Not much is known about the Tower of God, but it’s said that if you reach the top, it will give you your deepest, truest wish — even if that wish is to become a God. Rachel, a Regular (or someone the Tower has chosen to enter) wants to climb the Tower and have her wish granted, but in her single-minded pursuit, she leaves someone behind: Twenty-Fifth Bam. Bam chases Rachel into the Tower, but he was not chosen by it. Instead, he opens the doors himself, thus marking him as an Irregular.

Tower of God is another supernatural, battle royale style anime in which everyone has some sort of special ability. Some had it given to them, others felt it in their very being. In the very first episode, Bam is allowed to borrow a sword that provides him strength enough to defeat his first Trial. He doesn’t know what awaits him in subsequent floors, but he’s certain he’ll face anything if it gets him to his ultimate goal: seeing Rachel again.

There are a number of other things about Tower of God that keep it meshing with the tone of Platinum End. Both have some dark and gritty underbellies, covered with a sheen of what seems like a typical shounen upon first viewing. Both the male main characters (Bam and Mirai) have strong feelings towards a female lead (Rachel and Saki, respectively). Both must go through an intense battle royale to (hopefully) be with their companions and struggle with their hesitation to initiate battle with another — even their so-called enemies.

On the surface, Puella Magi Madoka Magica seems like your standard magical girl shoujo anime. “That’s not like Platinum End,” you might be thinking, but Madoka flips the script very quickly. What starts as a pact with a magical creature to become the magical girl Madoka always wanted to be soon becomes just as dark and supernaturally charged as Mirai’s struggle to become God.

After being attacked by a strange creature, another odd fellow by the name of Kyubey appears to offer Madoka, the protagonist, and her best friend, the blue haired Sayaka, a contract. This contract will allow them to become magical girls. The only hint of what will come as the anime progresses is a dream Madoka had the night before, in which Homura Akemi first appeared to the pink haired main character.

First glances can be deceiving. Puella Magi Madoka Magica may not be a battle royale, but much like Platinum End, it is a psychological adventure into the mind of one girl who wants to save the world. Will she become a magical girl, an incredibly powerful being by any standard, in order to save everything she knows? Or will the world fall apart no matter what she does?

Death Note is a classic of supernatural thriller anime. Light Yagami is a staple of dark, gritty shonen protagonists, as well as crazed serial killers. Upon finding a so-called Death Note outside of his school, he wastes no time in testing it out. After finding out that it kills each person whose name is written in the book, he is met by Ryuk, a shinigami (“death god” or “death spirit”). Ryuk now intends to follow Light around, seeing what he does, and will write his name down in the Death Note when he dies.

Some major similarities between Death Note and Platinum End can be seen in the very first episode. While Mirai is offered the chance to become God through Nasse’s “hope to live”, Light decides for himself that he will become God through use of the Death Note. In order to achieve this goal, he’ll have to avoid the police force tracking him and keep himself from being killed. Both Mirai and Light hope for a “better world” — and at least they have the help of their superhuman partners!

Do you remember the Chinese Zodiac? Well, this is a bit of a different take on the classic story of the twelve animals. Juni Taisen: Zodiac War tells the story of an epic battle royale between twelve candidates vying for not only fame, but a single, all-powerful wish. Perhaps with such a wish, one could even become a God…if you catch our drift.

Juni Taisen: Zodiac War has a wide range of characters, from a conceited Boar woman to an eager, thoughtful Monkey to an absolutely psychotic Rabbit. What Juni Taisen: Zodiac War lacks in character similarities, they make up for in character interactions: they share Platinum End’s format of character versus character. Each character in both anime wants to win the fight, but the lengths they will go to are varied. Murder at first sight is just another way to greet each other in Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, but Platinum End’s protagonists prefer to use it as a last resort. In the very first episode, you’ll see just how tense and dark this action-heavy anime can be. Good luck earning that wish!

Fate/Stay Night is another classic battle royale with strong supernatural overtones. Shirou is taught magic by his adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya, and that magic proves to be the very thing that will save his life. It allows him to summon a Servant to fight for him—his new supernatural partner, like Nasse and Revel. This sets off the Fifth Holy Grail War, an intense fight to win the Holy Grail and gain status that amounts to being a literal God.

Upon your first watch, you’ll notice both Platinum End and Fate/Stay Night feature protagonists with deadly pasts. Both Mirai and Shirou lost their families due to mysterious tragedies. Each nearly dies before their true journey begins. Each gains a supernatural partner in their time of need to help them through the competition they’re about to enter. But how will they handle the challenges that come their way?

What do you think you’d do if you were hit by a truck, sure to be killed, only to get back up as if nothing had happened? Maybe your clothes were a little dirty, you had some blood on you…and all your friends stared at you as if you were a monster. To them, you kind of are. That’s the turn Kei Nagai’s day takes, as he discovers that he is an Ajin. He’s an immortal, unable to be killed or to die. Kei is forced to run from government agencies that want to capture him, but will he make it out alive?

Ajin: Demi-Human follows some similar plot lines to Platinum End. Although Kei is not followed around by an angel, he does have supernatural company. Creatures called invisible black matter (IBM) stand with every Ajin, unable to be seen by anyone who is not an Ajin. They can attack and protect their Ajin just like the angels do!

It’s a good thing that they do, because Kei must now struggle to survive in this supernatural, action-packed anime, just like Mirai must struggle to survive his time as a God candidate! Kei and Mirai are also somewhat similar characters: they faced comparable treatment before “death”. Both tended to be loners, and both faced varying amounts of bullying. On top of that, Kei and Mirai face similar villains: Mirai faces Metropoliman, and Kei fights against powerful Ajin who want to use their powers for evil!