7 Best Shonen Anime to Watch If You’re Craving Another Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball is perhaps the most influential anime of all time. Not only was almost every Shonen Jump series that came after Dragon Ball influenced by it to some extent, but several creators all over the world grew up watching the series and are deeply fond of it until today, often referencing it.

Therefore, there are many modern anime that Dragon Ball fans could give a try if they still want something similar to the series. Of course, since the franchise is huge, different fans enjoy different things in the series: for some, the enjoyment is in the humor and adventure; for others, it’s all about battles and power scaling. Taking that into account, here are some of the best recent shonen anime for Dragon Ball fans.

7

Jujutsu Kaisen

Image via MAPPA

Jujutsu Kaisen is a great anime for anyone who loves battle shonen series. It features a darker tone compared to Dragon Ball but still leaves room for sharp humor, even with all its intensity. There’s nothing better than an action-packed anime with strong enemies, dark-magic powers, and a well-built power system. Any Dragon Ball fan will be thrilled to watch the breathtaking and sometimes chaotic fights from Jujutsu Kaisen.

Like many contemporary manga, it was indeed influenced by Dragon Ball. The manga has already concluded, but the anime is still ongoing, so fans will still be able to enjoy the series for a while. After the anime is over, MAPPA will likely adapt Jujutsu Modulo into anime.

6

One Piece

One Piece has been around for decades, but the series keeps reinventing itself over and over. Furthermore, despite already being quite long (and still counting), there will be an anime remake next year, adapting the series for a newer audience and without filler episodes.

Although One Piece has a “different feel” from Dragon Ball, the Straw Hats are very similar to the Dragon Team in personality. Furthermore, these are both long, enjoyable shonen manga/anime with great battles for those who love to be engaged in a series for a long time.

5

Dandadan

Dandadan was one of the best surprises in 2024. Okarun and Momo are a great duo. The story features amazing, high-stakes battles with supernatural abilities but blends them perfectly with comedy and romance. The comical tone of Dandadan is perhaps what many fans of the original Dragon Ball anime would love in the series. There’s also a touch of horror that only adds to how great the storytelling is.

Yakinobu Tatsu, the author of the manga, has already stated that Dragon Ball serves as a huge inspiration for him. The series knows how to innovate, not being your typical battle shonen, but the drama, the action, and the romance are so perfectly mixed that it’s difficult to imagine anyone not enjoying this show.

4

One-Punch Man

Image via Madhouse

One-Punch Man is a great catch for those who enjoy both the superpowers and the humor of Dragon Ball. In fact, One-Punch Man could easily be described as a parody of Dragon Ball, among other shonen manga. Despite the premise of Saitama being incredibly powerful and basically unbeatable, the story can still create great battles and keep the action thrilling and even escalate threats.

The series even features characters who resemble iconic villains from Dragon Ball. The real sad thing about One-Punch Man is that after a perfect first season, production just seems to get messier and messier in every new season. But it’s still a great option for anyone craving something like Dragon Ball.

3

Mashle: Magic and Muscles

Mashle is a shonen anime with a different premise: in a world of magic, the main character defeats his enemies with his well-trained muscles. And despite having no magical potential at all, he goes to the magic school to prove that strength can outbeat superpowers. It’s another series that leans more into the humor of Dragon Ball but still filled with action and absurd fights.

The manga has already concluded, but the anime should still drop a few more seasons before finishing adapting the full story, so there’s still a lot to be enjoyed from this high-energy anime.

2

Solo Leveling

Solo Leveling is something else. The anime has broken record after record, and there’s even more to come. Sung Jinwoo is so powerful that he is constantly compared to Goku by fans trying to guess which of them would turn victorious if they even fought each other. Those who miss the action-packed moments of Dragon Ball surely should give this one a try.

Furthermore, these are two series focused on power-scaling, so anyone who enjoys seeing Goku and the others constantly achieving new levels of power will definitely love Solo Leveling. Since the story has a more mature tone, Solo Leveling is a perfect match for Dragon Ball Z fans specifically, since the stakes are insanely high in both series.

1

Yaiba: Samurai Legends

Yaiba Kurogane is very similar to Goku in many senses: he is a young teenager raised in the jungle, extremely powerful, somewhat innocent, and mostly oblivious about anything related to modern society. He’s like Goku’s samurai version, especially if we consider the beginning of Dragon Ball.

With supernatural powers, great battles, absurd power scaling, a rival-pair dynamic, and tons of comedy and parodies, Yaiba just has that “Dragon Ball feeling” to it, especially for those who enjoy the simplicity of the first Dragon Ball anime. Fortunately, a second season has already been confirmed, so there’s more coming in the near future.

TV Show(s)

Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA

First TV Show

Dragon Ball

Created by

Akira Toriyama

Latest TV Show

Dragon Ball DAIMA