Ichigo Kurosaki is an average high schooler, except for the ability to see ghosts. One night, his family is attacked by a Hollow, a corrupt spirit that devours souls, and he  a Soul Reaper named Rukia fights it. However, in the process, Rukia is injured, forcing her to share her powers with Ichigo in order to survive. From there Ichigo must face down with Hollows and other Soul Reapers alike, not yet knowing what powerful enemies lurk out in the universe and what devastating powers lie within himself.

With an anime that has ended with no solid conclusion and a manga that moves at a snail’s pace, it is only natural you would need some anime recommendations to replace Bleach.

Related Anime Recommendations:

Anime Series Like Naruto

For Fans of Powering Up

Fairy Tail

While looking to enhance her celestial magic, mage Lucy meets an energetic fire mage name Natsu. After finding out he is a member of the famous wizard guild Fairy Tail, the pair travel home so Lucy can join. Combined with her new guild mates, Lucy and Natsu embark on adventures to help people and beat bad men in return for pay.

Fairy Tail progresses on a similar scale as Bleach. Early On, both are an even mix of action and humor, but they gradually begin to just focus on action as things go on. Essentially in both series, the heroes go on a journey filled with endless fights and gathers an ever-growing list of allies.

Yu Yu Hakusho

Yusuke was your typical delinquent teen, but one day he is fatally hit by a car after saving a young child. Impressed by his sacrifice, the afterlife gives him another chance at life, providing he become a Spirit Detective in return and defend humanity from demons and powerful enemies that seek to do them harm.

Being a Spirit Detective is just a stone’s throw away from being a Shinigami. Especially since both Spirit Detective Yusuke andcSoul Reaper Ichigo both gradually drift away from their purpose, powering up and fighting even stronger enemies.

Dragonball Z

Goku and his family live a peaceful life until one day when his son Gohan is kidnapped by a man claiming to be Goku’s brother, a powerful alien from another planet. After defeating his brother and refusing to join the last remnants of his Saiyan race, Goku must defend earth from the powerful foes from throughout the universe.

Before there was Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece, there was Dragonball Z, a must-watch action series for anyone that is a fan of the Big Shounen 3. Like in Bleach, Goku is constantly gaining new powers in order to deal with increasingly powerful evil. So much so that, like Ichigo, many of his friends become irrelevant in terms of power.

For Fans of Series That Go On Forever

One Piece

When legendary pirate Gol D. Roger was executed, his last words told the world about his treasure – One Piece. This set off a race among pirates everywhere looking to get their hands on it. Enter Monkey D. Luffy, who has finally assembled a motley crew ready to head out into the Grand Line and battle it out with anyone that gets in their way in hopes of finding the treasure.

Both are comedy, action, adventure-type anime, but while Bleach tends to only stick to a few locations, One Piece goes all over their world and meets all kinds of enemies. Regardless, both are incredibly lengthy, One Piece being the longer, and have no end in sight.

Inuyasha

Kagome’s normal life came to an end one day when a demon dragged her down into a well at the shrine where she lived. When she next woke, Kagome finds herself 500 years in the past in Japan’s feudal area, a time in history fraught with both war and demons. It is there she learns that she is a reincarnation of a priestess tasked with guarding the Shikon Jewel. With the jewel returned to the world with her, Kagome must fight off the demons that want to gain its power, including Inuyasha, a half-demon that was once a lover of her past self right up until she sealed him to a tree.

Unlike Bleach, Inuyasha eventually found its end. However, it is long enough and filled with enough fights to keep the serious anime fan busy for awhile. While Inuyasha has more elements of romance than Bleach, both feature strong, somewhat grumpy, main characters that are constantly getting stronger to face stronger opponents.

For Fans of Supernatural Elements

Soul Eater

Death City is home to the legendary Shibusan academy. It is here where human hybrids called Death Scythes train in order to become powerful weapons to be used by Shinigami. However, before they can do so, they must collect 99 evil souls and once witch soul. Soul Eater follows the students of this academy as they collect souls and defend the city from powerful enemies.

While more “cartoony” in animation style, essentially both Bleach and Soul Eater have the same setting. Both feature Shinigami that fight monsters that seek to feed on human souls. Both feature weapons with human-like personifications. Both have some comedy, although Soul Eater tends to be less serious throughout.

Blue Exorcist

In order for demons to pass into the human realm, they must do so through possession. For Satan, ruler of the demon realm Gehanna, he cannot find a vessel strong enough to bear him. In order to conquer the human realm of Assiah, he sends forth his son, hoping he will grow into a vessel for him to posses. Rin, the son of Satan, was raised ignorant of his origins. After finally meeting his real father, Rin decides to begin his training to fight against him as an exorcist.

If you compare Blue Exorcist to the beginning arc of Bleach, they are almost the same anime. Both boys find out they have mysterious powers through a special sword and use them to fight demons that threaten humanity. However, while Bleach goes on for quite some time, Blue Exorcist closes its plot up in a reasonable number of episodes.

D. Gray Man

After being an apprentice to one of the strongest generals in the Black Order, a group of exorcists, Allen Walker is finally ready to officially join them. Beside his fellow exorcists, Allen aims to destroy Akuma, demons that seek to destroy humanity, and their leader, the mysterious Millennium Earl.

Sadly, one of the biggest similarities between D. Gray Man and Bleach is that both ended their anime series so the manga could finish. However, both are getting new series at some point. Regardless, both deal with enemies that can’t be seen by regular humans as well as special weapons that are unique to those that wield them. While Bleach has a modern Japan setting, D. Gray Man is set in an early 19th century Europe that for some reason has modern technology.

Have your own recommendations for anime series like Bleach? Tell us about it in the comments section below.