In Goblin Slayer, a young priestess forms her first adventuring party, but almost immediately, they find themselves in trouble. In the end, it’s the Goblin Slayer who comes to their rescue–a man who has dedicated his life to eliminating all goblins. Once rumors of his feats begin to circulate, it’s impossible to predict who will call next.
A Dungeons & Dragons-style squad takes on the enemy in rank lairs and tunnels in this R-rated fantasy anime. Despite its brutal violence, it carved out a niche for itself among anime fans seeking something epic and intense. While there are many fantasy anime, Goblin Slayer is pure dark fantasy, offering uncompromising violence and intense imagery.
It may seem discouraging to fans who are looking for more, however. Light-hearted fantasies and fantasies that feel familiar and safe are plentiful. There are shows for those looking for something more intense, however. The following anime are the perfect shows to watch once you finish up with Goblin Slayer.
1. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar
Instinct, fear, and survival. When thrown into a foreign country without anything but their names and hazy memories, only these three emotions can be felt deep inside them. There is no alternative but to take up the only paying job in this game-like world, that of a soldier in the Reserve Army, and eliminate anything that threatens the peace in Grimgar, their new world.
When all of the more prominent candidates join together, those remaining behind must form a party together to survive: Manato, a charming leader and priest; Haruhiro, a timid thief; Yume, a bright hunter; Shihoru, a quiet mage; Moguzo, a kind warrior; and Ranta, a reckless dark knight.
In spite of its resemblance to a game, this isn’t one. There are no redos or respawns. Only a thin line separates life and death in a world where this unlikely group of fighters must survive together.
This possibility to learn about how each character interacts with the group is one of Hai to Gensou no Grimgar’s best points.
2. Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka
The bustling city of Orario never sleeps, especially for Bell Cranel, a naive young man who hopes to become the best adventurer in the world. His dreams come closer to reality after a chance encounter with the lonely goddess, Hestia.
Her support propels Bell forward on a fantastic quest within the city’s monster-filled catacombs, called “the Dungeon.” Death lurks around every corner in the labyrinth’s cavernous depths, and a mysterious power lurks in the shadows.
The privilege of survival is hard-earned, even on the surface. There are no guarantees in a world where humans and gods coexist, especially when they often have difficulties getting along. It’s certain, however, that the herculean protagonist of this story will experience a variety of blunders, triumphs, and friendships.
If there is only one thing that DanMachi doesn’t lack, it will certainly be the steamy action and fights. There are ups and downs to the fights, but they are full of impact and development. It is there for the plot, and it will always be there for character growth and development.
3. Akame ga Kill!
The Night Raid is the secret assassination wing of the Revolutionary Army, an uprising organized to overthrow Prime Minister Honest, whose avarice and greed have led him to exploit the child emperor. In the absence of a benevolent and strong leader, the nation sinks into poverty, strife, and ruin.
Though the Night Raid members are all experienced killers, they understand that taking lives is far from commendable and that they will likely face retribution as they mercilessly eliminate anyone who stands in the revolution’s way.
This merry band of assassins’ newest member is Tatsumi, a naïve boy from a remote village who had embarked on a journey to help his impoverished hometown and was won over by not only Night Raid’s ideals but also their resolve. Akame ga Kill! follows Tatsumi as he fights the Empire and comes face-to-face with powerful weapons, enemy assassins, challenges to his own morals and values, and ultimately, what it truly means to be an assassin with a cause.
Akame Ga Kill! takes you by surprise right from the beginning. While it seems to be a normal innocent anime, it turns out to be bloody that pulls at your heartstrings.
4. Kenpuu Denki Berserk
Guts, a young mercenary born from the corpse of his mother, embraces the battlefield as his only means of survival. He moves from one bloodshed to another every day, putting his life on the line just to make ends meet.
As a result of his encounter with the Band of the Hawk, a mighty group of mercenaries, Guts is recruited by Griffith, their leader; a man dubbed the “White Hawk.” He rose to leadership within seconds, a mighty addition to Griffith’s army that swept Midland by storm. Guts gradually realizes that the world isn’t black-and-white as he once thought as the band’s quest for recognition continues.
In Kenpuu Denki Berserk, a dark, gritty tale set in the medieval era, one man struggles to find his own path while supporting the lust for power of another and unimaginable tragedies.
In a world overflowing with evil and brutality, dreams and despair, people struggle to define their meaning of existence in the midst of all of it.
5. Shinchou Yuusha: Kono Yuusha ga Ore Tueee Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru
There is a well-known saying: “you can never be too careful.” Even if it seems unnecessary, you should be prepared for any situation you may encounter. To win total victory in games like RPGs, it is also a good idea to surpass your enemies’ level.
Those words describe Seiya Ryuuguuin a little too well. Having been summoned by the goddess Ristarte to save Gaeabrande from destruction, the hero prepares to embark on his noble journey. Despite having overpowered stats, he spends an inordinate amount of time training himself. As a result, he uses his strongest skills to fight weak opponents and buys too many supplies and potions to stay safe.
