Demon Slayer season 4 won’t be released right away, but don’t panic: there are other excellent anime in which heroes wave their sabers under the noses of tough adversaries.
Very quickly, Demon Slayer established itself as a major figure in Japanese animation. The perfectly choreographed fights and the more than endearing characters, mishandled in a dark and often painful story, quickly won over the public. The series adapting the manga Kimetsu No Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotoge was then entitled to its sequel, to the delight of its spectators.
Season 4 will soon arrive, first in cinemas as a film, then in streaming. But we will have to wait until April 2024 to be able to lay eyes on the Pillar Training arc. If the wait seems too long for you, don’t panic: we offer you a list of 10 excellent anime, which also feature charismatic characters who wield swords or katanas to perfection.
10 – Bleach
Bleach follows Ichigo, a high school student who unwillingly becomes a Substitute Shinigami after meeting Rukia and borrowing her sword. Forced to accept new responsibilities due to his new status, the young man will hunt Hollows, monsters invisible to ordinary humans. But little by little, he will attract the attention of Soul Society, who do not appreciate seeing the teenager take himself for one of their own.
The classic series had many seasons upon its release, before finally going on hiatus. But after many years of absence, Ichigo and his Shinigami colleagues have made their comeback on fans’ screens. Better: the anime is heading towards a conclusion that promises to be epic. Fans will therefore not be abandoned by the adaptation of Tite Kubo’s manga.
9 – Claymore
In a world constantly threatened by terrifying demons, humanity can only count on very special warriors: the Claymores, half-woman, half-demon champions. But their power does not hide a tragic destiny. This is what Raki, a young survivor of an attack and saved by Claire, will discover while accompanying his benefactress.
Claymore is one of those timeless classic series. If the saber is abandoned here for heavy swords (it’s all in the title!), the warriors who wield them have nothing to envy of the charisma of Demon Slayer’s Slayers.
8 – Afro Samurai
The young Afro witnesses the assassination of his father despite himself: the murderer wears a headband displaying the number 2, a sign that he belongs to a very special category of fighters, rewarded by the gods themselves. These warriors can only be challenged by those with the number lower than theirs. To find answers about his father’s death and avenge him, the hero will embark on a bloody adventure through an alternative feudal Japan.
Afro Samurai adapts the manga by Takashi Okazaki in five episodes, by the studio Gonzo (Gantz, Full Metal Panic). The anime presents a dark and cruel universe. Small detail that hit the headlines at the time of its release in 2007: it was the actor Samuel L. Jackson who lent his voice to the hero in the English version. For the French version, the anime was entitled to the participation of the actor’s voice actor, Thierry Desroses.
7 – Dororo
Hyakkimaru literally has nothing going for him: when he was born, his body was sacrificed to demons by his father, who was hoping for a helping hand in maintaining power over his land. The newborn, however, survived, despite lacking limbs, a nervous system, eyes or even skin. Now 16 years old, he travels the land in search of monsters to recover what belongs to him, and soon finds himself accompanied by Dororo, a young thief.
Dororo is a product of the MAPPA studio, adapting the manga by the famous Osamu Tezuka. And this is felt in the sharp action scenes, as well as in the dark atmosphere that emerges from the story.
6 – Hell’s Paradise
Gabimaru, an elite ninja nicknamed the “Void” , is betrayed by his people and receives the death penalty. Unfortunately for his tormentors, the ninja-assassin cannot be killed, his highly trained body resisting all imaginable torture. A young woman with exceptional martial skills then appears, who proves capable of injuring him using her blade. But as the end looms, the swordsman offers him a deal: if he accompanies her on a mortally dangerous expedition to an island from which no one returns, she will let him live.
Hell’s Paradise adapts the manga by Yuji Kaku, published in Shonen Jump from 2017 to 2021. It is once again the MAPPA studio which rolled up its sleeves to release the anime, between two seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen and The Attack on Titan, and we immediately find the same style in the action scenes.
5 – Noragami
Yato, an ancient god forgotten by all, stoops to granting the most insignificant wishes in order to continue to exist. When her path crosses that of Iki Hiyori, a middle school student who is a wrestling fan, her routine will change drastically.
Obsessed with the idea of making a name for himself again, he will rely on the young girl, whom he unwittingly dragged between the borders separating the worlds. The duo will quickly be joined by Yukine, a young spirit who transforms into a formidable sword when the extravagant god calls on him.
4 – Katanagatari
Togame, strategist of the current Shogun, is ordered to find the twelve legendary katanas forged by Shikizaki Kiki. To find the formidable weapons, each possessing a power, she sends twelve experienced fighters. But the latter gave in to the call of the sabers, and refused to bring them back. Togame then decides to go find the master of the swordless fighting style… only to discover that he is dead, leaving behind a son to whom he passed on his art.
The structure of the anime is not surprising: in twelve episodes, the twelve swords are presented to the viewer. On the other hand, the series manages to stand out with its original character design and skillfully measured action, offering many different fighting styles interspersed with useful dialogue. The animation is provided by the White Fox studio, already behind series such as Steins;Gate or Goblin Slayer.
3 – Blue Eye Samurai
A mixed-race swordswoman travels across Japan with one idea in mind: to eliminate the foreigners in the country, until she gets her hands on her father and makes him pay for his crimes. And too bad if her quest for revenge only brings her more suffering, she has sworn to kill her father with the edge of her blade.
Blue Eye Samurai is an animated series using all the codes of anime. It was created by the screenwriter of Blade Runner 2049 and Logan, Michael Green, in collaboration with his wife Amber Noizumi. If the animation goes beyond the standards, it is to better offer combat scenes that are astonishingly fluid and violent to the viewer. The solid writing reinforces the technique of this anime as hard as it is poetic.
2 – Samurai Champloo
Fuu is looking for a samurai who smells like sunflowers. Determined to get her hands on him, she manages to find two precious allies: Jin, a taciturn ronin, and Mugen, a former pirate turned wanderer.
After the classic Cowboy Bebop, Shin’ichiru Watanabe has signed a samurai anime immersed in a hip hop style, a little unnoticed, but which is nevertheless well worth the detour. The choreography is excellent, the duo of swordsmen accompanying the heroine works perfectly despite (or thanks to?) the differences between the characters, and Nujabes’ music gives a unique atmosphere to the series.
1 – Kenshin and the Vagabond
Kenshin Himura is also called Battosai, which means “master in drawing the sword” . This name he obtained at the end of a busy career as an assassin, which he ended up abandoning to become a simple wanderer. Unfortunately, even after finding refuge with Yahiko Myojin, a young girl running a dojo, he will have to face his terrible past again.
The manga Kenshin the Wanderer is a classic of the shonen genre. After a publication in 1994 in Weekly Shonen Jump, the story was entitled to its first anime in 1996. But it did not stop at one attempt, being available in several sequels, series and films derived from the universe imagined by mangaka Nobuhiro Watsuki. And this summer 2023, a new Kenshin the Wanderer anime allowed fans to immerse themselves in the story again, in 24 episodes.
And while waiting for season 4 of Demon Slayer, you can obviously go back and watch the first seasons, available on Crunchyroll, Netflix and Prime Video!
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