12 best anime shows like Jujutsu Kaisen
NetflixJujutsu Kaisen is back with a second season, and yes, we are being greeted with spectacular episodes every week. However, once Season 2 ends, every fan will be left craving for more. So, here are some of the best anime series that you can watch once Season 2 ends, as they are a lot like JJK.
Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen is undoubtedly one of the best stories of modern times. At first, it seems like a rather straightforward story where you have a protagonist fighting against evil curses. However, with time, you learn that there’s so much more to Jujutsu Kaisen than what meets the eye.
After a while, JJK’s story gets incredibly dark, and that works in its favor. It’s hard for a Shonen series to become popular if it doesn’t offer a bold storyline and makes us fear for the lovable characters.
It’s indeed a unique series that introduces several never-seen-before elements, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other shows that flaunt a similar vibe.
12. Attack on Titan
Attack on Titan is one of the most legendary anime of all time. Similar to Jujutsu Kaisen, AoT comes with a dark and gory theme. Both anime make you fear for your beloved characters and make you question what is right and wrong.
AoT follows Eren Yeager, who vows to avenge his mother’s death by killing every existing Titan on the planet. Similarly, Yuji Itadori becomes a sorcerer at Jujutsu High to fight the curses that threaten humanity. So, you could say that both Yuji and Eren start off their journey so they can save humanity. Also, in JJK, Sorcerers use Cursed energy to fight off curses or other curse users, and along the same lines, Eldians from Paradis Island use the power of Titans to stand against Titans on the other side of the world.
11. Parasyte: The Maxim
Parasyte: The Maxim takes place in a world that is taken over by Parasytes, an alien species that burrows themselves in the human brain so that they can invade the entire planet.
The plot revolves around a Sixteen-year-old Shinichi Izumi, who accidentally lets a parasyte enter his arm. Well, as the alien couldn’t find an entry to his brain, it started co-living in his body. Now, as the boy is forced to share his body with an alien, he must stop other parasytes from harming him and his people.
The series doesn’t only come with horror elements, but it also features several unpredictable things that make it worth a watch.
10. Hell’s Paradise
The Hell’s Paradise manga was first published in Shonen Jump in 2028 and ran until 2021. One thing that makes this anime worth a watch is the involvement of Studio MAPPA, the one behind Jujutsu Kaisen’s success. Apart from that, Hell’s Paradise also brings several deadly monsters to the frame that feel similar to the ones we have seen in Jujutsu Kaisen.
Hell’s Paradise follows Gabimaru the Hollow, who doesn’t show any mercy while killing his enemies. And eventually, during a mission, he gets captured by the authorities. He is sentenced to death, but no executioner can kill him because of his superhuman physical strength. While he believes that he does not have a reason to live, somewhere subconsciously, he holds a will to live happily with his wife.
Things take a drastic turn when he, along with other prisoners, has to go to a mysterious island in search of the Elixir of Immortality.
9. Hunter X Hunter
Hunter X Hunter is one of the Shonen series that has influenced several franchises, one of which is obviously Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen. We are not saying the latter has copied the former entirely, but there are several elements in the series that are pretty similar to Hunter X Hunter; for instance, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Shibuya Arc seems like Hunter X Hunter’s Chimera Ant arc. They both are pretty dark, and these arcs are the turning point for these anime franchises.
Apart from that, the main protagonists of both the series, i.e., Gon Freecss (Hunter X Hunter) and Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen), tend to have similar traits. Both of them carry a playful nature but are tender-hearted toward their friends and family.
8. Dororo
The primary thing that makes Dororo similar to Jujutsu Kaisen is the animation style, as it comes from MAPPA, the studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen’s spectacular animation.
The story follows Hyakkimaru, a boy with a deformed body. When he was an infant, his father abandoned him after giving his body parts to the demon lords for his own selfish reasons. Later, the boy meets Dororo, who teaches him the way to earn a living.
Dororo comes with beautiful animation and an emotional storyline that makes it worth giving a shot.
7. Soul Eater
Soul Eater comes with a perfect mixture of humor and lots of creepiness, and that’s what makes this series like every anime fan’s favorite Jujutsu Kaisen.
Soul Eater revolves around three groups; each group contains two members, one of them being a weapon user and the other being a human weapon. For the unacquainted, a human weapon is a person who is capable of getting transformed into a deadly weapon by consuming sinful souls.
So, in Jujutsu Kaisen, it is the concept of curses that drives the whole plot, and in Soul Eater, the major focus is on evil souls.
6. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia was brought to life by Studio Bones, and so far, it has given us six action-packed seasons. The series was renewed for Season 7 quickly after Season 6’s conclusion.
My Hero Academia takes place in a world where the majority of the population develops incredible superhuman powers called quirks. The ones who utilize their quirks to help others are called Heroes, while the ones who grow a superiority complex and start using their quirks for selfish reasons are called Villains. So, just like in Jujutsu Kaisen, we see the fight of good against evil in My Hero Academia.
5. Chainsaw Man
Here is another anime series that comes from MAPPA, and we can’t deny how well the studio has animated each frame of the anime series.
Chainsaw Man sees a young man, Denji, who basically lives on the streets with his pet Chainsaw Devil. To make things worse, Denji gets killed by a gangster, which leads the way to his merger with the Chainsaw Devil. Being resurrected as the Chainsaw Man, Denji becomes part of the Public Safety, who vows to fight the rogue devils. Jujutsu Kaisen is a story where sorcerers use curse techniques to fight the curses. Well, Chainsaw Man is a story where people who made contracts with the Devils fight the Devils who are a threat to humanity. So, the plot of these two shows couldn’t be more similar.
4. Mob Psycho 100
Mob Psycho 100 comes with a supernatural theme, just like Jujutsu Kaisen. Besides that, what makes it similar to the popular anime Jujutsu Kaisen is the relationship Mob shares with his mentor, Arataka Reigen. That’s quite similar to the relationship between Yuji and Gojo.
Mob Psycho 100 follows a young man named Mob, who possesses psychic powers, but he doesn’t learn the potential of his ability until he starts working under Arataka. Moreover, the series also comes with some well-choreographed fight scenes that make the experience more enjoyable.
3. Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoul takes place in a world where ghoul exists among humans, just like in Jujutsu Kaisen, where curses exist in the human world.
Although Tokyo Ghoul comes with many aspects that make it closer to the concept of Jujutsu Kaisen, it is way too gorier. So, if you are someone who loves to explore dark and gritty storylines, you should watch Tokyo Ghoul.
The story mainly revolves around a young man whose date tries to eat him. That’s the point in the story that reveals that this planet is threatened by the existence of ghouls, who have a taste for human flesh. What’s more threatening is that these ghouls live as humans, hiding their true nature from the world, which makes hunting humans more easy for them.
2. Bleach
Bleach is a trendsetter anime series that returned to our screens after several years with its final story arc, Thousand Year Blood War. Focusing on Ichigo, a Shinigami trying to protect the world from Hollows and Soul Society from its enemies, Bleach does a lot of things right.
The world-building, animation, character development, and everything that Bleach does simply deserve a chef’s kiss. In Jujutsu Kaisen, we have Yuji Itadogi accidentally stumbling upon the world of curses, and in Bleach, there’s Ichigo, whom he bestowed upon by the responsibility of being a Shinigami. So, there are a lot of parallels between these two series.
1. Demon Slayer
Love it or hate it, you have to accept the fact that Demon Slayer is one of the biggest names in the anime industry right now. In terms of popularity, Demon Slayer is along the same lines as Attack on Titan or Jujutsu Kaisen.
The main story of Demon Slayer is rather straightforward – you have a playful protagonist who fights against demons and flaunts a strong will to save the humans. However, when you dig deeper into the storyline, you truly realize the complexities and foreshadowing in the story. So, in that regard, Demon Slayer is very similar to Jujutsu Kaisen. On top of that, both series are setting a standard for other anime shows by giving remarkable animation and fight sequences.
How to watch Crunchyroll from outside your location in 2023
Crunchyroll is the world’s best hub for streaming anime, whether it’s One Piece, Attack on Titan, or Jujutsu Kaisen – and thanks to ExpressVPN, you can access the platform’s full library even if you’re outside the US.
If you’re abroad, here’s what you need to do to access Crunchyroll’s full selection – and it really is this simple:
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- Sign up for ExpressVPN, which has ultra-fast servers and offers a secure, private connection wherever you are in the world
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- Connect to a location anywhere in the US; Express VPN allows you to choose from 24 different spots, from New Jersey to Santa Monica
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- Visit Crunchyroll online and start streaming all of your favorite animes – and perhaps some you’ve never watched
Accessing Crunchyroll’s US roster makes a difference; for example, Hong Kong users only have access to less than 100 titles, while the US has nearly 1,000 movies and TV shows.
You can also stream anime on Crunchyroll for free with an ad-supported plan, or you can pay for a subscription – there’s even a 14-day free trial if you can’t quite make up your mind.
See our other JJK coverage below, and you can check out our other anime coverage here.