10 TV Shows/Anime Like ‘Tokyo Ghoul’

Witness More Thrilling & Chilling Tales!

Tokyo Ghoul is an anime that became a smash hit with worldwide audiences. With its endless amounts of gore and memorable OST, fans frolicked toward this show like a Black Friday bargain sale. While its time in the spotlight has come to a close, Tokyo Ghoul delivered the violence, thrills, and chills necessary to capture the attention of many people.

Our tale follows a meek college student named Kaneki who goes on a date with a strange woman. This date takes a turn for the worst, leaving Kaneki to awaken inside a hospital bed the next morning. When he leaves the hospital, Kaneki realizes that he’s become a ghoul and has a craving for human blood.

Forced to live a new life of pain and sorrow, the anime focuses on Kaneki’s journey to balance his lifestyle and uncover the mystery surrounding ghouls

If you’re having trouble finding anime similar to Tokyo Ghoul, fear not! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as Tokyo Ghoul.

Additionally, for each anime we’ve reviewed, we’ve included a link that allows you to view our full thoughts about the series to see if it’s worth your time.

So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet your appetite when you’ve finished streaming Tokyo Ghoul!

Ajin: Demi-Human

Similarities – Dark Worlds With Similar Characters

Ajin: Demi-Human (Ajin) is a fun thriller and horror anime that will keep you entertained. This anime contains a wonderful narrative, exhilarating fights, and a dark atmosphere that’s on par with Tokyo Ghoul’s offerings. Unfortunately, Ajin: Demi-Human doesn’t feature the best animation.

This anime is entirely made in CGI and the repercussions of this decision are apparent. While the animation does get better, it’ll take a while for your eyes to adjust to the characters’ weird movements and designs. If you can look past its terrible animation, you’re in for a worthwhile experience.

Ajin: Demi-Human follows Kei Nagai, a high schooler with the goal of becoming a doctor. While lost in thought, his teacher goes over the dangerous Ajin. The Ajin are powerful entities who can’t be destroyed by normal means. Whenever they’re spotted, the government sends the military to their location to take them into custody.

Unfortunately, Kei doesn’t pay attention in class, which will bite him in the butt, after he survives a horrifying car accident. He wakes up from the incident and learns that he’s become an Ajin himself. Worried that the government will take him away, Kei must hide from the world, never to return to the mundane lifestyle he once had.

Parasyte: The Maxim

Similarities – Action & Story

Ironically, Parasyte: The Maxim (Parasyte) and Tokyo Ghoul started airing in 2014 with the former coming out a month after the latter ended its first seasonal run. These shows both feature characters encountering a supernatural entity and having their lives changed by said being.

Furthermore, the protagonists start as meek and weak-minded individuals. As Parasyte and Tokyo Ghoul progresses, fans will see these protagonists steadily grow into sharp-minded and formidable combatants. The enemies they encounter harbor bloodlust, and all have individual characteristics that set them apart from other evildoers.

Both stories get more intense as they progress. You’ll see these protagonists tackle hardships and undergo severe trauma. If you’re looking for another anime that’s nearly identical to Tokyo Ghoul regarding the story, characters, and violence, then Parasyte: The Maxim awaits you!

Attack On Titan

Similarities – Humans Vs The Supernatural

Tokyo Ghoul owes a lot to Attack On Titan for paving the way for anime to hit a mainstream audience. Attack On Titan attained a cult following and set a high bar for future shows. With its gruesome world, fierce monstrosities, and endless bloodshed, Attack On Titan is a worthwhile series to watch after Tokyo Ghoul.

Kaneki shares a lot of ground with Attack On Titan’s Eren Yeager. Both characters are fighting to survive and encounter numerous enemies–small and large that wish to take them out. At the same time, the monsters in Attack On Titan feel more deadly and appear more massive in scale, unlike Kaneki’s ghoul and hunter foes.

Regardless, each enemy gives off this feeling of bloodlust and hunger that will send chills down your spine. The characters in these shows harbor likable traits and battle prowess. While most of the characters Eren encounters don’t attain similar powers as himself, they have enough ability and strength to warrant their importance.

Tokyo Ghoul fans seeking another intense anime with an incredible narrative and satisfying fights should give Attack On Titan a shot.

Deadman Wonderland

Similarities – Horror & Bloodshed

When Toonami returned during the early 2010s it played two series called Casshern Sins and Deadman Wonderland. The first episode of Deadman Wonderland was menacingly dark, which surprised many fans. Kaneki and Deadman Wonderland’s protagonist Ganta had a terrible upbringing.

These males started their lives as mundane humans but had their lives changed after an encounter with supernatural entities. As a result, both characters get involved in numerous deadly circumstances where their lives are always on the line. They attain powers similar to their enemies and end up fighting numerous foes and overcoming odds to develop their psychological and physical prowess.

Like Tokyo Ghoul, the bouts Ganta endures in Deadman Wonderland will leave him injured and beaten in the worse ways possible. There will be some scenes that will make viewers turn a blind eye due to the excruciating pain Ganta and others endure in this show. Furthermore, Deadman Wonderland’s side characters get some spotlight in the series and have distinct personalities that fans will adore or despise.

With its endless violence and gritty visuals, Deadman Wonderland is a great series to check out after Tokyo Ghoul.

