When an anime is as inventive as this one, it’s tough to imagine anything similar to it – but there is actually plenty of fun anime like Mob Psycho 100 to queue up once you’re done with this one.
Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama, an eighth-grade student with extraordinary psychic abilities, is the protagonist of Mob Psycho 100. Mob, however, decides to hide his powers in public because of their destructive and conspicuous nature. To keep his psychic powers honed, he works under Arataka Reigen—a self-proclaimed esper looking to make use of Mob’s skills.
Mob spends his days alongside Reigen, exorcising evil spirits at Reigen’s request. Mob attempts to improve his desirability in the hopes of impressing his childhood friend Tsubomi Takane. Troubles, however, continue to bombard his daily life, slowly breaking his shackled feelings. As his suppressed emotions rise to the surface, there’s no predicting what will happen when he hits his breaking point.
This show is impossible not to like. The clichés in action and shounen anime are frequently the same. But if Mob Psycho 100 taught us anything, it’s that overpowering, out-of-the-ordinary characters are the real deal in this genre.
1. One Punch Man
Saitama, who appears unimpressive, has a pretty unusual hobby: being a hero. Saitama trained for three years, losing all of his hair in the process, in order to fulfill his childhood passion. Saitama is so powerful now that he is able to defeat any opponent with a single punch. However, having no one who can equal his might has caused Saitama to face an unforeseen problem: he no longer likes the thrill of battle and has grown bored.
Saitama attracts the attention of Genos, a 19-year-old cyborg who witnesses his prowess and wishes to be Saitama’s disciple. Genos suggests that they both join the Hero Association to become certified heroes who will be honored for their positive contributions to society. Saitama surprised that no one recognizes him, readily accepts.
Saitama embarks on a new voyage as a member of the Hero Association, meeting new allies and facing new opponents in order to relive the thrill of battle he once felt.
2. Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan
Psychic powers may appear to the normal person to be a godsend; however, this is not the case for Kusuo Saiki. He possesses a vast range of supernatural powers, ranging from telepathy to x-ray vision, and he views this so-called blessing as a curse. As his powers cause a constant stream of problems, all Kusuo desires is an ordinary, trouble-free life—a life where ignorance is bliss.
Unfortunately, a psychic’s life is far from serene. Despite Kusuo’s best efforts to keep his powers hidden from his peers, he unintentionally draws the attention of a number of unusual characters, including the empty-headed Riki Nendou and the deluded Shun Kaidou.
While Kusuo has to deal with the craziness of those around him, he discovers that the ordinary life he has been yearning for is far more difficult to accomplish than he had anticipated.
3. Hinamatsuri
Yoshifumi Nitta, a yakuza member, is abruptly stopped while basking in the successful clinching of a valued vase for his collection when a gigantic, unusual capsule materializes and falls on his head. He opens the capsule to find a young, blue-haired girl who says little about herself save her name—Hina—and that she has incredible abilities.
As if things couldn’t get much worse, if her powers aren’t used, she loses control and explodes. Nitta is forced to become her carer because he has no other option.
Nitta wants Hina to assist him with a construction deal so that she can utilize her powers freely. While this is going on, his employer is being targeted by a rival yakuza group. Nitta’s coworkers subsequently accuse him, much to his shock! Nitta prepares himself to strike the rival group in retribution and arrives at their hideout.
But then Hina appears out of nowhere and assists him in eliminating the entire group. Hina may turn out to be a useful asset to Nitta and his yakuza enterprise, assuming she doesn’t use her abilities on him first! So begins the weird life of this odd pairing.
4. Boku no Hero Academia
Throughout the years, the number of “quirks,” or newly discovered superpowers, has progressively increased, with 80 percent of humanity now holding skills ranging from element manipulation to shapeshifting. This renders the rest of the planet powerless, including Izuku Midoriya.
The ambitious middle schooler has longed to be a hero since he was a child. Izuku’s unjust fate causes him to admire heroes and take notes on them whenever he has the opportunity. But it appears that his persistence has paid off: Izuku encounters All Might, the number one hero and his personal idol. All Might’s quirk is an inherited ability, and he has selected Izuku to be his successor!
Izuku enrolls in UA High, a prestigious high school known for its excellent hero training program, and this year’s freshmen look especially promising after going through months of grueling training. Thanks to his eccentric but gifted peers and the mounting threat of an evil organization, Izuku will soon know what it means to be a hero.
