11 High-Stakes Anime Like Naruto Packed With Underdogs Defying Fate

Still feeling that will of fire after Naruto's long run from village outcast to Hokage? Plenty of anime like Naruto deliver the same mix: an underdog who dreams of the top, a fierce rival who pushes him there, a found family worth fighting for, a power system to master, and the training, tournaments, and tragic backstories that make every victory land. No show replaces it, but the closest ones carry that same spirit.

Naruto itself is a finished, foundational classic, with the original run and Shippuden long complete, and while a 20th-anniversary remake has been teased for years, it keeps getting delayed, so there is no new main series on the way. If you are still working through the saga, our Naruto filler list points you to the parts that matter.

We ranked these from closest match to loosest, judged on one thing: how much each shares Naruto's actual build, a long-running shonen battle epic with an underdog who dreams of the top, a fierce rival, a power system, found-family bonds, and real emotional backstory. There is a quick table up top, plus honest notes at the end.

11 anime like Naruto at a glance

If you just want the fast read, here is the whole roster. The Similarity column is our call on how close each one gets to Naruto itself, not how good the show is on its own.

Streaming rights shift by region, so these are a starting point. Check what is available where you are before you commit.

The anime most like Naruto, ranked

Here are the anime like Naruto that genuinely share its build, ranked from the closest match to the loosest. The Similarity Rating is our read on how near each one gets to Naruto specifically, not how good the show is overall, and we kept the stars to whole numbers. The build we are measuring against is simple: a long-running shonen battle epic with an underdog who dreams of the top, a fierce rival, a power system, found-family bonds, and real emotional backstory.

1. Black Clover

Similarity Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Asta is an orphan born with zero magic in a world where magic is status, so he grinds his body into a weapon and fights his way up the Magic Knight ranks on sheer stubbornness. He also houses a sealed, forbidden anti-magic demon, and competes fiercely against his elite foster brother Yuno, a prodigy raised alongside him. Both chase the same dream: to become the Wizard King, the nation's military leader. Along the way he joins the rowdy, misfit Black Bulls squad.

Black Clover is the closest modern equivalent to Naruto. An orphaned, loud underdog born without the power everyone values, a sealed forbidden force inside him, a fierce rivalry with his elite foster brother, a misfit squad, and a fight to become the nation's leader are all lifted straight from the Naruto playbook. “Become the Wizard King” is “become Hokage,” and the Asta-and-Yuno dynamic is Naruto and Sasuke in all but name. For the most direct match to Naruto's spirit, this is it.

2. Jujutsu Kaisen

Similarity Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Yuji Itadori swallows a cursed object to protect his friends and is pulled into a hidden war between sorcerers and curses, the monsters born from human fear. He enrolls at a secret school for sorcerers and trains alongside a ranked organization of specialists. The threats escalate fast and the cost is brutal. The animation delivers some of the most explosive fights around.

Jujutsu Kaisen is the clearest match for Naruto's core squad and power dynamics, borrowing the Team 7 layout almost directly. Yuji is the headstrong physical vessel housing a destructive ancient demon in Sukuna, Megumi is the stoic, black-haired summoner who fills the rival-ally slot, Nobara is the headstrong female teammate, and Gojo is the overpowered, white-haired sensei with his eyes covered, the same four-piece shape as Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. The fights even lean on hand-to-hand martial arts layered with tactical energy management, just like chakra control. Our Jujutsu Kaisen filler list marks what matters.

3. My Hero Academia

Similarity Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Izuku Midoriya is born without a superpower in a world where almost everyone has one, mocked and counted out, until the greatest hero alive sees his heart and passes him a legacy. He enrolls at an elite hero academy, trains relentlessly, and sets his sights on becoming the number one hero. His explosive rival Bakugo pushes him at every turn, and his class becomes a found family. It is bright, earnest, and emotionally charged.

My Hero Academia is the modern spiritual successor to Naruto's growth philosophy. Deku starts as a powerless outcast who inherits a legendary power from his mentor, learns to manage the self-destructive toll that power takes on his body, and climbs through high-stakes tournament and exam arcs, all while wrestling with a volatile childhood rivalry in Bakugo. The inherited-power burden, the training-and-tournament structure, and the rival who mirrors the hero are Naruto's DNA almost beat for beat. Our My Hero Academia filler list keeps your watch clean.

4. Blue Exorcist

Similarity Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Rin Okumura learns he is the son of Satan, born with blue demonic flames sealed away in a blade, a heritage that makes him feared and hated. Rather than embrace it, he enrolls at an academy to become an Exorcist and forge his own identity, training to hunt demons and one day take down his own father. He fights beside classmates who become his found family. The tone balances real darkness with warmth and humor.

