15 Anime Similar to Naruto to Satisfy Your Needs

It’s been a few years since I made a list of anime similar to Naruto, and there are many new and omitted shows that haven’t been added to the old list. So, I thought it would be a good idea to create an updated list. Plus, it’s been a while since I wrote anything about Naruto!

After all, Naruto is part of the holy shounen trinity along with One Piece & Bleach, which means that it’s extremely popular and also epic at the same time and that means only one thing—it deserves more love!

Naruto is set in the world of ninjas and follows the story of Uzumaki Naruto, a young aspiring ninja who is determined to become the leader of his village because his deepest wish is to get acknowledged & accepted by others.

Here are 15 anime like Naruto & Naruto Shippuden!

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15. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

• Genres: Action, Supernatural, Demons, Historical, Shounen
• Episodes: 26

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba revolves around Tanjirou, a young boy whose soul got scarred by a tragedy⁠—all members of his family except his younger sister, Nezuko, were slaughtered by a demon and she has turned into one.

Tanjirou swears to avenge his family and embarks on a journey to find a way how to turn Nezuko back into a human.

Naruto and Kimetsu no Yaiba are both remarkable battle-fueled shounen with touching scenes and the topic of revenge as one of the central themes.

Naruto and Tanjirou are similar when it comes to their positive attitude, hard work, personal development over time, and strong potential for growing more powerful in the future because of their respective goals.

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14. The Legend of the Legendary Heroes

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Shounen
• Episodes: 24

The Legend of the Legendary Heroes is an underrated and poorly known shounen, along with #8 on this list.

Set in a medieval world filled with magic and monsters, a new king takes over the throne and is determined to bring positive change to the Kingdom of Roland. To achieve this goal, he orders his friend Ryner and the skilled swordswoman Ferris to seek out the Legendary Hero relics in the name of world peace.

However, the two soon discover that their mission is more dangerous than they initially thought. As they journey through the kingdom, they uncover a sinister plot involving ancient magic and powerful artifacts that threaten to bring about the end of the world. With their skills and wits put to the test, Ryner and Ferris must work together to stop the forces of darkness and restore peace to the kingdom.

Like Naruto, The Legend of the Legendary Heroes is an action-packed anime full of plot twists and themes that tackle friendship, loyalty, and betrayal.

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13. Yuu Yuu Hakushou

• Genres: Action, Comedy, Supernatural, Demons, Martial Arts, Shounen
• Episodes: 112

Another action-packed shounen anime like Naruto is Yuu Yuu Hakushou.

The mangaka behind this series is Yoshihiro Tagashi, who is best known for writing and illustrating the popular Hunter x Hunter series. The Yuu Yuu Hakushou manga was adapted into a 112-episode anime that aired between 1992 and 1992. The anime was produced by Studio Pierrot.

The story follows Yusuke Urameshi, a young boy who passes away in a car accident. However, he’s brought back to life under one condition: he must become a Spirit Detective. As a Spirit Detective, his job is to solve conflicts between humans and yokai.

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12. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Shounen
• Episodes: 64

FMA: Brotherhood is the highest-rated anime on MaL. Whether this is because FMA fans keep downvoting the new anime that are breathing on its neck or if it’s really that insanely good is not up to me to judge because I honestly don’t know. The first scenario seems to be more likely, though.

FMA: Brotherhood centers around an alchemist prodigy, Edward Elric, who is trying to find a way how to restore his brother’s physical body which disappeared after a failed transmutation.

Both anime are adventurous with a protagonist that doesn’t give up and fights to protect his friends.

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11. Dragon Ball

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Super Power, Shounen
• Episodes: 291

Dragon Ball is basically the father of second-generation shounen anime like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece.

Masashi Kishimoto—the mangaka of Naruto—even openly admits that the character Naruto is inspired by the protagonist of Dragon Ball—Goku. There are a few inspired elements that Masashi borrowed from it but I absolutely disagree with ridiculous statements like “Naruto is a rip-off of Dragon Ball” etc.

