Reikenzan is about a boy named Ouriku. Before he was born, a large comet fell upon the earth causing widespread death and destruction. However, it was Ouriku who was blessed somehow at birth by this calamity causing comet. Fast-forward to 12 years later aka present day, and the Reiken Clan, one of the most sought after families is holding a competition to accept new disciples. These disciples have the potential to be the best in the world due to the power and influence of the Reiken Clan. Ouriku decides that this is the clan for him and not realizing or knowing that he is blessed by that comet, he enters. What happens next is a rapid and unique journey by Ouriku. Betrayal, comedy, action and more await him and you the viewer!

Right off the bat, let us be clear. Both of these originate from China which means that culturally speaking, a lot of things are the same. Humor is the same, which is not weird, but just does not fall where we, the viewers, expect it to. In anime from Japan, there is almost always a pause for the humor, while with these two shows, they go full speed into and out of the jokes. Both Ouriku, as well as Chulan, have a power deep inside of them, and while Ouriku might not recognize it 100%, it is still there.

This is a big theme you will see on these articles. Both actually are quite OP for starting protagonists while Chulan is forced to lose sometimes for the sake of humor. Both are also about journeys of self-discovery, so while at first glance, it may not seem like your thing, if you even cracked a slight smile during Hitori no Shita, then you will enjoy Reikenzan and Ouriku dealing with the lecherous Oubu.

Taboo Tattoo follows Seigi, nicknamed Justice, who has trained in martial arts and knows that he is quite powerful compared to his peers. The series actually opens with him holding something that looks like a clear rock with a tattoo inside of it that melts into his skin and marks his hand. America and it’s #1 rival, the Serinistan Kingdom, are working hard against each other in an arms race. Seigi is approached one day by Bluesy Fluesy, a representative from America who also uses her tattoo in a unique way.

Trying to find a way to help Seigi trigger his, she accidentally does in a conflict but then finds out that he has one of the most dangerous tattoos, the void. He can either cooperate with her, Tom, and the American government, or at the very least lose an arm. What is a student to do? At the same time, strange characters are beginning to come after Seigi and target not only him but those close to him. Pushed to the brink, he begins to learn more about his tattoo while fighting for his life.

Much like with Chulan, Seigi, or Justice, also has to struggle to deal with the fact that an unknown female character is coming after him. They assume that she is the enemy at first, but soon are essentially forced to deal with the problems at hand. Both of them also have a very powerful ability or power that is locked inside them that they feel compelled to use when necessary. All the meanwhile, they being to be pursued by these evil beings bent on either kidnapping or killing them. The road is going to be a long and narrow one for both Chulan and Seigi, but it is definitely well worth watching!

Ikoma is an engineer working in Aragane train station. Trains are how humanity gets around in a post-apocalyptic world where there are monsters called kabane that roam the Earth. Just one bite from these zombie-like monsters means one thing; death. One must kill themselves if bitten or turn into a Kabane themselves. The only way to kill Kabane is to pierce through their hearts which are encased with a sort of web of steel around it.

Ikoma is also researching a weapon to pierce through the heart if the need ever arose. Well, one day the Hayajiro arrives and with it brings a strange girl named Mumei. Befriending her, he moves on and later that night, runs into her. Tragedy befalls the somewhat peaceful Aragane station as the Hayajiro explodes and bringing with it Kabane. Suddenly Ikoma has a chance to use his new toy. Away he goes.

Kabaneri and Hitori no Shita share a lot of similar parallels. One of them is the quick action scenes. Not to say that they are rushed, but when the characters clash with someone or something, they seem to move like lightning. Ikoma much like Chulan, has to dig from deep within to find not only the strength but also the courage to fight. Also much like Chulan, Ikoma’s fate as a Kabaneri is thrust upon him. He did not ask nor want it like Chulan does not want to be an outsider, but eventually, is forced to take action. Kabaneri is a little more serious and a lot less in the humor department. Koutetsujou no Kabaneri is great for those drama and action junkies!

Humanity now lives in perpetual fear of Ghouls. They have assimilated into human society for the most part however, it is not uncommon to hear of a human being attacked by one. That’s right; Ghouls feed on humans. Painted as bloodthirsty devilish abominations, some just hide and drink blood in private (since they cannot consume food) while others rebel against the oppressive government by actually going out of their way to attack humans. Ken Kaneki is your average bookwork college student. Not really stellar in any way, he is shocked when he scores a date with Rize Kamishiro.

After what seems like a fun day, he walks her home only to be assaulted by her as she is, yup you guessed it, a Ghoul. He somehow manages not to die while she is killed due to some unfortunate incidents however he is lethally injured. Doctors take her organs and place them in Ken to try and save him; while unknowingly turning him into a Ghoul. Ken eventually finds café Anteiku where he can hide out among other Ghouls, but not all is as it seems in society.

Hitori no Shita and Tokyo Ghoul can be surprisingly similar. Both tell different stories but both also hold unique setups that are similar. In both stories, Kankei, just like Chulan and actually much like Ikoma (catching a theme here?), have the power from within to be strong and actually much more like Chulan, Ken is VERY reluctant at first to do things. He has a plan of how he wants to do things and it takes time but he gets there when he is forced to, much like how Chulan is forced to be reveal his powers. Both Chulan and Ken are considered outsiders and hide who they are in order to be safe. No humor in either of these series though, and while it is a slightly different creature, both series have a protagonist that is attacked by a supernatural being and continue to be. Check out the trailer below.

As a future one would hope to live in, Academy City is at the crossroads of science and education. Students from all over the world come and comprise 75% of the society. Here, in this city, students are espers, able to control some sort of power in some way and hone their powers in Academy City. Touma Kamijou however, has no powers, except for an ability that allows him to cancel out all other abilities called imagine breaker. No one can understand exactly how a level 0 esper, no power, can suddenly be so powerful. One day, he meets a little girl dressed as a nun named Index Librorum Prohibitorum who is being chased by the church for her knowledge of forbidden Grimores locked away in her brain. His protective instinct kicks in and he decides to help her. What comes next is his introduction into the strange realm of the supernatural.

Much like Index, Hitori no Shita also has many unique powers. While they manifest slightly differently, they essentially function in the same manner. The mysterious foes as well seem to appear one by one and each more unique than the last in Index, which is essentially the same thing in Hitori no Shita. Chulan does his best to hide his powers per his grandfather’s instructions much like Touma is looking to hide index from her assailants. Also, both anime feature ranking systems when it comes to each level of power that characters hold as well.

Like spores, one night these parasite flowed into the earth taking over whatever organic matter they touched. Through this, if they landed on or near the brain, they would be able to easily turn their human or animal host into a monster for them to help them dominate the human race. Shinichi Izumi is one such victim. However, luckily or unluckily for him, the parasite did not reach his brain, but his right hand. It cannot move one it takes over something so Migi, as he now calls it, is simply stuck with him and being his right hand. They now have to work together to ensure that no one dies in this setup. Shinichi is not going to get his hand back and Migi will never get to his brain, so thus a team is formed.

Much like Hitori no Shita, Chulan has to come to terms with the fact that he is an outsider much like how Shinichi has to accept that the life that he once knew, is over. Both Chulan and Shinichi too must survive in a world that is clearly not only out to get them, but kill them as well! They do not want this obviously and must fight now to survive to the end. Foe against endless foe will rise to challenge them and they must persevere.