Blue Exorcist shares Naruto's exact demon-sealed-inside-an-outcast trope. Rin carries blue flames sealed in a blade, enrolls in an academy to become an Exorcist, and works through squad exercises, license exams, and friction with his prodigy brother Yukio. The hated-for-what-he-is origin, the sealed power, the training school, and the prodigy-sibling tension rhyme closely with Naruto carrying the Nine-Tails. It is smaller in scope and scale, which keeps it mid-list, but the sealed-outcast-plus-academy build is a solid fit.

5. Hunter x Hunter

Similarity Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Gon sets out to become a Hunter and find the father who left him, starting with a punishing exam that weeds out the weak. The journey opens into one of the most carefully built power systems in anime, alongside a crew of friends who grow into something like family. It gets darker and more complex than its bright start suggests. Many fans call it the best shonen ever made.

Hunter x Hunter is the primary structural blueprint for Naruto's most iconic early arcs. The Hunter Exam was the direct template for the Chunin Exams, and its Nen system laid the groundwork for how chakra affinities and conditions work, so the mechanics feel like an ancestor. If you loved the high-IQ, tactical puzzle-solving combat of the Forest of Death, this is its closest peer. It is deeper and more cerebral than Naruto, but the exam-and-power-system build runs straight through both.

6. Demon Slayer

Similarity Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: After his family is slaughtered by a demon and his sister is turned into one, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps to avenge them and find a cure. Training in a sword-breathing technique, he climbs the Corps' ranks toward the elite Hashira while hunting the demons that prey on humanity. The series pairs breathtaking animation with real emotional stakes. It is one of the most beloved anime of its era.

Demon Slayer matches Naruto's emotional tone and its discipline ladder. Tanjiro leads an earnest journey alongside a quirky squad, using elemental combat styles in the Breathing Forms that function much like elemental jutsu, and he climbs a strict military hierarchy, the Demon Slayer Corps ranks that top out at the Hashira. Most of all, it humanizes its tragic villains right at the moment of their defeat, which is Naruto's cycle-of-hatred theme almost exactly. There is no central rival or top-title dream, which keeps it a touch lower, but the tone and the structure are a genuine fit.

7. Yu Yu Hakusho

Similarity Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Delinquent teenager Yusuke Urameshi dies saving a child, then gets a second chance at life as a Spirit Detective, tasked with policing threats from the demon world. He gathers a crew of rivals-turned-allies and fights his way through tournaments and demon invasions. The series blends action, comedy, and real heart. It is a foundational classic from Hunter x Hunter's creator.

Yu Yu Hakusho is the classic ancestor that helped define the squad-shonen format Naruto runs on. It brings together a four-person unit of contrasting personalities, each with specialized spirit abilities, who work dark spirit investigations and the kind of tournament arcs that shaped 2000s battle anime. Yusuke's brash growth, the found-family crew, and those tournament staples all carry a clear Naruto flavor. It is older and shorter, but the squad-and-tournament build is a genuine fit.

8. World Trigger

Similarity Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: When gates to another world open and monsters called Neighbors pour through, a defense organization named Border holds the line using special weapons called Triggers. Osamu Mikumo is a low-ranked agent with weak stats who makes up for it with grit and strategy, fighting to climb an explicit ranking system alongside his team. The series runs on tactical team battles rather than raw power. It rewards patience with some of the sharpest fights in the genre.

World Trigger is the closest match for the team-based, tactical chess matches of the Chunin Exams. The protagonist is physically weak and stays that way, so fights are won through squad coordination, positioning, trigger utility, and reading an opponent's habits rather than sudden power-ups, which is the Naruto exam at its most strategic. The ranked ladder and the team missions mirror the Hidden Leaf's structure closely. It is calmer and more tactical than Naruto overall, but on the strategic-team-battle front it is a strong fit.

9. Mashle: Magic and Muscles

Similarity Rating: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Mash Burnedead is born with no magic in a society where magic is everything, so he bluffs his way into an elite magic academy, aiming to earn the title of Divine Visionary and secure his family's safety by solving every obstacle with absurd physical strength. His rivals are prodigies who were handed everything. The tone is deadpan and frequently hilarious. It plays like a magic-school shonen crossed with a bodybuilding gag.

Mashle is a direct play on the Rock Lee core theme of hard work over natural talent. Mash is born completely without magic in an elitist magical society, relying on extreme physical training, body conditioning, and blunt-force solutions to counter complex spells and high-ranking academy elites, which is Rock Lee's whole ethos stretched into a lead role. The underdog-outworks-the-prodigies spirit and the magic-academy ranks are a clear Naruto echo. It is lighter and more of a gag comedy, so it sits lower, but the hard-work-beats-talent build is a clear match.

