Top 17 Anime/Manga like Naruto Series

Naruto is not just an anime, it’s an emotion for many. Many of us have grown up with Naruto and for many of us, it is our first anime. Many love it, many hate it but you just can’t ignore it. Naruto is among the ‘Big 3’ of its generation and also among one of the longest-running animes. Many shows have gone and come but none had the impact and relevance as Naruto. Once you get involved with Naruto, you can’t leave it. It has everything, from romance to fights, from drama to melodrama, from hilarious episodes to the most emotional ones. One thing that is given most importance in Naruto is FRIENDSHIP.

After watching Naruto and being on a journey with him for so long, you must be feeling a void inside you, so I have brought to you a list of animes that can help you fill that void and get the same feeling you got while watching Naruto. Some of the animes you might love more than Naruto, some you may not, but every anime mentioned is worth a watch.

17. Fairy Tail

Like Naruto, Fairy Tail is also set in a fantasy world, where magic exists and there are mages all around. Just like Naruto had Sasuke and Sakura, Natsu has Lucy and Happy, with whom he goes on a journey to find his father and fight evil. Like Naruto, it is also a journey of a guy who doesn’t have any family and wants to meet his father. These three are more like a family than a team, they improve themselves on the journey to achieve their personal goals as well as help each other achieve theirs. The show is beautiful.

16. Blue Exorcist

Rin Okumura is an illegitimate child of Satan, who wants him to act as his vessel and conquer the human world. But instead, Rin rebels against his own father and rather decides to become an exorcist and fight demons and protect the Earth. Both Naruto and Rin are seen with eyes of fear and disgust, they are treated like outsiders but still, they try to protect those who once shunned them. They both do that because they feel it’s their duty to protect. It will make you fall in love with the character developments, just like in Naruto.

15. Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls

Basilisk and Naruto are both set in the Ninja world, both the animes show some cool ninja techniques, specifically the ninja techniques involving ‘eyes’. Basilisk is centered around two very powerful ninja clans who are also rivals of each other, but they can’t fight since their leaders are in love with each other. The leaders must also now choose between Love or Loyalty. The anime has very beautiful animation and art style, also the soundtrack is pretty amazing. It is very similar to Naruto, but also more dark and mature themes are covered in this.

14. Soul Eater

In Soul Eater, there is a school for teenagers which teaches them to use magical powers so that they can fight off evil, it has many characters which are given a unique personality and traits. Soul Eater is the story of a shinigami, Lord Death, running a school by the name of Death Weapon Meister Academy, in which students are taught to modify the ‘Death Scythes’, so that shinigami can fight evil beings. So just like ninjas in Naruto, here we have students fighting evil spirits using death scythes. One thing I appreciate about Soul Eater is the lack of fillers, it’s crisp and on the point, which enhances the experience, which is quite unlike Naruto.

13. Bleach

Ichigo Kurasaki is a normal high school boy, but one day due to very unfortunate and sudden circumstances he becomes the soul reaper and has to get rid of the Hollows. In this quest of his, he is helped by his classmates- Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and Uryuu Ishida. It’s his fate to get rid of Hollows and other evils that are plaguing the human world. Both Ichigo and Naruto are not extremely powerful in the beginning, but they have enormous amounts of energy stored in them which they must learn to control in order to survive and achieve what they want to.

12. Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Have you ever seen a baby who is also a hitman? Well, this anime has one. Tsunayoshi Sawada is a good-for-nothing high schooler who is known as a ‘Loser Tsuna’ among his classmates. But his life changes upside down when he encounters a hitman, who is a baby! And the baby has the mission to prepare Tsuna to be the successor of the ninth boss of the Vongola Family. Tsuna has a very difficult path ahead of him now, after all, he was a good-for-nothing till now. It is less serious than Naruto but has similar feelings and emotions while watching it.

11. Black Clover

In the world of magic, there is a boy with no magical abilities, but he works hard, pushes his boundaries to achieve his one and only aim, and is eventually granted magical powers. Sounds similar? It is. Black Clover is the story of an orphan boy Asta, who wishes to become the next Wizard King, though he doesn’t have any ‘mana’, he works very hard every day to reach his goal and also gains magical powers under certain circumstances, just like Naruto. Asta’s journey and character arc are very satisfying and make you like the anime even more. The world-building in Black Clover is also done beautifully and you just immerse in the story and in that world.

10. Boruto

Well, this is the anime/manga which is the closest to Naruto, after all, it’s a story about Naruto’s son and also Naruto as a Hokage. Some people hate it and some people love it, to each their own, but it isn’t that bad anime. Of course, you won’t see much of OG Naruto characters since it is not about them, you want to see those characters watch Naruto again. The feel is a little bit different than Naruto as it is set in the modern Ninja world, so there are also scientific ninja tools to help people. Also, Boruto is a little bit more mature than Naruto and is still in a developing phase and the show can take many paths from where it stands right now. So, give it time and it won’t disappoint us, probably.

