6 Anime Like Kimetsu no Yaiba [Recommendations]

Darkness is filled with danger. You learn at a young age never to venture outside at night or you could become prey to the man-eating demons that roam in the shadows. The evil denizens of the night are kept at bay by demon slayers, a special branch of the Japanese government. A young man named Tanjirou returns home one day to find his family murdered by a demon; the only survivor is his younger sister, Nezuko. Yet Nezuko is no longer entirely the sister he knew. She has been changed into a demon but still shows signs of human thought and emotion, giving Tanjirou hope that her whole humanity can one day be restored. Tanjirou is given the chance to get revenge on the demons that tore apart his family. We follow his journey as he undergoes training and trials as he takes his place amongst the hunters of demons of the night. Let’s check out six more anime just like Kimetsu no Yaiba!


Similar Anime to Kimetsu no Yaiba / Similar Anime to Demon Slayer

1.Sirius (Sirius the Jaeger)

  • Episodes: 12
  • Aired: July 2018- September 2018

The early Showa period of Japan had a vampire problem. The citizens of the bustling modern metropolis of Tokyo were becoming the evening meal of vampires that have taken up residence. V Shipping, a company that specializes in hunting vampires around the world, is contracted by the Japanese government to help quietly quell their problem. The anime is centered around Yuliy, the sole survivor of a vampire raid on his village, and his new life with the Jaegers of the V Shipping Company.

The story has a lot in common with Demon Slayer. We have protagonists in Tanjirou and Yuliy who show a high aptitude for killing demons. The setting of the two stories may only be within 20 years of each other judging by the fashions and power lines running through the streets. Sirius and Demon Slayer even have similar plots: a young man whose life is upended by demons is then recruited by an organization to kill demons in the name of justice. We know if you really enjoyed Demon Slayer you will absolutely enjoy Sirius the Jager.

Sirius PV


2.B the Beginning

  • Episodes: 12
  • Aired: Mar 2, 2018

Keith is a down on his luck investigator for the Royal Police Force in the island nation of Cremona. He is partnered with a young female detective named Kokuu to help solve a series of grisly murders. Keith believes the murders are all connected to a shadowy criminal organization with unknown motives. The enthusiastic Kokuu, the gruff Keith and the special task force of the Royal Police Force dig deep into the gritty underbelly of the modern capital city in search of a serial killer known as B.

B the Beginning has several similarities with Demon Slayer, despite its most glaring difference. B the Beginning is set in a thoroughly modern city filled with all the latest technology and Demon Slayer takes place sometime in the late 19th century Japan. The two do have the marked similarity of setting mortal humans against bloodthirsty people with supernatural powers. A game of cat and mouse where the hunter can become the hunted is also one of the similar themes. At any given moment the tables can turn on the heroes of the story. A suspenseful tale of a supernatural serial killer is in a modern environment is a great ride and perfect for any fan of demon hunting anime.

B the Beginning Trailer


3.Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign)

  • Episodes: 12
  • Aired: April 2015- June 2015

A virus has run rampant through the population killing everyone above the age of 13. A large portion of the remaining population, all children, is rescued by vampires who had remained hidden until the aftermath of the plague. The children are taken underground where they would be cared for (or enslaved) in exchange for the donation of their blood. Yuuichirou and Mikaela are two of the survivors living at the whims of the vampires until they attempt to escape to the surface. Yuuichiru makes his escape while Mikaela is greeted by a fate that may be worse than death, becoming a vampire. Yuuichirou is found by the Moon Demon Company, a military order that is dedicated to freeing Japan from the vampires. The journey of Yuuichirou as a member of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army isn’t an easy one even after he makes a contract with a demon that will give him the strength to fight the supernatural threat, especially when he comes face to face with his past.

We have a similar plot to Demon Slayer in that Yuuichirou loses his family and is taken in by the people dedicated to eradicating the demons that took that family away. The plot point with his dearest friend Mikaela being turned into a demon and Yuuichirou being fixated on finding a way to redeem him mirrors Tanjiru and his sister Nezuko’s relationship. The story, in general, is filled with supernatural battles as humanity attempts to take control of its world. If you like the fast combat action of Demon Slayer you really should give Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign a chance.

Owari no Seraph PV



Any Anime Like Demon Slayer / Any Anime Like Kimetsu no Yaiba?

