is the personalities of the characters. Most of them delight in a good fight. It’s actually most common to see them smiling while in the middle of a battle. To put it simply, their characters are bloodthirsty and don’t mind getting their hands dirty.

In the city of Ergastalum anything goes. It used to be a sanctuary of sorts for “Twilights” people who have been given extraordinary strength due to scientific experimentation. Now, it is a criminal’s paradise full of drugs, prostitution, and money. Gangs control the streets of this city and it’s best to always be on your feet or have some especially useful information. Two people making a living in this city are Nicholas Brown and Worick Arcangelo, who form the Handymen. As the Handymen, the two act as mercenaries taking care of whatever business comes their way.

The aspects that make Gangsta like Black Lagoon should be pretty obvious from the show’s description. The main focus in each of these shows is about a pay-for-hire group that takes up residence in one of the most seedy locales in the world. Both shows’ environments reflect the behavior of the main characters in that basically anything goes. However, the environments in both these shows also set a certain parameter. Though neither group particularly holds moral standards high, neither represents the worst of their society. In both shows, certain events take place that show that the characters do have some regard for what can be seen as right.

Another factor that makes Gangsta like Black Lagoon is that the character dynamics are quite similar. Though the relationship between Nik and Worick is a bit more fleshed out, Dutch and Revy have a similar relationship. Then there’s also the higher power, in Black Lagoon its Balalaika and Gangsta its Sir Gina Paulklee, who can really pull the reigns of the group and put them in rather unwanted situations.

Oosawa Maria is currently looking for newsworthy stories in Shanghai, China. With her camera at the ready, she jumps into a local festival where many strange events have been occurring. This decision might not have been the best though, as Maria and her friend are both suddenly thrown into a battle between masked fighters and a white-haired woman. Just as Maria’s life is about to be taken, an old friend saves her. However, the only reason why her old friend Canaan is there in the first place is because she is just as entangled in the mysterious events.

One pretty obvious reason that Canaan is like Black Lagoon is that they share intense female characters who can kick butt. This and the constant disasters that follow the main characters is what makes Canaan so much like Black Lagoon. The two shows also share a somewhat similar relationship between the main duos. In Black Lagoon that’s Rock and Levy, while in Canaan it’s Maria and Canaan. Admittedly, there are several differences. Rock and Levy actually have a love interest fueling their relationship and are each extremely sarcastic towards one another. That aside, there is a clear aspect of the tougher one (Revy and Canaan) keeping an eye on the more untrained one. Such an aspect really helps lighten up the events of the show and create a little more warmth towards the characters.

The main difference between these shows is that the plot for Canaan is a continuous story with a lot of twists and turns. You will not want to watch one episode out of order. Black Lagoon, on the other hand, can be watched out of order and is much more focused on character development. Admittedly, there are some arcs that are best watched in order, such as when the crew goes to Japan.

Let’s end this list with the most recent anime that is like Black Lagoon: Youjo Senki. In this 2017 anime, we are thrown into a World War I setting, where amidst all the action is a single girl with blond hair and blue eyes. This solitary figure is actually in charge of one of the most elite squads in the army and is destroying her enemies with ease. Well, this child turns out to be the reincarnated form of one of Japan’s most elite salary-men.

In several ways, the main character is very similar to Rock in Black Lagoon. He was living an ordinary life and then was suddenly transported into a different world with different rules. Luckily, some of his skills honed in the office, turned out to be quite useful in moments of battle.

The similarities continue past the main characters though. In both, there is quite a lot of death and a lot of action that takes palace on an episodic basis. Overall, the atmosphere is dark and the tone is dreary as the main characters are focused on their own growth first and foremost.