Best Anime Like Attack On Titan

Attack on Titan’s reign as an anime phenomenon is complete. The manga finished in 2021, and the anime adaptation aired its final episode in November 2023. The journey is done, and it was an incredible ride that sparked discourse every step of the way. Regardless of whether someone loves or dislikes the series, AoT's impact cannot be denied.

For the first time since 2013, the future does not hold any new Attack on Titan anime content; luckily, there are plenty of other anime out there with similar premises or vibes. If one had to place this anime into a set of categories, they would include horror, action, and Kaiju. Unexpected death is also kind of a theme. What anime fit these perimeters and are any of them as good as or even better than Attack on Titan?

Updated January 8, 2025 by Mark Sammut: There will probably never come a time when Attack on Titan will once again be part of a seasonal lineup. Consequently, fans looking for something to watch during Winter 2025 will need to prioritize anime like Attack on Titan.

Does Winter 2025 Have Any Anime That Might Fill An AOT-Shaped Void?

• 	Solo Leveling	Ishura	Ubel Blatt
  Genres	Animation, Action, Fantasy	Animation, Action, Adventure	Drama, Animation, Action, Fantasy, Anime
  Studio	A-1 Pictures	Passione, Sanzigen	Satelight, Staple Entertainment
  Based On	Manhwa	Novel & Light Novel	Manga
  Creator	Chugong		Etorouji Shiono
  Streaming Service(s)	Crunchyroll	Hulu	Amazon Prime Video

A new season has arrived, meaning roughly 40 anime will be airing episodes over the next three months. Winter 2025 has a pretty decent line in the grand scheme of things, although it is not quite as impressive as most of its immediate predecessors. At this point, Attack on Titan is becoming a distant memory, and the series will likely never feature in a seasonal lineup again. Consequently, fans will need to look elsewhere to get their fill.

Does Winter 2025 have any anime like Attack on Titan? On paper, the answer is closer to "no" than "yes." However, there are a couple of shows that might be able to scratch similar itches.

• Solo Leveling Season 2: Arise from the Shadow – Immediately, it needs to be said that Solo Leveling is way too much of a traditional power fantasy to be a replacement for Attack on Titan. That said, they share a few small similarities. For one, they both have fantastic action and animation that are arguably among the best in class. More importantly, they bring to life extremely dangerous worlds where death could feasibly happen at any second. Yes, Sung Jin-Woo is OP, but the other hunters are constantly fighting for their lives.
• Ishura Season 2 – Perhaps a controversial recommendation due to season 1's divisive nature, Ishura has the potential for brilliance, providing the sequel improves upon its predecessor's pacing. The isekai anime revolves around wars pitting superpowered beings against each other, and they tend to show little regard for the common folk who end up caught in the middle.
• Ubel Blatt – A fairly popular seinen property, Ubel Blatt might be able to satisfy a craving for dark fantasy goodness. Essentially a revenge story, the anime should follow Koinzell as he seeks to take seven powerful people who are at the top of the food chain.

20 Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-

A Normal Human In An Extraordinary World That Seems To Really Want To Kill Him

An isekai series might not seem like a natural pick for an anime like AoT, but Re:Zero is something of an exception. In fact, the two shows have quite a few things in common, even if the latter lacks an equivalent to Titans. For one, both stories feature protagonists who are considerably weaker than their enemies, at least at first.

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Subaru not only finds himself in a fantasy world where magic and monsters exist but also in the crosshairs of powerful reality-altering witches who treat humans as playthings. Except for a time-loop ability triggered by death, Subaru has no abilities and must rely on his wits and allies to survive ordeals that are just as terrifying as Titans. Similar to AoT, Re:Zero is a fantasy anime that incorporates elements of psychological horror and is more than willing to put its heroes through absolute hell.

19 Kaiju No. 8

Protecting Humanity Against Skyscraper-size Monsters

Kaiju No. 8 shares a lot of things in common with Attack on Titan. Both series feature protagonists who, as kids, experienced tragedies at the hands of massive monsters, motivating them to try and annihilate them as adults. Furthermore, both main characters earn the ability to transform into variants of these monsters. Most importantly, humanity's defense force arrives in the form of soldiers equipped with special weapons that can neutralize kaiju (or, at least, level the playing field), and they prioritize teamwork.

Despite all these similarities, Kaiju No. 8 is hardly a clone of AoT. For one thing, Kafka has a completely different personality than Eren, with the former being far more comedic. He is also in his early 30s and has plenty of vulnerabilities as a cadet, and he must also keep his transformation a secret. Kaiju No. 8 is fun, energetic, and well-animated, making it one of the better anime like AoT on the market.

18 Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress

Attack On A Train

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is set in a steampunk version of a classic samurai anime. The land has been overrun with what are basically zombies and most of humanity tries to survive within walled cities or on armored trains.