9. Katanagatari

Shichika Yasuri lives peacefully with his sister in exile. He is the master of sword fighting, specifically in Kyotouryuu- a very unique style of sword fighting. He doesn’t want to be involved in fights and politics but agrees to go on a journey with Togame after she requests him to help her in her mission to collect twelve special swords, called Deviant Blades. It is similar to Naruto in the sense that it is also set up in a world of ninjas and samurais, in an older era. Even a few jujutsu are the same in both the animes. The soundtrack and the animation are extremely beautiful and mesmerizing.

8. My Hero Academia

This anime doesn’t need any introduction, in my opinion. Both Naruto and Deku are passionate about their goals and want to be the best out there. Both the shows explore the friendship dynamics between characters, even those characters who are not your friend. Just like Naruto, Deku doesn’t have a natural talent but it doesn’t stop him to achieve what he wants to. Both Naruto and Deku have similar moral ground. If you like the action and battle sequences in Naruto then you are in for a treat in My Hero Academia, it has even more dramatic fight scenes than Naruto.

7. Dr. Stone

In a world where the entire humanity has been turned into stone, Taiju and his science-loving friend- Senku, must find a way to revive the humans to live. Like Naruto, Taiju puts humanity before himself, he has the same passion as Naruto and would do anything to achieve what he wants to. He faces many hurdles on his path but he is determined to come out victorious. Dr. Stone also has a multitude of characters who form various dynamic relationships with each other, bonds of love and friendship are an integral part of this anime too.

6. Dragon Ball

It is another classic piece that has a huge fanbase like Naruto, several spin-offs, movies, and animes. It is like Naruto- a not-so-strong character who works hard, power-ups himself, and becomes the GOAT. But it is also so much more than that, it has characters with whom you build a connection, whom you love and hate, whom you root for. The various characters and their little things make the anime worthy of all the time you give to this. There are epic battle scenes, epic training montages, and rivalries, all this hypes you up and you end up loving the show.

5. One Piece

One piece is among the most popular and longest-running animes and the feel is very much like Naruto and yet so different. It is about Luffy, leader of Straw Hat Pirates, whose dream is to find the undiscovered treasure called ‘One Piece and become the King of Pirates. It’s his adventurous voyage where he learns and perseveres to become the best Pirate there is. Just like Naruto wants to become the Hokage, Luffy wants to become the King of Pirates. They both have a long journey ahead of them, but both of them are determined. If you are determined to watch around 1000 episodes, then go on this beautiful, adventurous journey with Luffy.

4. Demon Slayer

This anime is touted to be one of ‘The Big 3’ of this generation and very well deserves the title. This anime is set in the world of demons and demon slayers, who are tasked to annihilate demons from the face of the earth. On one unfortunate night, Tanjiro’s whole family is annihilated and her younger sister is turned into a demon but she is a friendly demon and Tanjiro then sets out on a journey to bring her sister back to normal. Like Naruto, Tanjiro is not so powerful and is just figuring out stuff. The characters will make a bond with you on the first go and you will root for Tanjiro from the very beginning. Demon Slayer is a must-watch.

3. Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen is also touted as one of ‘The Big 3’ of this generation. Jujutsu Kaisen is about Yuji Itadori, a high school kid, quite good at sports but spends most of his time in club activities or visiting his grandpa in hospital. It is very much giving out Naruto vibes, although it is very different. Gojo will definitely remind you of Kakashi. Like Naruto, Yuji also has a powerful spirit inside of him, who is definitely not friendly towards him, even more, dangerous than Kurama. This show has some action-packed scenes with great animations and is a pure delight to watch.

2. Hunter x Hunter

Both Naruto and Hunter x Hunter are very similar in the setting, Naruto has ninjas, and Hunter x Hunter has hunters, both the shows have hierarchical order of hunters. In both the animes there are tournaments for ninjas (in Naruto) and hunters (in Hunter X Hunter). Both the anime emphasizes the friendship aspect more and the value of having friends. In both, the anime the main character has to fight with people way out of their leagues. Despite all these similarities Hunter X Hunter is quite different from Naruto and is an amazing anime to watch. There are some epic fight scenes and amazing action sequences.

1. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Who doesn’t know this anime, anyone who is a weeb has at least heard of this anime, if not already seen it. The Elric brothers know real PAIN! When little they performed forbidden alchemy which costed them dearly and they are paying for it till now. Like Naruto, this show also focuses on the side characters, maybe even more so than Naruto. This anime beautifully delivers the multitude of characters and their dynamics. Every character on screen has something to add to the anime and has a purpose to play. The animation is done so beautifully and it is crisp.

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