Well, well, well! Enthusiasts of the unforgettable anime show “Erased” aren’t you in luck. If you know you loved this one, then there is more. Take your imagination to the day you first watched this masterpiece with other anime series that are just similar to Erased. The story in question is about a time-travelling manga artist, Satoru Fujinuma.
With his ability to go back and forth in time, he rescued many people from the face of death. The thrilling moment begins when he realizes he has travelled back to being a young boy in primary school.
A tough mission awaits him. Kayo was his beloved soulmate, and her life depended on him. Satoru was supposed to save him from being murdered by a serial killer. The suspense and thrill are real in this anime, and you won’t guess what is about to happen.
You will crave to have something like that again, and that’s why l am here with a list of the best anime series that are just like Erased.
From the 2016 winter up to now, this show has been loved by many for its mind-tickling storyline and execution. It’s safe to say it is one of the undebatable gems the anime industry has given us recently. Let’s get into it.
13. Re: Zero — Starting Life in Another World
What a time to be a fan of time travelling because that’s what Re: Zero is all about. Not only is it about time travelling, but it also dives into fantasy, which is kinda the only difference with Erased. Subaru, our main character here, could turn back tides and time. The goal is to go back in time and change the course of the future.
Unlike Satoru, when he dies, he wakes up in a different place and different time. Subaru uses his powers for the good of the people, for their protection, and to ensure that nothing bad comes their way.
Whenever he finds himself in a new world, his concern is to uncover the truth behind his immortality and figure out his way of life in whatever place he finds himself. Subaru, just like Satoru, is faced with big responsibilities, figuring things out and protecting the people.
All this has to happen despite them carrying their burden that weighs them down emotionally. What makes Subaru a beloved and relatable character is that they really took their time focusing on issues affecting them emotionally and mentally.
The nostalgia will entice you to make you watch the whole series. Besides, it is a great series on its own with some unique ideas.
12. Iroduku
Let me tell you the story of Hitomi Tsukishiro, who came from a family of witches. While there aren’t many mind-boggling aspects of the story, like Erased, the thrilling feeling is the same.
Hitomi became colour-blind when she was still very young because all her life, she was growing up amongst people with hardened feelings. She came from Nagasaki somehow,w; people still do magic here and there.
One of the greatest witches pitied Hitomi for what was to become of her. So, she made her go back in time to the year 2018. Now, the storyline will focus on how Hitomi matured as an individual and what growth was like in her life.
11. Charlotte
Erased and Charlotte go hand in hand when it comes to keeping you guessing. The endings of both series are just the same. You can’t help but just think of the other. The plot focuses on a character named Yu Otasaka, who can hypnotize other people for five seconds.
He had teamed up with other uniquely gifted characters. Jojiro Takajo could have an impressive speed, Yusa Nishimori was a medium, and Nao Tomori could disappear at any given point.
Together, they were finding out the deep secrets of other people. What you didn’t see coming is that once they hit adulthood they just disappeared. What could have been the reason? Go watch it and enjoy it.
10. The Promised Neverland
Everyone has dreams. Everyone hopes for the future one way or another. But what if your future is just a meaningless ending where you get devoured by this world’s scary creatures?
The little kid here, who is the main focus, was destined for such. Just because it’s a kid makes the whole scenario spine-chilling, and their vulnerability gets every viewer so scared.
Hoping for what is to come, if it’s good or bad, we can’t really tell until the end. The Promised Neverland did well with slowly developing their stories in a way that the outcome is uncertain.
The mental state of these was tested in every step they took, which entices the viewer. Some of them will be on the verge of breaking down, and some will even question if the encouraging words given to them are true. Were all the hopes given to them worth the struggle?
The suspense expands with time, making you want to discover more about the outcome. If you are looking for some food for thought or anything that stretches your mind, then this is the right spot for you. There is a lot for you: challenging mind games, twists and turns, crafty adults and smart kids.
9. Monster
Here with another anime with an interestingly twisted plot that you won’t want to miss. The story talks about a very professional doctor facing a tough decision. Either he spares a little child’s life or his mayor.
What could you have done for the sake of humanity? The mayor passed away after Kenzou decided that the child should live. People didn’t take this well and he started receiving backlash from people.
It seemed like his good heart was about to get him in trouble, and it did. Later on, the child whom he had spared, Johan Liebert, committed murder, and Kenzou was blamed for it.
For him to get out of this mess, he had to make sure justice was served to Johan. If you like stories that don’t rush into their end, this is the right one for you.
The perfect execution won’t allow you to skip any parts. It is quite an interesting must-watch with more to offer than Erased. The unexpected twists and turns are like a cherry on top of a cake. Not forgetting how it slowly builds the suspense that keeps you hooked. Once you start, there is no going back.
8. Detective Conan
While Detective Conan isn’t as hard-core as Erased, it has its hard side. This is because it’s an actual true-crime show, so of course, there are scenes when it is going to be disturbing, and I’m sure you can be grossed out.
The story follows Shinichi Kudo, who, only at 17, was known for his deep knowledge and having answers to almost every mystery. One day he sees two men and decides to secretly follow behind them. He wasn’t prepared to red-handedly catch these men committing a felony. He was caught, and they killed him.
