7 Anime To Watch If You Love ‘Tokyo Ghoul’

Zuleika
TV Anime
TV Anime

Since the release of the Tokyo Ghoul live-action movie and with Season 3 airing sometime in 2018, fans of the anime series need another anime to satisfy their human-flesh-eating hunger. So here’s a list of seven anime shows that express a similar gory feel and tone as Tokyo Ghoul.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

anime similar to tokyo ghoul kabaneri

On the fictional island of Hinomoto, humans hide from “Kabane” — zombie-like creatures — in iron fortresses called “stations.” Protected with only armored locomotives known as “Hayajiro,” people travel between stations bringing some sense of normality to their lives. However, this all changes when the Kabane infiltrates the Hayajiro.

While Kabaneri is much more similar to Attack on Titan, it does share some similarities with Tokyo Ghoul, specifically, the treatment of the infected Kabane. As soon as one is spotted, the authorities kill them on the spot. On top of that, much like Tokyo Ghoul, the established order does routine inspections to weed out the infected.

Another

anime similar to tokyo ghoul another

The story starts in 1972, after the death of classroom 3-3 student, Misaki Yomiyama. The death covers the town and school with a layer of fear and death. Years later, there’s a new group of students who all decide to label their fellow classmate, Mei Misaki as “the one that does not exist.” But, when a new student, Kouichi, arrives, he ignores the other students’ warnings about Mei and gets closer to her. At the same time, he also tries to solve a gruesome phenomenon plaguing classroom 3-3.

The feel and tone of Another makes it a worthy candidate for Tokyo Ghoul fans as it perfectly explores similar dark and horror themes. While this makes it a top contender, Another‘s take on the gore genre is not like any other. Plus, both series also feature a main character with an eyepatch.

Blue Exorcist

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In Blue Exorcist, the world is not what it appears to be because it has two dimensions. The first world, known as Assiah, is where humans live without any knowledge of what creeps in the other world, Gehenna. In Gehenna, dark and powerful demons reside and plan on taking over the human world. Despite the ban on travel between the worlds, there’s a loophole, as demons can possess creatures in Assiah so they can cross over.

To keep this from happening, a group of exorcists fight these demons to maintain peace. Rin is a boy who bears the curse of being Satan’s illegitimate son. To foil Satan’s plan, Rin’s foster father must sacrifice himself to save Rin from a cruel fate.

Just like Tokyo Ghoul, both main characters start out as humans whose lives are interrupted when disastrous events from the hidden world start happening. Also, both anime shows deal with humanity versus an opposing race, with Tokyo Ghoul dealing with ghouls and Blue Exorcist with demons. As such, their tragedy and fight against supernatural-like beings are what makes Blue Exorcist a complementary companion show.

Deadman Wonderland

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Ganta Igarashi’s life turns upside-down when a mysterious man in red massacres his whole class. Framed for the incident, he is sentenced to death and sent to Deadman Wonderland to serve his sentence. However, this is is not your typical prison. It is an amusement park where convicts perform life-threatening acts for the park’s visitors. But, there is more to the prison than its inhumane take on entertainment.

Tokyo Ghoul and Deadman Wonderland share many similarities — the main character, their abilities, the bloodshed, and more. Ganta, like Kaneki, is an ordinary boy who has his fate turned inside-out by an event the rest of the world does not see and both characters are forced to learn and grow in this new world in the hopes of staying alive.

Parasyte -the maxim-

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In Parasyte -the maxim-, aliens who descended to Earth as parasites burrow into the brains of unsuspecting targets and quickly infiltrate society. High school student, Shinichi Izumi, falls victim to one of these parasites, but unlike the others, it failed its mission and ended up in Shinichi’s right hand instead. Unable to relocate, the parasite has no choice but to rely on Shinichi to stay alive. Thus, the pair are forced into an uneasy coexistence and must defend themselves against hostile parasites who hope to eradicate this new threat to their species.

Shinichi and Kaneki each find themselves in a world that forces them to make severe life-changing decisions. Both male leads were the victims of an attack that granted them a power that took over their body. Now, the two must come to terms with their new life, while also understanding how to utilize their new abilities. So, they undergo a drastic change in character once they realize how big of an impact their powers have on others. Like Tokyo Ghoul, Parasyte reveals a part of the world no one thought existed.

Shiki

anime similar to tokyo ghoul shiki

Shiki tells the story of the unexpected death of a young girl which marks the beginning of a ferocious epidemic striking the small village of Sotoba. The town’s doctor, Ozaki, has doubts about the nature of the disease and slowly comes to understand the truth behind it. Meanwhile, the antisocial teenager, Yuuki, is dealing with the sudden death of his best friend, Megumi. To save their loved ones, Ozaki and Yuuki must first solve the mystery plaguing their village before it transforms into a ghost town of vampires.

What’s remarkable about Shiki and Tokyo Ghoul is that they try to humanize the traditional monster, treading the line between good and evil. As a result, it poses the question, “should we ignore our loved ones’ need for human flesh?” On top of that, Shiki contributes to the gore genre with its blood splatter and violent action sequences.

Pupa

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While several websites and anime fans may rate Pupa as one of the worst anime shows ever, the series is still a must-see for gore and horror anime fans.

Pupa tells the lovely story of two siblings, Utsutsu and his younger sister, Yume. While visiting the park, the siblings contract a mysterious virus known as Pupa. Soon, Yume grows a giant pair of wings and gains an immeasurable desire for flesh, either animal or human and her brother attains regenerative powers. To protect the world from his sister, Utsutsu sacrifices his body to feed Yume’s endless hunger.

The protagonists of both Tokyo Ghoul and Pupa have an unearthly desire to eat human flesh (though Tokyo Ghoul only eats humans). Both male leads also share the ability to regenerate and they both have less-than-stellar relationships with shady organizations. Despite the fact that Tokyo Ghoul is substantially longer – 25 minutes per episode to Pupa‘s four-minute episodes – it still packs in all the gore and havoc.

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Zuleika
Zuleika is a fan contributor at Fandom and focuses on Anime with words on Vocal, Movie Pilot and Fanime BLOG. She's a big fan of horror, gore and mystery anime. Loves series, movies, and games that have to do with bloodthirsty but equally intelligent psychos.