Durarara!! is a captivating urban fantasy anime set in the chaotic streets of Ikebukuro, Tokyo, where ordinary high schooler Mikado Ryugamine gets entangled in a web of supernatural events, gang rivalries, and urban legends involving a headless rider and shadowy manipulators. At its core, the series explores intricate power systems through supernatural abilities and gang hierarchies, underdog stories of characters rising against overwhelming odds, and subversion of expectations via non-linear storytelling and surprising character revelations.
The following 15 underrated anime deserve more attention for their fresh spins on these elements, often blending ensemble casts, mystery-driven plots, and urban settings in ways that echo Durarara!!’s chaotic energy while remaining overlooked compared to mainstream hits.
1. Baccano! (2007)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
- Brief Plot Summary: In Prohibition-era America, a diverse cast of alchemists, gangsters, and immortals cross paths aboard a transcontinental train, unraveling a chaotic tale of elixir-fueled immortality and violent betrayals.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Like Durarara!!, it features non-linear storytelling from multiple perspectives, an ensemble cast with interconnected fates, and subverts expectations through chaotic urban violence and supernatural power systems involving immortality as a “power” that upends underdog dynamics.
- Current MAL Rating: 8.36.
- Episode Count: 16 (including OVAs).
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Directed by Takahiro Omori at Brain’s Base, the same team behind Durarara!!.
- Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best TV Series at the Tokyo Anime Awards.
2. Blood Blockade Battlefront (2015)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll and Netflix (in select regions).
- Brief Plot Summary: In the interdimensional chaos of Hellsalem’s Lot (formerly New York), photographer Leonardo Watch joins the secret organization Libra to battle otherworldly threats using his mystical eyes.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Mirrors Durarara!!’s urban fantasy chaos with a bustling city full of supernatural beings, ensemble character development through quirky alliances, and subversion of expectations via fast-paced, interconnected mysteries involving hidden powers and underdog heroes.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.62.
- Episode Count: 12 (Season 1).
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Produced by Bones, directed by Rie Matsumoto.
- Awards or Recognition: Won Best Action Anime at the Newtype Anime Awards.
3. Bungo Stray Dogs (2016)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
- Brief Plot Summary: Orphan Atsushi Nakajima joins the Armed Detective Agency, a group of literary-inspired ability users, to combat the Port Mafia in a Yokohama filled with supernatural crimes.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Shares Durarara!!’s focus on urban power systems through unique abilities, underdog protagonists navigating gang rivalries, and subversive plot twists that reveal deeper character connections in a mystery-laden city.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.81.
- Episode Count: 12 (Season 1).
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Studio Bones, directed by Takuya Igarashi.
- Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best TV Anime at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
4. Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens (2018)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: In the crime-ridden underbelly of Fukuoka, hitman Xianming Lin teams up with detective Zenji Banba to navigate a world of assassins, informants, and corrupt officials.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Echoes Durarara!!’s ensemble-driven urban intrigue with interconnected criminal plots, underdog alliances against powerful foes, and expectation-subverting crossovers (including an official Durarara!! novel tie-in) emphasizing hidden connections.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.29.
- Episode Count: 12.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Directed by Kenji Yasuda at Satelight.
- Awards or Recognition: None major, but praised for its crossover novel with Durarara!!.
5. Hamatora: The Animation (2014)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: Minimum Holders with supernatural abilities run a detective agency in Yokohama, uncovering a serial killer targeting their kind amid personal and societal conflicts.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Similar to Durarara!! in its non-linear mystery format, power systems via inherited abilities, and subversion of underdog narratives through a large cast’s evolving relationships in an urban setting.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.26.
- Episode Count: 12.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Directed by Seiji Kishi at NAZ.
- Awards or Recognition: None major.
6. Odd Taxi (2021)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: Walrus taxi driver Hiroshi Odokawa gets drawn into a missing girl mystery through conversations with his eccentric passengers in an anthropomorphic Tokyo.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Captures Durarara!!’s essence with non-linear, dialogue-heavy storytelling, subversion of expectations through interconnected urban mysteries, and underdog characters navigating hidden power dynamics in a chaotic city.
- Current MAL Rating: 8.67.
- Episode Count: 13.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Co-produced by OLM and P.I.C.S., directed by Baku Kinoshita.
- Awards or Recognition: Won Best Anime at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2022.
