Anime like The Hakkenden

Mugen no Juunin

Also known as Blade of the Immortal.

Studio: Bee Train , Production I.G , Kodansha , Media Blasters
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Supernatural

Manji is an amoral swordsman, who has been cursed with eternal life. He has grown tired of living with all the death he has created. He has no skills other then those of killing, thus he forms a plan to regain his mortality: he shall kill one hundred evil men for each good one he has killed. The old witch who afflicted Manji with immortality agrees to Manji's proposition and Manji is set on his path to kill one thousand evil men. On his journey he meets a young girl, Rin, who has her own vengeance to seek against the sword school whose members slaughtered Rin's family. Rin and Manji journey together, each hoping to find some kind of peace. In their way are many varied enemies. Rin and Manji are almost constantly under attack and must learn to live their lives, avoiding being consumed by revenge.



Tags: Swordplay , Historical , Samurai , Seinen , Ninja , Male Protagonist

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuioku-hen

Also known as Rurouni Kenshin OVA: Trust & Betrayal (Tsuioku-hen).

Studio: Studio DEEN , Aniplex of America
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Romance

In the days before the Japanese Revolution, Hiko Seiijuro, a wandering master swordsman and hermit, encounters a bandit raid on a slave wagon. Hiko kills the raiding bandits in hopes of saving as many lives as possible, but only manages to spare one life from the massacre. Hiko leaves the child, advising him to go to the nearby village and have them take care of him.

A few days later, as Hiko comes back to check upon the child he saved, he is shocked to see the child had created graves, both for the slaves he befriended and the bandits who killed them. Seeing potential in the young one, Hiko takes the child under his wing, names him Kenshin, meaning "heart of sword," and teaches him about the art of swordsmanship under the Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu.

Struggling in a constant challenge with his ideal beliefs reflecting against the harshness of reality, Tsuiokuhen tells the melancholic and dark story of Himura Kenshin as one of the most feared assassins of the Japanese Revolution: the Hitokiri Battousai.



Tags: Samurai , Tragedy , Historical , Revenge , Philosophy , Male Protagonist , Swordplay , Heterosexual , Gore , Primarily Adult Cast

Kimetsu no Yaiba

Also known as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Studio: ufotable , Aniplex , Shueisha , Aniplex of America , ufotable
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Supernatural

It is the Taisho Period in Japan. Tanjiro, a kindhearted boy who sells charcoal for a living, finds his family slaughtered by a demon. To make matters worse, his younger sister Nezuko, the sole survivor, has been transformed into a demon herself. Though devastated by this grim reality, Tanjiro resolves to become a “demon slayer” so that he can turn his sister back into a human, and kill the demon that massacred his family.



Tags: Demons , Shounen , Vampire , Swordplay , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Primarily Teen Cast , Travel , Monster Girl , Revenge , Orphan , Gore , CGI , Primarily Male Cast , Mythology , Rural , Historical , Rotoscoping , Super Power , Body Horror , Curses , Chibi , Time Skip , Animals , Food

Dororo

Also known as Dororo.

Studio: MAPPA , Twin Engine , Tezuka Productions , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Supernatural

Dororo, a young orphan thief, meets Hyakkimaru, a powerful ronin. Hyakkimaru's father, a greedy feudal lord, had made a pact with 12 demons, offering his yet-unborn son's body parts in exchange for great power. Thus, Hyakkimaru - who was born without arms, legs, eyes, ears, a nose or a mouth - was abandoned in a river as a baby. Rescued and raised by Dr. Honma, who equips him with artificial limbs and teaches him sword-fighting techniques, Hyakkimaru discovers that each time he slays a demon, a piece of his body is restored. Now, he roams the war-torn countryside in search of demons.

