You already knew that this one was going to be coming. Now, that being said, this is for the FIRST SEASON ONLY. Sword Art Online follows Kazuto Kirigaya or Kirito as he plays the beta of a new and upcoming popular VR-esque game, Sword Art Online (SAO). In SAO, gamers know that they are in a game but something goes wrong with the beta when they are all told by the creator that they are now trapped in the game and if they die in the game, they die in reality. Accepting this new reality, Kirito teams up eventually with Asuna Yuuki who is leading a team to try and escape this cruel game they are now trapped in!

When looking at obvious similarities, they are both set in games or game-like worlds where the understanding and functionality is just like a game. In SAO, Kirito and the gang have more to work with in the sense of menus and item drops, but the way Bell levels up in Danmachi is also similar to a video game. This also includes the systems of magic and stronger weapons etc.

There are also the themes of floor bosses as Bell tries to go down in the dungeon, while Kirito & co. go up. OP Protagonists are also a recurring theme that you will see in this article and between the shows. Bell grows with the character while Kirito is essentially OP throughout the whole show. The fun and final similarity about this is that Kirito and Bell share the same seiyuu in Japanese! It is for these main reasons and more that SAO is like Danmachi.

Will write for more Konosuba… Will share for more Konosuba… Spare change? It’s all for Konosuba… Ah Yes… what has to be one of the funniest and most interesting shows of Winter 2016, and possibly the year (we still have half a year to see new shows but we digress), Konosuba brought us Kazuma, a “dirty shut-in NEET” as Aqua refers to him, who has just died from fear of being run over. Aqua, a goddess, offers him a choice to be reborn in an RPG like world or go to heaven.

Naturally, if he chooses to be reborn, he will get a rare one of a kind item to help him. When prodded as to what he wants, and Aqua clarifies that he can have anything, he says “Okay. I choose you.” Sucked into the new world, Kazuma finds out fast that Aqua is not only an idiot but useless as well! They have to work to get money… but they need money to gear up. Introduce a useless Mage who can only cast one spell a day before collapsing, and a knight who is a defensive wall but also a massive masochist. This series will leave you in tears.

When looking for reasons how Konosuba is like Danmachi, there are plenty. Both are set in an RPG-esque world that allows them to be unique and learn skills as need be in the cases of Kazuma and Bell. Both also lay in heavily into the mission aspect and boss battles, though DanMachi is more adventure while Konosuba is more comedy. Also, Kazuma serves Aqua, a deity (he’s kinda forced to due to his circumstances) and Bell serves Hestia. The world settings themselves are also fantasy worlds that you will love to get wrapped into. Don’t take our word for it, though! Check it out below!

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar opens with characters who know nothing but their names. Grimgar is now the world that they live in and they must work to survive. A team comes together to form a group in this kill or be killed, world. Together they work, filling various job classes such as a priest, a thief, a hunter, a mage, a warrior, and a dark knight. Going on missions in Grimgar, they now struggle to learn more about each other, themselves, and what to do. Characterized by unique art, many people have enjoyed this adventure show!

Like Danmachi, in Gimgar right off the bat there is the danger of death. Kill or be killed in Grimgar and Danmachi. No, Do overs. The worlds too are much like RPGs. Grimgar takes it a step further and has job classes that are specific. Everyone is poor in both series as well so you get to watch them grow! DanMachi, however, is a bit lighter hearted while Grimgar takes life by the horns! Finally, between these two is the theme of existing within a game-like world while not being conscious of it; a common theme in this article. If you are looking for something a little more serious than Danmachi, but still heavy on the same themes, go for this show for sure!

Subaru Natsuki is buying dinner when he has a flashback or is it a flashforward to himself dying? Then he wakes up in a world where nothing makes sense. Suddenly someone is robbed and he helps her and she helps him. Trying to get the item back, he negotiates to get it… until someone else was in wait for it. Then suddenly he feels pain, sees blood, and then wakes up again in the same scene as if nothing has happened? Once again, his life seemingly starts from zero….

Danmachi and Re:Zero have so many similarities such as a fantasy world setting, and both Bell and Subaru serve some beautiful women who dote on them a bit. There is a clear mystery as Subaru is killed over and over just to be incarnated again, and Ais is a mystery to Bell for a long time. There is a slight magic system that Subaru can harness, much like an RPG-like job class, while Bell is in a full blown job class. There are some differences, though. Subaru has no idea how he got to this world where Bell is just living in his world. So don’t worry. While both are great, you are not watching the same show, so like Damachi, you can enjoy Re:Zero too for their similarities while enjoying the differences as well.

Kuuhaku is undefeatable. Made up of a pair of shut-in NEETs, Sora and Shiro are unstoppable until one day, they are challenged to a chess match by Tet, the god of Games. They then are plunged into a world called Disboard where the rule of the land is that major issues will be solved via games?! Not only that but these games are high stake due to the rule where in order to play, both parties have to wager something of similar value to what the other party wagers. Suddenly this adorable Onii-san and Imouto are in a race to meet and defeat this god of games, Tet.

Like Danmachi, a fantasy adventure is here on the table in No Game No Life. Much like video games, Sora and Shiro play high stake games that could cost them everything while Bell risks his life in the Dungeon to level up and bring home more funds to Hestia. Both take place in medieval cities and settings. Instead of crashing into dungeons like Bell, Sora and Shiro face their trials within the city. However, they still face harrowing trials. The romance is slightly there as well actually with the way that Shiro cares for Sora is similar to how Hestia cares for Bell even though she wishes that he would chase after her.

If there was ever an argument for a Protagonist that was OP from the start, then it’s ya boy Momonga. The story opens with a popular VR game called Yggdrasil in its final server hours. Momonga is the most powerful wizard and master of a crazy strong guild Ainz Ooal Gown. He decides to stay in the game until the servers shut down. The time passes and… well… nothing happens! He is still in the game but the clock goes away, and all of the NPCs have personalities?! Suddenly Momonga has an amazing yet unknown new world to explore and understand with Albedo at his side.

Another anime similar to games is where we start. Clearly, like Danmachi, Overlord is in a game setting. The difference is that badass Momonga knows that he is in a game while Bell does not. Momonga is OP from the start and eventually Bell gets there considering how his strength rapidly rises. Bell is a sweetheart to the core and Momonga is actually a massive softy even if he has to hide it for fear of what could happen. Adventures abound for these two protagonists while they both learn more and more about their worlds. The best part too is that Albedo chases after Momonga like Hestia chases after Bell and it’s so cute to watch. The other part is that Albedo and Hestia will offer to go to extremes for Momonga and Bell respectively. Don’t take our word for it. Check out this kickass OP protagonist who would take out Kirito and not even flinch.