There are many anime that have made a big impression over the past few years and Assassination Classroom is a series that’s seen nearly universal acclaim. There is no shortage of shonen anime series and the genre is certainly bloated, but Assassination Classroom provides a unique spin on the shonen genre with a compact timeline that doesn’t belabor and dilute its strong premise.
The strong narrative decisions made by Assassination Classroom have helped the anime end on a powerful note and solidify its status as one of the best anime series of the past decade. Now that Assassination Classroom is over, there are still many other anime that capture a comparable energy.
10 My Hero Academia Trains A New Generation Of Superheroes For The Future
My Hero Academia and Assassination Classroom are both two of the most popular anime from their generations. Immediately there's common ground between the two series since they're both set within a school and involve individuals with supernatural powers.
Both shows push a similar message of teamwork, redemption, and positivity, but My Hero Academia unites its school full of heroes against deadly villains rather than divide them against themselves. My Hero Academia tells a larger story that continues to evolve, but it and Assassination Classroom both effectively develop large casts of entertaining characters.
9 Danganronpa: The Animation Adds More Macabre Mystery To A School Setting
Danganronpa started as a cult video game title, but it's expanded in massive ways and turned into one of the better anime adaptations and expansions of a video game. Much like My Hero Academia, Danganronpa: The Animation is also set within a foreboding high school with death awaiting around every corner.
The major difference here is that in Danganronpa, the students are mercilessly pitted against each other for supremacy as opposed to teaming up to take out the teacher. Monokuma is just as fun of a mascot as Koro-Sensei, too.
8 Great Teacher Onizuka Emphasizes The Power Of A Second Chance
Great Teacher Onizuka is another anime that gets mileage out of a school setting, yet it's considerably more grounded than Assassination Classroom and there are no dangerous aliens or highly-trained assassins. That being said, Great Teacher Onizuka is never lacking in drama.
The anime focuses on a class of delinquents and a highly unlikely teacher that devotes himself to their education. Great Teacher Onizuka taps into the humor and emotion involved in Onizuka's new situation and by the end, it's hard to not fall in love with the anime's characters.
7 Angel Beats! Trades Aliens For Angels In Its Unique Look At Student Life
High school life is such a relatable concept that there are countless anime that apply a different fantastical filter to the environment. Angel Beats! turns to angels and spirituality rather than the alien and apocalyptic ultimatum that’s present in Assassination Classroom.
Angel Beats! presents high school as a purgatory-like way station for spirits that aren’t quite ready to move on. Plenty of humor stems from this idea, but a more important conflict also begins to brew in the afterlife. The two anime ultimately go in different directions, but the characters and comedy in these shows are very alike.
6 There Are More Exaggerated Assassin Antics In Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
Assassination Classroom deals with a powerful alien that lands on Earth, but it's also a series that's about turning regular people into deadly assassins, which is a theme that's also present in Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
Both of these anime provide radical takes on dangerous hitmen, and in the case of Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, there's a skilled killer who gets reincarnated into an adorable child who then tries to train a high school burnout on how to take over a mob family. There's a lot in common between these two series and they're even goal-oriented in a similar fashion.
5 Mob Psycho 100 Looks At A Reluctant Protagonist Who’s Worried About His Power
Mob Psycho 100 is full of incredibly powerful psychic espers, as well as several deceptive charlatans, and on its surface level, it may not immediately seem comparable to Assassination Classroom. Mob Psycho 100’s lead, Shigeo Kageyama, is initially a passive and reluctant hero, which is equally true about Assassination Classroom’s Nagisa Shiota.
Both of these characters slowly come out of their shells and rise into positions of leadership as the situation dictates it. Mob Psycho 100 has a smaller cast, but their attitudes feel comparable and some of the dangers in the anime are at the same scale as Koro-Sensei.
4 Baka & Test: Summon The Beasts Has Remedial Students Battling For Survival
Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts has a fantastic premise and it’s an anime that deserves a lot more attention. Similarly to Assassination Classroom, Baka and Test has delinquent students who are at the bottom of the barrel banding together to battle against those that are above them.
The big twist here is that these students summon beasts to fight in their honor, but the monsters are only as strong as their latest test scores. It’s an entertaining angle on the importance of good grades and how these students’ lives literally depend on improvement in some cases.
3 Kill La Kill Details A Chaotic School Where Combat Is On The Curriculum
Kill la Kill is one of the few series that features just as much combat and chaos in a school setting as Assassination Classroom. In fact, Kill la Kill’s educational institution is governed by battle rankings and fierce competition. Like most of the anime that comes from TRIGGER, Kill la Kill looks gorgeous and the fight sequences are stunning.
The action is able to get elevated to hyperbolic levels thanks to the extraterrestrial living fibers that power the characters, which feel like a power that’s comparable to Koro-Sensei.
2 One-Punch Man Is Full Of Powerful Villains That Could Give Koro-Sensei Pause
There is an increasing number of shonen anime series that incorporate superhero archetypes into their storytelling and One-Punch Man is just as much a loving deconstruction of the genre as it is a parody of the content. Saitama and the other powerful heroes in the series are quite different than the crew in Assassination Classroom, but they’re all equally humble and unassuming.
Additionally, it feels like Koro-Sensei could be one of the villains featured in One-Punch Man, so those that are looking for more highly powered alien action will be satisfied with the series’ enemies and battles.
1 Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto Is A Hilarious Look Into Perfectionism
Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto is set within a school and even though the majority of the characters are incredibly normal, the anime revolves around a new student, Sakamoto, that’s absolutely brilliant at everything that he does. Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto embraces the strange and absurdist humor that is often present with gag anime series.
The anime has a very simple premise, but it’s consistently surprising and deeply funny. Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto is engaging right from its debut, but at only 13 episodes it’s a small commitment in comparison to some other anime series.