20 Best Anime Like The Promised Neverland You Need to Watch
The Promised Neverland is a shōnen manga written by Kaiu Shirai and drawn by Posuka Demizu,published between August 2016 and June 2020 in Shūeisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. An anime adaptation premiered between January 11 and March 29, 2019 in Japan on Fuji TV in the noitaminA timeslot. The Promised Neverland is a very popular series and despite the anime’s controversial ending, it still has a large fandom and deserves a guide like this one.
To honor the legacy of The Promised Neverland, we have decided to compose a list of the best anime series like The Promised Neverland that every fan needs to see. The list is going to include a total of 20 different titles which resemble the main The Promised Neverland anime in one way or the other.
1. Bungō Stray Dogs
Original Run: 7 April 2016 – ongoing
Number of Episodes: 36 + OVA
The story centers around certain individuals with supernatural powers who use them for different purposes like running a business, solving mysteries, and carrying out armed detectives agency missions against the port mafia. It revolves particularly around the members of the “armed detective agency” and their everyday life.
The story revolves around a detective agency, each member of which possesses supernatural powers. This particular characteristic gives them the right to resolve investigations that are too perilous for the police. Nakajima Atsushi, a young orphan on the verge of starvation by a river, accidentally finds himself having to save a man from a suicide attempt. This one is none other than Dazai Osamu, a member of this strange agency.
2. Seraph of the End
Original Run: April 4, 2015 – December 26, 2015
Number of Episodes: 24
The story follows the adventure of Yu, a young orphan, and his demon Ashuramaru. The world is ravaged by a terrible disease. Children under 13 who were, for some reason, immune to the virus, survived. But these were enslaved by vampires who suddenly emerged from the depths of the Earth.
Yûichirô Hyakuya and Mikael Hyakuya, two orphans, serve as a “pantry” for vampires: they have the right to live, in exchange for a daily blood sample. After an escape attempt which results in a massacre of his friends, Yûichirô manages to escape, leaving Mikael for dead.
3. Sword Art Online
Original Run: July 8, 2012 – December 23, 2012 / July 5, 2014 – December 20, 2014 / October 7, 2018 – September 20, 2020
Number of Episodes: 25 + 24 + 47
The story takes place in the year 2022, when a virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing video game – VRMMORPG – called “Sword Art Online” has just been released. There, players can control their avatars just as they would their real bodies through the NerveGear, a virtual reality headset capable of stimulating their five senses through their brains.
However, players find that they cannot get out of the game; a short time later, the creator of SAO, Akihiko Kayaba, appears and informs them that if they die in the virtual world they will also die in the real world, as well as revealing that in order to exit the game they must first overcome a hundred floors of the game.
4. School-Live!
Original Run: July 9, 2015 – September 24, 2015
Number of Episodes: 12
In a universe mixing “moe” and “horror”, we follow the tragic daily life of four students named Yuki, Yuuri, Miki and Kurumi in a school. Overnight, an epidemic caused by a biological weapon turns almost the entire population into zombies. The four girls will then have to survive on the school grounds, while the eldest of the group, Yuki, suffers from a mental disorder that makes her see the world differently: for her, the disaster did not happen. spent and continues a normal life as a high school girl, and takes classes with different teachers, including Megumi.
5. Shiki
Original Run: July 8, 2010 – December 30, 2010
Number of Episodes: 22 + 2
The story takes place in the remote mountain village of Sotoba where ancient traditions still survive, such as the burial of the dead. At the end of a scorching summer, the Kirishiki family suddenly moves into the western-style castle that dominates the village from the top of a hill.
At the same time, a series of sudden deaths begins to decimate the inhabitants; Chief physician as well as owner of the only clinic, Toshio Ozaki, initially suspects a mysterious epidemic but, with the help of his childhood friend, Seishin Muroi, now a local temple bonze and author of successful novels, will instead discover a horrifying truth.
6. Deadman Wonderland
Original Run: April 17, 2011 – July 3, 2011
Number of Episodes: 12 (+ OVA)
A powerful earthquake ravaged mainland Japan and largely destroyed Tokyo, submerging three-quarters of the city in the ocean. Ten years later, the story centers on Ganta Igarashi, a seemingly ordinary student who attends Nagano Prefecture College.
Although a survivor of the earthquake, Ganta has no memory of the tragedy and has lived an ordinary life. All of this changes when a strange man covered in blood and wearing purple armor floats outside the classroom windows. Smiling like a madman, the Man in Red slaughters Ganta’s entire class and, rather than killing him, embeds a shard of red crystal in his chest.
7. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Original Run: January 7, 2011 – April 21, 2011
Number of Episodes: 12
There are creatures with the power to grant a young girl’s wish, in exchange for which she will become a Puella Magi (or Mahou Shoujo) to fight demonic creatures, witches. A schoolgirl named Madoka Kaname, as well as her friend Sayaka Miki, are approached by one of these creatures, Kyubey, who offers them to become Magical Girls in turn. The new student in their class, Homura Akemi, however, mysteriously seeks to prevent Madoka from making this contract.
8. From the New World
Original Run: October 3, 2012 – March 27, 2013
Number of Episodes: 25
The story of this anime takes place in Japan, a thousand years after our era where war dominated the world. The world is ruled by people who have the power of the gods, psychic gifts. We will follow the lives of Saki, Satoru, Maria, Mamoru and Shun, who grew up in a quiet little town that can only be described as a utopia. But after an incident, the children discover the true nature of the world. Will they be able to change their destinies?
9. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Original Run: April 5, 2009 – July 4, 2010
Number of Episodes: 64
In the country of Amestris, a country where alchemy is elevated to the rank of universal science, two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, travel the country in search of the legendary philosopher’s stone. Their father left them and their mother, Trisha Elric, died a few years later of an illness, leaving her two young children behind.
Some time later, the two brothers try to bring her back thanks to alchemy, defying the law which formally prohibits human transmutation. They will pay a heavy price. Edward, the eldest, will lose his left leg, his little brother his whole body. Ed will sacrifice his right arm by sealing the soul of his little brother Alphonse in armor.
Edward decides to enlist in the army at the age of 12 as a State Alchemist, passes the exam with flying colors and obtains his alchemist name: Fullmetal. Helped by Edward’s state alchemist status, the two brothers will seek, at the risk of their lives, the stone that will give them back what they have lost, but the secret of the philosopher’s stone is well kept.
10. Digimon Tamers
Original Run: April 1, 2001 – March 31, 2002
Number of Episodes: 51
Takato Matsuki, a 12-year-old protagonist, is a fan of the Digimon card game. One day, after a game of cards with his two friends Kazu and Kenta, he discovers a mysterious blue card in his storage box. His reflex is to analyze it in his plastic Digivice which starts to shine in a strange way. Takato eventually realizes that he has become a “Digimon Tamer”, and accidentally creates his own Digimon partner, Guilmon, from a drawing.
Takato then meets two other children, who later turn out to be tamers as well: Henry Wong and Rika Nonaka. He gets along very well with Henry right away, but the two boys take time to get to know and team up with Rika, who considers the digimon to be “fighting machines.
11. Uninhabited Planet Survive!
Original Run: October 16, 2003 – October 28, 2004
Number of Episodes: 52 + 3 OVAs
In the future, humanity lives in space colonies. Luna, an orphan, enters the prestigious school of Soria. There she meets Sharla who becomes her best friend, Howard who is an obnoxious and sarcastic boy, Menori who is a student delegate, Bell who is practically at Howard’s orders under the pretext that his father saved his father’s life, Kaoru who is a strangely lonely and silent boy but very good at aerial basketball, and Shingo who is a computer whiz.
As they leave for a school trip, an incident propels them to a desert planet. From then on, they have to look for food and build a house relying only on themselves since there are no adults on the planet.
12. Overlord
Original Run: July 7, 2015 – ongoing
Number of Episodes: 39
The story begins in Yggdrasil, a virtual online role-playing game that has been a real success, but is about to close for good after 12 years of existence. The main protagonist, Momonga nevertheless finds it difficult to accept him, he has no family, no friends, no girlfriend, and no longer finds meaning in living in “reality”.
He is the leader of one of the top 10 guilds in the game, the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown, composed exclusively of “non-human” characters, and whose headquarters is the “Great Tomb of Nazarick”. Of the 41 members of the guild, only its leader and its NPCs now remain, characters created by the members to ensure the protection of the tomb.
13. Deltora Quest
Original Run: January 6, 2007 – March 29, 2008
Number of Episodes: 65
Legend has it that many years ago, the kingdom of darkness invaded the lands of Deltora. One day a boy has a dream in which he is instructed to forge a metal belt and put in it the 7 precious stones (diamond, emerald, lapis lazuli, topaz, opal, ruby and amethyst) that the 7 clans of the Kingdom possess.
With the collaboration of these they manage to expel the invaders, thus this boy, Adin, becomes the 1st king of Deltora. The years of peace pass from generation to generation and given the confidence that there is no longer any danger, the last king decides to keep the belt, waiting for this moment, a new attack by the Lord of Darkness destroys the belt so that it will not be used again, spreading the gems throughout the kingdom and conquering the place again.
14. Made in Abyss
Original Run: July 7, 2017 – ongoing
Number of Episodes: 13
The story centers around an orphan girl named Rico, living in the town of Orse, located in the Beoruska Sea. The city surrounds a strange and immense chasm, commonly called “the Abyss”. The Abyss contains artifacts and remnants of an ancient lost civilization, and is in fact a popular place for cavers to excavate such items that can be sold abroad.
