Anime like Sword Art Online: Progressive - Hoshinaki Yoru no Aria

Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari

Also known as The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Studio: Kinema Citrus , Crunchyroll , Glovision , Nippon Columbia , Kadokawa Media House , Good Smile Company , Frontier Works , Sammy , KADOKAWA , AT-X , NTT Plala
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

Naofumi Iwatani, an uncharismatic Otaku who spends his days on games and manga, suddenly finds himself summoned to a parallel universe! He discovers he is one of four heroes equipped with legendary weapons and tasked with saving the world from its prophesied destruction. As the Shield Hero, the weakest of the heroes, all is not as it seems. Naofumi is soon alone, penniless, and betrayed. With no one to turn to, and nowhere to run, he is left with only his shield. Now, Naofumi must rise to become the legendary Shield Hero and save the world!

Note:
The first episode was pre-aired on December 27th, 2018. Regular broadcast began on January 9th, 2019.
The first episode aired with a runtime of ~47 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

Tags: Isekai , Male Protagonist , Conspiracy , Travel , Revenge , Magic , Crime , Medieval , Anti-Hero , Tragedy , Kemonomimi , Bullying , Henshin , Matriarchy , Politics , Cult , Villainess , Slavery , Female Harem , Language Barrier , Spearplay , Swordplay , Cultivation , Ojou-sama , Religion , Tsundere , Economics , CGI , Medicine , Nekomimi , Heterosexual , Monster Girl , Love Triangle , Gore , Afterlife , Cohabitation

Log Horizon

Also known as Log Horizon.

Studio: Satelight , NHK , NHK Enterprises , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

The online fantasy game Elder Tales is a worldwide phenomenon, immersing millions of players in its intricately conceived virtual world. However, the release of the game's twelfth expansion pack makes that immersion all too literal, as players from around the world are suddenly pulled into the game's no-longer-fictional universe! Now, eight-year ET veteran Shiroe, his friend Naotsugu, the beautiful assassin Akatsuki, and 30,000 other players are faced with the daunting task of learning how to deal with an entirely new reality, one where the Non-Player Characters are actually alive, and the tips and tricks learned while playing with a keyboard no longer apply.



Tags: Virtual World , Politics , Isekai , Video Games , Male Protagonist , Magic , Alternate Universe , Kingdom Management , Dungeon , Ensemble Cast , Anthropomorphism , Found Family , Primarily Adult Cast , Kemonomimi , Love Triangle , Elf , Goblin , Twins , Kuudere , Samurai , Femboy , Skeleton , Episodic

Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale

Also known as Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale.

Studio: A-1 Pictures , Genco , Aniplex of America , Bandai Namco Entertainment , Aniplex , ASCII Media Works
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy , Romance , Sci-Fi

In 2022, the world of virtual reality was upended by the arrival of a new invention from a genius programmer, Akihiko Kayaba. Called NerveGear, it was the first full-dive system and with it, came endless possibilities to VRMMORPGs.

In 2026, a new machine called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere. A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn't have a full-dive function like its predecessors. Instead, it uses Augmented Reality to get players into the game. It is safe, user-friendly and lets users play while they are conscious, making it an instant hit on the market. The most popular game on the system is “Ordinal Scale” (aka: OS), an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma.

Asuna and the gang have already been playing OS for a while, by the time Kirito decides to join them. They’re about to find out that Ordinal Scale isn’t all fun and games…



Tags: Artificial Intelligence , Heterosexual , Augmented Reality , Video Games , Swordplay , Virtual World , Urban , Memory Manipulation , Primarily Teen Cast , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Tanned Skin , Tragedy , Nudity

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar

Also known as Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash.

Studio: A-1 Pictures , Funimation , Madman Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy

Fear, survival, instinct. Thrown into a foreign land with nothing but hazy memories and the knowledge of their name, they can feel only these three emotions resonating deep within their souls. A group of strangers is given no other choice than to accept the only paying job in this game-like world—the role of a soldier in the Reserve Army—and eliminate anything that threatens the peace in their new world, Grimgar.

When all of the stronger candidates join together, those left behind must create a party together to survive: Manato, a charismatic leader and priest; Haruhiro, a nervous thief; Yume, a cheerful hunter; Shihoru, a shy mage; Mogzo, a kind warrior; and Ranta, a rowdy dark knight. Despite its resemblance to one, this is no game—there are no redos or respawns; it is kill or be killed.

It is now up to this ragtag group of unlikely fighters to survive together in a world where life and death are separated only by a fine line.

