12 Anime Like One Punch Man

Nanatsu no Taizai is another action anime rooted in trusted cliches. While it doesn’t try to circumvent them like One Punch Man, it still delivers a hugely satisfying action series by leaning on trusted tropes.

Also, like One Punch Man, this series is stacked with overpowered heroes – seven of them, you might say.

Set in a fictional medieval land (that happens to look a lot like the UK), the story revolves around a group of legendary knights known as the Seven Deadly Sins, who were supposedly killed for betraying a group known as the Holy Knights.

When the Holy Knights stage a coup d’etat on the Kingdom of Liones, Princess Elizabeth flees in search of those fabled knights. After making contact with their old leader, Meliodas, the two pair up to clear their names and save the Kingdom.

The Seven Deadly Sins is a bright and beautiful action fantasy that is really easy to enjoy – I definitely recommend checking it out!

Arguably just as good as One Punch Man’s action scenes are those of Saitama and Genos lounging around his tiny apartment.

If this OP slice-of-life comedy style is what you love, then you absolutely must check out this series, one of the kings of the genre!

In The Devil is a Part-Timer, the ​​Demon Lord Satan is on the verge of defeat in his world. He frantically flees through a portal along with his general, only for the two of them to land in modern-day Tokyo without their powers.

With no immediate way back home, the two of them are forced to live like average people, and Satan begins to take so much satisfaction from his earth life that he makes this planet his new objective, even if it means climbing the ladder at his part-time fast-food joint!

Similar to One Punch Man, this series is full of funny slice-of-life moments as two ‘aliens’ become acclimatised to the cold realities of day-to-day living.

Related: The Devil Is a Part-Timer Season 2 Release Date, Studio, Where to Watch, Trailer and Everything You Need to Know!

Like One Punch Man, Assassination Classroom is an anime starring an OP character on a journey to meet their match. However, Classroom is much lighter than One Punch, with more focus on other characters.

In Assassination Classroom, a monster cuts the moon to a crescent before descending to Earth. A random class that he chooses to teach has one year to figure out a way to kill him, or he’ll do the same to their planet.

The teacher, which they name Koro-sensei, is seemingly indestructible, moving at light speeds to dodge any attack. However, that won’t stop the students of class 3-E, led by the determined Nagisa, from trying!

What follows is quite a unique and entertaining school anime with a killer twist.

Despite the show’s end goal, many episodes are filled with heartwarming fun ad Koro-sensei delivers life lessons to the young students.

If irreverent anime is what you’re after then FLCL is a must-watch. Despite only being a small series first released in 2000, the series is a cult classic for its frantic and genre-bending storytelling.

Also known as Fooly Cooly, the series follows Naota’s everyday life. That is at least until a pink-haired girl wielding a bass guitar crashes into him on her Vespa. Their first encounter leaves him with a scar and an unwanted stalker, both of which send him into a series of crazy events, many involving robots.

FLCL is one of those anime that needs to be seen to be believed. If you’re looking for another unique series to get into, you should definitely check this out!

While the balance between comedy and action is much more weighted to the former in Saiki K, both shows have an incredibly similar vibe.

The series stars Kusuo Saiki, a high-schooler born with psychic abilities. However, for him, they are nothing but a pain.

Saiki is desperate to live a quiet life. However, his powers tend to attract a whole string of oddballs into his circle, leaving him to deal with their misguided adventures.

Saiki K is a fast-paced comedy anime full of laugh-out-loud moments. Both shows have a very subdued protagonist which allows other characters to deliver excellent comedic moments.

If you’re a fan of One Punch Man, then Mob Psycho 100 is a must-watch. Both series were created by the same person (ONE) and share similar themes of fantasy colliding with the everyday.

Mob is a normal, everyday kid with psychic powers. To hone his abilities, he’s convinced by con-artist Reigen to work with him in exorcising spirits. However, all Mob wants is to use his abilities to impress his high-school crush.

The teenager’s life, with all the complications that come at that age, is made tougher by an increasing amount of work and decreasing amount of motivation. The stresses of his life and missing ambition begin piling up until they reach 100, which has the potential to trigger a cataclysmic explosion of his powers.

