Anirban Bhattacharya
‘InuYasha’ is one of the best fantasy/romance anime out there. The way the characters are designed and the plot pans out are quite appealing. Over the years, it has generated a loyal fanbase that is growing in all rights. Though some fillers in the later stages deteriorated the quality of the anime, it is still an entertaining watch. The anime deals with a girl, Kagome, who gets transported to a different era in Japanese history. She finds out that there was an important jewel in her, which is now shattered. She needs to look for the jewel shards before they fall into the wrong hands. It is here that she enlists the help of a dog demon by the name of ‘InuYasha’.
If you’ve watched the anime and are looking for more titles that are stylistically and tonally similar to this one, then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s the list of best anime similar to ‘Inuyasha’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these anime like ‘Inuyasha’ on Netflix, Crunchyroll or Hulu.
8. Fushigi Yuugi (1995)
‘Fushigi Yuugi’ is an entertaining anime. Since it came out two decades ago, the animation is kind of old but if you enjoyed ‘InuYasha’, you will get through this one too. Both the anime deal with the main character who is a female transported to a different world, only in this case there are two girls who experience this. The adventure and fantasy theme will give you a similar feeling, although plots aren’t quite similar.
Yui Hongo and Miaka Yuuki are good friends and are currently junior-high school students. One day, they go to visit the national library and they literally get transported to a different world! Awesome, right? No, not so much. Turns out they have huge responsibilities in this world in the role of priestesses as they will have to summon the gods of two clans. Fate deals a wrong hand and the girls fall into the hands of rival clans, both of whom want their own priestess to call their respective God. Can the two friends fight against each other?
7. Kamisama Hajimemashita (2012)
Let’s just say that ‘Kamisama Hajimemashita’ is a funnier and less serious version of ‘InuYasha’. Here too there is a female protagonist who suddenly ends up in a sticky situation which lands a bunch of responsibilities on her shoulders. Helping her carry on these responsibilities is a wolf spirit (dog-demon in ‘InuYasha’). So, yes, they are quite similar. In fact, in both the anime, the lives of the girls are changed at the shrine they live in. The protagonist of the anime is Nanami Momozono, whose father ends up losing everything to debt and now she is all poor, alone, and homeless. She helps a man from a dog and the latter helps her by providing her with a roof. But turns out that the man is actually the land god of that shrine and he has run away from his responsibilities, making Nanami in-charge. Now, Nanami must stay here and fulfill her duties while trying to get along with various spirits, especially the wolf-spirit Tomoe with whom she ends up being in a pact.
6. Ranma ½ (1989)
You might be thinking what does a martial arts-themed anime like ‘Ranma 1/2’ have anything to do with this list about ‘InuYasha’? Well, there isn’t any similarity in plot between these two anime but the creators of both the anime are same — Takahashi Rumiko. So, you can experience similar art styles and character designs.
The series follows Ranma Saotome, who is a top-class martial artist. Once he and his dad were training in China and they accidentally end up falling into a cursed spring. What is this curse, I hear you ask? Well, Ranma now can have the weird ability to turn into a girl when splashed with cold water. But to come back to his original manhood, he needs to be splashed with hot water. Yes! Come on, we all knew Japan has a weird sense of humor. It does get us a few laughs though. Anyway, coming back to the plot, Ranma’s father is of no help since he complicates the matter by arranging his son to get married to one of the three daughters of Soun Tendo. Even after knowing about his secret, Soun agrees to Ranma marrying his youngest daughter Akane who is supposed to be a skilled martial artist and has a strong hatred towards men.
