6 Anime Movies Like Tekkon Kinkreet [Recommendations]

One of the more overlooked and underrated anime movies, Tekkon Kinkreet gives you everything you can ask for, nice visuals based on the art style from the original manga, a great story, psychological elements, and characters that you can enjoy and root for. After watching Tekkon Kinkreet, you gain a whole new respect when an anime can use its art and backgrounds to add so much to its story. After experiencing Tekkon Kinkreet, you're left with a desire to seek out more anime movies that can excel at all the things Tekkon Kinkreet excelled at. With so many anime movies floating around out there, it may be hard to choose where to look next for your next anime adventure. Well, look no further because we've put together a list of some anime movies that will be sure to amaze you. Now join us as we look at six anime movies similar to Tekkon Kinkreet.


Similar Anime to Tekkon Kinkreet

1. Paprika

  • Episodes: 1
  • Aired: Nov 25, 2006

Atsuko Chiba and Kosaku Tokita are researchers at the Institute for Psychiatric Research, with an interest in the world of dreams. Together, they build a device that can enter dreams called the "DC Mini," in hopes they can help patients with their psychological disorders. Atsuko and Kosaku aren't the only ones that want the power to enter dreams, the DC Mini is stolen and ends up being used as a form of mental terrorism. Atsuko and Kosaku seek the help of Officer Konakawa, a patient of theirs who have received treatment with the DC Mini. The group starts to track down the person who stole the DC Mini, looking through both the real world and the dream world.

Similar to Tekkon Kinkreet, Satoshi Kon's Paprika uses a more realistic style when it comes to the designs of the characters. These more realistic characters are placed in stylish and often times psychedelic settings. The dream world in Paprika gives off a similar vibe to Tekkon Kinkreet's fictional city, Takaramachi. The two movies don't share any similarities when it comes to the overall plot, but they both are set up in a similar fashion, featuring stories that allow the art to really stand out by focusing more on eccentric and unusual ideas.


2. Kakurenbo

  • Episodes: 1
  • Aired: Sep 1, 2004

Kakurenbo follows the story of a group of children who gather to play a game of Otokoyo. Otokoyo is a game of hide-and-seek that can only be played by seven children wearing fox masks. It is no ordinary game, however, as the children are chased by demons and always end up missing. A young boy named Hikora joins the game in hopes of finding out the truth behind the game and to find his sister Sorincha, who went missing after she played the game herself.

With Kakurenbo only being the length of an average episode of anime, it doesn't have time to develop its characters and narratives like Tekkon Kinkreet does, however, the world Kakurenbo builds is just as enjoyable. Kakurenbo is different from every other movie on this list in the way it connects to Tekkon Kinkreet. None of the stories or characters are similar, but it still manages to give off a similar vibe to Tekkon Kinkreet. With more of a focus on horror, Kakurenbo's setting is very dark adding to the suspense and making great use of its setting. By using its setting and art style, it is able to create an immersive world similar to how Tekkon Kinkreet uses its art style to create an impressive world.


3. Akira

  • Episodes: 1
  • Aired: Jul 16, 1988

In the year 1998, a psychic explosion destroys Tokyo and serves as the catalyst for World War III. Now in the year 2019, the city has been rebuilt and is now known as “Neo-Tokyo.” One day Shotaro Kaneda and his motorcycle gang the Capsules, fight against their rivals the Clowns during an anti-government protest. Kaneda's best friend, Tetsuo Shima, crashes his bike into an esper child. After the accident, Tetsuo starts to develop strange symptoms and powers, which leads to Tetsuo being captured by the government. Kaneda sets out to save his best friend from the government, a rebel faction, and even Tetsuo himself.

Akira shares many of its story elements with Tekkon Kinkreet. Both movies feature a pair of orphans that live in a city with a corrupt government. Black and Kaneda are also very similar, with both of them being gang leaders and taking care of a younger boy that looks up to them. Both shows also start out with the main characters a fight with a rival gang, and these fights go on to set the rest of the story in motion. Both sets of main characters get split up and both Akira and Tekkon Kinreet spend a large majority of their time focusing on the boy's adventures to try to reunite and restore things to how they were before.



Any Anime Like Tekkon Kinkreet?

