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The Promised Neverland was one of Shōnen Jump’s latest breakout franchises that took the shōnen anime community by storm with its clever storytelling, intelligent child cast, and endless mind games. With its cunning twists and turns, The Promised Neverland’s definitely worth praising. Our tale follows a girl named Emma and her friends spending quality time with their caregiver Isabella at the Gracefield Family Orphanage. They participate in many child-like activities from hide-and-seek to taking various tests to boost their knowledge. However, Emma and her friends’ world comes crashing down when they discover the darker truth behind their family’s beloved orphanage. Fear not if you’re having trouble finding anime similar to The Promised Neverland! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as The Promised Neverland. 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 The Promised Neverland!
Attack On Titan
Similarities – Dark Worlds
Love or despise it, Attack On Titan is responsible for causing another boom in worldwide popularity for anime and manga content. Like The Promised Neverland, Attack On Titan’s first episode was a jaw-dropping and heartbreaking thrill ride that catapulted into the complex storytelling we’ve seen the series develop over time. This hardcore anime takes place in a world where humans live inside large towns surrounded by giant stone walls. These walls protect the citizens from terrifying humanoid creatures called Titans. Unfortunately, one of these civilizations finds its wall broken by a giant Colossal Titan and his Armored Titan ally. This leads to the Titans infiltrating Wall Maria, murdering everyone in sight besides our protagonist Eren Yeager and his friends. Having lost most of his family to the Titan menace, Eren vows to slaughter every Titan in his wake. To do so, he and his friends join the Survey Corps, a military squadron designed to murder Titans. As one can tell, The Promised Neverland and Attack On Titan offer viewers dark worlds full of mystery and despair. Both series adopt this adventurous facade at a certain point, allowing fans to get a general idea of their distinct worlds. If you’re looking for another survival-themed anime with more action, then Attack On Titan’s worth watching. You can read our thoughts on Attack On Titan in our full-season review here!
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Similarities – Children In A Depressing World
To some extent, Puella Magi Madoka Magica gave rise to many series adopting this theme of placing children in deadly circumstances. Madoka Magica feels more magical than The Promised Neverland, though. This is because the children in this anime utilize magical abilities to fight off their supernatural enemies. Madoka Magica doesn’t feature any back-and-forth mind games. Our female cast chooses to handle situations with their weapons and fists. However, Madoka Magica delivers several emotional moments sprinkled throughout to alleviate it from feeling solely action-packed. Regardless, fans will find Madoka Magica’s cast intriguing. Everyone has a rich background and reason for pursuing their career as magical girls. If you’re looking for another narrative that places children in depressing and agonizing scenarios, then Madoka Magica may be up your alley.
Made In Abyss
Similarities – Adventure & Suspense
If you’re looking for another child-like adventure anime with mature themes and a dark atmosphere, Made In Abyss has you covered. This anime is full of horrific and beautiful scenery. Like The Promised Neverland, it features children traveling past unfamiliar territory that will challenge them. The organisms these children come across reflect the horrifying monstrosities Emma and her friends encounter in The Promised Neverland. The monster designs in Made In Abyss are more varied and unique compared to the creatures found in The Promised Neverland, though. Most designs feel reminiscent of beasts you’d fight in Souls-like games like Bloodborne or Elden Ring. Therefore, Made In Abyss offers more creativity and variety compared to The Promised Neverland. Despite the anime having its share of lighthearted scenarios, viewers will always feel like there’s a dangerous entity spying on our children’s protagonists. It’s this spooky tension that makes Made In Abyss a worthwhile follow-up to anyone that enjoyed The Promised Neverland’s storyline.
Death Note
Similarities – Characters & Tone
The Promised Neverland feels like Death Note’s younger sibling. Both series feature intelligent protagonists, nonstop mind games, and realistic forms of mental and physical combat. To some degree, both series feature supernatural creatures influencing humans in a typical direction. After its first story arc, The Promised Neverland takes a more adventurous approach than Death Note, though, Nonetheless, this series will keep you at the edge of your seat with its chilling atmosphere and intense scenery. With its well-written characters and genius plot, Death Note’s a classic thrill ride that promises to entertain you. Death Note follows a high-schooler named Light Yagami, who wants to rid his world of crime. One day, he stumbles upon a death god named Ryuk’s notebook called the Death Note. At his home, Light realizes he can murder anyone he wants just by writing their full name inside the Death Note. Therefore, Light takes on the alias Kira and starts murdering criminals left and right. Unfortunately, Light’s murderous version of justice comes to a halt when he learns that a young prodigy named L is looking to bring him to justice. The series follows Light’s endless clashes with L to see who will end up as the predator and the prey. You can read our thoughts on Death Note in our full-season review here!