4. Fairy gone

  • Episodes: 24
  • Aired: April 2019 - ongoing

We often think of fairies as sprite-like creatures that sprinkle glittery dust around and get into mischief. The idea of the Tinker Bell fairy, however, is nowhere to be found in the world of Fairy Gone. A world that mirrors our world’s beginning of the 20th century as it recovers from a great continental war. The world is trying to rectify its peace and modernization with the relics of its war-torn past; part of its brutal past is Fairy Soldiers. A fairy soldier is a human that has had a primordial fairy implanted into them allowing them to access a powerful alter ego for combat. The post-war era has left the remaining supernatural soldiers looking for work, in government or for a criminal organization. Mariya is a rookie investigator with a government organization that handles fairy-related crimes having unexpectedly become a fairy soldier herself. We follow her journey as she descends into a complex world of crime lords, conspiracies, and violent fairy-versus-fairy fights.

We have a few similarities between Fairy Gone and Demon Slayer. We start with the character of Mariya. She, like most of our protagonists, has lost her family in a tragic way and had to fight to survive. Mariya also unexpectedly was granted power, in her case a primordial fairy unexpectedly chose to reside in her; in Tanjirou’s case he had to train to gain his power. The worlds are also filled with the supernatural and specialists are needed to confront the dangers of a world filled with the otherworldly. If you love episodic tales with an overarching plot you’ll probably love Fairy Gone just as much as you will Demon Slayer.

Fairy gone PV


5.Vampire Hunter D

  • Episodes: 1 (Movie)
  • Aired: December 1985

A post-apocalyptic future awaits us and it’s probably worse than you think. The landscape is one where monsters roam the land. The people, though in some way technologically sophisticated with fancy weapons and cybernetic horses, live their lives more like it’s the 18th century than the 100th. We visit a small village where a powerful vampire rules the land. A young woman has become the target of the vampire lord’s attention, so she enlists a nomadic stranger named D. The mysterious D is a lot like Clint Eastwood’s wandering stranger; he comes to town and begins kicking ass and to put an end to the vampire’s rule.

The story of Vampire Hunter D doesn’t intersect with Demon Slayer as much as the other anime on this list do, but it does share a few commonalities worth mentioning. We get a lot of supernatural fights in both anime. D, like many of our other heroes, has been blessed with supernatural powers that let him stand toe to toe with the worst monster. The hero is also racing to find a way to save a young woman who could be slowly turning into a demon. Vampire Hunter D is a film and though it’s more than 30 years old it’s worth the hour and a half to watch this particular demon slayer in action.


6.Blood +

  • Episodes: 50
  • Aired: October 2005- September 2006

Saya Otonashi lives the ordinary life of an ordinary girl in Okinawa City. She spends her days with her friends, going to school and dealing with mild bouts of anemia. Saya also has no past. She suffers from a form of amnesia that has caused her to forget her life up until the last year. The schoolgirl is attacked one night at school by an otherworldly creature and she is rescued, albeit temporarily, by a man by the name of Haji. When the monster tries to attack again, he forces Saya to drink his blood awaking a power within her that lets her kill the monster with ease. The mystery continues when Saya learns that Red Shield, an organization that fights dangerous monsters, exists and wants her help. The plain-Jane girl then begins a life of fighting monsters and unraveling the secrets of her forgotten past.

The two stories share the greatest similarity in that they are both about hunting demons and other evil that harm the world of an ordinary man. We also have main protagonists that lead relatively insignificant lives until they encounter the supernatural. The element of mystery is much greater in Blood + than Demon Slayer, but both also have shadowy organizations that say they are working for the public good. Blood + is a great mystery anime filled with action and gore. If you like horror and watching human and demon alike being torn apart this might be just the anime for you.


Final Thoughts

The path Demon Slayer treads down is one well worn. We have seen this plotline or its approximate many times over the years. We do not think that is a bad thing. The chance to see how different directors and writers approach storytelling is one of the best parts of watching a genre show. The animation in Demon Slayer is well done and the artist's' ability to depict the action is spot on. We haven’t seen the end of Demon Slayer but are ready to keep watching to see if and how Tanjirou can save his sister Nezuko.

Demon-Slayer-Kimetsu-no-Yaiba-300x450 6 Anime Like Kimetsu no Yaiba [Recommendations]

Writer

Author: Zeke Changuris

I’m a journalist, writer, photographer, video producer, social media manager and above all a storyteller. I’m located on the east coast of the United States but travel the world with the love of my life. I’ve been a nerd since birth with a love of history and science. I fell in love with anime, watching ROBOTECH and Venus Wars in the 80s when our only source was secondhand VHS dubs. A crazy new thing called the internet changed that, giving me access to new and amazing anime every day. I love to write for work and pleasure. I’m living the dream of every kid, getting paid to watch anime and loving every subtitled line.

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