4. Perfect Blue

  • Episodes: 1
  • Aired: Feb 28, 1998

Mima Kirigoe, a former member of the pop idol group CHAM!, decides to leave the group to pursue a career in acting. Wanting to separate herself from the world of idols, she accepts a role in a crime drama, but life as an actress wasn't what she thought it would be. Not only does her job end up getting much harder and demanding than she thought it would be, but her old idol group seems to be doing better than ever. Things get even worse when an obsessed fan who can't accept that she left CHARM begins to stalk her after her image was tainted with her role in the crime drama. After suffering through each event, Mima Kirigoe starts to lose all sense of what is real and what is fiction.

Perfect Blue is a much darker and gritty movie than Tekkon Kinkreet is, however, the two movies still share some common themes. Both Perfect Blue and Tekkon Kinkreet feature many elements from the psychological genre and toss in some action and suspense. Mima's degrading mental state is similar to what we see Black go through in Tekkon Kinkreet. Mima and Black both go through events early on in the movie that ends up causing them to lose control and start to see the world differently. Although the settings in Perfect Blue and Tekkon Kinkreet are very different, the way in which they are used is very similar. Both movies add to the overall tone of their stories by incorporating their settings perfectly, with Perfect Blue using its darker tones and more realistic setting and Tekkon Kinkreet focusing on a more colorful world with much more action going on in the backgrounds of each scene.


5. Loups=Garous

  • Episodes: 1
  • Aired: Aug 28, 2010

After a deadly virus spread across the world, the population dropped drastically, forcing the world's governments to force strict rules on its citizens. People are forced to eat synthetic food and all social interactions are done over the internet. Despite everything in the world being monitored so closely, crime still runs rampant. After Hazuki Makino and a group of her classmates decide to meet together in person, they end up getting wrapped in a murder investigation, that forces them to use all the tools and sills at their disposal to uncover the dark secrets of the world all while trying to keep themselves alive.

Loups=Garous may not be as colorful as Tekkon Kinkreet, but both movies have many similarities when it comes to their story and characters. Both movies follow the story of kids fighting against the corrupt worlds they find themselves in and end up getting wrapped up in a mystery that is bigger than they ever thought possible. Both movies antagonists are the corrupt governments that the main characters find themselves living under. Hazuki Makino and Ayumi Kono from Loups=Garous also have some of Black's more enjoyable character traits. Hazuki shares the traits from Black's more caring and protective side, as she goes out of here way to protect her friends, ultimately resulting in her getting wrapped up in the murder mystery and putting her life in jeopardy. Ayumi Kono, on the other hand, shares the traits from Black's more rebellious side, with her going against the status quo of the world around her, and she uses her power to fight against it.

Loups=Garous Official Trailer


6. Dead Leaves

  • Episodes: 1
  • Aired: Jan 16, 2004

After Retro and Pandy wake up naked and with no memories, they decided to go on a crime spree stealing clothes, food, and a vehicle. Their crime spree comes to an end when they are arrested and transported to Dead Leaves, a penitentiary on the half-destroyed moon. Retro and Pandy learn that Dead Leaves is not just a simple penitentiary, but it is actually a top-secret cloning facility. Together with a group of deformed inmates with special abilities, Retro and Pandy must fight against the corrupt prison guards, and break out of Dead Leaves.

Dead Leaves is another movie that has more similarites to Tekkon Kinkreet by way of its aesthetics more than it's plot. While not using the more realistic character designs, Dead Leaves has artistic and creative settings. The worlds in both movies are colorful and combine aspects of real architecture and a large number of fantasy elements, which gives the viewer the ability to experience unique and enjoyable settings. Although Dead Leaves has a heavy focus on its comedy, it also has many action scenes that impact the story, similar to how Tekkon Kinkreet uses its actions scenes.


Final Thoughts

With a nice mixture of popular classic anime movies and some more obscure ones, hopefully, you'll find a movie on here you'll really enjoy. Which movie like Tekkon Kinkreet on this list is your favorite? Are there any anime movies like Tekkon Kinkreet you think should be on the list? Let us know in the comments below.

Tekkonkinkreet-dvd-300x423 6 Anime Movies Like Tekkon Kinkreet [Recommendations]

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Author: Robby

I’m a lover of anime and manga and I spend most of my time working hard to accomplish my goals in life. Outside of anime and manga, I’m an avid Heroes of the Storm player and I love some good food.

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