5. Jujutsu Kaisen
Yuuji Itadori spends his days in either the clubroom or the hospital, where he visits his ill grandfather, indulging in baseless paranormal activities with the Occult Club. However, when he unwittingly comes across a cursed item, his peaceful existence takes a bizarre turn.
After swallowing the said item, revealed to be a finger belonging to the demon Sukuna Ryoumen, the “King of Curses.” Yuuji finds himself propelled into the world of Curses—dreadful creatures produced by human malice and negativity.
As Yuuji discovers his own newfound capabilities, he witnesses firsthand the danger these Curses represent to society. He is introduced to the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School and begins to walk down a path that he will never be able to return from the path of a Jujutsu sorcerer.
6. FLCL
Naota Nandaba is an ordinary sixth-grader in a city where nothing extraordinary appears to occur. After his brother Tasuku leaves town to play baseball in America, Naota takes responsibility for everything Tasuku left behind, including his top bunk bed and his ex-girlfriend Mamimi Samejima, who hasn’t stopped clinging to Naota since Tasuku departed.
Naota, however, has no idea that his boring existence is about to transform forever: enter Haruko Haruhara, a Vespa-riding, bass guitar-wielding, pink-haired psychopath whose first encounter with Naota leaves him with tire tracks on his back and a big horn on his head.
Even though all Naota wants is some peace and quiet, when Haruko moves in with his parents, he is dragged into the midst of the biggest war for supremacy that Earth—and probably the entire universe—has ever seen.
7. Akira
1988 in Japan. An explosion was caused by a young boy with psychic talents who tears through Tokyo, setting off World War III. He is apprehended and brought into custody to avoid any additional destruction, never to be heard from again.
In the year 2019, Neo-Tokyo, a restored version of the city riddled with gang violence and terrorism against the existing government, has taken its place. Shoutarou Kaneda is the leader of a misfits group, “the Capsules,” noted for riding huge, modified motorcycles and clashing with their rivals “the Clowns.”
During one of these fights, Shoutarou’s best friend Tetsuo Shima gets involved in an accident with an esper who has escaped from a government institution and is wandering the streets of Tokyo. Tetsuo begins developing his own mystery abilities because of this encounter, and the government tries to quarantine this new psychic in a desperate attempt to prevent him from releasing the catastrophic power that has the potential to bring the city to its knees once more.
8. Noragami
In a pinch, you might find a strange phone number scrawled in red if you search in the right place. If you call this number, a young man introduces himself as the Yato God.
A minor god, Yato calls himself the “Delivery God” and dreams of having millions of fans. However, without a single shrine devoted to his name, his ambitions are unlikely to be accomplished. He spends his days completing odd jobs costing five yen each until his weapon partner tires of his useless master and abandons him.
Just as things appear to be going badly for the god, Hiyori Iki, a middle school girl, allegedly saves Yato from a vehicle accident by taking the hit for him. Even though she survives, the experience loosens her spirit, allowing it to leave her body. Hiyori demands that Yato return her to normalcy, but when she discovers that he would need a new partner to do so, she hesitantly agrees to help him in his search. And, with Hiyori’s help, Yato’s fortunes may be changing for the better.
9. Great Teacher Onizuka
Eikichi Onizuka, a twenty-two-year-old ex-biker gang leader, Shonan conqueror, and virgin have a desire to become Japan’s greatest high school teacher. He wants a lovely young wife when he’s old and gray, not because of a passion for teaching.
Even so, there’s more to Onizuka than meets the eye for a perverse, selfish, and lazy delinquent. So, despite suplexing the Vice Principal, he lands a job as the homeroom teacher of Class 3-4 at the elite Holy Forest Academy, where all of his talents are put to the test, as this class is notorious.
Because they despise all teachers, the kids in the class utilize psychological warfare to emotionally shatter any new homeroom teacher they encounter, compelling them to quit and leave school. Onizuka, however, isn’t your typical teacher, and he’s up for any challenge thrown his way.
Suicide, bullying, and sexual harassment are just a few of the problems that his students deal with on a regular basis. Onizuka helps them by confronting the base of their problems in his surprising and unique ways, even if it involves jumping off a building to save a suicidal child.
10. Ousama Ranking
The kingdom’s citizens look down on the young Prince Bojji, who can neither speak nor hear. He’s dubbed “The Useless Prince” by those who mock his supposed foolishness.
