Dragon Ballis, without a doubt, one of the biggest anime series of all time. The story’s fun character dynamics and mastery of over-the-top action have made it a household name in anime for decades, and even people who have never watchedDragon Ballcan understand how the series essentially kickstarted the modern anime industry as a whole.
There’s no denying how bigDragon Ballis, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only anime of its ilk that people should be watching. With how popularDragon Ballhas been for decades, its action and comedy have served as inspiration for countless works in and out of Japan, and sure enough,there is a wide variety of new-gen anime that have done a perfect job of keepingDragon Ball’s legacy alive. A few of those anime are especially noteworthy, as each one is perfect both for their synergy withDragon Balland their immense quality as a whole.
In MAPPA’sJujutsu Kaisen, Yuji Itadori is a boy with abnormal physical abilities who one day learns of the existence of evil supernatural beings called curses. An incident with a curse forces Yuji to become a vessel to Ryomen Sukuna, the most powerful and evil curse user in history, and thanks to his unexpected ability to suppress Sukuna’s power, Yuji is tasked with becoming a sorcerer and fighting curses until his superiors can execute him along with Sukuna’s soul.
Narratively speaking,Jujutsu Kaisencouldn’t be further removed fromDragon Ball, but fortunately,Jujutsu Kaisen’s creative and all-around gorgeous fight choreography gets right to the core ofDragon Ball’s stellar action. Add in a fun cast and story, and it’s easy to see whyJujutsu Kaisenhas become so iconic with anime fans old and new.
Science Saru’sDandadanstars Momo Ayase and Okarun, two teenagers obsessed with aliens and the supernatural who end up permanently changed by an encounter with both, with both teens gaining supernatural powers and Okarun losing his genitalia. Momo and Okarun work together and with others to get them back while fighting any supernatural threat they come across, all as a budding romance begins to develop between the two.
Dandadanis another anime that doesn’t have a lot of synergy withDragon Ball’s story, but between the fun and engaging character writing and the incredible action that goes along with it,Dandadan’s overall aesthetic undeniably has a similar appeal toDragon Ball. It’s one of the best new-gen anime a person can watch, and withDandadanseason 2almost here, that’s only going to become more apparent.
A-1 Pictures’Solo Levelingtakes place in a world where people can awaken to supernatural abilities and become Hunters to challenge mystical Gates for profit and to protect the innocent, and among those Hunters is Sung Jinwoo, regarded as the world’s weakest Hunter for his E-Rank status. When a near-death experience gives Jinwoo a video game-esque power, however, he’ll use it to slowly become stronger than everyone, even if he might lose his humanity in the process.
With a combination of gorgeous artwork and action scenes,Solo Leveling’s revolutionary production values have helped it quickly become one of the biggest anime in the world, a reputation that’s nothing but well-earned at this point. In many ways,Solo Levelingis the modernDragon Ballin that it’s a non-stop action anime that’s taken the world by storm, and that’s some of the best praise that can be offered to it.
YAIBA: Samurai Legend
Cast
YAIBA: Samurai Legend follows the journey of Yaiba Kurogane, a young samurai on a quest to become a master swordsman. Throughout his adventures, he faces formidable foes, acquires powerful allies, and confronts mystical challenges. Set in a fantastical version of feudal Japan, this anime-inspired narrative explores themes of honor and courage.
WIT Studio’sYaiba: Samurai Legendstars Yaiba Kurogane, a boy raised in the jungle who’s come to the city to further his dream of becoming a master samurai. Things become complicated, however, when Yaiba’s rival obtains demonic powers and a desire to take over the world, and Yaiba must find a way to match him in power to protect his new friends.
It’s one thing for Yaiba’s short stature, lack of social awareness, and obsession with fighting to make him a perfect copy of Kid Goku, but with its goofy comedy and incredible action scenes,Yaiba: Samurai Legend’s overall presentation is perfect for anyone looking for more classicDragon Ball. This was technically true of the originalYaibaanime in the 90s, but sure enough, the remake is the far better representation of the two.
6Me & Roboco
Anime Series By Studio Gallop; Based On The Manga By Shuhei Miyazaki
Studio Gallop’sMe & Robocostars Bondo Taira, a boy who, after much begging, is finally getting his own robot maid known as an OrderMaid. Rather than the cute and obedient robot he was supposed to get, however, Bondo is given a clumsy and eccentric OrderMaid named Roboco, and her presence causes his life to slowly become more and more absurd.
