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Unlike other shonen anime, the supernatural “punk” aspect of Bleach makes it extremely attractive to fans who just want a weekly dose of awesome. And, for fans still waiting for the anime adaptation of the manga’s final arc, there are a couple of other anime that they could watch to satisfy their Bleach cravings until it arrives.
Updated on October 3, 2022, by Rhenn Taguiam: With Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War finally hitting screens with an October 10, 2022 premiere, fans of Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends at Bleach can finally witness its final arc after a rather abrupt finish back in 2012. This time around, Ichigo will be at the center of a thousand-year blood feud between the Shinigami and the Quincy, with the universe’s fate hanging in the balance. And for action anime fans, certain shows provide a similar “vibe,” including adventuring mages, a twist on the Deadly Sins, and demon killers in Feudal Japan.
15 Bungo Stray Dogs (2016)
It’s not uncommon for an action anime to feature protagonists with supernatural abilities. Still, Bungo Stray Dogs kicks this up with a rather somber story and many literary references. The story focuses on the budding friendship of weretiger Atsushi Nakajima and ability-nullifying Ozamu Dazai and their eventual establishment of the Armed Detective Agency. Their adventures would eventually have them recruit other supernaturally-powerful individuals into their team and discover their desire to protect Yokohama against the mafia.
Like the Fate franchise, Bungo Stray Dogs not only appears with its action premise but also in its portrayal of its characters based on authors. While not extremely accurate to a tee, the anime’s take on these protagonists, who in some way carry traits of the authors they’re named after alongside their works, adds a new level of awesome to both fight scenes and drama.
14 Akame Ga Kill! (2014)
Fans of anime who want a more straightforward take on the action genre may appreciate Akame ga Kill! In its story, young fighter Tatsumi only planned on going to the Capital to earn money and help his poverty-stricken village when he got himself tangled up with the assassin group Night Raid. In the group, he meets warriors such as eponymous swordsman Akame alongside other assassins who wield mystical weapons called the Teigu, who serve as part of the anime’s main selling point.
Similar to other action-packed anime, scenes in Akame ga Kill! are sights to behold, especially when Teigu users such as Akame and her Kiriichimonji get to fight one another. While simplistic in terms of its premise, the story’s eventual intensity becomes something worth the watch, especially to those looking for a gritty
13 Seven Deadly Sins (2014)
Action fans interested in a unique take on the supernatural fantasy genre may want to consider giving Seven Deadly Sins a shot. In its story, protagonist Meliodas sought to reunite his formerly-disbanded Seven Deadly Sins to liberate the land of Britannia from the corrupted Holy Knights. And through their journey, Meliodas discovers himself in a conflict against his brother Zeldris and his team, the Ten Commandments.
It’s interesting how Seven Deadly Sins aren’t solely based on Christian lore with its inclusion of the “Sins” and the “Commandments,” but it also had its spin on other fantastical concepts such as those of fairies and magic. Alongside the fact that each of its characters has unique abilities that reflect their titles, Seven Deadly Sins has equal parts compelling story arcs and intense action sequences.
12 Fairy Tail (2009)
Set in the world of Earth-land, Fairy Tail shows the adventures of traveling wizard Natsu Dragneel and his spellcasting guild, the Fairy Tail. Although his initial goal is to look for the dragon Igneel to help him finally come to terms with his past, Natsu’s adventures lead to him eventually recruiting other wizards into the guild and helping them resolve their conflicts.
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Aside from giving a spellcasting take on the One Piece adventure formula, Fairy Tail boasts a solid magic system to complement its fair share of intense fight scenes. With wizards being categorized as having specific forms of magic that they may share to varying degrees, Fairy Tail has become a decent anime to watch, especially for theorycrafters and action enthusiasts interested to see how creative these protagonists could approach their fight scenes.
11 Demon Slayer (2019)
Fans of Bleach would immediately see similarities when they realize that Demon Slayer has a premise involving blade-toting, kimono-wearing warriors slaying demons. However, whereas Bleach is set primarily in the various realms of the afterlife, Demon Slayer’s Taisho-era Japan setting adds a Feudal Japanese twist to its action premise. In its story, kindhearted Tanjiro Kamado undergoes training as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps to avenge his family and turn his sister, who had become a demon, back to human form.
