What to watch after Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen’s second season simply wrapped up this previous December, incomes the collection its second Anime of the Yr nomination at this 12 months’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards after taking dwelling the award again in 2021. The story of Yuuji Itadori, a bodily gifted excessive schooler turned jujutsu sorcerer (suppose exorcist) in coaching, has struck a chord amongst anime followers and discerning critics alike. In her overview for Polygon, Chingy Nea went as far as to champion Jujutsu Kaisen’s first season as “the first shonen about modern humanity.”

Whereas we look ahead to extra information regarding the anime’s just lately introduced third season, now is a good time to queue a pair comparable anime to watch. With that in thoughts, we polled our employees to carry you 9 anime it’s best to watch in case you love Jujustu Kaisen.

Our newest replace added Chainsaw Man to the listing.

Chainsaw Man

The place to watch: Hulu and Crunchyroll

When you’ve watched Jujutsu Kaisen, you’ve gotten greater than seemingly heard of or already watched Chainsaw Man. It’s a good guess to make, what with them being two of the most well-liked darkish fantasy motion anime in current reminiscence. However in case you someway haven’t seen the latter, or are itching for one thing to watch after Jujutsu Kaisen’s second season, you completely ought to give Chainsaw Man a watch.

The similarities are obvious from a look: Each anime concern specifically skilled people (i.e., Jujutsu sorcerers, Satan Hunters) who’re accountable for searching down supernatural threats (i.e., Cursed Spirits, Devils) that threaten to topple human society if left unchecked. Each collection star lovable dopes as protagonists who’ve extraordinary powers thrust upon them in moments of tragedy, with every of them struggling to perceive and settle for their new talents and the tasks that include them whereas juggling their new function in an odd new world.

If that weren’t sufficient, Chainsaw Man options among the gnarliest anime fights in current reminiscence and is certain to sate the starvation for adrenaline-pumping spectacle that followers of Jujutsu Kaisen get hyped for. —Toussaint Egan

Yu Yu Hakusho

Picture: Pierrot

The place to watch: Hulu and Crunchyroll

Jujutsu Kaisen might or not be the supernatural shōnen anime du jour this 12 months, however earlier than both Jujutsu Kaisen was given pleasure of place on the heart of the anime zeitgeist, there was Yu Yu Hakusho. Premiering on Japanese tv in 1992 earlier than airing on Cartoon Community’s Grownup Swim block almost a decade later, the anime adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi’s supernatural martial arts journey manga was heralded as probably the most widespread anime collection of its time and whose lasting enchantment and recognition endures to at the present time.

Yu Yu Hakusho tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a 14-year-old delinquent who, in an uncharacteristic act of spur-of-the-moment altruism, sacrifices his life to save that of a small little one’s. Having impressed the powers that be, Yusuke is recruited by the Grim Reaper Botan to grow to be a Spirit Detective, an arbiter of kinds between the bodily and spirit worlds who’s tasked with the accountability of investigating paranormal exercise and defeating malicious demons who prey on people. What Jujutsu Kaisen and Yu Yu Hakusho share in widespread is an emphasis on robust characters, fearsome preternatural foes, superbly animated fights, and resonant themes of friendship and willpower within the face of overwhelming opposition. When you’re a Jujutsu Kaisen fan, a Hunter x Hunter fan (the 2 share the identical writer!), or only a shōnen anime fan generally and someway have not watched Yu Yu Hakusho but, you completely should make it a precedence in your watch listing. You gained’t remorse it! —TE

Naruto

Picture: Pierrot

The place to watch: Hulu, Netflix, and Crunchyroll

Naruto is clearly a shōnen anime staple, being probably the most widespread collection of all time. However actually, in case you favored Jujutsu Kaisen and you’ve got time to watch 700 episodes of anime, Naruto can also be an ideal alternative. The primary characters share an identical dynamic: you’ve gotten a loud mouth protagonist, a gloomier rival who helps the protagonist develop, a robust, badass lady, and an enthralling, masked trainer. That isn’t to say that these characters are the very same, although — they could boil down to some easy archetypes, however all of them have totally different motivations and personalities.

Whereas Naruto gained’t provide the tight pacing you get from a 24-episode anime like Jujutsu Kaisen, neither is it going to provide the good character improvement we see in feminine characters like Nobara, in case you’re in search of one thing lengthy to mull you over till the subsequent season of Jujutsu Kaisen, it’s completely value a watch. —Julia Lee

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Picture: Ufotable/Crunchyroll

The place to watch: Hulu, Netflix, and Crunchyroll

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a simple present to advocate, and a fair simpler present to advocate to followers of Jujutsu Kaisen. A fantasy shōnen that takes place early twentieth century Japan, the present facilities across the accountable huge brother kind Tanjiro Kamado. As a substitute of vanquishing a demon inside him, Kamado should discover a manner to rid his sister of a demonic curse. Each reveals introduce viewers to a forged of disturbed, convulsing enemies. Additionally, each had been launched previously two years and share a crisp animation type.

Followers of Jujutsu Kaisen would particularly recognize the motion sequences of Demon Slayer. The present constantly delivers nail-biting and superbly choreographed fights. Every fighter’s powers are as attention-grabbing as they’re visually gorgeous, watching the novelty of watching water peel off Kamado’s sword by no means wears off. Additionally, it’s on Netflix now so there’s nothing stopping you from choosing it up. —Ana Diaz

Soul Eater

Picture: BONES studio

The place to watch: Hulu and Crunchyroll

Followers of Jujutsu Kaisen keen to dig a bit deeper into the anime catalogue ought to take a look at Soul Eater. Created by Atsushi Ohkubo (the thoughts behind Hearth Pressure), Soul Eater follows Maka Albarn and Soul Evans of their quest to defeat and devour the souls of corrupted people. Some characters on this planet (Evans included) have the ability to transmute into highly effective weapons. In every struggle, Evans transforms right into a comically giant demise that Albarn wields.

