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 , Anti-Hero , Tragedy , Kemonomimi , Bullying , Henshin , Matriarchy , Language Barrier , Slavery , Villainess , Female Harem , Cult , Politics , Spearplay , Swordplay , Seinen , Cultivation , Ojou-sama , Religion , Tsundere , Economics , CGI , Medicine , Nekomimi , Monster Girl , Love Triangle , Heterosexual , Gore , Afterlife

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

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

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

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

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 , Primarily Child Cast , Witch , Urban , Time Manipulation , School , Kuudere

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 , Elf , Survival , Kuudere , Robots , Artificial Intelligence , Board Game , 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: Orphan , Swordplay , Reincarnation , Nekomimi , Isekai , Found Family , Female Protagonist , Magic , Dungeon , Gore , Food , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Kemonomimi , Slavery , Goblin , Demons

THE NEW GATE

Also known as THE NEW GATE.

Studio: CLOUDHEARTS , Yokohama Animation Lab , Mainichi Broadcasting System
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy

When an online game turns real, trapping its players in its virtual space, the strongest of them, Shin, rises up to put a stop to the madness. But just moments after defeating the game’s final boss, Origin, and freeing everyone, Shin is transported 500 years into the future of the in-game world. Armed with unrivaled strength, the young swordsman embarks on a legendary journey.



Tags: Isekai , Magic , Male Protagonist , Elf , Swordplay , Post-Apocalyptic , Kemonomimi , Video Games , Skeleton , Time Skip

Trinity Seven Movie - Tenkuu Toshokan to Shinku no Maou

Also known as Trinity Seven: Heavens Library & Crimson Lord.

Studio: Seven Arcs
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Ecchi , Fantasy , Romance

Arata, Lilith and the rest of the Trinity Seven ace off against their greatest enemy; Lilith's own father, who is revealed to be the strongest Demon Lord. He challenges Arata who is now a Demon Lord candidate.



Tags: Male Protagonist , Magic , Female Harem , Alternate Universe , Time Manipulation , Kuudere , Shounen