Mob Psycho swaps the superhero aspects of One Punch Man for a more occultic, teen-driven storyline. However, in terms of absurdist comedy and big-scale action, both series deliver in similar ways.

Related: Where to Watch Mob Psycho 100

Gintama is one of the greatest comedy anime of all time. If you love the way that ordinary life collides with anime action in One Punch Man, you’re going to find similar enjoyment in Gintama.

The anime takes place in a timeline when classical Japan was been taken over by aliens, creating a world filled with old and new technology. Gintoki is the leader of Yorozuya, a small group that completes odd jobs for paying clients.

With the help of a young samurai in training, an alien girl with superhuman strength and a giant pet dog, Gintoki looks to help all sorts of people with various jobs, leading to a whole world of adventures.

Gintama has hundreds of episodes to its name along with movies and other spin-off content. If you’re looking for a comedy series that parodies other anime cliches, you won’t find much better than Gintama.

When it comes to groups of superheroes, few do it better than My Hero Academia. While the energy of the series is different, if you want a world of superheroes to discover, My Hero Academia is a must-watch.

My Hero Academia is set in a world where the majority of the population have some form of superpower. To keep people safe, the most powerful individuals go through training to work as heroes, a job that comes with responsibility but also fame for the most successful.

Despite being born with no special abilities, Izuku Midoriya trains and studies every day in the hope of somehow becoming a hero. His passion is discovered by All Might, one of the world’s most recognised heroes, who decides to choose Izuku as his successor.

Much of the early parts of My Hero Academia follow Izuku’s training as he enrols in UA High School. However, later episodes and seasons introduce a whole host of other heroes and villains, making it a great series for fans of the genre.

Sakamoto is another irreverent comedy series starring someone whose abilities far outmatch anybody else’s, no matter how much people may try to compete.

Sakamoto is a new student at high school who excels in every conceivable area. Incredibly handsome, intelligent and sophisticated, nobody can manage to get the better of him no matter what obstacles are placed in his path.

If you enjoy the comedy side of One Punch Man as Saitama balances his normal life with being immeasurably strong, you’ll find similar joy from Sakamoto.

Most fans agree that One Punch Man takes a lot of inspiration for its characters from Dragon Ball. If you enjoy the action and world-building in One Punch Man, much of it can also be found here.

Dragon Ball Z is a sequel to the original series but can be watched in isolation, also. This series continues to follow Goku, whose quiet life is interrupted by new enemies and war for control of the mystical Dragon Balls.

Dragon Ball is one of the most influential action anime and is recommended viewing for anyone who wants to discover from where many of anime’s tropes parodied in shows like One Punch Man originated.

If you’re a fan of anime parody comedies, KonoSuba is one of the best around. While the subject matter is slightly different, both share similar comedic energy.

In KonoSuba, shut-in NEET Kazuma suffers an embarrassing death and is given the opportunity to be reborn in a fantasy world by an arrogant goddess. When he is permitted to take one thing of his choosing into the fantasy world, he decides to take the goddess herself.

Now both stuck in a fantasy world, they must begrudgingly work together to defeat the Demon Lord and save the day. However, they barely make enough money to pay for food and shelter, struggling to live the dream fantasy life seen in Kazuma’s favourite games.

While One Punch Man parodies superhero shows, KonoSuba is a parody of the popular isekai fantasy genre. KonoSuba is more focused on comedy compared to One Punch Man, but both share a similar enjoyment of the clash between fantasy and reality.

Both One Punch Man and Tiger & Bunny showcase what modern superhero work might look like. If you enjoy how One Punch Man subverts the genre’s tropes, Tiger & Bunny does something quite similar.

The anime is set in the futuristic Stern Bild City where heroes not only save lives but have to compete in popularity contests. Superheroes are paid by sponsors, and a hero’s popularity can impact their earnings and, ultimately, whether they can be a professional hero.

Wild Tiger is a veteran hero whose declining performance has his career on the verge of early retirement. His sponsors demand that he pair up with a young new hero, nicknamed Bunny, despite his protestations.

Tiger & Bunny doesn’t have the same ‘over the top’ approach to combat seen in One Punch Man. However, the way both series rank heroes makes this series enjoyable for fans of One Punch.