168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Castlevania, the Netflix animated series adapted from the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:beloved series of Metroidvania games by the same name, is quite the show. Its last season put a nice touchstone on just about every character's journey, and it was quite the bombastic conclusion to yet another absolutely incredible game adaptation. So incredible, in fact, that a lot of you might be pining for something else that has anything close to the same level of choreography, violence, snarkiness, or just storytelling in general.
Well, you’re in luck, as t🤡here are actually quite a few shows with similar vibes at the very least, so let’s loﷺok into some of the best options now.
Updated December 1, 2022 by Jacob Buchalter: It feels like just yesterday that Castlevania's fourth and final season dropped on Netflix, but it's been quite a while. And, in the meantime, plenty of other shows have been released or recognized to have some striking similarities to the vampire-centric animated series. So, let's pick out a few more shows that you can watch if you're a big fan of Castlevania.
15 💧 Chainsaw Man
The Chainsaw Man anime adaptation has been talked about constantly on social media since it started airing, and for good reason, as the show obviously had a lot of work and love put into it. And, as far as shows with pure artistry in terms of character writing and violence go, Chainsaw Man and Castlevania have a ton in common. For example, both 🔯series have:
- A large cast of main characters, but the primary focus is on a group of three made up of a straight-laced man, a loose-cannon unrefined guy, and a headstrong and confident girl.
- Absurd levels of gore and work put into the fight choreography.
- Humanity fighting a losing battle against a much more powerful threat.
- Magic, demons, and devils heavily featured throughout.
- A unique art style that differs from most other shows in the same medium.
Granted, comparing Denji to Trevor Belmont is a bit of a stretch, given that Denji is ▨168澳ꦏ洲幸运5开奖网:basically a slasher villain in the making and Trevor is a down-and-out drunkard legend. But still, if you want to check out Chainsaw Man yourself, then your best bet is Crunchyroll.
14 🌸 Goblin Slayer
If you're looking for something about a guy who's spent all his life learning how to masterfully kill one specific type of enemy, then both Castlevania and Goblin Slayer are good choices for you. Although, to be fair, Goblins aren't quite the same level of threat as Vampires. Yet, the Goblin Slayer anime (and manga) does a fantastic job showing exactly how terrifying they can be if underestimated. Where Goblin Slayer differs, however, is:
- It's a lot more focused on one singular person rather than an overarching narrative, though new longer stories do come into play from time to time.
- It has a lot of standard anime tropes such as excessive fanservice, the power of belief making anything possible, and the main character who always knows exactly what to do.
- There's an overarching tabletop-type or 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons and Dragons thematic tone to Goblin Slayer, of course with a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:singular focus on goblin monsters, while Castlevania is a lot more biblical and introspective.
Still, if you want something that'll fill your craving for grim dark settings and tons of violence, Goblin Slayer is a pretty good choice. This series is available to watch primarily on Crunchyroll as well as on Funimation.
13 💧 🅠 Vinland Saga
Vinland Saga still stands up there alongside some of the all-time greats such as Berserk or Vagabond. And, a lot of that prestige comes from the fact that author Makoto Yukimura managed to take a story about bloodthirsty, primal, and violence-driven Vikings into a tale about a boy's path of redemption and self-growth.
Normally, this would garner a lot of complaints from the anime community, but it doesn't because Yukimura's writing makes one character's pacifistic exchanges with warriors as exciting as his battles would be. Plus, if you're coming to Vinland Saga right after Castlevania, you'll find a lot of similar themes such as:
- The prestige or reputation of a father unintentionally cursing or burdening their son.
- A small group trying desperately to survive and make any sort of change in a cruel and unforgiving world.
- Truly emotional and engaging verbal exchanges between people who most would've expected to fight instead.
- Beautiful fight choreography with tons of emphasis on meaningful movements rather than the number of attacks.
Crunchyroll has confirmed that Season 2 will be streaming on their platform, but Season 1 is currently only available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
12 Yasuke
Animated by Mappa (best known for their work on Attack on Titan), and writ💧ten by LeSean Thomas (the brains behind Cannon Buster), Yasuke has an all-star cast behind it. In it, we:
- Follow a very small cast of characters.
- Constantly deal with magic and the mystical arts.
- Experience a lot of drama, but also a lot of people talking their problems out like normal humans.
- Experience quite a bit of action-packed violence.
All of these aspects can be found in both Yasuke and series like Castlevania to some degree. Additionally, Yasuke is also loosely based on a real person in history named Yasuke, who was a daimyo of Oda Nobunaga, but this anime obviously takes some sharp turns into the fantasy genre, what with the giant mechs, magic, and more. Yasuke was also licensed by Netflix, so that’s the only place you can watch it.
11 ๊Hunter X Hunter (2011) ♌
Likely the longest inclusion on this list, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Hunter X Hunter may be more of a standard shonen story than Castlevania, but they still have a lot in common. Plus, even though this series' characters and powers feel like they were perfectly desi♍gned for a fun little fighting gam🍷e, HxH is deceptively dark. Now, as far as the ways it's similar to Castlevania, here are just a few of the many examples:
- While the action is the primary focus, almost every conflict also has large chunks of it where the important characters of the arc try talking through their issues and discussing their ideals.
- Nen, the power system this show created, is one of the most well-thought-out shounen power systems out there.
