Below we will be discussing two anime that are currently airing—well, one aired all episodes instantly—this season that will remind you strongly of Ajin. Filled with supernatural themed worlds, tons of drama and mature but semi-relatable themes, we decided on Kokkoku and Devilman: Cry to really get you back into that Ajin spirit. We are confident that if you loved Ajin, these shows will be very much worth your time. We also made sure to show some comparisons to further prove why both Kokkoku and Devilman: Crybaby can be so similar to Ajin. Now without any more delay ,let us begin this comparison list so you can find some new anime to enjoy!
About Ajin
- Episodes: 13 (Season 1)
- Aired: Jan, 2016- Apr, 2016
Strange creatures known as Ajin were discovered 17 years ago in the country of Africa. These odd ghost-like entities give the user immortality and a slew of strange powers. Now known across the world, Ajins are considered violent and are to be reported immediately to local authorities to be captured and removed from the populous. Young Kei Nagai has recently found himself to also be an Ajin and with that revelation comes in a grave change in his life. On the run and trying to avoid becoming a test subject, Kei will soon enter a war between the human race and the Ajin who just wish to be treated as equals.
Liked Ajin? Watch Devilman: Crybaby!
- Episodes: 10
- Aired: Jan, 2018
Akira Fudo and Ryou Asuka haven’t seen each other since childhood but once were the best of friends despite their different personalities. However, it has been years since either Akira or Ryou have talked; for the most part, Akira has just lived a plain and ordinary life. That all changes though when Ryou reappears before Akira with a desperate plea for help from his dear friend. Wishing to find hidden demons and devils hiding from the world, Ryou coaxes his friend Akira to join him to defeat these beings. Akira ends up becoming Devilman, a being that is neither devil/demon or human but a fusion of both. Using his tremendous powers, Akira now will defeat those that threaten his family and friends.
Three Major Similarities Between Ajin and Devilman: Crybaby
1. Supernatural fighting
Love supernatural shows but need an emphasis on action to keep you interested? Then you are in luck with Devilman: Crybaby. Mirroring Ajin, Devilman: Crybaby has loads of action scenes where you see characters using their immense powers to defeat other beings like them or face off against police/military personnel. Ajin’s action might be a bit less outlandish than Devilman: Crybaby—seeing as how Devilman: Crybaby has giant creatures and laser attacks—but regardless, both shows have some solid supernatural battles to enjoy. Thanks to the animation of both Ajin and Devilman: Crybaby, that action also looks incredibly pleasing and will keep your eyes glued to the monitor all the way through.
2. Dark themes
While spirits and demons may be the central focus of both Ajin and Devilman: Crybaby respectively, these concepts aren’t the main true focus for either show. Ajin has characters dealing with segregation because of their strange powers and Devilman: Crybaby has that same theme as well as not all the demons wish to kill humans. Both shows depict characters wishing to coexist with their human brethren but equally won’t stand for being mistreated or hunted down. Case in point in episode 9 of Devilman: Crybaby, humans begin to ruthlessly attack demons or those they suspect to be hiding these powers even when they have refused to fight back. We won’t go any further into detail but this reminds us heavily of Ajin’s second season which shows more of the Ajin populous hiding because they know they will be attacked once they are outed as Ajin. Both Ajin and Devilman: Crybaby are excellent shows with dark themes behind them that make you think of our current world affairs and how similar they sometimes are to these fictional anime series.
3. Realistic Worlds
We mentioned above that both Ajin and Devilman: Crybaby have dark themes that have an air of realism behind them. This theme for both series only works because the worlds within Devilman: Crybaby and Ajin are extremely realistic. While the actions of either show might not be as realistic at times—we are pretty sure there aren’t hidden immortals and super demon men running around fighting behind our backs—the world around these characters are just like our real world right now. Political strife with wanting more power and how the populous would react to these situations are mirrored in both Ajin and Devilman: Crybaby. That’s why we think you’ll enjoy either show if you want programs that show a fictional story embedded into a real-world setting.
Liked Ajin? Watch Kokkoku!
- Episodes: N/A
- Aired: Jan, 2018- Present
Juri Yukawa has once more been denied another job making this her 19th failure. Praying to rid herself of the current lifestyle she lives, Juri just wants to become her own woman and not live with her unemployed father and reclusive brother. One day however, something strange occurs where Makoto—Juri’s nephew—is kidnapped and held for a sizeable ransom. Aiming to go off and save Makoto herself, Juri’s grandfather approaches the family with another solution. Using a strange stone, the family stops time around them enters the world known as Stasis.
Three Major Similarities Between Ajin and Kokkoku
1. Lore in droves
Ajin and Kokkoku aren’t shows that reveal their mysteries right away. For example, in Kokkoku, we are still learning how the world of Stasis and the various components within work as a whole. Ajin is the same in that regard as every episode teaches the audience a new power or weakness of the Ajin themselves which avoids the show from just being an information dump. Ajin and Kokkoku take their times with showing you the ideas and systems of their worlds and we commend the writers for doing that as it keeps the stories interesting and never too confusing.
2. Strange abilities and powers galore
Ajin have the ability to make their users immortal and can even perform various powers depending on the Ajin itself. Meanwhile, Kokkoku has people who can teleport short distances and can even expunge the creatures that allow a person to walk around in the world of Stasis. That’s what makes both Ajin and Kokkoku so similar to one another. The idea of superpowers and supernatural skills is always intriguing and extremely pleasing to watch in anime. That’s why we know you’ll want to watch Kokkoku if you liked Ajin. Seeing Juri and her grandfather perform strange feats with their powers is exhilarating and constantly enjoyable. Plus, with Kokkoku still airing, we are sure there will be even more powers to appear just like how the recent last several episodes have shown some rather interesting new abilities for both our heroes and antagonists. Don’t worry though, we will keep things spoiler-free so you can enjoy Kokkoku without knowing too much.
3. Relatable Characters
Having immortal powers and the ability to stop time might not make you think these people in Ajin and Kokkoku are what you would call normal, but ironically enough the various characters of both shows are quite relatable to real people. Juri, for example, is a girl struggling to break free from the shackles of her parent’s dependence and wants to become an adult by having her own life and own place. Meanwhile, Kei and his stoic personality isn’t unreasonable. Kei lived a life of constant studying and just wanted to become a doctor without anything stopping his progression. This might have been caused by Kei’s overbearing mother but we know the feeling that both Kei and Juri have. These two protagonists want normal lives and for varying reasons, that wish didn’t come to fruition thanks to the events that happen in both Kokkoku and Ajin. Nevertheless though, we loved that both Ajin and Kokkoku have characters that we can relate to and even understand which is rare for anime about supernatural themes and ideals.
Final Thoughts
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