8 Anime like Dorohedoro, the gory fantasy-action series from MAPPA

Here are 8 excellent anime series that you can check out if you loved the gory fantasy-action series from Studio MAPPA, Dorohedoro.

Dorohedoro is a truly outstanding, one-of-a-kind series that is certainly firmly placed in our Top-10 favourite anime of all time.

With an intriguing story, iconic characters and some of the best world-building in recent memory, the Studio MAPPA-developed series became an instant classic when it made its global debut back in December 2020.

If you have just finished watching Dorohedoro and want to find some other similarly-themed series from within the same genre, look no further than these 8 shows to fill the Caiman-shaped ‘Hole’ that has been left.  

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Tokyo Ghoul (2014)

An iconic and controversial anime series, Tokyo Ghoul features all of the fantasy gore that Dorohedoro fans enjoy; with a score of 7.79/10 on MyAnimeList with over 1.6 million reviews.

The Tokyo Ghoul anime is available on Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, with the sequel seasons also available on Netflix and Crunchyroll in selected territories.

“Tokyo lives in fear of creatures called Ghouls. By day, they live as ordinary humans, but by night, they become flesh-eating monsters. When a young man becomes the first Ghoul-human half breed, he must learn to harness his deadly, newfound powers.” – Tokyo Ghoul, via Amazon Prime Video.

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Dororo (2019)

Also from Studio MAPPA, Dororo is a personal favourite for us with an incredible narrative and action scenes; with a score of 8.23/10 on MAL with 528,000 reviews.

The Dororo anime series is available to stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

“In Japan’s Warring States period, Lord Daigo Kagemitsu makes a pact with 12 demons, exchanging his unborn son for the prosperity of his lands. The child is born malformed and is set adrift in a river, while Kagemitsu’s lands thrive as promised. Years later, young thief Dororo encounters the mysterious “Hyakkimaru”, a boy whose arms are blades and whose visionless eyes seem able to see monsters.” – Dororo, via Amazon Prime Video.

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No Guns Life (2019)

This series is more science fiction-based than fantasy, but is certainly an anime that features a lot of the same themes as Dorohedoro; with a score of 6.86/10 on MAL with 68,000 reviews.

The No Guns Life anime series is available through Crunchyroll and Funimation.

“The technology to create powerful cyborg soldiers has been released for public use by the Berühren Corporation, those outfitted with robotic parts are known as the Extended. Juuzou Inui, one such Extended, was created as a soldier and has no memories of his former life. But now, after the war, he runs a business that takes care of Extended-related incidents around the city.

Rumours of a renegade Extended that kidnapped a child reach his ears; lo and behold, as Juuzo returns to his office, a giant robotic man with a boy on his back crashes in, asking for help. While Juuzou could just turn the guy in and be done with it, something about this situation is too fishy to ignore.” – No Guns Life, via MyAnimeList.

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Terra Formars (2014)

Another sci-fi-based action-comedy gore anime, this time from Liden Films; with a score of 7.01/10 on MAL with 109,000 reviews.

The Terra Formars (also labelled as Terraformars) anime is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

“With Earth becoming increasingly overpopulated, an ambitious plan has been put into place to terraform Mars using mould and cockroaches. Nearly 500 years after the plan, a mission to Mars, Annex 1, is under way to accomplish crucial research into the Virus currently plaguing mankind with the crew members who’ve been injected with various DNA of life on Earth in order to combat the Terraformars, giant humanoid cockroaches.” – Terra Formars, via Crunchyroll.

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Blood Lad (2013)

A remarkably underrated anime series, Blood Lad is from Brain’s Base Studio and features supernatural monsters, delinquents and all types of mythology; with a score of 7.27/10 on MAL with 338,000 reviews.

The Blood Lad anime is available to stream via Crunchyroll.

“Staz is one of the toughest vampires in the demon world. But unlike his ancestors, he finds being a vampire to be a serious pain in the ass and prefers to spend his time watching anime and playing video games instead. When a Japanese girl named Fuyumi wanders into his territory, Staz cannot hide his excitement at finally meeting a living human from his favorite culture.” – Blood Lad, via Crunchyroll.

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Berserk (2016)

Arguably the most infamous series on this list, Berserk’s anime adaptation was met with significant criticism because of just how good the original manga series was. That being said, the anime is still an enjoyable follow-on if you have just finished Dorohedoro; with a MAL score of 6.3/10 with 160,000 reviews.

The Berserk anime series is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Apple TV.

“Spurred by the flame raging in his heart, the Black Swordsman Guts continues his seemingly endless quest for revenge. Standing in his path are heinous outlaws, delusional evil spirits, and a devout child of god. Even as it chips away at his life, Guts continues to fight his enemies, who wield repulsive and inhumane power, with nary but his body and sword—his strength as a human. What lies at the end of his travels? The answer is shrouded in the “night.” Strain your eyes and stare into the dark!” – Berserk, via Crunchyroll.

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Hellsing: Ultimate (2012)

A reboot of the classic 2001 series, Hellsing: Ultimate is arguably one of the best action horror series of the last decade; with a score of 8.36/10 on MyAnimeList with 433,000 reviews.

The Hellsing: Ultimate anime series is available through Funimation and Netflix.

“There exist creatures of darkness and evil that plague the night, devouring any human unfortunate enough to be caught in their grasp. On the other side is Hellsing, an organization dedicated to destroying these supernatural forces that threaten the very existence of humanity. At its head is Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who commands a powerful military and spends her life fighting the undead.

Integra’s vast army, however, pales in comparison with her ultimate weapon: the vampire Alucard, who works against his own kind as an exterminator for Hellsing. With his new vampire servant, Seras Victoria, at his side, Alucard must battle not only monsters, but all those who stand to oppose Hellsing, be they in the guise of good or evil.” Hellsing: Ultimate, via MAL.

Deadman Wonderland (2011)

Whilst featuring a vastly different setting than Dorohedoro, if you want action-comedy and a hell-of-a-lot of gory images, Deadman Wonderland is for you; with a MAL score of 7.17/10 with 638,000 reviews.

The Deadman Wonderland anime is available to stream through Funimation, Crunchyroll and Apple TV – it also has one of the best OP’s ever.

“It looked like it would be a normal day for Ganta Igarashi and his classmates—they were preparing to go on a class field trip to a certain prison amusement park called Deadman Wonderland, where the convicts perform dangerous acts for the onlookers’ amusement. However, Ganta’s life is quickly turned upside down when his whole class gets massacred by a mysterious man in red. Framed for the incident and sentenced to death, Ganta is sent to the very jail he was supposed to visit. But Ganta’s nightmare is only just beginning.” – Deadman Wonderland, via MAL.

By Tom Llewellyn – [email protected]