15 Animes Similar to Bungo Stray Dogs

Bungo Stray Dogs, first released in 2016 and produced by Studio Bones, follows Atsushi Nakajima, a young orphan with supernatural abilities, as he joins the Armed Detective Agency to combat threats from rival organizations like the Port Mafia in a world blending mystery, action, and literary references. The series excels in exploring power systems through unique abilities inspired by famous authors, underdog protagonists overcoming personal traumas, and narratives that subvert expectations with twists blending humor, darkness, and high-stakes battles.

These 15 selected underrated anime deserve more attention for their similar depth in character-driven stories, supernatural elements, and innovative storytelling, often overshadowed by mainstream hits, offering fans fresh takes on themes like hidden powers and moral ambiguity in lesser-known gems from various eras.

1. Kekkai Sensen (2015)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll, Funimation.
• Brief Plot Summary: In the chaotic city of Hellsalem’s Lot, where humans and supernatural beings coexist after a portal to another world opens, photographer Leonardo Watch joins the secret organization Libra to maintain peace against monstrous threats.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Both feature ensemble casts with unique supernatural abilities battling in urban settings, emphasizing teamwork among quirky underdogs while subverting expectations with chaotic, humor-infused action sequences.
• MAL Rating: 7.6.
• Episode Count: 12 (Season 1).
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Directed by Rie Matsumoto at Studio Bones, known for dynamic animation in action scenes.
• Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best Action Anime at the 2016 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

2. Durarara!! (2010)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll, Hulu.
• Brief Plot Summary: In Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district, high schooler Mikado Ryugamine gets entangled in urban legends, gang wars, and supernatural phenomena involving a headless rider and mysterious figures with hidden powers.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Shares a large, interconnected cast of characters with supernatural twists and underdog arcs, subverting narrative expectations through non-linear storytelling and mystery-driven plots in a modern city.
• MAL Rating: 8.1.
• Episode Count: 24 (Season 1).
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Produced by Brain’s Base, with character designs by Takahiro Kishida, emphasizing fluid urban action.
• Awards or Recognition: Won Best TV Anime at the 2010 Tokyo Anime Awards.

3. Noragami (2014)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll, Funimation.
• Brief Plot Summary: Minor god Yato, struggling for recognition, teams up with a human girl named Hiyori and his spirit weapon Yukine to battle corrupted spirits while navigating the divine world’s politics.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Both delve into underdog characters harnessing supernatural powers for survival, with themes of redemption and subversion through emotional character development amid action-packed supernatural conflicts.
• MAL Rating: 7.9.
• Episode Count: 12 (Season 1).
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Studio Bones production, directed by Kotaro Tamura, highlighting vibrant animation in spirit battles.
• Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best Supernatural Anime at the 2015 Newtype Anime Awards.

4. Servamp (2016)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: High schooler Mahiru Shirota accidentally contracts with a lazy vampire named Kuro, becoming entangled in a war among vampire siblings representing the seven deadly sins.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Features underdog protagonists forming unlikely alliances with powered beings, subverting expectations with humorous takes on dark supernatural themes and intricate family-like dynamics.
• MAL Rating: 6.9.
• Episode Count: 12.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Brain’s Base, with music by Kenji Kawai adding atmospheric tension.
• Awards or Recognition: Recognized for unique character designs at the 2016 Anime Grand Prix.

5. Hamatora (2014)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: Detectives with “Minimum” abilities run the Hamatora agency, solving cases in Yokohama while uncovering a conspiracy tied to their powers.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Mirrors the detective agency setup with supernatural powers, focusing on underdog heroes and narrative subversions through conspiracy-laden plots in a shared city setting.
• MAL Rating: 7.2.
• Episode Count: 12.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: NAZ studio, directed by Seiji Kishi, known for puzzle-like storytelling.
• Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best Mystery Anime at the 2014 Anime Expo Awards.

6. Psycho-Pass (2012)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll, Hulu.
• Brief Plot Summary: In a dystopian future, inspector Akane Tsunemori enforces justice using a system that predicts crime, but she questions its morality when facing enigmatic criminals.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Explores moral ambiguity in power systems and underdog investigators subverting societal expectations through psychological depth and high-stakes chases.
• MAL Rating: 8.3.
• Episode Count: 22 (Season 1).
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Production I.G, directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani, with scripts by Gen Urobuchi.
• Awards or Recognition: Won Tokyo Anime Award for Animation of the Year in 2013.

