Anime Series Like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

After the death of his father, Tanjirou has taken up the role of the man of the home, supporting his mother and five siblings. However, after selling charcoal in town, he returns to tragedy. All his family was brutally slaughtered, save for one of his sisters. Unfortunately, she has been attacked by a demon and mingled their blood, turning her into a demon as well. However, she still shows signs of humanity, thrusting Tanjirou onto a quest to find a way to change his sister back and preserve what is left of his family.

There is a lot of demon slaying out there, but the horrific demons and the beautiful UfoTable animation set this beauty apart. If you are looking for more anime series like Demon Slayer, then look no further.

For Fans of Demon Hunting

Dororo

In order to become indomitable on the battlefield, a samurai
lord barters his son’s organs away to 48 demons and then abandons him. However,
his son doesn’t die. Instead, a medicine man saves him with primitive, but
lethal prosthetics that allow him to hunt down the demons and regain his organs
for an eventual battle with his father.

Both of these shows focus on the main character hunting demons for a very specific reason. In Dororo, it is to get his body parts back. In Demon Slayer, it is to turn his sister back into a human. Not only this, but the demons are top tier in their design.

Berserk

Gutts has been a mercenary for as long as he can remember,
caring for nothing but moving to the next battle, but one fateful battle puts
him at odds with the Band of the Hawk. Their charismatic, idealist leader
Griffith soon makes him join by force, but his bond he forms with the Band of
the Hawk may very well mean the end of the world.

While much of the first season of Berserk isn’t about demon slaying, there is an event horizon that, once crossed, turns this into a demon-slaying show. Motivated by vengeance and to protect others, the main character hunt down demons and slaughter them.

Claymore

In Claymore, the world is overcome with demons called Yoma
that constantly plague humanity. After Raki’s parents were killed by Yoma, he
teams up with Claire, a Claymore, an order of powerful half-human, half-Yoma
women that are shunned by society but fight to rid the world of Yoma. Together,
each learns more about the each other and work towards their own goals.

Think of Claymore as Demon Slayer with more women and an overall darker color palate. In both shows, there are those that specifically hunt demons. However, while they are shunned in Claymore, they are respected by many in Demon Slayer. Furthermore, both shows have an element in which humans become demons.

For Fans of Demon Possession

Parasyte

One night, sixteen-year-old Shinichi Izumi was peacefully
sleeping when a race of parasitic aliens descended on Earth. One parasite
infects Shinichi, trying to get to his brain to take over his body, but ends up
getting stuck in his right hand. Unable to relocate to the brain, the alien,
named Migi, now has no choice but to learn to coexist with Shinichi in his body
in order to stay alive. Unfortunately, the other parasitic aliens are not so
friendly with humans or to parasites that failed to complete their mission.

While the parasites aren’t demon, they infect their host in a same way as the demons in Demon Slayer. They slip into the body and take it over. Yet, in some cases, traces of their human selves are still in there at times. However, unlike in Demon Slayer, there is only one cure for a parasite.

Devilman Crybaby

Akira has always been a little weak and blends into the
background, so when his childhood friend asks for help uncovering devils, he
agrees. The pair head to Sabbath where many gather to be debauched and are
possessed by devils. When the devils begin to wreck havoc in their new living
hosts, Akira agrees to merge bodies with a devil in order to save is friend.
Though he now has a voracious devil inside him, he still has the heart of a
crybaby.

At its core, Devilman is about a demon fighting demons. However, what similarity it really shares with Demon Slayer is the beauty of its animation. While beautiful in a different way than Demon Slayer’s UfoTable animation, it is fluid and addicting all the same.

Blue Exorcist

Humans and demons have always been separated by two
different worlds, humans in Assiah and demons in Gehenna. The only way to
travel between the worlds is by possession, which is how Satan, the ruler of
Gehenna, wages his war. Blue Exorcist follows Rin Okumura, a somewhat trouble
teen and son of Satan. However, while his father wants him to help conquer the human
world, Rin decides to become an exorcist to fight him instead.

While it differs in its setting, these two shows are very
much about the same thing. You have demon hunters/exorcists fighting demons to
protect people. Furthermore, both shows have a family dynamic at play, but in
Blue Exorcist, it is the demon sibling doing the fighting while the converse is
true in Demon Slayer.

For Fans of Shounen Battles

Hunter X Hunter

Twelve-year-old Gon Freecss is determined to become a
world-class Hunter, a skilled individual that perform all manner of dangerous
tasks, in order to find out what happened to his father.  However, Gon
finds that the path to achieving his goals is more challenging than he could
have ever imagined, but in order to overcome it, Gon recruits some powerful
friends.

At a glance, both series seem like rather generic shounen shows, but you are in for a shock. While you have to wait for the Chimera Ant art in HXH, both Hunter X Hunter and Demon Slayer feature some pretty stunning imagery when it comes to horrible enemies.

Black Clover

After being abandoned at the same church, Asta and Yuno grew
up together. Together they grew up aiming for the same title – The Wizard King,
the strongest wizard in the kingdom. However, it became soon apparent that
while Yuno has skill with magic, but Asta couldn’t use it at all. However, this
all changed when they were attacked and Asta was given a strange grimoire that
granted him skill in magic.

I loathe to use this as a reason, but these two series really do have a similar feel to them. They feature fast-paced action with a plot that can be a little weak sometimes. However, they feature flashy battles and both show very distinct character growth in their main characters.

Bleach

Ichigo Kurosaki is an average high schooler, except for the
ability to see ghosts. One night, his family is attacked by a Hollow, a corrupt
spirit that devours souls, and he a Soul Reaper named Rukia fights it.
However, in the process, Rukia is injured, forcing her to share her powers with
Ichigo in order to survive. From there Ichigo must face down with Hollows and
other Soul Reapers alike, not yet knowing what powerful enemies lurk out in the
universe and what devastating powers lie within himself.

Up until a certain point, Bleach was very much about
fighting demon-type creatures to keep humans safe. If you are looking for
fighting with cool weapons and unique character designs, Bleach is a good
option.

Do you have any more anime recommendations like Demon Slayer? Let fans know in the comments section below.