15 Animes Similar to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles With Team Action

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” turns a simple premise—four sewer-dwelling brothers fighting crime—into a power-system sandbox (mutagen, ninjutsu styles), an underdog victory lap (outsiders saving a city that fears them), and a constant subversion of expectations (wise-cracking heroes who happen to be reptiles).

Modern anime thrives on the same trio of ingredients, yet many series that do so remain hidden gems. The 15 titles below mix inventive combat rules, tight team chemistry and genre-bending twists while flying under most radars—perfect fodder for Turtle fans craving something fresh.

15 Underrated Picks Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Fans

1. World Trigger (2014)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll / Hulu
• Episodes: 73 + 48 (Seasons 2-3)
• MAL rating: 7.5
• Studio / Staff: Toei Animation; dir. Mitsuru Hongo
• Awards: 2016 Sugoi Japan top-10 nominee
• Plot (2 sent.): A gate to another dimension opens, unleashing “Neighbors.” Earth’s Border agency arms rookie teams with customizable Triggers to repel them.
• Why it echoes TMNT: Squad-based tactics, color-coded weapons and a brains-over-brawn underdog captain (Osamu) channel classic Turtle dynamics.

2. Dorohedoro (2020)

• Streaming: Netflix
• Episodes: 12 + 6 OVA
• MAL rating: 8.0
• Studio / Staff: MAPPA; dir. Yuichiro Hayashi
• Awards: Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2021 “Best Fantasy” nominee
• Plot: Amnesiac reptile-headed Caiman hunts sorcerers in a grotesque wasteland while searching for his true face.
• Similarities: Mutant hero, found-family kitchen banter, and slapstick violence that flips shōnen expectations on their shell.

3. Sarazanmai (2019)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll / Funimation
• Episodes: 11
• MAL rating: 7.4
• Studio / Staff: MAPPA + Lapin Track; dir. Kunihiko Ikuhara
• Awards: 2020 Tokyo Anime Award Festival finalist
• Plot: Three Tokyo teens become kappas and must extract “desire shirikodama” from monsters to save loved ones.
• Similarities: Transformation gimmick, sibling-like trio teamwork and comedic melodrama amid stylish urban battles.

4. Gatchaman Crowds (2013)

• Streaming: HIDIVE / Prime Video
• Episodes: 12 + 12 (Insight)
• MAL rating: 7.3
• Studio / Staff: Tatsunoko; dir. Kenji Nakamura
• Plot: A bubbly high-schooler joins the digital age reboot of the G-Force superhero team.
• Similarities: Color-coded suits, gadget-driven power system and commentary on heroes’ place in society—Turtle spirit in a neon palette.

5. Kemono Jihen (2021)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll
• Episodes: 12
• MAL rating: 7.4
• Studio / Staff: Ajia-Do; dir. Masaya Fujimori
• Plot: A half-ghoul boy joins a paranormal detective office staffed by wayward beast-folk.
• Similarities: Outcast kids with animal traits learning teamwork and martial discipline under a laid-back mentor.

6. Megalo Box (2018)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll / Hulu
• Episodes: 13 + 13 (Nomad)
• MAL rating: 8.0
• Studio / Staff: TMS Entertainment; retro-scan art by 3xCube
• Awards: 2019 Crunchyroll “Best Animation” nominee
• Plot: Junk Dog, an unregistered boxer, hacks his way into a gear-enhanced tournament to challenge elites.
• Similarities: Gritty underdog journey, dojo ethos, hand-to-hand choreography that feels one katana swing away from ninjutsu.

7. Kiznaiver (2016)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll
• Episodes: 12
• MAL rating: 7.5
• Studio / Staff: Studio Trigger; script by Mari Okada
• Plot: Seven teenagers are surgically linked to share pain, forcing cooperation to avert city-wide collapse.
• Similarities: Forced siblinghood under experimental tech mirrors the Turtles’ mutagen bond and emotional growth arc.

