Anirban Bhattacharya
‘Zero no Tsukaima‘ is a popular romantic comedy anime with magic and fantasy as its central themes. It follows a very popular and proven trope which always works in tales of romantic comedy adventures. The plot centers on a Tsundere girl and boy who is a coward. Due to the boy’s shy nature, the girl dominates him at first before she falls for him. ‘Zero no Tsukaima’ reinvents the cliched romantic comedy setting while offering a refreshing anime experience for to the viewers. Here’s the list of best anime similar to ‘Zero no Tsukaima’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these anime like ‘Zero no Tsukaima’ on Netflix, Crunchyroll or Hulu.
7. Oda Nobuna no Yabou (2012)
‘Oda Nobuna no Yabou’ is a romantic comedy anime with a plot consisting of time-travel into the past. Yes, it might feel like your everyday harem anime with bits of romance and fun, but things are more interesting than that. The series evokes a similar feel like that of ‘Zero no Tsukaima’ with the help of a well-crafted story, high production values, stunning animation, and convincing character arcs. But in the former, the protagonist has been transferred to another world, whereas in ‘Oda Nobuna no Yabou,’ the protagonist is sent back in time into the past.
Though both anime feature similar female leads, their male leads are different on their own terms. In ‘Oda Nobuna no Yabou,’ the plot follows Yoshiharu Sagara, the male protagonist who finds himself being transported to the past one fine day. He lands in a time frame of the legendary Sengoku battle. An unknown warrior hero saves him from the face of death but sacrifices his own life in the confrontation. The warrior makes Yoshiharu promise that he will become a feudal lord one day. Soon after the death of the warrior, Yoshiharu learns that the time-frame he landed sports a twisted gender reality where all the generals and warriors are beautiful girls. He also realizes that the change is just external and they are still the same vicious war-mongers who summon doom on people like him.
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6. Seireitsukai no Blade Dance (2014)
‘Seireitsukai no Blade Dance’ is a standard harem with a good enough plot to keep you vested in if you are into stereotypical romance and harem stuff. The show is a slightly different version of ‘Zero no Tsukaima.’ Both titles feature Tsundere female leads who lock deals with their strong male counterparts. Both these male leads fall in love with the main female characters and vice versa. Though the plots do take different channels but their base is very much similar.
The plot follows holy Shrine Princesses who attend the Areisha Spirit Academy where these princesses undergo secretive training to become Elementalist. The most difficult test in the training is to form a slave contract with a spirit and then face each other off in competitions. Only girls have the power to form contracts as per the traditions of the school. But in the history of 1000 years, a male disciple comes forward to take the risk. But it has been rumored that the man has “grabbed” his powers from a princess. Nobody knows the real reason behind his entry into the upcoming competition. Will our harem hero be able to go through the test that only women stand?
5. Hidan no Aria (2011)
‘Hidan no Aria‘ is an action-comedy that takes place in a school setting. It employs all the common anime trope you need to make a harem romance anime work. We have some pretty female characters and a male character who is destined to wear the mantle of the harem king. Though it lacks the magic of ‘Zero no Tsukaima,’ it evokes similar feelings. Both have male characters who enjoy particular eccentricities and are misunderstood by others. The female lead has a turbulent relationship with the male lead.
The plot centers on Tokyo Butei High, a unique concept school established by the Japanese government to curtail the rocketing crime rate. Here students train to become Butei or armed detectives who are mercenaries for the justice system. Kinji Tooyama, the male lead in the anime, is a skilled Butei. But he is embarrassed about his special ability and is keen to keep a low profile. One day he has a run-in with the infamous criminal lord, the Butei Killer. He does use his skills which impress Butei leader Aria Holmes Kanzaki who insists that Kinji should become her partner.
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4. Hayate no Gotoku! (2007)
‘Hayate no Gotoku!’ is a nice action, comedy, harem anime. It is entertaining, funny and features nice animation. It does not follow one specific anime trope rather it mixes lots of things which work in accordance with each other to provide perfect funny anime experience. The anime is quite similar to ‘Zero no Tsukaima.’ The male lead in both the anime are poor and find themselves in a different place all of a sudden. Though in ‘Hayate no Gotoku!’ it isn’t any magical world or so. In both anime, the female lead at first bosses around with the male character and then falls in love with him.
Hayate Ayasaki is an unfortunate kid who has been abandoned by his parents and sold to the Yakuza clan to settle debt trap of 150 million yen. But he does not want any part of such a life. So he runs away and stumbles upon Nagi Sanzenin, who belongs to one of the wealthiest families in Japan. . He decides to kidnap her and ask for ransom from her family. But for her, Hayate is a suitor who falls for her and prepares to elope. But real kidnappers turn up unexpectedly and Hayate ends up saving her from them. Thus, he becomes her butler and starts his life with the affluent family. Will he be able to handle it?
3. Dog Days (2011)
‘Dog Days’ is an action, adventure anime with themes of fantasy and magic. At first, the series might come out as slow or lack-lustre endeavor but it grows on you with time. It has nice animation and a perfect try for those who are into the Ecchi stuff. The anime is kind of similar to ‘Zero no Tsukaima’ when it comes to the premise. We have a male character who is transported to another world when a girl summons him in both the anime. Also, the shows contain similar exotic elements in the narrative.
Flonyar is an alternate world which is quite similar to Earth with inhabitants resemble humans. They also have some advanced features like big ears and tails which earn them the name, dog-people. In Flonyar, the dog-people live in the Republic of Biscotti. Currently, they are facing hard times due to an attack from a feline race. Princess Millhiore of the kingdom decides to summon a hero from Earth. That hero turns out to be a normal boy named Cinque Izumi who agrees to help them. In a world where disputes are settled through games and sports, Cinque does his best to save his hosts. But he becomes disheartened when the Flonyar scientists inform his that all their efforts to send him back to Earth failed. Soon, the boy find himself at the crossroads of his destiny among strange people on a new planet.
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2. Shakugan no Shana (2005)
‘Shakugan no Shana‘ is an action, drama and supernatural genre anime. Since it targets a niche audience, you will either love it or hate it. Chances are if you enjoyed watching ‘Zero no Tsukaima’ then you might want to give ‘Shakugan no Shana’ a try. Both anime are kind of similar as they have similar male and female protagonist. The female protagonist is a Tsundere who appears in almost all the anime on this list. Then we have a male lead who is submissive in nature and hangs around with a dominant female.
In ‘Shakugan no Shana,’ a bunch of soul-eating monsters known as Crimson Denizens attack human race. After they are done, the human race is left with a small amount of light or soul is left with human race, called “the torch,” which soon burns out along with the memory of the person who holds it. The only people fighting against the invaders are the flame hazes. Yuuji Sakai, the male lead in the anime is attacked by a Denizen. A girl having crimson hair and burning eyes saves him from death but it’s too late because he has already fallen into “the torch” phase.
1. Toradora! (2008)
The only reason ‘Toradora!‘ is on this list is because it is a romantic comedy and has some similarity to ‘Zero no Tsukaima’ when it comes to the characterization. Meanwhile, the plots are different in both the anime. ‘Toradora!’ is quite entertaining though and if you enjoy romantic comedies, then give it a try. The plot follows Ryuuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka, who have deceptive appearances. Though Ryuuji is pretty kind and good-natured, he looks like a delinquent. On the other hand, Taiga looks cute like a doll with a feisty nature. The other common factor is that they have a crush on each other’s best friends. Should they play cupid for one another?
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