Tetsuro Araki, the director of this series, was also in charge of most of the anime adaptation of Attack on Titan. That’s why this series has a very similar vibe to AoT, and why fans of the latter are likely to enjoy it. Beyond that, Kabaneri delivers constantly fantastic action and animation, with fluid and intense fight sequences that can rival most other shows. The story loses steam as it goes along, but it remains fairly entertaining for the most part.

17 Neon Genesis Evangelion

Humanity's Future Rests On The Shoulders Of Children

Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most well-regarded anime of all time. It only had one season but has lived on through manga adaptations, video games, and reboot movies. The last of which can be streamed on Amazon, whereas the original series is on Netflix.

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NGE takes place in a future wherein angels keep attacking Earth and the only ones who can stop them are angsty teenagers in giant mechs. It has a lot of themes shared with Attack on Titan (child soldiers being the most obvious), and both shows dive into the psyches of their heroes and antagonists. Similar to AoT, NGE initially seems to be a fairly conventional mecha anime, only to steadily become more character-driven and psychological. By End of Evangelion, the story is fully transformed into a surreal nightmare.

16 NieR:Automata Ver1.1a

A Pointless & Never-Ending War

Based on PlatinumGames and Yoko Taro's peculiar action JRPG, NieR:Automata Ver1.1a adapts the source material while taking a few twists along the way. Although prone to overcomplication at times, the story is quite gripping as it explores the emptiness of war through a conflict between androids and machines. When the latter invaded Earth, the former were created by humanity to take back the planet. However, that was a long time ago, and things are no longer as they seem.

Similar to AoT, NieR:Automata Ver1.1a balances action, drama, and mystery well. 2B and 9S's dynamic serves as the narrative's emotional core, helping ground the story and add a human touch despite both of them being android soldiers. Assuming somebody has not played the game, this anime can be quite a ride in terms of reveals and twists.

15 86 Eighty-Six

Grim War Anime

Attack on Titan's brilliance lies in its willingness to break its characters. Eren, Mikasa, and company have been through absolute hell, and these experiences have steadily changed them in both positive and negative ways. In many ways, AoT is a war story, which puts it right in line with 86 Eighty-Six.

For years, two powerful states have waged war using robots, with the Republic claiming to suffer no casualties since their machines are autonomous; however, in truth, these mecha are piloted by people who have been rejected by the wider society. These fighters are known as the 86, and they are treated as disposable pawns. 86 Eighty-Six focuses primarily on its characters, crafting an anime that is driven by the soldiers' personal struggles rather than their heroics. The story also examines the political and social backdrops of both nations, while also exploring things like propaganda.

14 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Blend Of Action & Politics

An all-time (modern) classic, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood sits alongside Attack on Titan as a staple gateway anime, arguably even dethroning older series like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Cowboy Bebop. The show is of such high quality that it is basically an automatic recommendation for any anime fan, be it newcomers who are looking to sample the medium's offerings or people who have been around for years but have yet to experience the Elrics' adventure.

That said, FMA:B and AoT share more things in common than just mainstream appeal. Both series explore human experimentation, obsession, and grief. While not always the focus, they also envision complex political climates and touch upon philosophical themes. Last but not least, both anime have fantastic characters, action, world-building, and animation.

13 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba

Humanity Vs Demons

Alongside Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and the eternal One Piece, Demon Slayer is the most popular battle shonen anime of the last decade. Like AoT, Kimetsu no Yaiba has helped raise the bar in terms of visual spectacle, with ufotable pulling out all the stops to ensure the adaptation not only does justice to the manga source material but also improves upon it. If nothing else, Demon Slayer nails its fights, which are arguably even better than AoT's battles, even if they cannot quite match the latter's scale.

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The shows' similarities go beyond just high production value as well since both stories revolve around humans fighting an uphill battle against a supernatural-themed threat that, initially, seems impossible to overcome. Similar to the Survey Corps, the Hashira are humanity's (secret) offensive force tasked with stopping demons, and both professions tend to be death sentences.

12 Gurren Lagann

Larger-Than-Life

Gurren Lagann is a mech-based anime with humans going underground due to beastmen taking over the surface. They are literally animal-like humans, but they also have mechs.

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One day, the citizens below get restless, break out, and try to reclaim the surface world. The premise may sound similar to other anime like Attack on Titan, but Gurren Lagann throws out a twist toward the end of its first arc that changes the story's tone moving forward. There is more to these beastmen than meets the eye.

11 The Promised Neverland

Darkness & Tragedy Awaits

A disappointing second season has made The Promised Neverland somewhat difficult to recommend, but the anime's first cour is still top-notch and ends on a satisfying enough note for it to stand on its own. Taking place within an orphanage under the rule of Mother, two children find out that their "adopted" friends are being sold off to demons as food.

From this point, an intense struggle for survival begins as the children attempt to leave the orphanage before their time is up. The Promised Neverland has the same looming sense of doom as Attack on Titan​​​​​.