7. Sirius the Jaeger (2018)

• Current Streaming Availability: Netflix.
• Brief Plot Summary: Werewolf hunter Yuliy joins a group pursuing vampires in 1930s Japan, seeking revenge for his destroyed village amid a global artifact hunt.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Both involve underdog protagonists with beast-like powers in historical-tinged settings, subverting expectations with revenge-driven narratives and supernatural hunts.
• MAL Rating: 6.9.
• Episode Count: 12.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: P.A. Works, directed by Masahiro Ando, featuring detailed period animation.
• Awards or Recognition: Praised for action sequences at the 2019 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

8. Charlotte (2015)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: Teen Yuu Otosaka uses body-possession powers deceptively until he’s recruited to protect others with abilities from exploitation.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Centers on underdogs mastering unique powers in a secretive group, subverting tropes with emotional twists on ability burdens and personal growth.
• MAL Rating: 7.7.
• Episode Count: 13.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: P.A. Works, written by Jun Maeda of Key fame.
• Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best Drama at the 2016 Seiyu Awards.

9. K Project (2012)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: High schooler Yashiro Isana is framed for murder and drawn into conflicts among seven kings wielding color-coded powers in a futuristic city.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Shares faction-based power systems and underdog innocents thrust into chaos, subverting narratives with political intrigue and ability clashes.
• MAL Rating: 7.4.
• Episode Count: 13 (Season 1).
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: GoHands, known for striking visual effects.
• Awards or Recognition: Won Best Animation at the 2013 Newtype Anime Awards.

10. Moriarty the Patriot (2020)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll, Funimation.
• Brief Plot Summary: James Moriarty orchestrates crimes to expose societal corruption in Victorian England, using intellect and allies to challenge the elite.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Literary-inspired characters with subversive underdog stories, blending mystery and powers (intellectual here) in morally gray narratives.
• MAL Rating: 8.1.
• Episode Count: 11 (Part 1).
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Production I.G, directed by Kazuya Nomura.
• Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best Mystery at the 2021 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

11. The Case Study of Vanitas (2021)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll, Funimation.
• Brief Plot Summary: Vampire doctor Vanitas uses a cursed book to cure afflicted vampires in alternate 19th-century Paris, partnering with Noé Archiviste.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Features quirky duos with supernatural abilities subverting vampire lore, emphasizing underdog alliances and thematic depth in ability origins.
• MAL Rating: 7.9.
• Episode Count: 12 (Part 1).
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Studio Bones, directed by Tomoya Itamura.
• Awards or Recognition: Won Best Fantasy at the 2022 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

12. Golden Kamuy (2018)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: War veteran Saichi Sugimoto teams with Ainu girl Asirpa to hunt for hidden gold in Hokkaido, facing rivals and survival challenges.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Underdog partnerships in treasure hunts with subversive historical twists, blending action, humor, and cultural depth like BSD’s literary elements.
• MAL Rating: 7.9.
• Episode Count: 12 (Season 1).
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Geno Studio, directed by Hitoshi Nanba.
• Awards or Recognition: Won Best Adventure Anime at the 2019 Seiyu Awards.

13. Baccano! (2007)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll, Funimation.
• Brief Plot Summary: Immortal alchemists, gangsters, and eccentrics intersect in 1930s America through non-linear tales of violence and immortality.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Non-linear narratives subverting expectations with immortal powers and ensemble underdogs in chaotic, mystery-filled worlds.
• MAL Rating: 8.3.
• Episode Count: 13.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Brain’s Base, directed by Takahiro Omori.
• Awards or Recognition: Highly praised for storytelling at the 2008 Tokyo Anime Awards.

14. Darker than Black (2007)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: Contractor Hei, with electricity powers, works as an assassin in a world altered by mysterious gates, balancing emotions and missions.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Explores contractors’ emotionless power systems with underdog assassins subverting norms through espionage and moral dilemmas.
• MAL Rating: 8.0.
• Episode Count: 25 (Season 1).
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Studio Bones, directed by Tensai Okamura.
• Awards or Recognition: Won Best Original Anime at the 2008 Anime Grand Prix.

15. Bungo to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma (2020)

• Current Streaming Availability: Crunchyroll.
• Brief Plot Summary: Librarians summon literary figures to protect books from corrupting forces in a meta-world where authors’ spirits battle literary threats.
• Specific Similarities to Bungo Stray Dogs: Directly inspired by literary figures with powers, featuring underdog protectors subverting expectations in ability-based conflicts tied to real authors.
• MAL Rating: 6.4.
• Episode Count: 13.
• Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: OLM, with ties to literary adaptation trends.
• Awards or Recognition: Noted for unique concept in 2020 anime discussions.

Why These Anime Work for Bungo Stray Dogs Fans

These series resonate with Bungo Stray Dogs enthusiasts by mirroring its blend of supernatural power systems, underdog character arcs, and subversive storytelling that keeps viewers guessing, often through ensemble dynamics and thematic depth. They provide fresh perspectives on similar motifs like hidden abilities and moral complexities, making them ideal for fans seeking underrated gems that expand on BSD’s literary-inspired action without mainstream saturation.