Don’t let its Halloweeny artwork type idiot you. This present oozes in direction of darkish locations and explores the interior struggles of its characters in stunning depth. Evans undertakes an identical journey to Itadori, the place he negotiates with a satan inside him so as to entry his full powers and defend those he loves. And whereas a few of its struggle scenes can really feel a bit drawn out, Soul Eater does comedy very well. So anybody in search of an identical vitality to Gojo Satoru would seemingly take pleasure in lots of its off-beat forged members. —AD

Dororo

Picture: MAPPA

The place to watch: Prime Video

Studio MAPPA’s 2019 remake of Dororo shares among the identical tonal-DNA that makes Jujutsu Kaisen tick, even when it’s premise strikes in the other way. Whereas Jujutsu Kaisen is a few cursed demon gaining his physique again from people, Dororo is the opposite manner round.

Dororo is about in 1400s Japan and follows a younger ronin named Hyakkimaru, whose father made a pact with a demon. As a part of the pact, Hyakkimaru was born with out limbs or pores and skin, and to achieve them, he should search out the demons to which his father is indebted. The present is simply as darkish as Jujutsu Kaisen typically is and has the identical penchant for philosophical monologues. Every of those monologues is often punctuated with a panoramic struggle scene thanks to MAPPA’s completely attractive animation, which makes it an ideal manner to cross the time when you look ahead to Jujutsu Kaisen season 2. —Austen Goslin

The God of Excessive Faculty

Picture: MAPPA

The place to watch: Max and Crunchyroll

One factor that almost each one who has watched Jujutsu Kaisen can agree on is that this: the struggle scenes completely slap. Whereas after all that is to be anticipated of any noteworthy shōnen motion collection, the motion in Jujutsu Kaisen has been particularly spectacular, significantly Gojou Satori’s temporary however explosive bout with a Sekuna-possessed Yuuji within the collection’ second episode or Yuuji and Aoi’s tag-team onslaught towards the cursed spirit Hanami in episode 19. You’ll be able to thank Keiichiro Watanabe for each of these stand-out sequences, a key animator whose work on anime resembling Naruto, Dororo, and now Jujutsu Kaisen has earned him effusive respect and notoriety amongst anime fanatics. The God of Excessive Faculty, the Crunchyroll-produced anime adaptation of mahwa (Korean for “comic”) writer Yongje Park’s ongoing Webtoon series of the same name, options Watanabe’s work prominently. As talked about in our overview of the collection final 12 months,

The fights are attractive. Like Demon Slayer, the collection finds a brand new manner to make motion visually hanging. The place Demon Slayer gave its protagonists’ swordwork an ukiyo-e-esque high quality, with exaggeratedly drawn water following every motion of his blade, The God of Excessive Faculty goes all-in on brush strokes. The characters look extremely polished, however their actions as they get into the thick of fights are adopted by daring, thick brush strokes, and significantly intense moments.

When you’re in search of a classy motion anime that’ll preserve that adrenaline spike you’re feeling whereas watching Jujutsu Kaisen pumping, The God of Excessive Faculty is a certain wager. —TE

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Picture: Bones/Crunchyroll

The place to watch: Hulu and Crunchyroll

If after Jujutsu Kaisen, you’re in search of a present with robust and complicated feminine characters, attractive animation, monstrous adversaries, and smokin’ hot mentor figures (that could be a pun), then Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood would possibly simply hit all these itches. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood follows alchemist prodigy Edward Elric and his brother Al, whose soul has been trapped in a go well with of armor, as they search for a manner to recuperate Als’ physique. However their search leads to darker secrets and techniques about alchemy and the nation they stay in, uncovering a sinister plot that threatens the entire world. Not like a variety of shonen anime, which take viewers on a “let’s learn about curses/demons/Nen along with the protagonist!” arc, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood kicks off with out a lot clarification, trusting viewers to sustain. This permits the present to bounce begin instantly, diving proper into the motion and complexities of worldbuilding. The plot is brilliantly executed, however by no means as soon as sacrifices the character improvement alongside the best way.

Truthful warning: when you watch this present, each different anime you watch will pale compared. Simply placing that on the market proper now. —Petrana Radulovic

Mob Psycho 100

Picture: Bones

The place to watch: Hulu and Crunchyroll

When you dig anime with dorky protagonists utilizing seemingly limitless supernatural talents to trounce would-be evil spirits, then Mob Psycho 100 is a strong suggestion. The anime follows the story of Mob, a introverted younger boy with a sort coronary heart with immense psychic talents who works alongside his mentor Reigen, a con artist posing as a robust psychic himself, to tackle assignments exorcising apparitions for money. Whereas the motion in Mob Psycho 100 is totally gorgeous and the animation itself is electrifying and creative, the center of the collection rests on Mob’s emotional improvement and he grows much less depending on counting on Reigen to be his ethical compass, turning into extra assured in forming and sustaining wholesome relationships with others.

With the third and sure closing season of the anime is about to premiere within the close to future, now’s as good a time as any to hop aboard the Mob Psycho 100 hype practice in case you haven’t already, particularly in case you’re antsy whereas ready for the forthcoming Jujutsu Kaisen 0 film to come out stateside. —TE