Tags: Isekai , Survival , Tragedy , Goblin , Ensemble Cast , Magic , Alternate Universe , Male Protagonist , Philosophy , Amnesia , Dungeon , Kuudere , Medieval

Shangri-La Frontier 2nd Season

Also known as Shangri-La Frontier Season 2.

Studio: C2C , Kodansha , Mainichi Broadcasting System , Netmarble , Crunchyroll , Tencent , Dentsu , Sammy
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy , Sci-Fi

The second season of Shangri-La Frontier.

Rakuro Hizutome only cares about one thing: beating crappy VR games. He devotes his entire life to these buggy games and could clear them all in his sleep. One day, he decides to challenge himself and play a popular god-tier game called Shangri-La Frontier. But he quickly learns just how difficult it is. Will his expert skills be enough to uncover its hidden secrets?



Tags: Video Games , Virtual World , Shounen , Primarily Teen Cast , Male Protagonist , Swordplay , Anthropomorphism , E-Sports , Magic , Martial Arts , Otaku Culture , Animals , Pirates , Superhero , Hikikomori , Travel , Kemonomimi , Unrequited Love , Curses , Real Robot , Mermaid , Gender Bending

Black Clover: Mahou Tei no Ken

Also known as Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King.

Studio: Shueisha , Studio Pierrot , Avex Pictures , Netflix
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Comedy , Fantasy

As a lionhearted boy who can’t wield magic strives for the title of Wizard King, four banished Wizard Kings of yore return to crush the Clover Kingdom.



Tags: Magic , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Revenge , Swordplay , Reincarnation , Super Power , Ensemble Cast , Demons , Robots , CGI , Medieval

No Game No Life Zero

Also known as No Game, No Life Zero.

Studio: MADHOUSE , AT-X , Movic , Kadokawa Pictures Japan , Sentai Filmworks , Frontier Works
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Romance

A movie adaptation of the sixth volume of the light novel series announced at the MF Bunko J Summer School Festival 2016 event.

Six thousand years before Sora and Shiro were even a blink in the history of Disboard, war consumed the land, tearing apart the heavens, destroying stars, and even threatening to wipe out the human race. Amid the chaos and destruction, a young man named Riku leads humanity toward the tomorrow his heart believes in. One day, in the ruins of an Elf city, he meets Schwi, a female exiled "Ex Machina" android who asks him to teach her what it means to have a human heart.



Tags: War , Gods , Post-Apocalyptic , Male Protagonist , Female Protagonist , Tragedy , Espionage , Dystopian , Class Struggle , Heterosexual , Magic , Board Game , Elf , Kuudere , Survival , Robots , Artificial Intelligence , Super Power , Reincarnation , Isekai

Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita

Also known as Reincarnated as a Sword.

Studio: C2C , NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

Some isekai protagonists are reincarnated as powerful warriors or skilled wizards, but our protagonist was reborn in another life as a sentient sword! He’s taken up by Fran, a desperate girl fleeing evil-doers intent on selling her into slavery. With her new weapon’s help and guidance, she’s able to strike down her captors and secure her freedom. Together, this unconventional master-student duo embark on an epic journey to liberate those in need and exact justice on the cruel of heart.



Note: Episode 1 was streamed in advance on September 28, 2022 on AbemaTV. The regular TV broadcast began on October 5, 2022.

Tags: Swordplay , Nekomimi , Orphan , Reincarnation , Isekai , Female Protagonist , Found Family , Magic , Medieval , Kemonomimi , Dungeon , Food , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Slavery , Gore , Goblin , Demons

Ore dake Level Up na Ken: ReAwakening

Also known as Solo Leveling -ReAwakening-.

Studio: A-1 Pictures
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

A movie compilation of the first season and first two episodes of the second season of the Solo Leveling series.

Tags: Male Protagonist , Gore , Super Power , Survival , Dungeon , Snowscape , Necromancy , Swordplay , Urban Fantasy , Magic , Elf

Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica: Hajimari no Monogatari

Also known as Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part I: Beginnings.

Studio: Aniplex , Shaft , Mainichi Broadcasting System , Movic , Nitroplus , Madoka Partners , Houbunsha , Aniplex of America , Manga Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Fantasy , Mahou Shoujo , Psychological , Thriller

The first movie in the Madoka trilogy; a recap of the first eight episodes of the series.

Tags: Magic , Tragedy , Primarily Female Cast , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Henshin , Urban Fantasy , Aliens , Witch , Primarily Child Cast , Urban , Mixed Media , Yuri , Time Manipulation , School , Kuudere , Guns