10 anime to watch if you loved the Sanda anime premiere

Sanda
Sanda (Image Credit: Science SARU)

The Sanda anime premiere has been taking the place by storm with a combination of mystery, mysticism, and emotional storytelling. The anime is about belief and hidden magic in a future Japan. In this world, Christmas is just a legend.

Did the first episode leave you wanting more? Here are 10 anime like it.


List of anime like the Sanda anime

1. Blue Exorcist (Ao no Exorcist)

Blue Exorcist (Image Credit: A-1 Pictures)
Blue Exorcist (Image Credit: A-1 Pictures)

Blue Exorcist has a similar mixture of school life and supernatural concepts to the Sanda anime. Rin Okumura seems like a normal teenager. That's until the day he is attacked by demons. He then learns that he's Satan's son. He was sent from the demon world of Gehenna to the human world of Assiah.

Satan is planning to use Rin as a means of invasion into Assiah, but Rin refuses to join him. Rin decides to join the True Cross Academy as an exorcist to battle his father. With his brother, Yukio, he faces both human and extraterrestial enemies in an effort to control his abilities. The Blue Exorcist anime blends action, emotion, and fateful ghosts of fate against the freedom of will.


2. The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat

The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat (Image Credit: SILVER LINK. and Studio Palette)
The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat (Image Credit: SILVER LINK. and Studio Palette)

Fans who liked Sanda for its themes of identity and hidden power will love this too. The world’s greatest assassin is betrayed by the organization he served and meets his end. After death, he encounters a goddess who offers him a second chance at life in a world filled with swords and magic.

His new mission is to stop the world’s destruction by killing its hero. He was reborn as Lugh Tuatha Dé, son of a noble family of assassins. He trained under his father so that he could learn any skill he could. As he gains allies and power, Lugh realizes that taking down a legendary hero will require perfect clarity and planning.


3. Guilty Crown

Guilty Crown (Image Credit: Production I.G.)
Guilty Crown (Image Credit: Production I.G.)

The Sanda anime has a cool mix of mystery and emotion. Guilty Crown does the same thing. Japan fell into chaos when a virus spread everywhere. It was called the Apocalypse Virus. This all happened on December 24, 2029. That day was dubbed Lost Christmas. To stop the spread of the virus, the UN sent the GHQ to restore order. But instead, they took away Japan’s freedom. Ten years later, a resistance faction known as Funeral Parlor battles for its recovery.

When a quiet student named Shuu Ouma discovers a power known as the “Power of the Kings,” he’s thrown into the rebellion. If you enjoyed Sanda, you will enjoy Guilty Crown. Its combination of revolution and emotional tension was done very well. Both are about how power can be a curse, particularly when heroes must kill to live and struggle with questions of identity.


4. Zetman

Zetman (Image Credit: TMS Entertainment)
Zetman (Image Credit: TMS Entertainment)

If the darker tone of the Sanda anime intrigued you, Zetman is a must-watch. Zetman begins with two heroes, ZET and ALPHAS. The two were fighting when we got taken into a flashback. Jin Kanzaki, a man born with the power to transform into the superhuman ZET, tries to understand his purpose. Then there's Kouga Amagi. He's a tech genius and fights as ALPHAS. Kouga has a strong sense of justice.

Their paths cross while battling creatures called Players. Both of them has their concept of being a hero. If you like the excitement of Sanda, you are going to love Zetman. Both are an unusual blend of tragedy and moral chaos. Both stories plunge into the consequence of when you push humans past their bound.


5. Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan

Rikuo's youkai form on the sakura tree (Image Credit: Studio DEEN)
Rikuo's youkai form on the sakura tree (Image Credit: Studio DEEN)

For fans of the Sanda anime who liked its focus on youth and hidden heritage, this series offers a similar vibe. The anime is about Rikuo Nura. He is part human and part youkai. He grew up surrounded by friendly monsters from the Nura Clan. But most humans see youkai as dangerous beings. Wanting to live a normal life, Rikuo tries to hide his supernatural side.

However, school and new enemies change things. His life takes a turn. Did you like the Sanda anime? This series offers something similar. It has family heritage and hidden abilities. It shows the struggle of living between two worlds. Rikuo is like Sanda. He must accept his identity while protecting those he loves.


