There is a battle about to begin in Tokyo, the Shaman Fight. This tournament is held every 500 years where shamans, those who command spirits, test their skills in combat. The winner becomes the Shaman King and gains command of the Great Spirit. Shaman King follows the story of the carefree Yoh Asakura and his spirit Amidamaru.
Well look at you Shaman King. Getting a glow up with modern animation techniques and looking real cool. Though its aimed at a younger audience, Shaman King was always one of those shounen gems that truly shined with its unique characters so it is great to see it getting some attention again. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Shaman King, then head on down below.
For Fans of Tournaments
Law of Ueki
Unknown to most humans, an otherworldly tournament occasionally takes place to decide the next God of the Heavenly World. In this tournament, god candidates choose human partners to battle with, which grants them powers. For middle schooler Kousuke Ueki, he has been chosen to battle and granted the power to turn trash into trees.
Of all the other series on this list, Law of Ueki will remain the most similar to Shaman King because it basically has the same plot. Both series follow the characters in a grand tournament that faces them off against a variety of foes. The major difference is that Ueki is a little more of a shounen protagonist compared to the ultra laid-back Yoh.
Zatch Bell
After finding it in a forest abroad, Kiyo Takamine’s father has sent him a small, doll-like child named Zatch Bell. However, despite Zatch’s amnesia, they discover that he is a mamodo, or a demon sent to Earth. He is fated to battle it out with the other 999 mamodo sent to Earth in order to decide the next king.
Both series are immediately notable for being action series that are typically aimed at a younger sort of audience. That aside, both series are battlers that are framed as a tournament to decide a king in the series. Like Shaman King, Zatch Bell introduces an interesting array of both humans and supernatural beings.
Fate/Stay Night
The Holy Grail War is a battle royale among the seven magi who can use their command seals to enter battle and command Heroic Spirits of historic and mythical heroes past. In the Fifth Holy Grail War, Rin Toosaka is among the magi entering the competition. With her Servant, Archer, she hopes to obtain the ultimate prize—the Holy Grail, a magical artifact capable of granting its wielder any wish. However, when Rin’s classmate Emiya Shirou accidentally enters too, things get much more interesting.
If you enjoyed Shaman King because it focused on battles using a human and a spirit that was bound to them, but want something a little more mature, then the Fate series is right up your alley. It has a more mature and violent plot, but is still ultimately about people battling it out in a tournament using their spirit partners.
For Fans of Assisted By Spirits
Kiba
Frustrated with his lot in life, Zed searches for a place where he can live more fully. One day, he is invited into a portal that transports him to a war-torn world where magic user called Shard Casters constantly battle each other using spirits. Intrigued, Zed aims to become a Shard Caster only to discover that he already has a powerful spirit dwelling within him.
Lesser known than even Shaman King, Kiba features a similar sort of story in which a human and their spirit companion battle others. However, there is no tournament in Kiba that frames the plot. Instead it is more about the main character discovering why he is special in that particular world.
Magi
Aladdin, a talented young magi, has lived his life in seclusion, but he is eager to go explore the world. After he sets out, he becomes friends with a courageous Alibaba Saluja who, after seeing his powerful Djinn Ugo, suggests they go conquer a dungeon for fame, power, and treasure.
While distinctly Middle Eastern in flavor, much of Magi is about a small boy that fights using the assistance of a major spirit. What most binds them together is that each series has a particular flair for visuals sometimes.
Gegege no Kintarou
In the 21st century, people no longer believe in yokai. However, unexplained issues plague people still. To get answers, Mana writes the Yokai Post when a boy named Kintaro appears before her.
While Gegege no Kintaro is definitely a lot less action, it does feature humans and spirits becoming entangled. It tells more of a mystery slice of life style story. Both series have also received modern glow ups as well.
For Fans of Supernatural Battles
Twin Star Exorcists
Parallel to our world is Magano where the Kegare dwell. Exorcists are sent in to deal with these monsters and cleanse impurities. One day, a talented young exorcist named Benio is returning to Tokyo in order to meet with the Exorcists Union. On the road, she meets a young exorcist named Rokuro. After seeing some kids being plagued by Kegare, Benio rushes in and drags Rokuro with her. There she discovers he has skill to rival her own, but refuses to fight. Being paired up by the head exorcist, they are lauded as the Twin Star Exorcists and prophesied as the future parents of the reincarnation of the Abe no Seimei, who will cleanse the world of Kegare.
If you enjoyed the action and the light folklore inspiration of Shaman King, then Twin Star Exorcists can likely satisfy. Both series have lovable characters and absolutely enthralling battles that are done with unique visual styles.
Tokyo Ravens
Spiritual magic once helped Japan launch themselves into World War II, but the war was lost after an onmyouji caused the Great Spiritual Disaster that still plagues Tokyo to this day. As a result, the Onmyou Agency was established to combat the demons. These days, spiritual powers have declined, and this is the case with Harutora, a young man tasked with protecting the reincarnation of the Great Disaster’s creator. However, when an an onmyouji attempts to recreate the Great Spiritual Disaster, he rises to the occasion to try and stop them.
Both Shaman King and Tokyo Ravens take Japanese folklore as inspiration, but weaves it into a unique story. They both feature solid battles, though they have completely different plots.
Soul Eater
Death City is home to a famous technical academy and ran by Lord Death himself. At this academy, meisters train with their human weapons in order to evolve them into Death Scythes to be wielded by the Grim Reaper, Lord Death. Only by consuming 99 evils souls and the soul of one witch will a weapon be able to evolve. This is the story of several students of the academy as they try to grow stronger and protect Death City in the process.
Most notable, Shaman King and Soul Eater have an emphasis on partners that are weapons and the humans that wield them. Whereas Shaman King has them fighting to become king, Soul Eater has them fighting so that their weapons partners can eventually become good weapons for the Grim Reaper.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Shaman King? Let fans know in the comments section below.