While his attitude may be a bit annoying, it might just be the saving grace of Gaeabrande, especially considering that it is a world where the forces of evil dominate each and every expectation.
This anime doesn’t just play inside of the box but also outside to make sure every watcher is thoroughly engrossed and captivated.
6. Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
In Melromarc, four ordinary men are summoned to become saviors of the kingdom who are called the Four Cardinal Heroes. For centuries, Melromarc has been plagued by Waves of Catastrophe that ravaged the land and devastated its citizens.
They are respectively armed with a sword, spear, bow, and shield to combat these waves. In the story, the otaku Naofumi Iwatani is cursed with the fate of being the “Shield Hero.” His meager shield and lackluster personality lead to him being ridiculed by his fellow heroes and the people of the kingdom.
Providing the heroes with resources and comrades to train with, Naofumi heads out with Malty Melromarc, the only person willing to join him. Eventually, she betrays him and falsely accuses him of taking advantage of her. Because of something he did not do, Naofumi becomes heavily discriminated against and hated by the people of Melromarc.
The raging storm of hurt and mistrust in his heart motivates Naofumi to strengthen himself and his reputation. After some time, however, Naofumi finds it increasingly difficult to travel alone, so he buys a slave named Raphtalia, who is on the verge of death, to accompany him.
The Waves approach Melromarc, forcing Naofumi and Raphtalia to fight for the kingdom’s survival while protecting its people.
7. Kimetsu no Yaiba
Since his father’s death, Tanjirou Kamado has been responsible for supporting his family. In spite of living in poverty on a remote mountain, the Kamado family enjoys a relatively peaceful and happy life. Tanjirou decides to sell charcoal in the local village one day in order to make a little extra money.
Tanjirou is forced to take shelter in the house of a stranger on the way back, who warns him about flesh-eating demons lurking in the woods at night.
The next day, he returns home to find a horrifying sight – his whole family has been slaughtered. The only survivor is his sister Nezuko, who is now a bloodthirsty demon. Tanjirou vows to avenge his family and remain by his only remaining sibling, consumed by hatred and rage.
Tanjirou will do whatever it takes to protect his beloved sister’s humanity, along with the mysterious group calling themselves the Demon Slayer Corps.
8. Overlord
The popular virtual reality game Yggdrasil has reached its final hour. As the servers begin to shut down, Momonga, a powerful wizard and master of the dark guild Ainz Ooal Gown, spends his last minutes playing the game. In spite of the clock having struck midnight, Momonga remains conscious as his character and, furthermore, the non-player characters seem to possess personalities of their own!
Confronted with this abnormal situation, Momonga commands his loyal servants to help him investigate and take control of this new world, with the hopes of figuring out what has caused this development and if there may be others in the same predicament.
The story is something fresh and unique; it follows the same aspect of many other MMO animes out there, except that it does it right, a pretty excellent story that sets you on edge.
The protagonist here acts not as would be morally good, but as how he will reap the greatest rewards. The world around him does not automatically make all his opponents so cartoonishly evil that he is justified in killing them and taking everything they have.
9. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
As Subaru Natsuki leaves the convenience store, he is taken from his everyday life and thrown into a world of fantasy. Not long after arriving, the bewildered teenager is attacked by some thugs. A bag of groceries and a now unusable phone are all he has on him when he is beaten to a pulp.
Subaru is saved by a mysterious woman named Satella, who is on the hunt for the person who stole her insignia.
Subaru offers to help the honest and kindhearted girl in her search, and later that night, he finds the location of the thing she is looking for as a way to thank her. Just minutes after finding the insignia, Subaru and Satella are brutally murdered by a much darker force from the shadows.
However, Subaru awoke to a familiar scene-confronting the same thugs, meeting Satella all over again-the enigma deepens as history repeats itself inexplicably.
With each new life, the progression of the story alters, sometimes dramatically, and many new elements are revealed to Subaru, which were previously unknown that help him to solve the problems he faces and move on.
10. Shingeki no Kyojin
Humanity was nearly destroyed by monstrous humanoid creatures called titans centuries ago, forcing humans to hide behind enormous concentric walls out of fear. These giants are truly terrifying because their taste for human flesh does not appear to be born out of hunger but from pleasure.
One hundred years passed without a single titan encounter due to the remnants of humanity living within defensive barriers. However, that fragile calm is soon shattered when a colossal titan manages to breach the supposedly impregnable outer wall, reigniting the fight for survival against the man-eating abominations.
After witnessing a horrific personal loss at the hands of the invading creatures, Eren Yeager dedicates his life to their eradication by enlisting into the Survey Corps, an elite military unit that combats the merciless humanoids outside the protection of the walls.
Shingeki no Kyojin follows Eren, along with his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman and his childhood friend Armin Arlert, as they join the brutal war against the titans and race to discover a way of defeating them before the last walls are breached.