10 Anime To Watch After Finishing Arcane: League Of Legends (2024)

This animated epic based on the lore of League of Legends exploded onto the scene when it was released on Netflix in November 2021. In its 9 episodes, the show delves into the origins of several fan favorites from the wildly popular game, such as Violet, Caitlyn, and Jinx, and details the central struggle between the utopian city of Piltover and the downtrodden citizens of Zaun.

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Even if audiences know nothing about the game, they will still appreciate Arcane's compelling story, engaging characters, and outstanding animation. The technology and magic that run the setting, as well as the themes of class tension, trauma, and warthat the show explores, are shared by several popular anime.

Revolutionary Girl Utena

The Duelists of Ohtori Academy fight for the hand of the Rose Bride, Anthy Himemiya, and the mysterious power she holds to revolutionize the world. Utena Tenjoucomes to Ohtori to find the prince who saved her as a child, and to become a prince herself. She fights for Anthy's hand not to control her power, but to meet that ideal by protecting her.

In addition to the themes of gender roles, coming of age, and abuse the show tackles, Utena and Anthy's relationship has powerful romantic overtones that have endeared Revolutionary Girl Utena to LGBTQ+ fans and paved the way for more overt gay relationships in media, such as Vi and Caitlyn's romance in Arcane.

Megalo Box

While her sister Jinx happily swings around Gatling guns,Vi is a brawler who prefers to take down opponents with her fists. She packs even more of a punch when she starts using Hextech Atlas Gauntlets as well. Some fans might be curious to see how she'd fare in a match withthe protagonist ofMegalo Box,one of the anime that gets boxing right.

This modern adaptation of the 1968 manga Ashita no Joe follows a nameless boxer fromthe desert slums, who fights under the name Junk Dog. The sport of Megalo Box is fought with mechanical exoskeletons called Gear, which powers up the fighter. Junk Dog enters Megalonia, the championship tournament of Megalo Box, with no Gear at all, fighting his way to the top with his strength alone.

No.6

No.6 is a futuristic city strictly divided by class. Shion lives a peaceful, privileged life in Kronos, the most comfortable district. His future lover Nezumi is an orphan from Lost Town, the poorest district. When they meet, Shion lets the wounded fugitive Nezumi shelter in his home, giving him food and treating his injuries, beginning one of the coolest LGBT relationships in anime.

Shion is exiled from Kronos for his act of compassion. When he reunites with Nezumi four years later, they must work together to crack a conspiracy threatening all of No.6. In Arcane, Caitlyn and Vi bicker at first before coming to wholly trust and love each other. However, their mission to prevent war between Piltover and Zaun begins with Caitlyn realizing Vi is being abused in prison and freeing her.

Dorohedoro

The cities of Piltover and Zaun are divided in several ways, one of them being technological advancements. Jayce and Viktor's invention of Hextech, which harnesses magic, launches Piltover into a new age of innovation. While they prosper, the undercity of Zaun is left in the dust.

In the dystopian world of Dorohedoro, a hugely underratedoriginal anime,Magic Users hold all the power. They regularly kidnap residents of the Hole, the setting's harshest area, for use in magical experiments. The show's protagonist is one such victim called Kaiman, who was left with a lizard's head, amnesia, and a bloodthirsty grudge against Magic Users.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

While Yugi Muto enjoyed a comfortable life with his grandfather and Jaden Yuki attended an elite dueling academy, the protagonist of the third Yu-Gi-Oh! series, Yusei Fudo, grew up struggling. The dystopia that the setting has become is divided sharply between Neo Domino City, home of the rich, and Satellite, where the lower classes live and where all of Neo Domino's trash is dumped.

Yusei's rival Jack Atlas betrays his Satellite friends so he can become part of Neo Domino. Yusei, like Vi,isloyal to his loved ones and wants to make their lives at home better instead. One of his goals in season 2 is to finish the Daedalus Bridge, which would connect the two cities and break down the barriers between them.

Psycho-Pass

Caitlyn pursues a career as one of Piltover's Enforcers, wanting to use her skills as a sharpshooter to make a difference in the world. However, she discovers that not only are the conditions in Zaun much harsher than she thought but they are actively worsened by the brutality of corrupt and elitist Enforcers.

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Psycho-Pass's law enforcement controls 20th century Japan with an equally iron grip. They wield devices that scan a target and determine their Psycho-Pass, the likelihood that they will commit a crime, and imprison or execute potential criminals if their number is too high. New recruit Akane Tsunemori joins the force highly confident and idealistic but loses faith in the system when faced with the reality of it.

Code Geass

Much of the world of Code Geass has been conquered by the Holy Britannian Empire. Japan is occupied by the Britannian military and renamed Area 11, stripped of independence and identity. Protagonist Lelouch Lamperouge is determined to destroy Britannia and is given the power to do so through a Geass, which allows him to psychically command people.

Zaun desires to be independent of Piltover.Caitlyn and Vi's approach to achieving this goal more closely matches the methods of Lelouch's childhood friend Suzaku: trying to work with the ruling bodies. Because the Council is willing to work with them as well, they are about to grant Zaun independence in the episode "The Monster You Created." Jinx's attack on their meetingruins this, leaving it up in the air how peace between the two cities will ever be reached.

Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric attempt to resurrect their dead mother through alchemy, but not only does the process fail, but Ed loses two of his limbs and Al his whole body. Now, they will go to any lengths to restore what they have lost, and in the process uncover that the corruption of their country's government may have world-ending consequences.

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Like Fullmetal Alchemist, the main sibling relationship is the emotional core of Arcane. Vi and Jinx love each other deeply, having relied on each other since their parents' deaths. However, their relationship falls apart because, having been separated so long and changed so much, they no longer know how to communicate. Vi in particular is unable to see what a different person her little sister has become until it's too late.

Cowboy Bebop

With a cast full of charismatic bounty hunters, an irrepressible genius kid, and one of anime's great canines, Cowboy Bebop appeals to almost anyone, including Arcane fans. Spike Spiegel and the rest of the Bebop's crew work as bounty hunters, targeting criminals with huge prices on their heads, but never managing to strike it rich no matter how successful their hunts are.In addition to the struggle to survive in poverty, Arcane shares with Cowboy Bebop the theme of the past coming back to haunt its characters, such as Spike's past as an assassin catching up to him.

For instance, though Vander tries to leave his past as a revolutionary behind for the good of Zaun's people, especially the orphans in his care. However, his former brother-in-arms Silco still wants to carry out their mission and holds a grudge against Vander for betraying him, moving him to destroy Vander's family and take over the leadership of Zaun.

86: EIGHTY-SIX

The Republic of San Magnolia is at war with the Giadian Empire, with zero casualties on San Magnolia's side...because their combatants are not legally people. Every citizen that is not an elite Alba is forced into the Eighty-Sixth sector, which officially does not exist, and drafted into the military to die fighting the Legion of drones. Lena Milize, the squadron's new Alba handler, struggles to earn their trust and to restore their rights.

Lena's conflict parallels Caitlyn's, as she is a noble contending with the atrocities her people have committed. Squadron leader Shinei Nouzen was nearly killed by his brother Shourei as a child when Rei blamed him for the deaths of their parents. Like Vi regretting lashing out at her sister Powder after Powder accidentally got their adoptive family killed, Rei wishes to make it up to Shin, but his assimilation into the Legion means his attempts do more harm than good.

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