Demon Slayer has rightfully cemented its place in anime history, but with so many new fans joining the medium as a result you might be asking what there is to watch next. Here are our five picks for the best shows to watch if you’re a fan of Demon Slayer.
5 Shows Every Demon Slayer Fan Should Watch Next
Whether it’s the setting, skills, themes, or swords, these five shows should feel surprisingly familiar after watching Demon Slayer.
Tokyo Ghoul
Given their supernatural elements, Demon Slayer and Tokyo Ghoul share a lot of similarities. In this iconic anime series, we meet Ken Kaneki, a character who has become a Ghoul and needs to learn how to fit into society without completely giving in to his flesh-eating desires.
The ideas of humans living alongside ghouls play into some of the themes we see in Demon Slayer and while it isn’t sword-focused there are a lot of epic battle sequences and an engaging narrative to suck you in.
Bleach
Bleach is the longest story on our list of recommendations but it’s also the one that dives the deepest into sword combat, and the magical elements of sword fighting, similar to what we see in Demon Slayer.
In the world of Bleach, Soul Reapers are sent out to exercise wandering spirits and allow them to pass on to the next life. To do this each character has their own weapon, mostly swords, with unique and powerful abilities. Of course, the evil Hollows have it out for the Soul Reapers and with dissension in the ranks, there’s a plan in motion that could threaten the entire world.
This is one of the most iconic Shonen series to date so if you’re a Demon Slayer fan we’d highly recommend giving Bleach a try.
Jujutsu Kaisen
The newest anime on our list Jujutsu Kiasen is by far the most popular anime airing right now, and for good reason. This Shonen series is a battle anime at its core with an ultra-engaging narrative.
In Jujutsu Kaisen sorcerers face off against spirits with the goal of exercising them. Of course, there are a lot of major players with motivations that contradict this goal as well as a team of loveable characters to meet. While it doesn’t share too many similarities to Demon Slayer in terms of plot, if you’ve enjoyed the stunning animation then Jujutsu Kaisen has that in droves.
Blue Exorcist
Blue Exorcist is another show with thematic similarities to Demon Slayer. The series follows Rin Okumura, the son of Satan, as he looks to follow in the footsteps of his exorcist mentor and kill his father.
During the run of the series, we meet a lot of exorcists and learn about the society itself. This is quite similar to how the Hashira works in Demon Slayer, and there are a lot of similarities that you’ll pick up on. While the show tends to be lighter-hearted than Demon Slayer it’s definitely a series fans should consider watching next.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is our number one pick for fans of Demon Slayer as it is the show with the closest plot. The major goal of Edward Elrick in Fullmetal Alchemist is to get his brother’s body back. After a resurrection gone wrong, Alphonse the younger brother of Edward was left with his soul trapped inside a suit of metal armor.
This sort of mirrors what we see in Demon Slayer as Nezuko is stuck becoming a demon and Tanjiro sets out to find a cure. This again is another classic anime with lots of incredible battles and a captivating story, and it just happens to be considered by many the greatest anime ever. So if you haven’t tried Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood make sure you watch it next.
