Demon Slayer is one of the biggest anime around right now, absolutely dominating box offices and drawing in new fans years after the manga's conclusion. Tanjiro and Nezuko's story has captured the hearts of anime fans all over the globe, and with the incredible animation by Ufotable, it's easy to see why the series has become as popular as it is.
But there are tons of great anime out there. Just because Demon Slayer is absolutely killing it right now doesn't mean there aren't other series deserving of some love. In fact, some might even find these anime to be better.
Soul Eater
Soul Eater will always be a series that never felt like it reached its full potential. Long before Fire Force, Atsushi Ohkubo had established himself with a different series: Soul Eater. The anime ran for 51 episodes but didn't fully adapt the source material, with the manga concluding four years after the anime's final episode.
But even if it's an imperfect adaptation, Soul Eater is a great series that any shonen fan would love. It has great action sequences, sure, but its true strength lies in its characters and worldbuilding. The world of Soul Eater is one of the most unique out there, and it's carried by a great ensemble cast that makes every episode a fun watch.
Samurai Champloo
Shinichiro Watanabe might be best known for the iconic 1998 series, Cowboy Bebop, but that's not the only great series the legendary director has put out. Some anime fans might be familiar with titles like Space Dandy, Kids on the Slope, and Carole & Tuesday, but Watanabe's most well-known series outside of Bebop has to be 2004's Samurai Champloo.
Oozing with style and boasting an incredible soundtrack with contributors like Fat Jon, Force of Nature, and most notably, the legendary Nujabes, Samurai Champloo is an absolute one-of-a-kind series that blends in various anachronistic elements that help give it its unique identity. The story of part-timer Fuu and her journey to find the "sunflower samurai" as she's joined by outlaw Mugen, and Ronin Jin definitely calls back to classic samurai films and series. If you enjoy Samurai movies and shows and want to experience Watanabe's own twist on them, this is the series for you.
Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan ruled the anime and manga world for over a decade, establishing itself as one of the most popular anime of the 21st century and considered by some to be one of the greatest anime of all time. We're a few years removed from the manga and anime ending, but AoT is still a heavy-hitter in the anime and manga world.
Attack on Titan isn't afraid to deal with darker themes and put its cast of characters in impossible and often fatal situations. The story of the Paradisians' struggle to fend off the mysterious Titan threat and find their way outside the walls that both protect and confine them is an absolute gut-wrenching experience, with plenty of emotional moments, character deaths, and surprise reveals that you won't see coming.
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works & Heaven's Feel
While Studio Deen's 2006 Fate/stay night adaptation is somewhat polarizing among fans of the series, most agree that the Ufotable adaptations of the iconic visual novel are the superior experience. Before they became known for their work on Demon Slayer, Ufotable was doing great things with Type-Moon adaptations, with Fate/Zero and The Garden of Sinners preceding what would become their biggest hit before Demon Slayer; an adaptation of the Fate/stay night visual novel's 'Unlimited Blade Works' route. The studio would later go on to adapt the VN's 'Heaven's Feel' route in a three-part movie series, with the final entry coming out the same year as the Mugen Train movie.
Both the Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works TV series and the Heaven's Feel movies are visually stunning anime that do a great job of adapting their respective routes within the time they have. Ufotable's work on Demon Slayer is absolutely top-notch, but the studio's work on Fate shouldn't be slept on.
Jujutsu Kaisen
The only modern anime that might be as big as Demon Slayer right now is Jujutsu Kaisen. Having shared the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump from 2018 to 2020, both stood out as some of the best modern series around. The Jujutsu Kaisen manga might have ended last year, but the anime is definitely still going strong.
The first two seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen put the series on the map, with MAPPA absolutely nailing the atmosphere and delivering some of the best animation you'll see in a modern series. With season 3 set to release in January, the future looks bright for JJK fans.
One Piece
There's no anime or manga bigger than One Piece. Having been around for nearly thirty years and still going strong, Eiichiro Oda's series has captured the hearts of millions around the globe. As lovable as One Piece's characters are, it's Oda's great worldbuilding and story that have helped the series become one of, if not the most recognizable series today.
As far as Shonen anime go, One Piece can't be beat. The anime and manga have been around for decades, still focusing on Luffy's journey to become Pirate King and find the One Piece. While most titles wouldn't have been able to have such impressive sustained success, One Piece continues to draw readers in. It's just as good today as it was 15 years ago. With so much happening in the manga right now and the anime getting a lot of love recently, you can't say that One Piece isn't one of the best anime and manga experiences around.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist has two adaptations; the original 2003 series and 2009's Brotherhood. While the former is a solid anime, most will tell you that Brotherhood is the better of the two. And they wouldn't be wrong.
Brotherhood is an incredible adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa's manga. Everything from the characters to the performances by both the Japanese and English voice actors helps make the series as strong as it is. Though the relationship between the Elric brothers and their quest to make up for their past mistakes serves as the driving force for the series, Brotherhood benefits from an incredibly strong cast of characters who really make you care about them and their motivations by the end of it. It's one of the best anime of the 2000s and for many, an all-time classic.
Demon Slayer
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 6, 2019
- Network
- Adult Swim
Based on Koyoharu Gotouge's shonen manga, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is an action anime set in Japan during the early 20th century. Seeking revenge for the murder of his family while also looking to save his sister, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps as they try to eradicate Demons led by Muzan.
- Creator
- Koyoharu Gotoge
- Number of Episodes
- 63
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.26 (Hashira Training Arc)