While Bojji may not be physically powerful, he is far from weak in the heart. When an accidental meeting with a shadow creature should have left him traumatized, it instead leads him to assume that he has made a friend among those who only see his flaws. He begins meeting with Kage, the shadow, on a regular basis, and the normally harsh monster begins to warm up to him.
The unexpected bond between Kage and Bojji provides the groundwork for the prince’s journey to overcome his worries and insecurities. Despite the frequent mockery, Bojji is determined to achieve his goal of becoming the finest king he can be.
11. Hunter x Hunter
This is set in a world where Hunters exist to carry out dangerous missions such as arresting criminals and searching for lost treasures in unfamiliar territory. Gon Freecss, twelve is motivated to become the finest Hunter he can in the hopes of finding his father, a Hunter who had long abandoned his young son.
However, Gon rapidly realizes that achieving his goals will be far more difficult than he anticipated.
Gon befriends the vengeful Kurapika, the lively doctor-in-training Leorio, and the rebellious ex-assassin Killua on his journey to becoming an official Hunter. To achieve their personal objectives, the four of them take the Hunter Exam, which is infamous because of its poor success rate and high risk of death.
Gon and his friends go on an adventure that will take them through many trials and tribulations. While learning the required skills to become a Hunter, they will meet a variety of monsters, creatures, and characters.
12. Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
When a strange entity reduces the moon to a permanent crescent, the students of Kunugigaoka Middle School’s Class 3-E are faced with a monumental task: eliminate the creature responsible before Earth suffers a similar fate.
The creature, called Koro-sensei, can, however, fly at speeds of up to Mach 20, which he quickly exhibits, leaving any attempt to pacify him in the dust. Moreover, the misfits of 3-E quickly discover that the bizarre, tentacled beast is not only invincible but also the best teacher they have ever had!
This anime follows these junior high students as they polish their assassination skills and grow in order to stand up to the oppressive school system, personal issues, and, finally, Koro-sensei.
13. Soul Eater
The Death Weapon Meister Academy, which is led by the Shinigami—Lord Death himself—is located in Death City. It has the goal of raising “Death Scythes” for the Shinigami to use against the fantastical world’s myriad horrors.
These Death Scythes, however, are derived from human hybrids with the ability to transform their bodies into Demon Weapons, and only after they’ve ingested the souls of 99 evil beings and one witch.
With the guidance of his straight-laced meister or wielder, Maka Albarn, Soul Eater Evans, who only seems to care about what’s cool, aspires to become a Death Scythe. The contrasted pair work and study with Black Star and his caring weapon Tsubaki, as well as Death the Kid, the Shinigami’s own kid, an obsessive-compulsive dual wielder of twin pistols Patty and Liz.
In Soul Eater, these Shibusen students are followed as they embark on missions to safeguard the city from external threats and collect souls, all while working together to improve their minds, body, and soul.
14. Grand Blue
Iori Kitahara relocates to the coastal town of Izu for his first year of university, living above his uncle’s scuba diving shop, Grand Blue. Iori has high aspirations and plans for his college experience, but when he walks into the shop, he is dragged into the alcoholic antics of the establishment’s frequenting Diving Club members.
Iori grudgingly joins their bizarre party after being persuaded by upperclassmen Shinji Tokita and Ryuujirou Kotobuki. Chisa Kotegawa, his cousin, later walks in and catches him in the act, earning Iori her disdain.
Grand Blue follows Iori as he attempts to attain his ideal college dream while also learning to scuba dive with his wacky new friends.
15. Trigun
The man with a $$60,000,000,000 bounty on his head is Vash the Stampede. He’s a supposedly ruthless villain who annihilates anyone who gets in his way and flattens entire cities for fun, earning him the title “The Humanoid Typhoon.” According to rumors, he leaves a track of ruin and death in his wake, and anyone who looks him in the eyes should consider themselves dead. Vash is a giant softie in reality who claims to have never killed anyone and avoids fighting.
Vash wanders the wastelands of Gunsmoke with his crazy doughnut obsession and buffoonish attitude, all while being pursued by two insurance agents, Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson, who aim to minimize his impact on the public.
However, their misadventures quickly turn into life-or-death circumstances when a crew of renowned assassins is sent to bring suffering to the trio. Vash’s tragic past will be revealed, and his morals and values will be tested to their limits.