10. Bleach

Similarity Rating: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll, Hulu

Synopsis: Ichigo Kurosaki gains the powers of a Soul Reaper and is thrust into a hidden war, guarding the living from corrupted spirits and battling his way through the ranks of the afterlife. As the threats escalate, so does his power, across sprawling arcs full of memorable fighters. The final saga has been brought to life with stunning modern animation. It is a cornerstone of the shonen battle genre.

Bleach is a direct contemporary from the Big Three era, with top-tier hype and sword combat to match. Ichigo is a reactive protector with no grand political ambitions, so there is no Hokage-style dream driving him, which is why it sits lower here than its fame might suggest. But it shares the escalating, tier-based power systems, the fierce rivalries, and the major military factions of the Soul Society, all of which Naruto fans will recognize. Our Bleach filler list sorts out where to start.

11. Soul Eater

Similarity Rating: 3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Anime Overall Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch on: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: At a school for weapon-wielding meisters and the human weapons they partner with, teams of students hunt evil souls to turn their blades into legendary death-scythes. Maka and her scythe partner Soul, along with a cast of oddballs, face witches, madness, and monsters. The series pairs stylish, gothic-cartoon visuals with fast, funny action. It is weird, bold, and endlessly energetic.

Soul Eater shares the academy setting and the student-trio squad structure under a specialized organization in the DWMA, which echoes the Hidden Leaf's academy and its three-person teams. The power system and the found-family dynamics land for Naruto fans. It ranks lowest here because its tone is much more eccentric, comedic, and gothic-urban-fantasy than Naruto's grounded, earnest ninja journey, but the academy-and-squad build is a genuine fit.

A few anime similar to Naruto that watch differently

Search around for anime related to Naruto and two names come up a lot that do not quite fit the hopeful, underdog-shonen build. They are worth your time. We just want the match to feel honest.

Boruto is the direct sequel, set in the same village with the next generation and the exact same ninja system, so it is less a show like Naruto and more literally more Naruto, best watched as a continuation once you are caught up. Attack on Titan gets recommended for its epic scope and its themes of hatred and war, but it is a grim, tragic deconstruction rather than a hopeful coming-of-age, so it trades Naruto's heart for despair. Both are worth watching. Just know that one is the continuation and the other is a very different beast.

Carry the will of fire to your next watch

Naruto is a finished, foundational classic, and while a 20th-anniversary remake has been teased and delayed for years, there is no new main series on the way, which leaves a real hole for fans to fill. The good news is that plenty of shows carry a piece of what made it special. Start at the top with Black Clover and Jujutsu Kaisen for the closest squad-and-rivalry matches, carry the growth philosophy with My Hero Academia, or play the tactical chess of World Trigger. The whole point of a good list of anime like Naruto is to keep that mix of heart, rivalry, and relentless growth going long after the credits roll on Shippuden.

While you line it all up, come hang out with us at Kaminari, where our weekly newsletter rounds up the shows worth your time, the news that actually matters, and takes written for people who love this stuff as much as you do. We will keep flagging the best shonen epics as they land, so you never miss the next one.

FAQs

Is there an anime exactly like Naruto?

Not a perfect twin, but two come very close. Black Clover is the closest modern equivalent, with an orphan underdog, a sealed forbidden power, a foster-brother rival, and a fight to become the nation's leader, while Jujutsu Kaisen borrows the Team 7 squad layout almost directly. Each nails the core of what makes Naruto tick.

What is the best anime like Naruto?

For the closest structure, Black Clover and Jujutsu Kaisen lead the pack with their underdog-and-squad builds. If you want the epic scale and depth instead, Hunter x Hunter and Bleach are the best anime like Naruto for a saga you can sink hundreds of hours into.

What anime is like Naruto Shippuden?

For the darker, higher-stakes feeling of Shippuden specifically, the long battle epics fit best: Bleach, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Hunter x Hunter all deliver the sprawling arcs, the escalating stakes, and the matured characters that made Shippuden hit harder than the original run.

Is there a new Naruto anime or remake?

A 20th-anniversary project of four new animated episodes was announced in 2023, but it was pulled before release and has been delayed ever since, with no confirmed date. In the meantime, the sequel series Boruto continues the story in the same world with the next generation.

Where can you watch anime like Naruto?

Most of these stream on Crunchyroll, including Naruto itself, with Bleach also available on Hulu. Streaming rights shift by region and over time, so double-check what is available where you are before you settle in.