- Gon’s descent of a character arc is so gradual and straight-up uncomfortable at times, similar to Alucard's low points and even the opposite of Isaac's character growth.
- The setting is constantly changing, going from arcs based around a made-up pseudo-Pokemon sort of card game world to the middle of a monarch's castle in the desert fighting mutant Chimera Ants.
- The series has a great blend of darker and lighter moments like Castlevania does, going from gut-wrenching violence to uplifting comedy within the same scene with ease.
So, if you like the character interactions in shows like Castlevania, the amazing action, the hardcore violence, or the creative uses of magic used by Sypha, then Hunter X Hunter is a great show for you. Additionally, Hunter X Hunter is available to watch on a ton of different streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll.
10 Avatar: The Last Airbender 🍬
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a show created in the US, animated in South Korea, emulated Japanese anime, and utilized Chinese history/martial arts, so it's pretty safe to say the show is multicultural. While Castlevania isn't quite as "worldly", what it has in common with Avatar is:
- Incredibly well-animated and choreographed fight sequences that use the elements (AKA air, earth, fire, and water) in unique ways.
- A story focused on the personal journey of a small rag-tag group of characters against innumerable enemies and insurmountable odds.
- The main protagonist runs away from his "destiny", only to eventually come to terms with it.
- A big bad that’s obsessed with world domination/destruction with a son who learns to be everything his father wasn't.
Plus, if you were in love with Sypha’s elemental magic in Castlevania, the bending in both Avatar and The Legend of Korra should be right up your alley as well. The series is available to watch on Netflix, Prime Video, and Paramount+.
9 Berserk (Anime & Movies) 𓃲
This next e✅ntry is one that took a sudden and very tragic turn, as the author of this prolific series, Kentaro Miura, passed away at the young age of 54, leaving this world much too soon.
Miura was the creator of Berserk, an incredibly influential hyper-dark Seinen series that is one of the most beloved series of our time. Sadly, none of the attempts to adapt the series have covered the entirety of the source material or have truly done it justice. But, if you want to watch Guts' journey in motion regardless, the options are:
- The Anime Adaptation From 1997: Animated by OLM Inc, this anime did a decent job, but only covered up to just after the Eclipse Arc. It's available on Netflix.
- The Three Films Made By Studio C: Also well-done, and had surprisingly good CGI, but only covers up to the end of the Eclipse Arc as well. The only place to stream these films was on Netflix, but sadly they were removed in late 2022.
- The 2016 Liden Films Anime Adaptation: The worst attempt so far. It had a whole slew of problems throughout its entire run. All of this adaptation is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Guts, like Trevor Belmont, is a man who has been through hell time and time again, lost so much (including an arm, which to be fair, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:was replaced by something cooler), and has come out right🎃fully jaded, so if you somehow ended up watching Castlevania, then its time to go back and read (or watch) Berserk.
8 Claymore
Claymore focuses on an organization of genetically mutated monster hunters called “Claymores” that go around and hunt these creatures called “Yoma”. The easiest comparison to understand the setting and tone of Claymore is to say that it's like The Witcher X Berserk, but that’s not entirely far to Claymore either, as it:
- Focuses almost entirely on a cast of well-written all-female warriors.
- Is entirely tragic in almost every single character's backstory.
- Gives most Claymores their own unique sword-fighting style.
- Has a unique approach to the struggle of the Claymores, since they're half-human half-Yoma, instead of being full-human like most anime protags.
You can either read the source material for Claymore or check out the 26-episode anime animated by Madhouse that covers most of the story. The series is available to stream on multiple platforms such as Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Funimation.
7 𓃲 Devilma🎐n Crybaby
In comparison to the last two entrie🎉s, both of which are long Odyssey-esque stories, Devilman Crybaby is sort of the opposite. This series comes at you hard and fast, doesn’t let up, and is over before you know it.
Naturally, this is referring to the 2018 Netflix iteration of the Devilman IP, directed by the famed Masaaki Yuasa. Now, compared to shows or series like Castlevania, Devilman Crybaby is different in a couple of ways, as it's:
- Much more violent.
- Twice as nihilistic.
- Way more sexually charged.
- Intentionally less “detailed” in its style, but more expressive overall both in animation and still frames.
- Much more wacky and abstract.
And, while both series have Bayonetta-esque level𒉰s of over-the-top action, Devilman leans more towards body horror while Castlevania is more magical. In any case, the series is also on Netflix, so go give it a look at least, b🥀ut be ready to get hit with a lot of graphic stuff right away.
6 Hellsing & Hel💎lsing Ultimate
In the Hellsing manga and anime adaptations, the Hellsing Organization is essentially comparable to the Belmonts of Castlevania. They’re an organization entirely dedicated to fighting against powerful vampires, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:ancient or even modern-made mummies, bloodthirsty werewolves, and all other creatures of the night, with the main focus being on Alucard himself, the original 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:and most powerful vampire. Now, this iteration of Alucard is entirely different from Ca𓆏stlevania’s, as in Hellsing’s version:
- It's twisted, sarcastic, and pure chaos.
- It's lot more energetic and painfully nihilistic.
- Alucard is also Dracula in this story; they're not two separate people.
If you happened to also see Drifters, an anime that came out in 2016, you’ll assuredly enjoy both Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate, which are also both available on Hulu and Crunchyroll.