Kaina of the Great Snow Sea comes from the mind of Tsutomu Nihei, the man behind cult classic anime like Blame! and Knight of Sidonia. Those anime are known for their mind-blowing world-building, gripping stories, and also their dark, ominous atmosphere. So pretty much like Kaina of the Great Snow Sea, except for the dark atmosphere part.

Knights of Sidonia is a story about the biggest human colony called Sidonia which is under constant attacks from an alien race called Gauna. The story focuses on a boy named Nagate Tanikaze, who has lived his whole life at the bottom layer of Sidonia. He never saw another human being apart from his grandfather, sort of like Kaina.

When Nagate’s grandfather passed away, he finally decided to venture onto the surface. Much to his surprise, he is selected as the pilot who has to protect the people of Sidonia from Gauna’s attack, using a mechanized weapon called Gardes. And that is the decision that will change Nagate’s life, along with the other people at Sidonia, forever.

One of the best concepts in Kaina of the Great Snow Sea is the towering Orbital Trees. These colossal pillars that pierce the sky are one of the main plot points in the series, particularly in the first four episodes where Kaina and Ririha descend the giant tree. Throughout this difficult and time-consuming journey, they have to experience all kinds of hardship, but they also get to witness some of the most beautiful sceneries that nobody else in the world can see.

There’s also another anime that focuses on a descending journey, and it’s called Made in Abyss. However, rather than a journey from the stratosphere down to the surface of the earth like Kaina, Made in Abyss is about a dangerous expedition into the deepest part of the planet, called the Abyss.

The similarity between these two anime doesn’t stop there. Because just like how Kaina decided to escort Ririha on her way to the Great Snow Sea, the half-robot/half-human boy named Reg, also agreed to accompany an energetic amateur cave raider girl named Rico, into the deepest level of the abyss.

The main conflict that happens in Kaina of the Great Snow Sea is the threat of war between the peaceful Kingdom of Atland with the ruthless nation of Valghian. The underlying cause of that conflict is that the people of the Snow Sea are currently experiencing a terrible shortage of clean water.

As a Kingdom that is located at the base of an Orbital Tree, Atland can still enjoy an ample amount of clean water, albeit not as much as it used to. The Valghian, on the other hand, is a mobile country, which means they don’t have a stable source of clean water. That is why the Valghian decided to invade other countries and take over their water supply, along with the citizens and other valuable loot. Atland is merely the next target on their list.

A similar conflict also happens in an anime called the Vinland Saga. The story throws us right into the middle of a brutal Viking invasion of Britain. Lots of villages and small settlements are destroyed and countless humans lose their lives in this bloody war. But amidst all of that barbaric battle, a young man by the name of Thorfinn bided his time and polished his skill in order to take the life of the man who killed his father.

As you might’ve noticed, the story of Vinland Saga is way darker than Kaina of the Great Snow Sea, but if you are interested in a story about such conflict, then you won’t go wrong with Vinland Saga.

The heroine of Kaina of the Great Snow Sea is a brave and stubborn girl named Ririha, who also happens to be the princess of the proud Kingdom of Atland. Facing the growing threat of the Valghian, Ririha is compelled to do whatever she can in order to prevent the war, or at least find the solution for the core problem behind the conflict, which is the dwindling water supply. Her efforts may not always end successfully, but nevertheless, Ririha keeps on pushing forward with no regard for her own safety.

There’s actually another anime princess that faces similar predicaments as Ririha. Her name is Nausicaä, and she is the princess of the kingdom of the Valley of The Wind. The Kingdom already has its hands full having to deal with the ever-closing threat of toxic gas that would decimate any living creatures that it comes into contact with, but one day, a new threat suddenly emerges.

On a bright windy day, a huge fleet of aircraft from the military state of Tolmekia landed on The Valley of The Wind. Unfortunately, what started as a simple inquiry about a missing item soon turns into a full-blown invasion. Nausicaä knows that they have little to no chance at all to beat the Tolmekian soldiers, but she still fights with all her might in order to protect her people.

When the elders of the village at the Canopy learn about Ririha’s intention to descend the Orbital Tree, they feel deeply concerned about Ririha’s well-being. After all, nobody has ever climbed down the Orbital Tree and lives to tell the tale. That is why the elders ask Kaina to accompany them and also to protect Ririha on her way down to the Great Snow Sea.

The story of Golden Kamuy is also built around the same premise. A man escorts a girl on her journey across a land covered in snow. However, rather than a fictional Snow Sea, the story of Golden Kamuy takes place on the snow-covered island of Hokkaido. But rather than a hunter boy and the princess, the story of Golden Kamuy is centered around an ex-soldier named Sugimoto The Immortal, and an Ainu girl named Asirpa.

Just like Kaina and Ririha, Sugimoto and Asirpa's journey is also based on Asirpa’s wish to save her people. However, unlike Kaina and Ririha’s journey which is rather simple and straightforward, Sugimoto and Asirpa’s quest is a lot more complicated. After all, their objective is to find a group of escaped convicts and compile the fragments of a map that are tattooed on their skin, pointing to the location of a mountain of stolen Ainu gold.

Although Ririha’s father, the king of Atland, has already set his mind on a full-blown war against the Valghian, Ririha herself is still convinced that there must be a way to avoid such unnecessary bloodshed. After all, the main reason behind this conflict is the dwindling supply of clean water that affects not only Atland and Valghian, but also every other person who lives on the Great Snow Sea. That is why Ririha works together with Kaina in order to find a way to solve the water supply problem and bring true peace to the world.

There’s another anime that talks about royalty, his reliable bodyguard, and a water supply problem. It’s called Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. In this anime, Chagum is a prince that is possessed by a water spirit. His father, the king, thinks that what’s inside his son is an evil spirit that will bring about a catastrophe to the whole kingdom, so he decided to assassinate his own son.

What the king doesn’t know, however, is the fact that the water spirit that resides within Chagum is actually the one who can save the kingdom from an upcoming terrible drought. So in order to keep the young prince safe, his mother, the second Empress, hired Balsa, a female warrior who is known throughout the land for her unparalleled skill with short spears.

The Empress asks Balsa to protect her son from the assassins and any other people who wish to harm him. So begins a thrilling and otherworldly journey of a prince who carries in him the water spirit that can save the kingdom, and his powerful bodyguard who also bears a heavy burden on her heart.