Hunters are aptly-named bounty hunters and explorers who search hidden ruins for lost treasures, while occasionally risking their lives to hunt down and capture dangerous criminals. With idealistic dreams for the future, youngster Gon Freecss dreams of becoming one of the world’s greatest hunters, not only for the glory but in the hopes of finding his absentee father, who was a former hunter himself.

In order to achieve his dreams, Gon must pass the feared “Hunters Examination,” a challenge known for its low chance of success, where failure costs aspiring Hunters their very lives. Along the way to undertake the exam, Gon finds himself up against horrible monsters, nefarious villains, and circumstances beyond his control. With the help of his companions, he just might learn what it takes to become a true Hunter and increase his chances of surviving insurmountable odds.

Hunter x Hunter (2011) is a complete reboot of Yoshihiro Togashi’s hit series, Hunter x Hunter, similar to the latest iteration of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Much like the latter series, it is an action-adventure series that sees its protagonist up against almost insurmountable odds, with a hefty dose of otherworldly powers to give action scenes an even more engaging edge. With a memorable cast of supporting characters, and a rather inspirational message at its heart, Hunter x Hunter is a series fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure should not miss.

“D” is a now-infamous outcast vampire hunter, and as a “dunpeal,” the offspring of a vampire father and human mother, he is unable to comfortably fit into either world. Despite his unease, out of respect for his prowess at battling beasts from the dark, the head of a wealthy family seeks D’s help in rescuing his daughter, Charlotte Elbourne, who has been kidnapped under mysterious circumstances.

Charlotte’s father offers a handsome reward for her rescue or her demise in the case of an unfortunate transformation into a creature of the night, and D accepts the task, despite the risks. He finds himself up against a gang of relentless bounty hunters who stop at nothing to get the job done. In his search for the girl, and the riches her rescue entails, D finds himself engaging with a secret that resonates with his very existence, and a sinister evil unlike any he has ever faced.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a feature-length film and an important entry in the incredibly popular Vampire Hunter D franchise. Effortlessly blending elements of the supernatural, mystery, and romance genres, the bloody action of the film is an easy recommendation for fans of the genre and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. With a protagonist constantly struggling to get to the heart of a mystery while up against the legacy of his birth, D is the perfect foil for the audience. This film follow-up is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

After a worldwide nuclear war, the Earth is a shell in which mankind has struggled to barely eke out an existence. In this future, the law of the jungle rules, with the strong dominating the weak, controlling the uncontaminated food and water left in the world. Betrayed and left for dead, Kenshiro wanders the apocalyptic wasteland, doing his best to defend the weak from those with ill intent, utilizing the secret assassins martial art, Hokuto Shinken, to which he is the only successor.

Kenshiro is on the trail of his rival, Shin, who has kidnapped his fiancée, Yuria. But his goodwill and battle prowess gain him a reputation that is more than he bargained for, and he finds himself caught up in more than his quest for revenge, as he steps, unwittingly, into the shoes of a savior.

Fist of the North Star, like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, is a classic series based on an enduring entry in the manga world that originally ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump. While Fist of the North Star is certainly more sci-fi than supernatural, it has plenty of action to offer fans of the latter, and reluctant, masculine heroes forced to take up the mantle of a hero and embrace their destiny, with a surprisingly emotional core.

Based on the manga series by Nobuyuki Fukumoto, Ultimate Survivor Kaiji tells the story of Kaiji Itou, an unemployed nogoodnik who whiles away his time day drinking and committing misdemeanors to try to forget about the extreme poverty in which he lives. His life is shaken up when he has a run-in with Endo, a bookie who has come to Kaiji to collect a loan owed by Kaiji’s former co-worker, which he unwittingly cosigned. Endo gives Kaiji two options; spend the next ten years working off the debt, or boarding an illegal gambling boat to win what is owed. With no choice, Kaiji accepts Endo’s “offer” and gets embroiled in an increasingly challenging series of gambles that threaten to cost him his very life.

Although the series doesn’t deal in the supernatural, it’s still easy to recommend to fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure for many reasons. It is a series geared for mature audiences, and protagonists in both are over-the-top macho men capable of surviving even the riskiest of gambits. While JoJo deals with mysteries surrounding the Joestar family and the otherworldly mask worn by Dio, Ultimate Survivor Kaiji delves into the mysteries surrounding the human psyche, especially by demonstrating the depths of depravity men are capable of when their backs are against the wall.

Bastard!! is an OVA set in the kingdom of Meta-Ricana, where the “Riders of Havoc,” four powerful wizards who have forsaken technology in pursuit of the occult power of magic, are led by the most powerful wizard in the realm, Dark Schneider. In the wake of destruction left by a vengeful god, they seek to create a utopia and establish a new world order.

Schneider is reckless and quick to anger, often wreaking havoc wherever he roams, and because of that, he is trapped by a group of priests, who place his soul into the body of an unsuspecting baby boy, Luche Renren. Without the power of Schneider to bind them together, the Riders of Havoc turn into despotic villains intent on world domination.

15 years later, the same clerics that imprisoned Schneider realize the error of their ways, and release him from captivity to protect them from his former comrades. Tasked with trouncing the wizards and setting them back on the right path, a morally-reformed Schneider, shaped by the time he spent as Luche, sets on a quest to track them down.

Bastard!! has much in common with JoJo. Although it’s much shorter in length and has comedy elements tinged with the occasional moment of ecchi, it’s a fantastical action anime with a story that revolves around magic, the supernatural, and a quest for revenge and redemption. With plenty of twists and turns and more than its share of laughs, Bastard!! is sure to please fans of multiple genres.

Black Butler takes place in Victorian-era London and revolves around the life of a young boy named Ciel Phantomhive. On his tenth birthday, his parents are ruthlessly murdered, the manor they reside in set ablaze, and Ciel kidnapped by a mysterious group of cultists. Whereabouts unknown and feared dead, Ciel returns to his family’s household a month later with a strange man clad entirely in black, his butler, Sebastian Michaelis, who has an uncanny knack for anticipating his master’s every move.

Little do they know, there’s more to Sebastian than it seems. In fact, he is a demon who made a covenant with Ciel; the promise of revenge on those who wronged his family in exchange for his soul. Working for the queen as her “Guard Dog,” Ciel and Sebastian use whatever means necessary to thwart the criminal underworld of the city, all while trying to unravel the circumstances of the death of Ciel’s family.

Fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure will find plenty to enjoy in this series. Not only is it a mature action series set in the Victorian era, its plot is deeply rooted in the supernatural. Like members of the Joestar family, Ciel works tirelessly to uncover the mysteries surrounding the tragedy in his past. The show also manages to blend in a surprising amount of comedy, which helps elevate its rather macabre premise.