Nishizumi Miho is born from the distinguished family of the Nishizumi Style of Sensha-dou, an art of operating tanks, but changes schools to run away from Sensha-dou after a traumatic experience. As fate would have it, Miho is drafted to her new school’s tank club.

The nations are not at war and the idea of girls piloting World War-era tanks as part of the school’s curriculum is silly, but it totally works here in Girls und Panzer. Schools hosting war games, using tanks, and carrying live ammunition, is the best part of the show. Well, obviously! Though not as tragic as Izetta, they both share that special bond between girls and who needs their trust and cooperation in order to win battles. The tank team will lose if the gunner has zero faith in her commander and coordinator.

Izetta and Finé shared this special bond when they were younger and while Finé had some concerns with Izetta’s decision to help her nation using magic, Finé still trusts in Izetta’s decisions and will continue to do so.

Strike Witches is set in an alternate 1944, where the world found alien invaders instead of the Axis. These invaders are called the Neuroi and mysteriously appeared before humanity in the year 1939. It is unknown where the Neuroi came from and why they are here but it is a fact, their relentless attacks drove people from their homes and countries.

To combat the Neuroi threat, humanity has devised a new type of weapon that harnesses magical energy. In order for these weapons to work, they gathered every magic-using witches from around the world. These elite groups of young witches are called the Strike Witches, and they are the first and last line of defense against the Neuroi threat.

The main and striking similarities between Shuumatsu no Izetta and Strike Witches are that the main characters are witches and they fly using weapons or technology, instead of the traditional broom. Izetta uses telekinesis and can turn everything around her into a projectile. Her main weapon is a modified anti-tank rifle that also acts as her means of flight. In Strike Witches, they use specialized legwear that are based on warplanes of World War II, to channel their powers and achieve flight. Izetta would feel right at home if she ever ends up in the world of Strike Witches.

Humanity has lost control of the oceans to the mysterious alien-like beings known as the “Deep Sea Fleet”, and the only hope of defeating them is the Kanmusu, a group of young girls possessing the spirits of Japanese warships. The story revolves around Fubuki, a destroyer who enlisted to train and fight together with other Kanmusu.

This anime is pretty similar to Strike Witches and in turn, similar to Shuumatsu no Izetta. They share the same themes of war, fighting together with their female compatriots, but set in the ocean. There're a lot of girls in KanColle, so each group has their own unique camaraderie because a spirit of an aircraft carrier needs the support from spirits of a destroyer, for example.

In the distant future, mankind has mastered the means of warp travel which allows them to explore the galaxy like never before. Through many expeditions, we discover a race of insectoid creatures known as “space monsters”, and they have a nasty appetite for destroying worlds. Fearing these space monsters would discover Earth, mankind has developed fighting robots piloted by hand-picked youth who use them as their main line of defense. One of these specially hand-picked pilots is Takaya Noriko, a brash young girl who became partners with her polar opposite and beautiful, Amano Kazumi.

Compared to other anime on this list, the setting of the Top wo Narae! Gunbuster is in the far future, but like what the narrator said in the Fallout games: “War never changes”. The encounters of the space monsters, Noriko and Kazumi, are very deadly when piloting the super robot Gunbuster, so they need to keep their wits or it’s one big impalement. The responsibility of saving the world is now in their hands and rightfully so, because they're a team like no other, despite having conflicting personalities. Noriko is the brawn and Kazumi is the brains.

Izetta and Finé are from the same mold. Though they don't fight inside a robot, they work together and put their trust in each other, otherwise, the fate of their small country will be uncertain. Izetta is the brawn (and breasts, apparently) with her magic and Finé is the brains with her politics.

An enemy nation crossed the raging seas via airship and finally reached the Holy Land. After many repeated attempts, the invading nation couldn’t unravel its many secrets because standing in their way, is a small group of ships called Simoun and they possess the power to destroy armies. Aer, one of the series’ main protagonist, was recruited to be one of the new pilots of the Simoun after the enemy decimated a Simoun squadron. Is the balance of power tipping over or will Aer and the new pilots stop these invaders from destroying their Holy Land?

Simoun is a rare breed of anime with a mix of a compelling story, rich lore, and music, that are rolled into one coming-of-age story involving a group of young girls “praying”, or in this case, piloting the Simoun as they defend their Holy Land from invaders.

In the war-torn world of Shuumatsu no Izetta, the Archduchess Finé, her Royal Guards (majority are women), and the White Witch Izetta defend their nation from another powerful nation bent on seizing Elystadt and capturing Izetta to harness her power. The settings are different and Simoun has more world building, thanks to its 26 episode length, but both shows still share the same theme. Like the struggles of war, its consequences, and the hardships people had to endure. Izetta and Finé are pretty much similar to Aer and Neviril: Both need each other and one cannot survive without the other.

When Sorami Kanata was a young child, she was saved by a beautiful soldier and found hope and inspiration when hearing her play the trumpet. From that day onward, Kanata decided music would be her life. A few years later, she enlisted in the army and was the newest member of the 1121st Platoon of the Helvetian Army. From there, she learns the ropes in becoming a soldier and also trains to be the platoon's bugler.

The bulk of the story isn’t set on the front lines like the majority of the entries here, nor does it have some magical elements like Shuumatsu no Izetta, Kancolle and Strike Witches. It also doesn't have a very deep and intricate storyline like Simoun, but one of the greatest strengths of So Ra No Wo To is the focus of Sorami Kanata and the girls in the 1121st Platoon.

What makes this related to Shuumatsu no Izetta? Aside from the similar European setting and similar timeline, the relationship between girl soldiers, and both handled by writer Yoshino Hiroyuki, there’s nothing much else. Shuumatsu no Izetta does focus more on the war and has a lot of action sequences but there are moments, or even an episode, where they’re dedicated to fleshing out the characters in a rather slice of life, way. This approach makes the characters relatable and easy to approach if ever you meet the in real life. The same thing can be said about So Ra No Wo To, albeit, in a reverse kind of way — most of the time the episodes play out like a slice of life show but there are moments where we see these girls getting behind tanks as soldiers.