The series begins with a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku befriending a teenage girl named Bulma. Together, they go on an adventure to find the seven mystical Dragon Balls, which have the ability to summon the powerful dragon Shenron, who can grant whoever summoned him their greatest desire.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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10. Blue Exorcist

• Genres: Action, Fantasy, Supernatural, Demons, Shounen
• Episodes: 25

Blue Exorcist follows Rin Okumura who appears to be an ordinary, somewhat troublesome teenager—that is until one day he is ambushed by demons. His world turns upside down when he discovers that he is, in fact, the very son of Satan and that his demon father wishes for him to return so they can conquer Assiah together.

Not wanting to join the king of Gehenna, Rin decides to begin training to become an exorcist so that he can fight to defend Assiah alongside his brother Yukio.

(Source: MaL)

Both main characters were rejected as kids by their respective communities and also have amazing hidden powers that are considered “evil” but they use them for good purposes.

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9. Jujutsu Kaisen

• Genres: Action, Supernatural, Demons, School, Shounen
• Episodes: 24

Jujutsu Kaisen is undoubtedly one of the most popular anime of 2020.

It follows the story of a high school student that gets dragged into a thrilling world of shamans and cursed spirits after consuming a cursed object and gaining its power.

Honestly, they share tons of similarities, so let’s break it down.

The main protagonists are extremely overpowered thanks to being permanent demon/ cursed spirit hosts. They both have an immensely strong will and that helps them to not get overtaken completely by the demon/ cursed spirit inside them, and they can use their powers.

To top it off, they both revolve around a trio of ninjas/shamans who attend the same school. One of the goals is to protect the living ordinary people from harm.

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8. D. Gray-Man 

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Demons, Super Power, Shounen
• Episodes: 103

D. Gray-Man is one of the most underrated shounen anime, which is a huge pity. The series has an intricate storyline, well-developed characters, and stunning action sequences.

Set in the 19th century, the anime follows the story of a young boy named Allen Walker. Allen joins the Black Order, an organization of exorcists who use an ancient substance called Innocence to battle the Millenium Earl, a powerful villain with an army of demons who seek to destroy humanity.

The series revolves around the concept of Innocence and how it is used by the exorcists to fight the demons. Allen, who possesses a unique and mysterious arm, is rumored to be the prodigy fully compatible with Innocence. He could potentially become the ultimate weapon needed to defeat the Millenium Earl and save humanity from certain doom.

At first glance, these anime might not appear similar, but believe me, they are! Both anime share similarities in their protagonists’ characterizations, motivations, and development throughout the story.

The protagonists of both Naruto and D.Gray-Man are willing to do everything to protect their friends and the world from evil forces. They undergo intense training to become more powerful and capable of defeating their enemies. Through their experiences and battles, they awaken new powers that help them overcome obstacles.

Additionally, both protagonists are shunned by people around them because they are seen as “cursed” or different. However, this curse turns out to be useful and incredibly powerful, ultimately becoming a significant advantage for the protagonists.

Furthermore, both anime shows feature a trio of quirky characters who work together as a team, adding a unique dynamic to the story.

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7. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Super Power, Shounen
• Episodes: 215, Currently airing

What anime series would be more similar to Naruto than its literal “child series”?

Boruto is basically Naruto but follows his kids instead. And, of course, Naruto and other popular characters from Naruto are a part of this “Boruto Universe” as well.

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6. Black Clover

• Genres: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Shounen
• Episodes: 170

Ranging from friendly rivalry to the typical underdog story of the main character, these anime are clearly extremely similar.

Black Clover borrows tons of elements from Naruto. Both shows are about a talentless but determined kid overcoming his struggles on his journey to the top. They tackle the themes of friendship, loyalty, rivalry, and the importance of sticking to your ideals.

The anime focuses on Asta, a young orphan who lived in an orphanage from his birth along with his fellow orphan, Yuno. The two consider each other rivals but deeply care for each other and dream of becoming the next Wizard King, the title awarded to the strongest mage of the Kingdom.

Despite being raised together Yuno wields amazing magic power from a young age whilst Asta is not able to utilize his Mana in the form of Magical Power. The fact that Yuno has such talent and Asta is basically considered “useless” in the magical world would probably make one give up—but not Asta—he never gives in!

Motivated by their mutual desire to become the next Wizard King, they embark on a journey to become Magic Knights.

