If you’re like me, you’re a huge fan of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise. With Persona being the frontrunner to the series in terms of popularity, the more recent titles offer a unique blend of social interaction and dungeon crawling. However, when it comes to the anime film adaptations, there’s a stronger focus on the psychological side of the series as a whole with even the game’s protagonist being a special case in himself.

As the films progress, our chosen few high-schoolers must fight against demons to protect the world from the Dark Hour. However, it quickly turns out that everyone isn’t on the same page and conflict arises to complicate things. In this way, it plays very similarly to Gantz as our unwilling students get faced with impossible odds, facing fearsome demons to protect everyone. Even if they have no idea they’re being saved.

Shuhei Morita is a genius. You may know him for being the director of Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo Ghoul Root A, but his most prestigious resume lies in the art of short film. Being an Oscar Nominated Director for his work on the film, Possessions, he has a strong connection to dark, spiritual storylines. This all started with Kakurenbo, a thrilling CGI film following a group of 7 children as they play a game of adrenaline within the strange world of Otokoyo.

Like Gantz, Kakurenbo is a battle against the demonic and the unnatural. These seven kids must escape from terrifying demons all whilst trying to find the other lost children that have played the game before. Whilst it doesn’t feature the same sort of gore as the former, it is incredibly tense and the message is surprisingly dark.

Whenever I’m asked by someone if I’d recommend Deadman Wonderland, it usually ends with me hesitating, excusing myself and quickly escaping out the back door. It’s the sort of series that exists between the realms of “Good” and “Bad”, instead heading towards the world of “It’s Just Bloody Weird”. Originally starting as some sort of Death Race-esque series, it quickly turned into this weird survivalist battle series with superpowers, internet streaming, corruption and a load of other nonsense.

It’s these unwilling supernatural fighters within a world of science fiction body horror that draws a connection Gantz. Jargon aside, they both seem to offer the same tense atmosphere but deliver it through different methods. They’re both dark stories in their own right and you may find what you’re looking for in Deadman Wonderland.

Berserk is the very definition of dark fantasy. Being an ongoing manga ever since 1989, this film adaptation adapts the core narrative that brought together this story’s cult audience. Following Guts, we watch his rise and fall from mercenary to demon slayer. Suffice it to say, Guts is a pretty hard-done-by guy and his fight for survival, particularly in the third film makes for one of the best dark fantasy films of all time.

Whilst Gantz isn’t a fantasy series like Berserk, it offers that same “Could this possibly get any worse” progression as our unfortunate characters are dragged through hell. Surviving against demons, other people and even themselves, Berserk offers an incredibly compelling dark action series that you can’t help but love. (Now when’s the next film, Studio 4C?)