Tags: Demons , Revenge , Disability , Curses , Swordplay , Tragedy , Samurai , Estranged Family , Youkai , Anti-Hero , Orphan , War , Male Protagonist , Parenthood , Historical , Travel , Rural , Urban Fantasy , Gore , Female Protagonist , Philosophy , Crossdressing , Tomboy , Body Horror , Episodic , Kuudere , Shounen , Primarily Adult Cast , Ghost , Primarily Male Cast , Cannibalism , Prostitution , Heterosexual , Nun , Body Image , Martial Arts

Juubee Ninpuuchou

Also known as Ninja Scroll.

Studio: Animate Film , Nippon Victor , Toho , Movic , Sentai Filmworks
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Fantasy , Horror , Romance

Jubei Kibagami has always been the master dealer of death, but in rescuing a ninja woman from a monster he sets loose a chain of events that puts death in his own veins and sends them on a nightmarish odyssey through a surreal and devil infested ancient Japan. How do demonic possessions, an annihilated village and a man Jubei thought safely buried in his past all connect? If Jubei can't piece the blood-soaked clues together, his only consolation will be that he won't live to regret it for very long! Prepare your mind and steel your gut for the insanely gore-packed orgy of violence that still stands alone and unchallenged as the ultimate anime action feature.



Tags: Ninja , Historical , Gore , Swordplay , Heterosexual , Travel , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Female Protagonist , Rural , Politics , Nudity , Tragedy , Ships , Unrequited Love , LGBTQ+ Themes

Basilisk: Kouga Ninpouchou

Also known as Basilisk.

Studio: GONZO , GDH , Funimation , Kodansha
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Drama , Romance

The heirs to the Kouga and Iga ninja clans, Gennosuke and Oboro, hoped the unsteady truce between their tribes would last—but fate denies the lovers, thrusting their people into war after centuries of peace. The terms are set on two scrolls. One bears a list of Kouga warriors. The other holds a list of those who fight for Iga. The names found on these scrolls can only be crossed out in blood.



Tags: Ninja , Seinen , Historical , Primarily Adult Cast , Martial Arts , Super Power , Tragedy , Swordplay , Heterosexual , Body Horror , Gore , Nudity

Jigokuraku

Also known as Hell’s Paradise.

Studio: MAPPA , Twin Engine , MAPPA
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Adventure , Mystery , Supernatural

The Edo period is nearing its end. Gabimaru, a shinobi formerly known as the strongest in Iwagakure who is now a death row convict, is told that he will be acquitted and set free if he can bring back the Elixir of Life from an island that is rumored to be the Buddhist pure land Sukhavati. In hopes of reuniting with his beloved wife, Gabimaru heads to the island along with the executioner Yamada Asaemon Sagiri. Upon arriving there, they encounter other death row convicts in search of the Elixir of Life... as well as a host of unknown creatures, eerie manmade statues, and the hermits who rule the island. Can Gabimaru find the Elixir of Life on this mysterious island and make it back home alive?



Tags: Survival , Swordplay , Body Horror , Gore , Shounen , Ninja , Samurai , Battle Royale , Religion , Historical , Travel , Anti-Hero , Tragedy , Fugitive , Nudity , Gods , Primarily Adult Cast , Death Game , Super Power , Cultivation , Philosophy , Heterosexual , Gender Bending , Martial Arts , Primarily Male Cast , Crime , Cult , Orphan , Bisexual , Cosmic Horror , Amnesia , Cannibalism , Male Protagonist

Shuranosuke Zanmaken: Shikamamon no Otoko

Also known as Sword for Truth.

Studio: Ashi Productions , Manga Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Supernatural , Thriller

Shurannosuke Sakaki is a masterless samurai with a razor-sharp katana and a cold-hearted personality. Whenever you see the mark of two crossed scythes on his back, death is sure to follow. Because of his exceptional swordsmanship, Shurannosuke is hired by the Nakura Clan to rescue Princess Mayu from the Seki Ninja. In this mission, he must use his full potential to survive the Seki Ninja's notorious henchmen.



Tags: Historical , Gore , Male Protagonist , Seinen , Swordplay , Nudity , Ninja , Samurai , Drugs , Cunnilingus , Martial Arts , Super Power , Cult , Mythology