5. Akatsuki no Yona (2014)
‘Akatsuki no Yona’ is a popular adventure, fantasy anime. If you like a strong female protagonist who gets stuff done rather than sitting idle and looking pretty, then this is a pretty good anime for you. The series ends up on this list as the protagonist of the anime is a young girl whose life suddenly changes and she must now take control. Princess Yona has a nice luxurious life as she spends her day lazing around in the castle thinking that everything in her kingdom is peaceful and prosperous. But her peaceful life ends when her cousin dethrones the king by killing him and now Yona must escape with her childhood friend who also acts as her bodyguard. It is during this time that she learns the true nature of her kingdom where people are suffering and corruption is at its peak. This forces a change in the princess as she vows to reclaim her kingdom and pull it back to its glorious self.
4. Kekkaishi (2006)
Look, ‘Kekkaishi’ doesn’t necessarily have any plot elements similar to ‘InuYasha’, but the male protagonists are kind of similar in their personalities. Both are a bit headstrong and reckless at times (so, basically they are men) and are extremely protective of the female leads but while there is great romance in ‘InuYasha’, it lacks in ‘Kekkaishi’. Both anime are heavily inspired by Japanese mythologies. The Ayakashi are demons who attack the land of Karasumori in order to feed off the energy emanating from the land. The Kekkaishi are people with supernatural abilities allowing them to fight off the evil Ayakashi. The anime follows the life of two Kekkaishi Yoshimura Somimura and Tokine Yukimura as they try to protect their town from the Ayakashi. Even though they belong to rival clans, they have great teamwork between them, which allows them to thrive in battles.
3. Ushio to Tora (2015)
‘Ushio to Tora’ is an action, adventure genre anime which deals with demons and other supernatural stuff. The premise of the anime is kind of similar to ‘InuYasha’. In both series, the main characters’ lives are changed at a temple or shrine and they end up getting into a sticky situation where they need to ask the help of a demon. The difference is that the main character, in this case, is a male and the anime does not take place in past times.
Ushio Aotsuki, the protagonist of the anime, does not believe in his father’s claims about the existence of dangerous Youkai. But one day at his father’s temple, he stumbles upon a secret. He finds a Youkai impaled by the Beast Spear. The beast is Tora, who is known for his destructive powers. Tora tries to get Ushio to release him from his seal but Ushio decides otherwise. However, he has to release Tora when there is a Youkai outbreak. He then takes the spear as insurance if things go awry. The series is really fun if you like lots of actions in a supernatural setting.
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2. Ookami to Koushinryou (2008)
Many anime fans like wolf spirits and demons, which is why they find themselves enjoying a show like ‘InuYasha’. ‘Ookami to Koushinryou’ is an adventure, fantasy anime where the female lead is a wolf deity. The anime does not contain any action but is entertaining nonetheless. Holo, the female protagonist of the anime, is a strong wolf deity. For years, she has been blessing the harvest of the people of Pasloe. They revere her and celebrate her existence. But as times progress, people do not need her much and soon she becomes the stuff for folklore. Holo feels lonely and offers her help to a businessman if he takes her to her home in Yoitsu. The businessman, Kraft Lawrence, recognizes her skills, which could be useful in his tradings. This marks the start of the duo’s adventures. This is really a lovely anime and if you end up loving it, there’s a second season too!
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1. Tenkuu no Escaflowne (1996)
‘Tenkuu no Escaflowne’ has a premise that is similar to ‘InuYasha’. Like Kagome, the female protagonist of ‘Tenkuu no Escaflowne’ ends up in a different fantasy world. Also, both the anime have romantic subplots between the main characters, one of whom belongs to this different world. Hitomi Kanzaki’s normal life takes a drastic turn when a boy suddenly appears from the sky, followed by a dragon. Thanks to Hitomi’s premonition, the boy is able to kill the dragon.
So, all’s done and dusted, right? Nope. Suddenly, a light appears and sucks both of them into another world. This world is Gaea and the boy is Van, who is a prince of the kingdom of Fanelia. His kingdom is attacked and destroyed by the evil Zaibach empire. Now, Van and Hitomi are on the run from the evil forces of Zaibach. During this time, they make a number of allies, all of whom try to fight off Zaibach. This is also an entertaining anime for those who love the mecha genre.
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