6. The Twelve Kingdoms

Youko (Studio Pierrot)
Youko (Studio Pierrot)

The Sanda anime and The Twelve Kingdoms draws you into a mysterious world. This anime follows Youko Nakajima, a top student with red hair who never quite fits in. One day, a man appears in her classroom and calls her his master. Before she can even process what’s happening, monsters called youma attack. Youko is then dragged into another world with two of her classmates.

Fans of the Sanda anime will recognize the common theme of being thrown into an amazing world and having to become stronger. Just like Sanda, Youko deals with complex situations that challenge who she is and her bravery. Youko questions her role in a world that feels confusing to her.


7. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children (Image Credit: Actas and Studio Comet)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children (Image Credit: Actas and Studio Comet)

If you liked the way magic and mystery were mixed in the Sanda anime, you will like Devil Children. The anime follows Setsuna Kai, a boy whose new apartment is destroyed right after he moves in. Then, he meets Dr. Hiromi Kaname, a scientist who reveals that a Devil Child, meaning part demon.

When demons start showing up, Setsuna teams up with the scientist's granddaughter, Mirai. Together they fight the demons. If you enjoyed the Sanda anime, this will feel close to it. The two shows follow young heroes with secret origins. They have powerful hidden bloodlines. They’re fighting threats to humanity. And they’re trying to make sense of where they belong in the two worlds.


8. Bokurano

Bokurano (Image Credit: Studio Gonzo)
Bokurano (Image Credit: Studio Gonzo)

The Sanda anime deals with serious ideas beneath its magical surface. Bokurano does the same thing but way darker. Bokurano starts with fifteen kids enjoying a peaceful summer camp by the sea. They discover a hidden cave. Inside, they meet a mysterious man named Kokopelli. He asks them to try a game. They take turns controlling a giant robot. They were to defend Earth from alien invaders.

Thinking it's just a virtual game, all but one of them agree to play. But things turn terrifying when the robot actually appears, and they find themselves inside it, fighting for real. Sanda anime fans recognize the same combination of sacrifice and moral struggle. The two anime deal with young people facing enormous responsibility. On that path, they learn that saving the world isn't as simple as it seems.


9. Now and Then, Here and There

Now and Then, Here and There (Image Credit: Anime International Company (AIC))
Now and Then, Here and There (Image Credit: Anime International Company (AIC))

Fans of the Sanda anime who liked its emotional storytelling will find this series wonderful. Now and Then, Here and There follows Shuu, a boy who loves kendo. He's got a normal life. That is, until he meets Lala-Ru. She's a girl with blue hair and a strange pendant. Their encounter gets interrupted fast. Soldiers appear out of nowhere to capture her.

Shuu tries to protect Lala-Ru. But he ends up getting pulled into a different world. This world is ruled by war and despair. Water is super rare there. Lala-Ru's pendant can create water. That makes her a target for brutal forces. Like the Sanda anime, this story shows innocence clashing with a broken world. Both follow young heroes. They get thrown into dark, adult conflicts. Their courage gets tested to the limit.


10. Kaiba

Kaiba (Image Credit: Studio Madhouse)
Kaiba (Image Credit: Studio Madhouse)

The Sanda anime explores memory, emotion, and the worth of a life. Kaiba does the same thing. Kaiba takes us into this wild, surreal world. It's set in the future. Memories can be stored and transferred using chips. In this reality, the rich never die. They trade bodies to live forever. The poor sell theirs just to survive. Kaiba wakes up with no memory. He's got a hole in his chest. And a photo of a woman he doesn't recognize.

He travels across different worlds. He wants to learn who he is. He wants to know who she might be. The Sanda anime and Kaiba are both journeys about what it means to be human. They happen in lost worlds. Both stories have similar elements. They challenge our ideas about identity, memory, and the soul.


Conclusion

The Sanda anime premiere opened the door to a new kind of story. It blends the ordinary with the extraordinary. If you enjoyed Sanda’s combination of mystery and magic, here are 10 anime series to make you feel the same way. Whether you want action, drama, supernatural intrigue, or mystery, these shows will keep you company until the next Sanda episode.

Edited by Zainab Shaikh