Fairies, yokai, angels; all of the creatures of myth and legend that you learned of and fantasized about as a child are as real the air we breathe and walk among us ignorant humans. Those that are privy to their existence have come to coin a simple blanket term to describe them: “Another”. Their existence, while a spectacle to behold and study is far from harmless, they don’t live parallel to us, but adjacent. Not only are normal people unable to see them unassisted, but spats between Anothers tend to cause collateral damage. It falls to the Nighttime Regional Relations Department to keep the populace blissfully unaware while doing their best to deal with them. Miyako Arata discovers this truth in the span of one night upon his induction to Shinjuku’s branch of the department where he learns that he has the rare and possibly unique ability to communicate with Anothers.

Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin is softer than Fairy Gone as far as violence and dark themes go, but they both follow newcomers with a strange and powerful affinity for the occult.

It also has a well developed, organic world that doesn’t just pay lip-service to its supernatural elements.

While the anime has its fair share of fights, the focus is more on mediation and living alongside Anothers than the primarily paramilitary duties of Dorothea.

Translated, the name given to the titular subspecies comes out as “demi-human”. It’s unknown what members of this divergence from the common cloth owe their status to, but they’re granted a host of powers, the greatest of which being the ability to simply not die when they’re killed.

This isn’t as sweet a deal as it sounds, however; government entities are very aware of the Aijin and literally want several pieces of them. In Japan, they’re stripped of all human rights, making them valuable subjects to be used and reused for invasive experimentation without something as trivial as ethics getting in the way of progress. So when Kei Nagai, a young prodigy of a medical student, walks away from a fatal car accident, his first move is to panic.

Like Fairy Gone, Aijin is quick to establish sympathetic characters before shoving them into increasingly grim scenes. Interpersonal relationships and character development run the story as Kei struggles with his new place in a world that hates him for what he is, and learns that real friends are both precious and hard to come by.

With the war lost and Stalin’s forces knocking on Berlin’s gates, officers of the Third Reich attempt to bring about the end of everything in a final act of spite. The Order of the 13 Lances are known to harbor strength beyond measure and a thirst for blood to match, making a ritual to herald their return fit the bill perfectly. For the following six decades, however, nothing seems to happen.

Enter Ren Fujii, a present-day ordinary high school student who gets hospitalized by his former best friend in the first scene we meet him in. Upon his release, he wants nothing more than to put things behind him and live out a peaceful life devoid of surprises. It’s too bad that the Order of the 13 Lances decides that is the best time to show up and Ren gains powers that draw their interest.

Dies Irae is a crowdfunded anime adaptation of the visual novel written by Takashi Masada that was widely popular in Japan. Due to reductions in scope and liberties taken with the plot, it may be a bit difficult for newcomers to understand. If you can catch up through research, acquiring the localized version of the source material, or don’t mind the missing information, the anime offers a supernatural story that’s as bizarre as it is violent.

In the years preceding the Second World War, vampires have become a plague upon the streets of Tokyo. To protect the citizenry, they call in the Jaegers, experts who specialize in putting these undead horrors into the grave for good. Yuily, a werewolf and possibly the last of his kind, counts among the most talented of their members. While his involvement certainly benefits the human population, Yuily acts mostly out of self-interest, as the bloodsuckers are the ones responsible for the genocide of his kin.

Sirius the Jaeger was crafted by P.A Works, the same studio behind Cannan and Another. Viewers interested in the gruesome sights and dark themes seen in those titles won’t be disappointed.

The Jaegers work to eliminate vampires in much the same way Dorothea is stacked with the duty of neutralizing fairy related threats. Yuily’s quest for revenge and his relationship with his mentor, Willard allows the story to play with the concept of guilt and a life blinded by a single bloody goal.

When he was just a child, Raki’s village was ravaged by youma. The vile shape-shifting beings tore his family apart in front of him and would have added his body to the pile if not for the timely intervention of Clare. As a Claymore, she’s a warrior with grafted youma organs sent to ensure that the creatures aren't allowed to prey upon humanity uncontested. Shunned by the survivors of his village and left with nowhere else to go, Raki chases the tail of Clare’s cape, hoping to return the favor somehow.

Of the rest of the entries on this list, Claymore’s biologically engineered fighters bear the closest resemblance to Fairy Soldiers and have a much worse run of things. Being part youma goes beyond merely acquiring the entities’ strength and a neat pair of government shackles, though. Once someone becomes a Claymore, their time is limited by more than occupational hazards.

If you’ve yet to see Claymore and enjoyed Fairy Gone’s tale of monstrous creatures and super soldiers derived from them, you’ve found yourself a legitimate reason to experience one of the classics

Three years ago, humanity managed to hold back an invasion by eldritch horrors known as Disas. Though young and mentally unprepared for war, the power and sacrifice of magical girls is the reason civilization stands today. Asuka Ootori was one of the best to survive the affair and she wants no more than to reclaim the childhood it took from her.

Her dreams simply weren't meant to be, though. A special operations unit intent on combating the recent surge of magical terrorism brings Asuka back into the saddle. But because it means protecting her new friends, and possibly because it's the only life she ever knew, Asuka takes up arms again with her own brand of stoicism.

Mahou Shoujo Tokushusen Asuka places heavy focus on the desperate search for healthy adjustment after fighting at the forefront of a long and bloody conflict, a subject that Fairy Gone touches on. Fans of Free Underbar’s character arc and background may find Asuka’s story to be a treat.