As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow, it’s begun to encompass not just the film industry, but television as well. Some of the MCU’s best projects lately have been television series like Loki and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. There’s rarely ever any reason to venture outward...other than the desire to try something new.
But while fans might want to try a new medium like anime, they might not want to venture too far from what makes them comfortable. There are plenty of anime series that are reminiscent of the MCU, some of which might even contain some characters that Marvel fans will find familiar.
10 Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers Features The Avengers Essentially As Pokémon
Marvel worked with Toei Animation to provide a series for kids known as Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers. In the series, Iron Man creates a new technology with fellow scientist Nozomu Akatsuki called DISKs, which can capture people inside of them. But Loki uses the technology to release all the captured villains and capture all the Avengers instead. A group of five heroes have the ability to release the heroes briefly to fight against the villains, and they have to work together to recover all of the villains and eventually release the heroes.
9 Concrete Revolutio Is A Throwback To Silver And Bronze Age Comics
Concrete Revolutio takes place in two separate eras—in one, it’s an idealistic version of the '60s, where superpowered beings have become more and more common place. An organization known as the Superhuman Bureau works together to protect the superhumans and protect humanity at the same time. The second era is five years ahead, where government corruption and public distaste for superpowered individuals has drastically changed the world. Concrete Revolutio makes references to everything from superheroes to kaiju.
8 Samurai Flamenco Starts Out As A Parody But Turns Into A Proper Superhero Series
Samurai Flamenco starts out as a series about model Masayoshi Hazama, who’s obsessed with superheroes and delivering justice to those who need it. Watching it, the early half of the series can feel more like a parody of superheroes than an actual superhero series. However, as the series progresses Masayoshi finds himself recruited by an organization to protect the planet from an alien threat. It’s an affectionate send-up of Tokusatsu like Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, which makes it perfect for any MCU fans.
7 Witchblade Is Based On The Top Cow Superhero
Another Western property being adapted into anime, Witchblade follows Masane Amaha, a woman in possession of the legendary weapon the Witchblade after an event that wiped out Tokyo. Masane wants nothing more than an ordinary life, but she keeps running into people who want control over the Witchblade, from the government to massive corporations.
It’s everything Masane can do to take care of herself and her adopted child, Rihoko. Fans of the original Witchblade comic might be annoyed that this series doesn’t show any of the prior Witchblades, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a solid action series.
6 Gatchaman Crowds Is Gatchaman For A New Generation
In 2015, an organization known as Gatchaman protect Tachikawa Japan from an alien threat known as Berg Katze. The Gatchaman rely on special armor created by their own spiritual energy activated with the special phrase “Bird Go!” The series is a remake of the original Gatchaman series, but there’s not a ton left from the original series which became G-Force in America. The suits don’t look anything like the originals, and the fight scenes are much more over the top. Still, fans looking for an anime about a team of superheroes will do well coming here.
5 Tiger And Bunny Shows Superheroes With Corporate Funding
Tiger and Bunny takes place in Stern Bild City, where a collection of people with superpowers began appearing known as NEXT. These people began becoming heroes with the help of certain sponsor companies, and started competing for popularity on Hero TV in the hopes of becoming the King of Heroes. The main characters are Kotetsu and Barnaby, a pair of heroes struggling to get along thanks to their arguments on how they believe being a superhero should work. Together, the two have to deal with a vigilante known as Lunatic while also learning to get along with one another.
4 Garo: Vanishing Line Is A More Mature Superhero Series
Garo is a long-running tokusatsu series in Japan that’s meant to be more for adults than Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, which are often aimed at children. The franchise has several animated versions as well, set in different time periods. Garo: Vanishing Line is the series set in the modern day, in the massive Russell City. The protagonist is Sword, who has access to the Golden Knight Garo armor and is in search of the mysterious “El Dorado” in the hopes of shutting down the latest plan by the Horrors before it gets too far.
3 A Certain Scientific Railgun Has The Protagonist Keeping The Peace In Academy City
The lead protagonist of A Certain Scientific Railgun is about as straightforward a superhero as one might imagine. In Academy City, Mikoto Mikasa is the third strongest Esper, garnering the name “Railgun” as a hint of her abilities. She works with her friends to help keep the peace of Academy City, often running into other Espers along the way.
The key to Railgun is it actually takes place inside an entire universe, as there’s also A Certain Scientific Accelerator and a A Certain Magical Index. Fans of the MCU will enjoy being able to delve into the wider universe available here.
2 My Hero Academia Is A Superhero Shonen Series
This is the most obvious recommendation. My Hero Academia takes place in a world where most people have their own Quirk, a special power. Midoriya Izuku was born Quirkless, but desires nothing more than to become a superhero in the footsteps of his favorite hero, All Might. Though Midoriya doesn’t have powers, a chance meeting with All Might gives him an opportunity he never dreamed of having. Imbued with his own powers, Midoriya attends U.A. High School in the hopes of becoming the greatest hero that ever lived.
1 Marvel Future Avengers Shows The Avengers Training The Next Generation Of Heroes
What better place to start than with an actual Avengers anime? In Marvel Future Avengers, a trio of teenagers have been given powers by Hydra and trained to believe that it’s actually the Avengers who are the villains. Upon realizing that Hydra were actually the bad guys, the teenagers are taken in by the Avengers and trained to become the next generation of superheroes known as the Future Avengers. Though the main cast consists of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, and the Wasp, plenty of other heroes make an appearance throughout the series, making this a perfect introduction for people who still want some Marvel in their anime.