7. Dorohedoro (2020)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Netflix.
- Brief Plot Summary: Amnesiac lizard-headed Caiman hunts sorcerers in a dystopian city called Hole to regain his memories, allying with friend Nikaido against magical threats.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Like Durarara!!, it features gritty urban fantasy with power systems (magic users), underdog revenge stories, and subversive twists in character alliances amid violent, interconnected plots.
- Current MAL Rating: 8.05.
- Episode Count: 12.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: MAPPA, directed by Yuichiro Hayashi.
- Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best Adaptation at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
8. Boogiepop Phantom (2000)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: High school students encounter the enigmatic Boogiepop, a death personification, amid disappearances and psychological horrors in a mysterious city.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Parallels Durarara!!’s non-linear narrative and urban legends, with subversion of expectations through psychological depth, evolving character psyches, and subtle power systems tied to identity.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.15.
- Episode Count: 12.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Madhouse, directed by Takashi Watanabe.
- Awards or Recognition: Influential in psychological anime circles.
9. Dead Mount Death Play (2023)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: A necromancer reincarnates into modern Tokyo as assassinated teen Polka Shinoyama, using his powers to navigate yakuza threats and uncover his new body’s secrets.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Echoes Durarara!!’s urban chaos with supernatural power systems (necromancy), underdog reincarnation twists, and subversive ensemble developments in a mystery-filled city.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.12.
- Episode Count: 12 (Season 1).
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Geek Toys, directed by Manabu Ono.
- Awards or Recognition: None major yet.
10. Darker than Black (2007)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: In a world altered by “Hell’s Gate,” Contractors with supernatural powers work as assassins and spies in Tokyo, balancing emotions and abilities.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Shares Durarara!!’s dark urban fantasy, power systems with emotional costs, underdog anti-heroes, and expectation-subverting conspiracies.
- Current MAL Rating: 8.05.
- Episode Count: 25.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Bones, directed by Tensai Okamura.
- Awards or Recognition: Won Best Original Anime at Tokyo Anime Awards.
11. K (2012)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: High schooler Yashiro Isana is mistaken for a murderer and drawn into a clan war involving psychic kings in a futuristic Tokyo.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Like Durarara!!, it features clan-based power systems, underdog identity crises, and subversive group dynamics in an urban setting.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.45.
- Episode Count: 13.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: GoHands, directed by Shingo Suzuki.
- Awards or Recognition: None major.
12. Tokyo Ravens (2013)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: Onmyouji heir Harutora Tsuchimikado protects his childhood friend in a Tokyo blending magic and modernity against spiritual disasters.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Mirrors Durarara!!’s supernatural urban blend, power systems via exorcism, and underdog growth with plot twists.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.41.
- Episode Count: 24.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: 8bit, directed by Takaomi Kanasaki.
- Awards or Recognition: None major.
13. Mekakucity Actors (2014)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: Teens with eye-related powers form the Mekakushi Dan, unraveling mysteries tied to their abilities in a looping urban narrative.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Echoes non-linear storytelling, interconnected powers, and subversive character revelations.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.02.
- Episode Count: 12.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Shaft, directed by Akiyuki Shinbo.
- Awards or Recognition: None major.
14. Sarazanmai (2019)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: Three boys transform into kappa to battle zombies in Asakusa, exposing desires and connections through surreal adventures.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Features ensemble urban fantasy, desire-based “powers,” and subversive emotional twists.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.50.
- Episode Count: 11.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: MAPPA and Lapin Track, directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara.
- Awards or Recognition: Nominated for Best TV Anime at Crunchyroll Awards.
15. ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. (2017)
- Current Streaming Availability: Available on Crunchyroll.
- Brief Plot Summary: Inspector Jean Otus uncovers a coup in a divided kingdom’s bureaucracy, navigating politics and personal ties.
- Specific Similarities to Durarara!!: Shares interconnected urban intrigue, underdog investigations, and subversive political twists.
- Current MAL Rating: 7.66.
- Episode Count: 12.
- Notable Staff/Studio Involvement: Madhouse, directed by Shingo Natsume.
- Awards or Recognition: None major.
Why These Anime Work for Durarara!! Fans
These series resonate with Durarara!! enthusiasts by expanding on its signature blend of urban chaos, multifaceted characters, and narrative surprises, often through lesser-seen lenses like anthropomorphic mysteries or psychological horrors. They provide underdog journeys and power-driven conflicts that subvert expectations, offering fresh urban fantasy worlds that reward patient viewers with deep, interconnected payoffs—much like Durarara!!’s Ikebukuro intrigue. Exploring them highlights overlooked gems that enrich the genre, proving there’s more to anime’s shadowy streets than mainstream favorites.