16. Enen no Shouboutai
A chaotic phenomenon, Spontaneous Human Combustion, has plagued humanity for years, changing regular people into ferocious, flaming creatures known as Infernals at random. While infernals make up the first generation of Human Combustion accounts, pyrokinetic—people gifted with the capacity to harness and manage their flames while remaining human—made up the next two generations.
Holy Church of Sol, Fire Defense Agency, and The Tokyo Armed Forces created the Special Fire Force to battle the Infernal menace and find the source.
Shinra Kusakabe, a youthful and eager third-generation pyrokinetic dubbed Devil’s Footprints because of his ability to fire his feet at will, joins the bustling Company 8 of the Special Fire Force. Shinra is driven to become a hero who will save the lives of those who are threatened by the flame terror, carrying out the brigade’s duty to extinguish the fiery Infernals and lay their souls to rest.
But this isn’t the hero’s game Shinra had in mind. The Fire Force is a jumble of feuding brigades, odd Infernal sightings are becoming more common across Tokyo, and a secret organization claims to have answers to the mysterious fire that killed Shinra’s family 12 years ago.
17. Gintama
Aliens have attacked Earth from outer space and seized control of feudal Japan. As a result, swords are prohibited, and Japan’s samurai are treated with contempt as a result.
Despite his love of sweets and his occupation as a yorozuya, one man, Gintoki Sakata, retains the heart of a samurai. Kagura, with her seemingly boundless stomach and umbrella, Shinpachi Shimura, a boy with glasses and a strong heart, and Sadaharu, their big pet dog, accompany him in his jack-of-all-trades type of work.
Of course, these odd tasks aren’t always easy, as they frequently have run-ins with the cops, ragtag rebels, and assassins, which frequently result in amusing but disastrous outcomes.
Who said errand-running was simple?
18. Bungou Stray Dogs
Atsushi Nakajima’s orphanage has been tormented by a mysterious tiger for weeks, which only he appears to be aware of. Suddenly kicked out of the orphanage, the 18-year-old is left homeless, hungry, and wandering after being suspected of being the source of the unusual incidents.
Atsushi saves an eccentric man named Osamu Dazai from drowning while starving on a riverbank. Dazai, a strange suicide enthusiast and supernatural detective, has been looking into the same tiger who has been tormenting the boy.
They solve the mystery with Dazai’s partner Doppo Kunikida, but it puts Atsushi in a difficult situation. As strange events unfold, Atsushi is pushed into joining their firm of supernatural investigators, where he and his numerous intriguing coworkers take on bizarre cases that the police cannot handle.
19. Ao no Exorcist
Demons and humans, as well as Gehenna and Assiah, their respective worlds, are two sides of the same coin. Possession, like in ghost stories, is the only means to travel between realms. However, Satan, the ruler of Gehenna, has been imprisoned in his realm due to his inability to find a suitable host.
He sends his son instead of in a desperate attempt to conquer Assiah, thinking that he will develop into a vessel that the demon king can possess.
Ao, no Exorcist follows Rin Okumura, who looks to be a typical, somewhat troublesome teenager until he is ambushed by demons one day. When he finds out that he is Satan’s son and that his demon father desires for him to return so that the two of them can conquer Assiah together, his entire world is turned upside down.
Rin resolves to train as an exorcist in order to fight alongside his brother Yukio to defend Assiah instead of joining the king of Gehenna.
20. Natsume Yuujinchou
While most fifteen-year-old boys have secrets about girls in one way or another, Takashi Natsume has a strange and terrifying secret concerning youkai: he has been chased by these spirits for as long as he can remember.
Natsume soon discovers that his late grandmother Reiko left him the Yuujinchou, or “Book of Friends,” which has the names of the spirits she could control. The book, which is now in Natsume’s possession, also grants Reiko’s grandson this ability, which is why these enraged beings are now stalking him, hoping to earn their freedom in some way.
Natsume craves solace—a place where he belongs—without parents or a loving home and continuously being pursued by hostile, merciless youkai. His only friend, though, is Madara, a self-proclaimed bodyguard. Madara is a strange, pint-sized feline spirit who has his own motives for sticking with the boy, affectionately known as Nyanko-sensei.
Natsume Yuujinchou is a unique and supernatural slice-of-life anime that follows Natsume as he attempts to free the spirits held by his grandmother’s contract with the help of his notorious protector Madara.