The God of High School has just slammed its foot down on the match ring of martial arts anime. The series has only aired two episodes out as of this publication, but with the following its webtoon has and the popularity the anime is steadily gaining, it's shaping up to be one of the best martial arts anime of all time. If you're new to the genre or looking for some hidden gems, here a just a few great examples of other martial arts anime/manga you may want to check out.
Tenjho Tenge
The Tenjho Tenge anime from 2004 follows two delinquent street fighters as they become students at a high school made for elite martial artists. Souchiou Nagi is cocky and stubborn, but has loads of potential as a martial artist. He catches the attention of another of the school outliers, Aya Natsume, who is determined to marry Souchiou one day. As part of the school's Junken Club, these outcasts are pitted against the strict and cold Executive Council, which controls the school through fear and discipline.
Unlike a lot of older martial arts anime, Tenjho Tenge has a pretty even distribution of both male and female fighters, a breath of fresh air for the genre. The fights are also pretty creative in terms of setting and style, with one of the anime's early arcs features the Junken Club being ambushed at a bowling alley. This ambush leads to four separate parallel fights taking place at the same time in different locationss. One character fights a staff wielder in a stairwell, which makes it difficult to close the gap in a cramped tight space, while two other characters fight in a bathroom where stalls come into play as tools and obstacles.
Kengan Ashura
When massive corporations and companies need to settle a dispute, there's only one way to do it. Underground martial arts matches known as The Kengan Matches. These fights bring together the best of the best in terms of fighters, carrying the fate of the company they represent on their shoulders. The manga series ran from 2012-2018, with an anime adaption beginning in 2019 on Netflix.
The joy of Kengan Ashura is seeing a multitude of different fighters from completely different walks of life be pitted against each other. For instance, the always charismatic and high spirited Sekabashi Jun is a dedicated Pro Wrestler who can take more physical punishment beyond the human limitations of any other trained fighter. There's also Karo Yoshinari, a massive hulking fisherman who's extensive time spent on ships has given him an incredible sense of balance and unpredictable way of moving. That combined with it's visceral and full-on action makes for some of the most intense fights in the genre.
Ranma ½
Although Ranma ½ isn't as action-driven as the other series on this list, it presents a fun world of charming characters. Created by the legendary Rumiko Takeshi (Inuyasha, Urusei Yatsura), the story follows Ranma Saotome is the heir to the Anything Goes Style of Martial Arts, but after an accident while training with his father in a cursed Chinese hot spring, the boy now turns into a girl whenever he's splashed with cold water. He's also engaged to Akane Tendou, a practitioner of the same style, but a girl who wants nothing to do with him. It's a great slow-burn romance anime, that never takes itself too seriously.
The fun of Ranma ½ comes from Rumiko Takeshi and how it seems nothing is off-limits to her. She comes up with so many crazy and fun scenarios you'd think would be hard to take seriously but all of it manages to stick in tone with the series: Ranma's life is threatened a Chinese "amazon" seeking honor, Ramna and Akane team up in an ice skating match against a couple and their high school becomes a battlefield once their "Hawaiian-obsessed" principal finds infractions with the student dress code. Although some of its lewder humor may not have aged well, it's still a fun watch perfect for anyone craving a '90s anime binge.
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple
Kenichi: The Mightiest Discipline began its manga serialization run in 2002 and ended in 2014. It recieved a 50 episode anime and several OVAs as well. The series follows Kenichi Shirahama, a highschool student who's been a victim of bullies for as long as he could remember. After befriending a recent transfer student, Miu, he tells her of his desire to become stronger, to which she takes him to her home, Ryozanpaku, a dojo home to martial arts masters that feel straight out of Street Fighter.
The best thing about K:TMD is that it leans into the growth and development of martial arts. Kenichi essentially starts at nothing and as the series goes he steadily becomes stronger and stronger until he can hold his own in any fight. He stumbles a lot at first, but with each new training regiment and ordeal placed on him, he becomes just a bit stronger, and it does a great job of making the audience root for Kenichi.
Veritas
Similar to God of High School, Veritas is a Korean manwha about martial arts and street fighting. Ma Gangryong is a high school delinquent who gets his ass kicked by a mysterious drifter. After losing, he's dedicated to becoming the drifter's pupil to become stronger. It's a rocky road, but eventually, the drifter, known to be Lightning Tiger, takes him in. After two months of training, Tiger leaves and Gangryong is left to improve on his own. Months later, he's approached by strange men telling him his sensei is dead and to come with them. Now, Gangryong is a student at school owned by Reunion, an organization dedicated to the preservation and evolution of martial arts as well as researching and developing artificial ki. Gangryong has a target on his back at this school, but he plans on defeating anyone who has any sort of beef with him.
Gangryong is a born delinquent, so seeing him apply his years as a street fighter to fights against trained traditional martial artists is super enjoyable. He likes messing and mocking his opponent, even if he's weaker, this confidence he has makes him incredibly likable as a protagonist.