Yuu Narukami has never stayed in a single town for long. Because of his parents’ job, he usually leaves after a year, causing him to have never known anyone for long. However, this year is different. His parents have gone to a place that would be difficult for him to follow. Thus, he is sent to stay with his uncle and cousin in the quiet town of Inaba. However, just as the year is shaping up to be a quiet one, he gets caught up in a string of murders, supernatural shadow creatures and the power of Persona. Can he manage to find himself in the chaos?

Following the format of a Hero’s journey, Yuu gains a power that neither he nor his friends understand; the power of Persona. Like Sorey, he doesn’t run and hide, even when he discovers that the circumstances are wilder than fiction, instead choosing to stay and fight because he can. Or because it’s the right thing to do. Persona 4 may take place in modern times, but much of it is shrouded in the supernatural. If you enjoyed the spirit powers of Sorey, Yuu will not disappoint.

Yuuji Sakai is your average everyday high-schooler that doesn’t know down from up. He goes about his daily life like normal until he stumbles into a stand-off between the Crimson Denizens; supernatural beings that consume the existence of humans in order to sustain their own power and existence. Those who are consumed get turned into torches, a stop-gap measure that let’s those consumed slowly fade away to prevent tearing apart the fabric of existence. Yuuji has also been turned into a torch, but for some reason, he still seems to be fully aware. And what of the strange red haired girl he saw that very day?

Unlike the previous pick, Yuuji doesn’t start out with any special powers. He is an anomaly in the system, but one that isn’t empowered to make any sweeping change as of yet. However, he does undergo the Hero’s journey over the course of three seasons, growing in tangible ways that show the amount of adversity he has to go through after being thrust into a world against his will. If you wanted to see someone super weak become super strong, this is the anime for you.

In a fantasy world like every other fantasy world, a group of strangers wake up without any memory of who they were before they landed in that very situation. In order to earn enough currency for basic necessities like food, they are forced to pick up the only job that they are qualified to do; being a soldier in the Reserve Army.

However, life isn’t easy. Though they have been granted powerful professions like priest, rogue or mage, none of them actually know what they’re doing and get pummelled by the weakest of creatures. Can this motley band of recruits survive in a dog eat dog world? Or will they perish like so many before them?

While Grimgar doesn’t exactly adopt the format of the Hero’s Journey, we do see similar elements present in the show. Nobody in the series starts out as a big damn hero. There is an instance early on where 6 of them take on a goblin for 5 minutes of the show and fail really badly. But the depth of how much they suck only adds to the lustre of the show when they start to improve greatly and grow in big but reasonable spurts. If you like seeing progression in a show, this is definitely something you should watch.

Humanity is on the brink of extinction. What remains of the human race is sequestered behind hulking walls; the only thing that stands between them and the Titans. The Titans are huge creatures capable of decimating a village in mere seconds, owing to its massive strength, speed and size. Eren Yeager is one of the villagers living in the outskirts of the walls with an insignificant lifestyle with his mother and friends. But everything changed when the Titans attacked. After witnessing the death and tragedy at the hands of the Titans, Eren tearfully declares that he will do everything in his power to destroy each and every one of them.

This is really a no-brainer. While SnK is very much darker than Tales of Zestiria and the element of fantasy isn’t as prevalent, the Hero’s Journey is still present in this tale of loss, despair and vengeance. Eren doesn’t immediately become a superhero that can destroy all the Titans. He has to go through the same training as everyone else before he’s even allowed to fight on the frontlines, lest he gets himself killed on day one. But when he finally gets good, it’s all good.

The Holy Grail War is one fought between Magus by summoning Servants or Heroic Spirits from ages past to battle in a death match. 7 Magus must compete for the Holy Grail in order to win a prize, a wish unbound by any restrictions. Emiya Shirou is thrust against his will into the Holy Grail war, gaining a servant of his own by the name of Saber. Will he survive?

The FSN series is one of cult classics of recent times because of its story, action and drama. Shirou is aware of magecraft and he does practice is from time to time, but it is only when the events of the show unfold that he starts to grow exponentially, as many of us are prone to do under immense stress and pressure. Like Tales of Zestiria, FSN is animated by Ufotable, well known for their superb combat animations. So if you liked Tales of Zestiria and enjoyed its story, there’s plenty to like here as well.

(Note: The series is spread out over multiple smaller seasons, so the above is not entirely accurate in how long the series actually is, only the first season)

Two worlds exist side by side. However, they have an adversarial relationship. One can live only if the other dies. In the perishing world, Colette is the chosen one sent to awaken the spirits of the world so that the mana of it can be restored and the world will be saved as a result. She has to travel the world with her two friends Lloyd Irving and Genis Sage in order to reach their destination so she can ascend into the state of being an angel. But along the way, they learn the truth about the other world, and nothing is ever as they expected.

What else is more similar to Tales of Zestiria than another Tales of entry? While Tales of Zestiria is the latest in the series and is currently enjoying great fame and popularity, we must not forget those that came before it and allowed it the fanbase it has to even succeed. Tales of Symphonia, as a consequence of being from the same overarching series, carries many similar elements to Tales of Zestiria. The hero sets out to save the world, but nothing is ever as it seems.

It’s ultimately futile to list out how similar they are because there are so many similarities. Just know that if you enjoyed Tales of Zestiria, you should enjoy this too.