What we didn’t see coming was that he was gonna get a second chance at life, but this time as a seven-year-old boy. Now he is referred to as Conan Edogawa, of which the inspiration comes from the authors of mystery Ranpo Edogawa and Arthur Conan Doyle.
After that he went to attend Mouri Detective Academy. Because he had an impeccable gift of investigation, he started using it to help the academy solve their cases.
At the same time, he was trying to find the people that had killed her. They were the reason why he was back in time. He just wanted his life back.
7. Tokyo Revengers
There is a little debate here, which l side with the fact that Tokyo Revengers had exceptional characters. This doesn’t take away the glory of the captivating Erased plot. However, they are both a pleasure to watch.
You already know the drill: Takemichi Hanagaki goes back in time to save his beloved. The time-traveling moment happens after falling over the train tracks. It wasn’t intentional, though; someone pushed him.
His goal is to change what happened before, not just for his own good but also to make sure that Hinata Tachibana, his ex-girlfriend, escapes the hands of her murderers. The Tokyo Manji Gang had killed her in the past, but now he can’t watch this happen again.
6. Link Click
In this series, we explore the life of Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi, who were friends in the business of providing photo-hopping services. This is how it works; they could use the special photographer’s eye to find solutions to problems after jumping into the pictures.
They cannot afford to make mistakes because just one wrong move could alter their future and the one they are offering service. Even when it means a lot of emotions will be involved, the two of them just have to suck up their feelings and do their job and get money.
The series explains the characters’ roots well and slowly takes us on a ride that shows where they are coming from and who they really are.
Their job gets a little too emotional sometimes, and you’ll love it. You will get time to relax your nerves when the plot reaches the anticlimax because there are a lot of tense moments throughout. Don’t you just want to watch it and see the rest yourself?
5. Higurashi When They Cry
One of the popular horror and mystery anime series is right next on this list. The horror itself is hair-raising, and just like Erased, it follows main characters who have dug deep secrets of what happened before so they prevent it from happening again. Characters from both series had the ability to go back and forth in time using their powers to rescue others.
One of the main characters, Satoru, ensured that with his power, no more invasions and killings would occur among his people. On the other side was a girl who was using her powers to figure out what could be the reason for all the endless deaths that had been going on.
On their mission, the lady actually had it worse than Satoru. She can testify how much harm was done to her friend, and the moments are just heartbreaking, to be honest.
Higurashi’s When They Cry and Erased both focus on memory and trauma. In season 2 of this anime we see how they formed a solid friendship.
They joined forces in order to make sure they built a foundation that ensured the safety of their future. Once you watch it, then you will understand why people hype it up so much.
4. Orange
Orange tells the story of Naho, a girl who was receiving warning letters from her future self. They were telling her all about what would happen, but at first, she didn’t think of it as a big deal.
I mean, if it were you, what were you gonna do? Soon after, she takes heed and starts doing what the letters tell her to do. This was the only way she was gonna stop Kakeru from committing suicide.
Together with her friends, they did their best to prevent the bad things that were to happen to Kakeru. The friends are also getting the same letters and it’s from the person.
Naho is one character who doesn’t necessarily have to go back in time, but the existence of time travel helps her. So it’s basically another sci-fi series that just takes a slightly different approach.
3. ReLife
I have realized that so many people want to restart their life. Are you one? Let me tell you that if you are one of them, you might just change your mind when you are done with ReLife.
You might want to just keep going with whatever you have right now. The plot centres around Arata, who is just a regular and is offered a chance to redo his teenage life.
Upon receiving this information, he thought it was gonna be a simple task. Luck wasn’t on his side as things are even getting worse than it was before. It had to do with him gaining weight and failing to reach the bar of expectation.
As a result, Arata was filled with insecurities and thought of himself as low. He had been given a chance to do life again but still failed to correct his mistakes. Maybe he should have just kept going.
When you watch this, you will start pondering yourself about what you could have done before. What will you do? How far will you go in an attempt to change whatever happened? Arata took the same path as Satoru of developing his mentality now that he was a young man again.
They don’t have to make the mistake of ruining their future again. Make sure to put this on your bucket list because the relatability of characters here is a must-watch
2. Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Another anime series that evokes your emotions just as it was erased. If you know you have a weak heart, this isn’t your spec. But because you are curious already, let me tell you what the storyline is about.
The focus is on Jinta, who comes across the ghost of his long-lost friend, Meiko Honma, from childhood. The gag is that for Meiko to rest in peace, she just wanted Jinta and the other friends to do just one thing for her.
There was a wish that they had made when they were still young, and they had to remember it. This anime have touched many fans because of the sensitive topics that it touches on. It talks about bereavement and regret, and if you are watching it, get yourself a napkin because you will cry.
1. Your Name
Last but not least is this series that tells the thrilling story of Mitsuha and Taki. On a random day, the two find out that they have now been trapped in each other’s bodies.
On top of that they have to fulfill the roles of each other. While trying to uncover the truth, they discover something that is even more important than all the questions they have for themselves.
Taki goes through the same as Satoru as he tries to protect her female co-character from the world’s dangers. You cannot help but just love these two because and enjoy how they learn to adapt to their new realities.
What broke their hearts was the fear that they might not be able to see each other ever again. This is the right pick for you if you are looking for something that fills you up with emotions.