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5. My Hero Academia

• Genres: Action, Comedy, Schoo, Super Power, Shounen
• Episodes: 13

BNHA is considered the successor of Naruto. The creator of BNHA even stated that he took some inspiration from Naruto because he is a fan of his work. As a result, it’s only logical that this anime gets compared to Naruto so much. Both of them are stories about lovable underdogs who never give up despite being weak. They aim to achieve their respective goals no matter what. And of course, superpowers come with that.

BNHA tells the story of Izuku Midoriya, a young boy who is well-known as the boy without a Quirk. Quirks are special powers that are fairly common among people in BNHA Universe. Izuku idolizes and adores pro heroes, extremely powerful individuals with the most OP Quirks who protect the cities and citizens from villains.

Despite being labeled as both useless and weak, he makes a life-changing decision to become a pro-hero no matter what!

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4. Hunter x Hunter (2011)

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Super Power, Shounen
• Episodes: 148

Hunter x Hunter is my all-time favorite anime (and shounen). I recommend this anime to absolutely everyone because I feel like it deserves more appreciation than it gets and you are really missing out if you haven’t seen this masterpiece. It’s really hard to find a similar anime matching the quality of HxH. The only downside of this anime (and manga) is that it’s almost always on a hiatus and hence it’s not completed.

HxH tells the story of Gon and his friends, particularly his best friend, Killua, who had used to be a childhood assassin before he took the hunter exam.

Both Killua and Gon eventually become licensed Hunters. Being licensed as an official Hunter bestows several desirable benefits on the licensee, ranging from the usage of public facilities at no cost to reduced legal responsibility for the murder.

The two of them start training to become stronger and set off to achieve Gon’s goal to find his father.

In both anime, there are special unique abilities & power systems, exams for the ones becoming hunters (or ninjas in the case of Naruto), and even the protagonists are extremely similar—gullible, nice, and compassionate to everyone they meet. They would die for their friends.

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3. Bleach

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Supernatural, Super Power, Shounen
• Episodes: 366

Bleach is an essential part of the Big Three, which also includes One Piece and Naruto.

The story follows Ichigo Kurosaki, a high schooler who has been able to see ghosts and hollows since he was a child. After an unexpected encounter with a Soul Reaper, he becomes one himself and gains the power to protect his town from hollows.

With over 300 episodes, Bleach is packed with action scenes, cool abilities, and protagonists who are willing to risk their lives for the sake of others.

However, the series also has its fair share of filler episodes that may frustrate some viewers.

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2. One Piece

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Super Power, Shounen
• Episodes: 991, Currently airing

When looking for anime like Naruto, One Piece is a must-watch series, as it is also considered part of the holy shounen trinity.

It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew who set off to find a famous treasure called the titular One Piece.

While one is about ninjas and the other is about pirates, they share many similarities. Loyalty, trust, and friendship are the main themes of both these anime. If you love Naruto’s personality, Luffy is like Naruto—a simpleton who is cheerful and kind—even to his enemies—always showing compassion, even to people who don’t deserve it. Luffy & Naruto become powerful because it’s necessary to achieve their respective goals.

If you enjoy the power of friendship and determination, One Piece is an anime that must be added to your watch list.

Also, you will have tons of episodes to watch because One Piece is a long-running series. 991 and counting!

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1. Fairy Tail

• Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Shounen
• Episodes: 175

The most similar anime to Naruto is another long-running shounen, Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail follows the adventures of the wizards of an (in)famous wizard guild called Fairy Tail.

Both anime have similar characters in terms of personality and even usefulness.

Natsu, the protagonist of Fairy Tail is a cheerful and hot-headed boy who will do everything to protect his guild and comrades. Again, it’s that “idiot” shounen protagonist who heavily resembles Naruto.

Lucy is that one useless girl who we can compare to Sakura in Naruto.

Grey is the cool one, just like Sasuke.

Then we have obviously others who are also part of the main cast. So it’s not just focused on the trio but rather almost the whole guild of Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail wizards also protect the world in case of danger and accept various quests to make money or help someone. They always do what is right & protect those who are dear to them. This is just the way ninjas are supposed to behave in Naruto when they protect the world & their respective villages.

All of the characters have some kind of magical powers that are unique to each character in the show. This is a similar system to the special abilities we see in Naruto.