My Hero Academia has risen to become one of the most popular anime shows in recent years. It tackles the superhero genre quite well and has a good comedic atmosphere, but it also has serious emotional and intellectual weight with its commentary on society, discrimination, and the true meaning of good vs evil.
By now, My Hero Academia has six seasons and counting, and countless anime fans are heavily invested in the story of Izuku Midoriya and his hero friends. But even the most dedicated fans can find plenty of other, similar anime to watch in between weekly updates of My Hero Academia's current seventh season. Most of them are also shōnen action anime or perhaps seinen as well.
Updated on June 20th, 2024 by Louis Kemner: This list of great anime like My Hero Academia has been expanded with five more entries of excellent action anime for fans to enjoy between episodes of My Hero Academia's seventh season.
D.Gray-Man is a long-running shōnen manga/anime franchise that may still not be complete due to hiatuses, but it's still worth a watch as an anime like My Hero Academia. This is a dark and brutal "monster hunter" anime that may also remind fans of titles like Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen.
D.Gray-Man takes place in the late Victorian era, where exorcists like protagonist Allen Walker use supernatural Innocence to fight Akuma with unique weapons and powers. Even if My Hero Academia never had a spooky Halloween vibe like this, MHA fans may have fun with this semi-obscure shōnen gem while waiting for MHA Season 7.
Hell's Paradise has earned its place in the Dark Trio along with Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, with all three titles being dark, graphic, and incredibly gripping stories about people who fight horrific monsters and other villains. Tonally, Jujutsu Kaisen might feel more like MHA than Hell's Paradise, but anyone who already watched JJK should try Hell's Paradise next.
This is no hero school anime. Instead, the cast is made up of antiheroes and criminals who must visit a bizarre, deadly island to find the elixir of life or die trying. Protagonist Gabimaru is a rogue ninja who will use savage melee attacks to destroy any monster that gets in his way on that island, all so he can return home to his beloved wife.
Noragami is a fun watch for fans of My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Bleach, among other action series. This anime stars 9th grader Hiyori Iki, who finds herself wrapped up in the world of Japanese gods and spiritual monsters when she has a near-death experience one fateful day.
Hiyori will meet the punkish minor god known only as Yato, and join him on all kinds of adventures in the human world and the Far Shore alike. Noragami feels like an anime like My Hero Academia because both series star an ordinary Japanese teen who is suddenly thrust into a violent but fascinating world, all with a cheerful tone but also ample drama to keep it all grounded.
In broad strokes, the seinen series Tokyo Ghoul is indeed an anime like My Hero Academia, though it's much darker and has plenty of overlap with Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, too. In Tokyo Ghoul, the ordinary college student Ken Kaneki became a half-ghoul after he nearly died and had ghoul organs implanted into him.
This was Ken's own One For All moment but with a gruesome twist. He became a confused outcast as a half-ghoul, struggling with his own hunger for human flesh while also fighting CCG investigators and hostile ghouls alike. Still, Ken has hope, and like Izuku Midoriya, Ken hopes to make a world where everyone can live in peace and happiness.
Even if the Fairy Tail anime has a mixed reputation, it may still scratch the itch for MHA fans who want a colorful and fun anime like My Hero Academia to watch until Season 7 arrives. Fairy Tail should also have a strong appeal for fans of Naruto and especially One Piece, given their many similarities.
Fairy Tail has a meandering fantasy story starring the co-leads Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel, who make new friends and fight countless foes during their time together in the Fairy Tail guild, an organization for wizard fighters. Like My Hero Academia, Fairy Tail features an ensemble cast of lovable shōnen-style characters with an astonishing variety of magical effects that feel just like Quirks in many cases.
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