Unlike other typical supernatural anime, sword-fighting in Demon Slayer isn’t solely a matter of having flashy techniques to accompany their swords. Rather, Demon Slayer has “Breathing Techniques,” or sword-fighting styles that use breathing during strikes to summon various elemental powers. Combined with its stellar use of animation, Demon Slayer is a treat in terms of narrative and action scenes.
10 Soul Eater (2008)
What better anime to watch after Bleach than one that has a thematically-similar motif, and Soul Eater fits that demographic perfectly. Whereas the Shinigami of Bleach are tasked to exterminate supernatural threats, Soul Eater has Death himself head a school for supernatural warriors. The anime stars Maka Albarn, a Weapon Meister, and her transforming Demon Weapon Soul Eater as they embark on various adventures to save the underworld from powerful Witches and their cohorts.
While Bleach handles matters in the real world, Soul Eater deals with things exclusively in the underworld, sporting a unique supernatural punk aesthetic that focuses more on musical themes. However, its rather straightforward technical combat system is a delight to see, especially when viewers see how Demon Weapons use their forms while dishing out unique techniques.
9 Hellsing Ultimate (2014)
While not necessarily dealing with death gods and death reapers, Hellsing Ultimate deals with something just as bad: vampires. And, with the world being plunged into a conspiracy involving vampire soldiers, Integra Hellsing of the Hellsing Organization activates her team’s ultimate vampire-killing weapon: Alucard, the first vampire himself.
Alucard’s adventures as the overtly-violent and chaotic vampire slayer aren’t easy, though, as he sires police officer Seras Victoria as his vampire servant. Despite the crazy premise of the series, Hellsing Ultimate is very similar to Bleach in terms of its over-the-top plot. Its crazy battles involving swords and spiritual blasts are somewhat reminiscent too, though they tend to feature a lot more bullets.
8 Yu Yu Hakusho (1992)
Despite its age, Yu Yu Hakusho is probably one of the first modern supernatural anime to fit the classification. The anime stars delinquent Yusuke Urameshi as he loses his life saving a kid from a car accident, which then ends up giving him a second chance in life as a Spirit Detective. His cases solving supernatural mysteries lead to Yusuke and his newfound friends saving the world against numerous threats.
While Yu Yu Hakusho has quite a straightforward way of dealing with its narratives, such as tournament arcs and one-on-one battles, their displays of supernatural abilities aren’t over-the-top to the point of exaggeration. Not only that, but even the character development of Yusuke would give Ichigo vibes, especially when Yusuke is a delightful ball of arrogance mixed with an odd sense of loyalty and friendship.
7 Dragon Ball (1986)
While the first episode of Dragon Ball debuted as far back as 1986, fans and newcomers to the franchise certainly couldn’t deny that the franchise has come a long way since then. Son Goku and his signature Kamehameha have evolved with multiple Super Saiyan forms, an extended family, and even a heritage that spans across planets. And while fans might think that each iteration of Dragon Ball is getting more and more ridiculous, giving Goku and his pals vastly broken power scaling, fans of Bleach should feel right at home.
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After all, even Bleach started relatively mundanely, with Ichigo struggling to use his newfound Shinigami powers against ordinary creatures. As the story progressed, however, Ichigo not only had to face enemies of increasing orders of magnitude. But rather, Ichigo somehow defeats them by accessing a form similar to the enemies he’s facing. Did it make sense in the end? It tried. But, like in Dragon Ball, it doesn’t really matter.
6 Fire Force (2019)
Fans of Bleach who want to see what it would feel like if elements from the real world dealt with supernatural threats will appreciate Fire Force. This story, which is confirmed to be a prequel to Soul Eater, stars members of the Fire Force as they defend the Tokyo Empire from Infernals or people who spontaneously combust and transform into demonic beings.
