For reasons that become increasingly obvious as it continues, The God of High School is heavily inspired by the Dragon Ball franchise. The main characters have very similar attitudes (and hairstyles), the animation can be equal parts wacky and serious, and both shows really love a good tournament arc.

This trimmed down and spruced up version of the Majin Buu arc has tournaments, big impressive powerups, and larger than life villains – all of the elements that inspired its much younger descendant. If you’re interested in seeing the giant upon whose shoulders The God of High School stands, watch this season of Dragon Ball Z Kai!

Tower of God isn’t just on this list because it’s currently the only other Korean manhua that’s been adapted into an anime – for whatever reason, both shows are actually quite similar! Since most of the story is about the various tests required to ascend the titular tower, it’s essentially one giant tournament arc just like The God of High School.

Bam and Jin Mori couldn’t be more different in terms of personality (something tells us that Mori would get along much better with the brazen alligator man Rak Wraithraiser), but they’re both good-hearted young men with as-yet-undiscovered potential who befriend plenty of odd characters who all have agendas of their own. There may even be some similarities between the suited commissioners of The God of High School and Tower of God’s unscrupulous Rankers...

The classic shounen adventure Hunter x Hunter has one of the most creative and consistently written magic systems ever made, and some of its best battles are considered legendary among fans of the genre.

Gon’s harrowing journey to become a Hunter and find his father is a fair bit darker than Mori’s colorful adventures tend to be, but if you’re up for a more mature tone, this anime’s expertly choreographed fights and inspired application of superpowers is sure to entertain you for the many, many hours it will take to finish it. Just don’t get too invested and catch all the way up with the manga... it’s nicknamed Hiatus x Hiatus for a reason.

Even though charyeok powers are technically borrowed from other historical or mythological figures instead of coming from one’s own fighting spirit, they look and act a lot like Stands. So, if you’re in the mood for that particular flavor of fight, why not check out the very part of JoJo Stands originated from?

Stardust Crusaders has the most straightforward Stand battles in the series (but they’re still tense and entertaining), its road trip structure resembles a tournament arc since villains show up one at a time to get their asses summarily beat, and its relatively simple plot is easy to get into even if you don’t know much about the rest of the series. Plus, if you love The God of High School’s occasional dalliances with absurdist comedy, the borderline surreal atmosphere of this show will be right up your alley.

Was JoJo not muscular enough for you? Baki can fix that. This show is nothing but chiseled muscular men fighting each other to death with martial arts that range from honorable, traditional styles to underhanded tactics like sneaking explosives into the ring. It’s unabashedly violent (a la Fist of the North Star), serious to the point of absurdity, and just a whole lot of dumb fun to watch.

If the God of High School tournament administrators didn’t have that super healing technology to use after every bone-crunching bout, the matches would probably look a lot more like something out of Baki. This ONA is a criminally underwatched gem, so give it some love if you get the chance!

Was Baki not hilariously overpowered enough for you? One Punch Man can fix that. Saitama’s homemade costume and constantly vacant expression may make him look unthreatening, but he’s actually the strongest being on the planet and can vaporize any potential threat with just one punch. Studio Madhouse (who also made Hunter x Hunter 2011) brings every one-sided fight to life with gorgeous sakuga animation that can stand right next to MAPPA’s work on The God of High School, and even the less action-oriented moments ripple with personality due to their strong attention to detail. Can we just watch sakuga compilations of these two shows on loop forever?