Erased
Similarities – Supernatural & Mystery
While it doesn’t feature any fantastical creatures, Erased offers fans a fun murder-mystery plot to untangle and solve. Like The Promised Neverland, both anime feature young characters utilizing their intelligence and strategies to solve problems. The Promised Neverland fans who enjoyed Emma, Ray, Norman, and Isabella’s cat-and-mouse dynamic will find Satoru’s struggle against Erased’s evil mastermind satisfying. The reveals aren’t as clever as what you’d find in The Promised Neverland. However, Erased includes a lot of dramatic and mature themes that will help fans attain a worthwhile experience from it. Furthermore, Erased is a shorter anime, unlike The Promised Neverland. It wraps everything under a tight bow in 12 episodes. While its reveals may feel lackluster, fans will become entranced by the show’s emotional segments. Check out Erased if you’re looking for a mystery anime that touches upon death and child abuse and feels mildly spooky.
School-Live!
Similarities – Mystery
School-Live and The Promised Neverland feature adorable protagonists who must conjure ways of surviving their perilous worlds. While the School-Live cast isn’t as intelligent as the characters in The Promised Neverland, they do form excellent survival strategies that will intrigue and puzzle fans. Furthermore, School-Live’s zombie antagonists pose a threat to our cast on numerous occasions. Like The Promised Neverland’s demons, you’ll see our characters freeze up whenever they’re placed in the middle of a herd of these creatures. That said, they’ll usher the willpower necessary to fight off these deadly monsters. School-Live does a wonderful job of building upon its subtle mysteries involving character disappearances and peculiarities concerning its protagonist Yuki Takaya. Yuki isn’t like the other characters as her delusions and PTSD-like symptoms serve as the crux of School-Live’s overarching narrative. If you’re searching for another anime with fun mystery and character dynamics, check out School-Live.
From the New World
Similarities – Plot Twists & Themes
Are you searching for another anime with a world that adores deceiving its characters at any moment, From the New World may be the show for you? This show contains a dreary atmosphere like The Promised Neverland that will mess with fans the whole way through. This anime knows how to gradually reveal its darker aesthetics and revelations well. You can expect our cast to uncover mysteries surrounding their world and themselves. The answers they’ll obtain are anything but joyous. That said, Friendship is a staple theme that binds From the New World and The Promised Neverland together. Shinsekai Yori takes place in a utopia-like setting and follows Saki. She awakens her psychic powers, allowing her to reunite with past friends. Suddenly, Saki starts analyzing her world and questions the fate of those who cannot awaken their powers. This leads Saki and her friends down multiple rabbit holes full of plot twists and psychological trauma.
Terror In Resonance
Similarities – Psychological, Mystery, Suspense
With Terror in Resonance, you can imagine a world where security forces are at the mercy of two masterful terrorists. This anime features clever characters, an intriguing storyline, and a distinctive art style. At the same time, Terror in Resonance maintains a serious front from start to finish. Fans shouldn’t expect episodes in this show to center around our terrorists partaking in happy-go-lucky activities. Instead, expect our terrorists to utilize childish pranks that will install fear in the eyes and minds of the police force. The story follows two boys named Nine and Twelve, who are the culprits behind the bombing of a nuclear facility in Japan. After challenging the police force and its primary detective, Kenjirou Shibazaki, Nine and Twelve desire to cause more controversy in hopes of burying away their pasts. If you enjoyed the mind games between Isabella and the orphan children, then you’ll adore the psychological tactics utilized by Nine, Twelve, and the police force.
Hunter x Hunter
Similarities – Action & Characters
Hunter X Hunter follows Gon Freecs, who is on a mission to reunite with his father, Ging Freecss. To do so, Gon leaves his peaceful life on his home island to become a professional hunter like Ging. Despite meeting kind-hearted people, Gon will encounter numerous threats that aim to tear him apart. Hunter X Hunter and The Promised Neverland feature child-like characters embarking on quests where their lives are on the line. While both shows feature some suspense and mystery, they aren’t afraid to show our characters partaking in peaceful and fun activities. Unlike the Promised Neverland, the story doesn’t always center around Gon. Some arcs spend time fleshing out important figureheads in the Hunter X Hunter universe while others aim to give Gon’s friends like Kurapika and Killua more spotlight. That said, most of these arcs contain different themes, making them feel like self-contained narratives. This allows Hunter X Hunter to avoid repetitive story beats, giving viewers something refreshing to look forward to as they continue watching.
Monster
Similarities – Mystery & Suspense
One of the best crime and mystery-themed anime is Monster. This show contains jaw-dropping plot twists and turns that will keep viewers invested the whole way through. While the anime features slow pacing, fans will enjoy its pay-offs. With its well-developed characters, psychological tendencies, and powerful storytelling, fans will find Monster as an engaging and hard-to-put-down work of art. Our tale follows Dr. Kenzou Tenma, who suffers from endless psychological torture because he saved a random child rather than his mayor. The child becomes a criminal mastermind in his adult years, causing Tenma more headaches and regret. To redeem himself, Tenma plans to bring this boy to justice. This show marvellously gives viewers enough time to take in the details of Tenma’s world. The melancholy soundtrack elevates the feeling of power and angst one will receive after seeing its main antagonist’s horrific tendencies come to light. If you’re looking for a crime anime that’ll leave a great impression on you, Monster’s worth a watch. So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve caught up with The Promised Neverland! What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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