Devils Line

Similarities – Vampires

Devils Line is another series that contains vampires, action, and suspense. This series features enjoyable characters, beautiful visuals, and immense bloodshed. What sets this apart from Tokyo Ghoul would be its emphasis on the romance between its protagonist and their love interest.

Our story takes place in a world where vampires walk among society and only go ballistic when pushed over the edge. At the center of this society is our protagonist, Tsukasa Taira, a university student who discovers that her longtime friend is a vampire after their encounter with a human and vampire hybrid named Anzai.

Unfortunately, her friend gets arrested and Tsukasa finds herself drawn to Anzai’s beautiful looks. While their romance starts off swimmingly, the series focuses on Anzai’s struggles to contain his vampire half that wishes to devour Tsukasa.

Akame Ga Kill

Similarities – Supernatural & Action

Akame Ga Kill is a violent anime with occasional comedic slice-of-life moments. There are some occasions when our characters spend their time exploring their environment or participating in fun activities under the sun. At the same time, Akame Ga Kill’s cast is full of individuals who enjoy the heat of battle.

As with Tokyo Ghoul, the fights in this show look impeccable and feel fun to sit through. Viewers can expect its animation to kick it up a notch during these physical exchanges between our protagonists and their enemies. That said, Akame Ga Kill lacks development time for our characters.

This is a series where viewers shouldn’t grow attached to anyone. Many favorable characters will meet death’s door in this show, which is bothersome for some because not enough time is spent fleshing them out. If you’re looking for a show with incredible action scenes and fun slice-of-life moments, check out Akame Ga Kill.

Death Note

Similarities – Story, Suspense, Supernatural

Death Note is a supernatural thrill ride full of engaging twists and turns. While it doesn’t offer any intense fights like Tokyo Ghoul, this show doesn’t fall flat in the character and mystery department. The rivalry between its protagonists Light and L will grab anyone’s attention once things kick off.

Through clever mind games and strategy, Light and L will leave a stellar impression on anyone who hasn’t witnessed great cat-and-mouse dynamics in anime before. Death Note and Tokyo Ghoul offer great tension and build upon their critical scenes well.

The stories in these shows aren’t too different. Light obtains supernatural powers after his fateful encounter with a strange notebook, owned by a shinigami death god named Ryuk. This notebook gives Light the power to murder anyone he wants, as long as he writes their first and last name inside the notebook’s pages. This is a chilling premise that’s sure to catch Tokyo Ghoul fans by surprise.

Psycho-Pass

Similarities – Violence, Story, Setting

Can a world with technology define a person’s likelihood of committing crimes? Can it assess the perfect occupation for them based on their criminal history? Psycho-Pass is a crime-themed anime that addresses this outcome.

The story takes place in futuristic Japan, where the Sibyl System determines a person’s threat level by analyzing their mindset. However, Akane Tsunemori, a young woman who stands for justice, discovers the system’s fallacies and wants to inform the world of her discovery.

Although Kaneki and Akane serve opposite factions, the journeys they endure feature a similar melancholy and dark atmosphere. Furthermore, both anime features a great balance of gore and action and tackle psychological themes. Both anime demonstrates a great understanding of the human psyche and place our characters in worlds full of corruption.

It’s their universe’s unfairness and gloomy atmosphere that drives people to flock to these anime. If you’re looking for a show centered around crime and offers some fun action bits, check out Psycho-Pass.

Claymore

Similarities – Atmosphere, Gore, Story

Tokyo Ghoul and Claymore are anime that many will walk away feeling mixed about. While these shows offer exhilarating fights, beautiful visuals, and likable characters, these anime come across as failed adaptations to some. For Claymore, the anime doesn’t contain a full adaptation of the manga and lacks a solid ending.

The ending this show receives is more original but lacks the impact of its source material. If you can overlook this anime’s failure to adapt to the manga it originated from, then you’re in for a fun treat with this show. Kaneki and Claymore’s Clare walk similar paths.

Both characters endure life-changing scenarios and obtain supernatural strength on par with those that affected their lives. Clare’s fights with her world’s monsters and skilled huntsmen are on par with the bouts Kaneki tackles in Tokyo Ghoul. With its similar storytelling approach to its chilling atmosphere, Claymore is a worthy show to follow up on after Tokyo Ghoul.

Elfen Lied

Similarities – Action & Tragedy

From one hardcore female to another, we follow Lucy from Elfen Lied. Lucy endures similar levels of tragedy and hardship as Kaneki does in Tokyo Ghoul. While the anime never addresses how Lucy became a fierce superpowered humanoid, it has her enduring the harsh realities that come from being different.

Like Kaneki, Lucy witnesses many tragic events unfold before her eyes. From bullies murdering her pet puppy to scaring off a boy she loved, fans will find it difficult not to sympathize with her character. At the same time, Lucy doesn’t hold back from making people pay for their actions.

To some extent, she’s more brutal and violent than Kaneki. While it takes Kaneki a while to obtain a similar mindset, Lucy is portrayed as this merciless killer from the get-go. From cruel soldiers to beings like her, if you threaten to harm her or her friends, she won’t hold back.

With splashes of romance, tragic outcomes, and gore, Elfen Lied is a perfect anime to dive into after you’ve finished watching Tokyo Ghoul.