Complex shounen/action style anime

Tebak

Tebak

New Member
I'm looking for an action anime that has fights centered mainly on strategy and tactics, such as JJBA and HxH. I'd also like it if the story has philosophical elements and twists such as those in HxH. It'd be cool if there's an anime like this with more strong female characters, but it's not a necessity.

I wouldn't mind the story's pacing being on the slow side, but I'd prefer good animation. Unique characters and development are very welcome too.

Some anime more or less similar to what I'm asking for that I've already seen: JJBA, HxH, FMAB, Death Note
 
Darker Than Black features battles against so-called "Contractors" who each have a unique ability, so naturally lots of strategizing is necessary to overcome each one.

Golden Kamuy has fairly strategic fights along with a strong female lead. This one's not entirely action oriented though, and the animation is more on the sketchy side. Still very much worth watching for the story and characters in my mind.

Classroom of the Elite has no action at all, instead being a battle of the minds akin to Death Note. Lots of strategizing in that one, so it might be your cup of tea.
 
FunkyTime said:
Darker Than Black features battles against so-called "Contractors" who each have a unique ability, so naturally lots of strategizing is necessary to overcome each one.

Golden Kamuy has fairly strategic fights along with a strong female lead. This one's not entirely action oriented though, and the animation is more on the sketchy side. Still very much worth watching for the story and characters in my mind.

Classroom of the Elite has no action at all, instead being a battle of the minds akin to Death Note. Lots of strategizing in that one, so it might be your cup of tea.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot! These are all anime I've considered watching, but I didn't have a clue what I could expect from them. I'll definitely check them out now!
 
Terror in Resonance: this has physical action & mind action, it's high rated, and the main characters (terrorists) are very likeable.

Erased: I could never stop recommending this anime... it's rated high, the story is very interesting and unique, and it really touches your emotions whether it's fear, sadness, or happiness. The mc is trying h to find out who's the murderer who has murdered many girls in his school... it's mostly about the characters using his mind to solve everything.
 
Ebonyslayer said:
https://www.anime-planet.com/anime/samurai-champloo -Covers some interesting thoughts, and the fights are pretty planned out.
https://www.anime-planet.com/anime/thunderbolt-fantasy -Some of the fights are won before they begun, and its all about knowing your opponent.
https://www.anime-planet.com/anime/yu-yu-hakusho -Considering his job occupation, Yusuke has to plan ahead to defeat his opponents.
Click to expand...

I was considering checking out Yu Yu, especially considering I liked HxH so much. It really helps knowing it shares that trait! Samurai Champloo is one I should really watch soon as well, but I've never heard of thunderbolt fantasy, so that'll be interesting. Thank you!
 
EternalYumeLove said:
Terror in Resonance: this has physical action & mind action, it's high rated, and the main characters (terrorists) are very likeable.

Erased: I could never stop recommending this anime... it's rated high, the story is very interesting and unique, and it really touches your emotions whether it's fear, sadness, or happiness. The mc is trying h to find out who's the murderer who has murdered many girls in his school... it's mostly about the characters using his mind to solve everything.
Click to expand...

I've actually already seen both of these, but I did enjoy both of them! Thank you for your time ^^
 
I'm a bit surprised nobody has mentioned Code Geass. It's on your want to watch list already, and I think it's brilliant fun. Death Note-style strategising, lots of action, every episode is basically crazy twists that ends on a cliff-hanger, some decent female characters (note: second season introduces fanservice, and I think the script gets dumber), and though not a shounen, it's an innovation on another classic genre, namely mecha. Lelouch Lamperouge is a unique character, and he's plenty of fun to watch.

Oh, and Kaiji. How could I forget that? Twists, cliff-hangers, literally death games where you need to strategise to survive, although zero female characters and character development is very, very beside the point.

I also just realised that great sports anime have almost everything you want. Action, strategising, twists, great character development, and no fanservice. Hajime no Ippo, Major, and Cross Game are probably the most intelligent representations. Cross Game has an excellent female character (the other two are just about men).

FYI, I've written reviews for all these shows, so maybe they can help give you a more in-depth idea of what they're like.
 
Last edited:
@VivisQueen Thank you for your recommendations!

I've heard a lot of mixed opinions about Geass, and have therefore always been sort of hesitant towards watching it. I'll definitely try it out though, and as always, hearing someone suggest it personally makes it that much easier to take the first step!

As for Kaiji, I watched it not too long ago, and it's certainly the type of thing I have in mind. I enjoyed those mind games a lot!

And yeah, I definitely need to check out more sports anime. The best one I've seen so far is Ashita no Joe, a ridiculously underrated (although understandably so, it's very old) show which is probably the predecessor to a lot of sports anime. I'm going to give Hajime no Ippo a shot soon enough definitely, but as can be seen in this thread, I have quite a lot to go through already x)

I've read a lot of your reviews already, actually. You're a great reviewer!! Thank you for taking your time to give some recommendations! ^_^
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top