At first glance, its firefighter aesthetic is certainly a fresh sight to see in terms of shonen anime. However, its fire-heavy motif greatly grounds Fire Force in terms of combat mechanics; there’s a lot of flexibility involved in how abilities are used in fights. For instance, Shinra Kusakabe can use fire to speed himself up, allowing him to fight Infernals through sheer mobility. This kind of flexibility in combat will greatly appeal to Bleach fans, especially when Ichigo and his comrades have to use their powers in unique ways to fight threats.
5 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012)
While JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has a ton of seasons under its belt, the anime series is quite accessible as fans only ever need to focus on one season at a time, thanks to their standalone stories. However, what makes JoJo quite similar to Bleach is its impeccable sense of style, with protagonists, antagonists, and even supporting characters sporting rather memorable visual accents that make them irresistibly appealing to fans.
Not to mention, Jojo has quite the interesting battle system involving Stands and their unique abilities, forcing combatants not just to compete in tests of strength but also to outwit each other in often ridiculous ways. Even then, a lot of JoJo stories stun viewers for their remarkable sense of depth.
4 Naruto (2002)
Despite the relative age of Naruto, one can’t deny that it remains a great anime to watch after fans enjoy Bleach for its action-packed combat and deep storylines. Whereas Ichigo is dragged into supernatural fights to protect his friends, Naruto Uzumaki of Naruto is thrust at the core of various crises on his path to becoming Hokage or ninja leader of the Hidden Leaf Village.
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Two of the core highlights of Naruto that resemble Bleach would be Naruto and Ichigo’s unrelenting sense of perseverance in the face of danger, especially more so with regard to their strive for growth. While Ichigo whips out something incredible when all seems lost in a fight, Naruto shows that every defeat lets him rise into something greater, especially with Naruto’s signature techniques.
3 Hunter X Hunter (2011)
While fans of Hunter X Hunter have qualms about the “hiatus or not hiatus” status of the story, Bleach fans can likely appreciate the anime for its equally-crazy take on characters, stories, and plot. At first, Hunter X Hunter simply tells the story of Gon: a youngster hoping to become a Hunter to find his father. However, he’s soon thrust into adventures involving criminal syndicates, virtual games, horrific creatures, and much more.
Fans who have no qualms about the rather mixed bag that is Bleach’s story arcs will have no problems with the wonderful world of Hunter X Hunter. Moreover, the anime also takes pride in its combat mechanics, all of which involve the use of Nen or spiritual energy. Despite the wacky nature of its combat, though, Nen is actually extremely grounded in terms of concepts, making out-there techniques just as plausible under its rules.
2 My Hero Academia (2016)
While My Hero Academia showcases actual superheroes and villains, its stories about growth, friendship, hope, and destiny resemble those of Bleach’s core themes. The anime stars Izuku Midoriya or Deku as he struggles to live as a powerless teenager in a world where almost everyone has a Quirk or superpower. However, kindhearted Deku is thrust into the world of superheroes after getting the powers of All-Might, perhaps the greatest hero of all time.
Fans can already see the similarities between Bleach and My Hero Academia, where both Ichigo and Deku initially borrowed their powers while coming to terms with their responsibilities. And while Ichigo is tempered by combat-facing monsters that threaten the world, Deku’s outlook on the world is constantly challenged, not just by the people that he encounters in superhero school but also by the villains they have to defeat.
1 Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (2009)
Although not as long as Bleach, fans looking for a technical combat system applied to an overarching storyline should appreciate how Fullmetal Alchemist shares similarities with the former. Unlike other stories, Fullmetal Alchemist is short and packed as it intends to share a story on the get-go. It focuses on brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who are working as State Alchemists while finding the coveted Philosopher’s Stone to reverse a terrible curse that they’ve afflicted upon themselves.
Aside from its compact story, Brotherhood shines in its technical magic system. In the anime, Alchemy has straightforward rules that force characters to make use of creativity to whip out unique but realistic effects, all to the amusement of fans. This is quite similar to Bleach, whose excellent visual fights are also fought under the backdrop of strict rules and terminologies.
The anime adaptation of Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War will air in October 2022.
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