WhileDragon Ballis best known for its action, the series has always been meant to be an action-comedy at its core, and with its absurdist humor and tendency to be as weird as possible,Me & Robocois perfect for anyone feeling nostalgic for the comedic elements ofDragon Balland Akira Toriyama’s writing, in general. Comedy anime are severely underrated, but overall,Me & Robocois one of the best to watch, even without theDragon Ballconnection.
J.C.Staff’sOne-Punch Manstars Saitama, a former salaryman who, desperate for a change, decided to take up being a superhero as a hobby. After three years of training, Saitama finally makes his debut, but he has two new problems: Saitama’s intense training made him go bald, and he’s become so strong that he can defeat anyone in one punch, thus making his superhero career incredibly boring.
Both theOne-Punch Mananime and manga are famous for the ever-escalating scale of their battles and the gorgeous artwork and animation that accompany them at every turn, and with just how far the series tends to go with it,the incredible scale ofOne-Punch Man’s action makes it perfect for anyone who sought out the same inDragon Ball. Granted, season 2 was a notable dip in quality, but hopefully,One-Punch Manseason 3will put things right back on track.
Studio Pierrot’sBlack Cloverstars Asta, a boy who aspires to become the Wizard King, the strongest wizard in the Clover Kingdom. At first, Asta had an obvious handicap of being the only person who couldn’t use magic, but when a mysterious grimoire grants Asta the power of anti-magic, he finally has a chance to prove himself, just as his home is thrown into a potentially world-ending crisis.
Not only is Asta another protagonist who takes after Goku by being a dimwitted hero with tremendous willpower, but the way magic is used inBlack Cloveris very reminiscent ofDragon Ball’s energy attacks, and Asta and other characters even develop transformations in the same vein as Super Saiyan. Add in how big the scale of the combat gets, and overall,Black Cloveris one of the best anime of the 2010s at capturing the same appeal asDragon Ball.
Bones Film’sMy Hero Academiatakes place in a world where superheroes have long since become a part of everyday life thanks to the emergence of superpowers called Quirks. Izuku Midoriya is one of the rare people to be born Quirkless, but he still wants to be a hero, and after a chance meeting with his idol, All Might, Izuku is put on the path toward becoming the world’s greatest hero.
On the surface,My Hero Academiamight not have much overlap withDragon Ball, but its art style has the same simplicity that definedDragon Ball, and it’s also used to make its action stand out as effectively as possible with creative and all-around great fight choreography.My Hero Academiadoes a great job of capturing the core aesthetic of what makesDragon Ballgreat, and that’s a big part of what makes it so fun to watch.
In Toei Animation’sDragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, 10 years after the Hero Avan saved the world from the Demon King Hadlar, an even stronger villain, the Dark King Vearn, has appeared to try and take over the world. After a chance encounter with Hadlar, it falls onto a young boy named Dai to become the world’s next Hero and, along with his friends, defeat the Dark King Vearn and bring peace back to the world, no matter how challenging that may be.
In addition toDragon Ball, Akira Toriyama famously helped co-create the iconicDragon Questfranchise, and that is perfectly felt here, asDragon Quest: The Adventure of Daiperfectly capturesDragon Ball’s aesthetic with its fun adventure writing and thrilling fight scenes. The 2020 adaptation is the first time the story was adapted in full, and there’s no better way to experience such a phenomenal story.
Ufotable’sDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaibatakes place in a world where Japan has been plagued by man-eating demons for centuries. One day, one of those demons slaughters the family of Tanjiro Kamado and turns his sister into a demon, and from there, Tanjiro makes it his mission to become a Demon Slayer and rid the world of demons while somehow turning Nezuko back into a human.
Thanks to its incredible visuals and heartfelt writing,Demon Slayerhas quickly taken the world by storm to an unprecedented degree, and it goes without saying thatDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaibahas takenDragon Ball’s place as the most popular anime franchise in the world.Demon Slayer’s incredible quality makes that reputation more than justified, of course, and with that in mind, there’s no better example of anew-gen anime keepingDragon Ball’s legacy alive.
