Berserk is a brilliant story that often leads the conversation when it comes to dark fantasy anime series. Written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura, Berserk is a phenomenal story that has continued for decades and remains unfinished even now in 2026. It has garnered worldwide acclaim, thanks to its characters and storytelling. The Berserk story is one of the most gruesome and darkest in mainstream anime, and while it’s a masterpiece in many ways, there are other anime series that can easily rival it.
31 Best Seinen Anime Of All Time, Ranked
From Berserk to Kaguya-sama, the best seinen anime cover many genres and themes, be it action, comedy, romance, or thrillers.
Attack on Titan
- Main Character: Eren Yaeger
- Genre: Shonen
Attack on Titan is a brilliant shonen manga, more targeted to a younger audience. However, despite that, it is still a dark series. Attack on Titan follows the story of Eren Yeager in a world that has been decimated by Titans, human-eating creatures. While Eren and his family were living peacefully, after the fall of the wall, everything changed.
Attack on Titan showcases gruesome scenes involving the Titans, but also darker political issues, especially closer towards the end. Attack on Titan has definitely become an iconic series over the years, and it is undeniable that in terms of writing and storytelling, it could easily rival Berserk. After all, Eren and Guts are both cited as some of the best well-written main characters in all of anime.
Tokyo Ghoul
- Main Character: Ken Kaneki
- Genre: Seinen
Just like the Berserk story, Tokyo Ghoul falls under the Seinen category, which targets older male audiences. With that said, it is expected for Tokyo Ghoul to be a darker series, exploring more mature themes across the board. Tokyo Ghoul has become an icon in the anime world as one of the most popular seinen series of all time, and it can even rival Berserk in popularity.
Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida, follows the story of Ken Kaneki in a world where ghouls, human-eating creatures, exist. The anime for Tokyo Ghoul was quite a mess after the first season, but its manga remains a huge rival to the Berserk series in terms of writing and storytelling. In many ways, Tokyo Ghoul is even darker than Berserk, with countless character deaths, and gruesome scenarios unfolding throughout the series. With dark secrets and gut-wrenching developments, this series keeps the fans on the edge of their seats from the start to the finish. The manga for Tokyo Ghoul is even more intense and takes the gruesome nature of the story to a whole other level.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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Vinland Saga
- Main Character: Thorfinn
- Genre: Seinen
Vinland Saga is definitely a series that surpasses the expectations of viewers. Thorfinn, the main character, loses his father and goes down quite a dark path at the beginning of the story. However, by the end of season one and following into the second season, he undergoes quite a dramatic transformation, turning into a pacifist.
While Vinland Saga is not a series as gruesome as Berserk and not founded in fantasy, it is still a series that more than rivals it in the darker anime genre, and does things even better. After all, when talking about the greatest Seinen series of all time, Berserk and Vinland Saga are often the two most cited stories. Unlike Berserk, Vinland Saga actually has quite a stunning anime adaptation and fans can’t wait for the third season to air.
34 Best Gender-Bender Anime Of All Time, Ranked
Gender-bender anime have been around for a long time, spanning several genres. These great shows make the most of the trope.
Monster
- Main Character: Tenma
- Genre: Seinen
Monster is a series by the legendary Naoki Urasawa, a creator with many iconic stories. Monster is by far his biggest hit and the reason why is quite clear. Monster is a dark thriller following surgeon Kenzo Tenma, a Japanese doctor living in Germany, who puts his career at risk to save a young boy instead of his more prestigious patient.
While Tenma’s actions are honorable, this event goes on to change his life for the worse. The child he saved goes on to become a serial killer and a lot of blame is put on him. Escaping police and trying to find the man he saved long ago, this marks the start of one of the most exciting series ever.
Monster is one of the most legendary anime out there and one that is arguably even better than Berserk. Its anime adaptation remains one of the most iconic stories ever.
Perfect Blue
- Main Character: Mina
- Genre: Psychological Thriller Movie
Perfect Blue is one of the most legendary anime movies of all time. It was released in 1997, created by legend Yoshikazu Takeuchi. The story of Perfect Blue follows Mima, a former pop idol member who wanted to shift her career around and become an actress. What she thought would be a great new start for her turned into a nightmare. The public’s reaction to her shift and the creepy stalker following her around makes for one of the most memorable dark thriller movies. The plot of Perfect Blue has definitely disturbed many, and it’s definitely a story that could rival Berserk, even though its plot is, of course, a lot shorter, being a movie.
Death Note
- Main Character: Light Yagami
- Genre: Shonen
Death Note aired all the way back in 2006. Despite that, it remains one of the most popular anime series around even in 2026. When it comes to mystery and thriller series with dark twists, there are not many series that have the depth of Death Note. The characters of Light and L have become icons and some of the most recognizable characters of all time, on the same level as the likes of Guts or Griffith.
The first part of Death Note, at the very least, is definitely comparable to Berserk, if not far better. Although its second part takes a dip in quality, Death Note definitely explores darker themes incredibly well, even though it isn’t as gruesome as the likes of Berserk. Even though it’s been years since its debut, Death Note is only growing in popularity and will continue to hold its position as one of the most iconic stories of all time.
Claymore
- Main Character: Clare
- Genre: Shonen
When it comes to series similar to Berserk, there is probably no other story that’s as similar to it as Claymore. Just like Berserk, Claymore is set in a fantasy medieval world. The world of Claymore is infested with parasitic creatures, known as the Yoma. These Yoma are known as shape-shifting monsters who infect human bodies and feed on their hosts. To fight these Yoma, a hybrid between a human and a Yoma was created.
These became known as the Claymores, a class of female warriors who get their name from the large sword they carry around. The story of Claymore specifically focuses on Clare, a Claymore warrior who stands out as one of the most iconic main characters of dark shonen.