These cavemen undertake dangerous expeditions through the mist of the chasm to find as many as possible. However, the further a person descends into the Abyss, the more the curse of it weighs on their health, with more and more severe symptoms appearing when ascending the different levels. Few adventurers have descended to the lowest areas and ascended to narrate their experience.
15. Higurashi When They Cry
Original Run: April 4, 2006 – September 30, 2021
Number of Episodes: 89 + 11 OVAs
June 1983, Maebara Keiichi is a young student belonging to a middle-class family, who in search of rest decides to move to the small and secluded village of Hinamizawa. Here, the forest air is strange, mysterious, but Keiichi manages to feel comfortable in that place that somehow looks so cozy.
He also makes some friends at his new school, and with them he engages in after-school club activities, mostly playing strategy and card games. The days go by and the town seems as normal and calm as ever until the arrival of “Watanagashi”, a local festival in which the god Oyashiro-sama is thanked.
16. Attack on Titan
Original Run: April 7, 2013 – ongoing
Number of Episodes: 70 (+8 OVA episodes and several movies)
The plot of Attack on Titan revolves around the young Eren Jäger, his adoptive sister Mikasa Ackermann and his best friend Armin Arlert, who live together with the rest of humanity in cities that are protected by huge walls from the attacks of the so-called Titans, gigantic humanoid beings who devour people for no apparent reason.
The walls that promised peace have existed for 107 years. But one day the Titans break through the outermost Wall Maria and the people are pushed back further. Eren’s mother dies and he and many other people flee behind the second wall, Wall Rose. Eren swears when his mother dies that he will wipe out the Titans.
17. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash
Original Run: January 11, 2016 – March 28, 2016
Number of Episodes: 12 + OVA
A boy named Haruhiro awakens along with twelve other people in a world called Grimgar. None of them have any memories of their past other than their own name, and in order to survive they decide to join as soldiers of the Alterna border town’s Volunteer Army. Haruhiro is part of the group composed of Yume, Shihoru, Ranta, Moguzo and led by their leader Manato, who slowly begin to progress in order to survive in this new world.
But just when everything is going its best, Manato is shot to death during a mission, and before expiring he asks Haruhiro to be the new leader of the group. Still upset by the loss of his friend, Haruhiro decides to inherit his will and keep his companions alive.
18. Bokurano
Original Run: April 8, 2007 – September 25, 2007
Number of Episodes: 24
During the summer holidays, a group of 8 boys and 7 girls discover while visiting a cave on the island on which they are, several computers, as well as their owner, Kokopelli, who offers them to play a game, in which the goal is to save the Earth from destruction. The children all register to play except for the youngest, Kana Ushiro.
They all wake up a little later on the beach wondering if they haven’t all dreamed the same thing. However, Koemushi, a small “device” then appears in front of them, and they find themselves in a huge robot led by Kokopelli, who gives them a demonstration of their objective: Beat the other robots that will appear. However, the clash does not go unnoticed and causes damage on the surface. At the end of the fight, Kokopelli disappears, and the children have no choice but to pilot this robot to save the Earth, and face the terrible trials and revelations that await them.
19. Fullmetal Alchemist
Original Run: October 4, 2003 – October 2, 2004
Number of Episodes: 51
The Elric brothers (Edward and Alphonse) inherited their talent as alchemists from their father, who left the family home without ever returning. Following the death of their mother, the two young people try to revive her through alchemy, by performing a human transmutation despite the ban. The operation fails and the two brothers suffer the backlash.
Al disappears and Ed loses his leg but saves his body-deprived brother by fixing his spirit in the metal body of medieval armor with a transmutation circle drawn with his blood, but must sacrifice an arm for it. Subsequently, he will use mechanical metal prostheses, mecagrafts (1st dubbing) or automails (second dubbing). Ed then passes the exam and becomes a State Alchemist, so he can travel and find the Philosopher’s Stone, for his brother and him to find their bodies.
20. Death Note
Original Run: October 3, 2006 – June 26, 2007
Number of Episodes: 37
Light Yagami is a model student, bored with his lifestyle and tired of being surrounded by a society filled with crime and corruption. His life takes a decisive turn when one day he finds on the ground a mysterious black notebook, entitled “Death Note”, which bears the following instruction: “The human whose name will be written in this notebook will die”.
Initially skeptical of his authenticity, Light changes his mind when he successfully tests the notebook on two criminals and meets the real owner of the Death Note, a shinigami named Ryuk; he then decides to use this new power to kill all criminals, eradicate evil and become the “God of the new world”.
In his evil deeds, he is first challenged by the mysterious L and later by his former apprentices.