Film

Jujutsu Kaisen 0

A prequel to Jujutsu Kaisen that stands completely alone: a supernatural action film about a cursed teenager learning to fight monsters while haunted by his childhood friend's ghost. Visually stunning, emotionally grounded, and paced like a thriller. For anime fans and action lovers who want spectacle with genuine stakes.

TMDb rating4.1

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Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train2020

Another anime film that proved the medium could match blockbuster spectacle. Gorgeous animation, devastating emotional weight, and action sequences that leave you breathless. A similar balance of character and kinetic chaos.

But If you haven't seen the TV series, you'll miss context and character investment. The pacing assumes you already care about these people.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train poster

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes2018

An anime action film that understands what makes fights compelling—clear stakes, character growth, and the joy of watching heroes push past their limits. Lighter in tone than Jujutsu Kaisen 0 but equally committed to animation spectacle.

But Assumes familiarity with the show. The plot is fairly thin if you're watching just for story.

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes poster

A Silent Voice: The Movie2016

Japanese animation at its most emotionally precise. A film about carrying guilt and learning to connect. The visual storytelling is exquisite, and it proves anime can be intimate without losing its power.

But It's quieter and sadder than Jujutsu Kaisen 0. No action. If you're here for fights, this will feel like a detour.

A Silent Voice: The Movie poster

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The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion1997

Both follow a traumatized teenager learning to pilot a power they don't understand while dealing with a past they can't escape. Both films climax around confronting what you've lost. But where Jujutsu Kaisen 0 offers hope and community, Evangelion offers only deeper isolation.

A sequel that abandons the TV show's spiritual angst for raw psychological horror. Dizzying animation, visceral body horror, and the sense that anime could be genuinely dangerous. Watching it is an experience you won't forget.

But It's obscure, it's deliberately difficult, and it contains unsettling imagery that feels designed to be alienating. Not a film that wants you comfortable.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion poster
More like this (8)

Chainsaw Man2022

Chaotic, stylish, and genuinely funny in ways that surprise you. The animation is kinetic and inventive, the protagonist's journey from nobody to someone matters, and it doesn't take itself too seriously while still landing emotional beats.

But The humor is crude and the tone whiplashes between grotesque and heartfelt. It can feel messy if you prefer consistency.

Chainsaw Man poster

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War2022

A returning classic anime that finally got the animation it deserved. Epic, visually inventive, and structured around a central mystery that pays off. The action is extraordinary, the character work is solid.

But It's mid-series, so you'll need to commit to the whole run. And it can be self-serious in ways that verge on parody.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War poster

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works2014

A supernatural action series with beautiful animation and genuine philosophical stakes. It's about a teenager discovering he's part of a larger world of powerful forces, and learning what he's willing to do to protect others.

But The premise is baroque—a magical battle royale between wizards. It takes two episodes to explain. Dense worldbuilding can feel impenetrable at first.

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works poster

Kill la Kill2013

Explosive, audacious, wildly inventive animation that turns a school action story into something mythic. Every frame looks like no other anime; watching it feels like visual overload in the best way.

But It's deliberately provocative and absurd, which some find exhilarating and others find exhausting. The satire isn't subtle.

Kill la Kill poster

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood2009

A complete, carefully constructed epic about two brothers trying to fix a catastrophic mistake. The animation is clean and efficient, the story is tight, and it respects both spectacle and emotional devastation equally.

But It's 64 episodes. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is two hours. This is a different kind of commitment.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood poster

Megalo Box2018

A stylish boxing anime with retro animation and a scrappy, cool protagonist learning to fight his way up. It's smaller in scope than Jujutsu Kaisen 0 but equally committed to the idea that transformation means struggle.

But It's understated. If you want the kind of explosive animation Jujutsu Kaisen 0 delivers, this will feel too grounded.

Megalo Box poster

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners2022

Both are stories about kids swept into a world of supernatural/technological forces beyond their control. Both center a complex relationship at their emotional core. But Edgerunners is science fiction to Jujutsu Kaisen 0's fantasy, and where JJK0 is about learning to survive, Edgerunners is about learning you can't.

An anime series set in a video game universe that somehow transcends that constraint entirely. It's about ambition, friendship, and the cost of chasing an impossible dream. The animation is adventurous, the emotional turns are devastating.

But It's only 10 episodes, so you'll finish hungry for more. The cyberpunk aesthetic won't appeal to everyone. And it ends in tragedy.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners poster

Castlevania: Nocturne2023

Both feature young protagonists with hidden potential learning to fight supernatural evil under the guidance of older, more experienced warriors. But where Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is grounded and contemporary, Nocturne is Victorian gothic—a different emotional register entirely, which is the whole point.

A Western animated series with the visual inventiveness and violence of Japanese anime. Gorgeous character animation, supernatural action, and a protagonist learning to channel grief into power. Each episode looks like a painting in motion.

But It's deliberately gothic and operatic—dialogue can feel overwrought. The pacing in early episodes is slow. And it's tied to the Castlevania universe, which may or may not matter to you.

Castlevania: Nocturne poster

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