8. B: The Beginning (2018)

• Streaming: Netflix
• Episodes: 12 + 6 (Succession)
• MAL rating: 7.2
• Studio / Staff: Production I.G; dir. Kazuto Nakazawa
• Plot: Genius investigator Keith teams with an escaped super-soldier to stop a shadowy royal cult.
• Similarities: Bio-engineered “Killer B” soldiers, mentor-student banter and urban rooftop showdowns.

9. Garo: Honoo no Kokuin (2014)

• Streaming: HIDIVE / Prime
• Episodes: 24
• MAL rating: 7.2
• Studio / Staff: MAPPA; action boards by Yasuko Kobayashi
• Awards: 2015 Newtype “Best Character Design” nominee
• Plot: A disgraced prince dons golden Makai armor to purge demon “Horrors” corrupting a witch-hunt kingdom.
• Similarities: Family of masked demon-hunters, armor power-up system and nightly patrols beneath gothic sewers.

10. The Big O (1999)

• Streaming: RetroCrush / Prime
• Episodes: 26
• MAL rating: 7.5
• Studio / Staff: Sunrise; mech designs by Keiichi Sato
• Plot: Amnesiac negotiator Roger Smith pilots megadeus Big O to solve Paradigm City’s lost-memory crimes.
• Similarities: Noir-flavored hero in a secret lair, episodic missions and a giant mecha equivalent of the Party Wagon.

11. Gun x Sword (2005)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll / HIDIVE
• Episodes: 26
• MAL rating: 7.2
• Studio / Staff: A.C.G.T; dir. Goro Taniguchi (Code Geass)
• Plot: Vagabond Van hunts the “Claw Man” across a desert planet, assembling oddball allies in sword-and-mecha duels.
• Similarities: Road-trip brotherhood, mix of slapstick and pathos, and swordplay that feels right at home in a Foot Clan brawl.

12. Seirei no Moribito (2007)

• Streaming: Prime Video
• Episodes: 26
• MAL rating: 8.1
• Studio / Staff: Production I.G; choreo by Kenji Kawai; Japan Media Arts Excellence Award 2008
• Plot: Spear-wielding bodyguard Balsa shields a cursed prince whose body hosts a water spirit.
• Similarities: Martial-arts master mentoring youth, riverside hideouts, and philosophical twists on honor—Splinter would approve.

13. Kyousougiga (2013)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll / YouTube (Bandai)
• Episodes: 10 + ONA shorts
• MAL rating: 7.8
• Studio / Staff: Toei Animation; art director Rie Matsumoto (Blood Blockade Battlefront)
• Plot: Runaway girl Koto crashes a kaleidoscopic mirror-Kyoto ruled by a dysfunctional deity family.
• Similarities: Chaotic sibling rivalries, deft comedy-action swings and bold ink-splash visuals worthy of a 90s Turtle toybox.

14. Pandora Hearts (2009)

• Streaming: HIDIVE
• Episodes: 25
• MAL rating: 7.8
• Studio / Staff: Xebec; music by Yuki Kajiura
• Plot: Heir Oz Vessalius is cast into the Abyss, contracts the chain “B-Rabbit,” and unravels a century-old conspiracy.
• Similarities: Gothic underworld, cursed power trinkets, and a youthful team fighting older villain factions—Shredder-esque echoes throughout.

15. Sabikui Bisco (2022)

• Streaming: Crunchyroll
• Episodes: 12
• MAL rating: 7.3
• Studio / Staff: Studio OZ; dir. Atsushi Ikariya
• Awards: 2019 Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! #1 New Work (source)
• Plot: Mushroom-archer Bisco and doctor Milo race across rusted Japan to find a panacea fungus.
• Similarities: Odd-couple bromance, bio-weapon ecology akin to mutagen, and kinetic set pieces that constantly one-up expectations.

Why These Anime Work for Mentioned Anime Fans

Each series pairs inventive power mechanics with scrappy protagonists who claw upward against corrupt forces, mirroring the Turtle ethos. Their team-centric character arcs, off-beat humor and willingness to bend genre rules keep every episode feeling as unpredictable as a pizza-loving ninja quartet’s next move. Dive in, and you’ll find 15 new sewer tunnels of storytelling just beneath mainstream streets.