Top 10 Anime Series Like Squid Game

@hanavbara

Due to its inherently compelling plot packed with shocking elements, the South Korean survival series 'Squid Game' is quickly becoming a media sensation. With a dark social satirical commentary of the impoverished, as well as unflinching brutality mixed with bouts of tenderness and desperation, Squid Game has chocked and enticed people to stay glued to their screens and ask for more. Anime fans, in particular, are sure to appreciate this show as it is pretty reminiscent of a lot of the tropes and themes regularly explored in psychological or battle-royale types of anime. If you are looking for thrilling shows which explore similar psychologically dark themes through twisted plots and sometimes quite eccentric death games, look no further.

1.Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

逆境無頼カイジ - Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

“Kings do not become kings by themselves. If the poor raise up together, declaring that they don’t want any money, kings will be overthrown. However, poor seek money so that they can become kings themselves. Which in turn only strengthens the position of the current king.”

Jobless loiterer Kaiji Itou finds himself being tricked by an ex-co-worker and becomes responsible for paying back almost 4 million yen of debt. Shortly after, he mysteriously gets offered a place to participate in an illegal gambling tournament aboard a luxurious cruise ship. Kaiji eventually realizes the consequences of each gamble as lives are put at stake rather than money. This series main focus on deceit, mind games, and manipulation, as well as its exploration of themes of wealth and poverty, makes it the perfect anime to watch after Squid Game if you’re looking for a terrifying portrayal of the human survival instinct.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Madhouse

Trailer: Link
Genre: Suspense + Psychological

Average episode length: 24m

Number of episodes: 26

Number of seasons: 2

2.Death parade

デス・パレード -DESU PARĒDO

“Humans all behave the same way, like idiots. They all forget that someday, they’re gonna die, so the moment they come face to face with death, they cling to life.”

Forget about Heaven or Hell. Instead (according to this anime), when you die, you get transported into the fifteenth floor of a large tower, into a bar where you meet Decim, the bartender. Decim oversees the ‘Death Games’, a contest of randomly chosen games like Air Hockey, Billiard, and Seven Darts. Instead of competing about who will pay the next round of shots or beers, you’ll be playing for the chance to be reincarnated on Earth or forever banished into a void of complete non-existence. With very eccentric characters reminiscent of Squid Game, this anime is sure to make you think about a philosophical question or two.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Madhouse

Trailer: Link

Genre: Drama + Mystery + Suspense

Average episode length: 25m
Number of episodes: 12

Number of seasons: 1

3.Darwin's game

ダーウィンズゲーム

“In the real world, running away is a far more common survival strategy than fighting.”

One day, High school student Kaname Sudou finds himself nonchalantly accepting an online invitation sent by a friend to play an app game called ‘Darwin’s game.’ Later, he realizes that this game is one of life and death where battles take place in which the players either win and move on to the next round to earn money or die. Each player has a special supernatural ability known as a ‘Sigil’ that they will need to use to eventually reach and attempt to beat the game master. Encompassing both greed and brutal violence, this anime takes place in the same moral grey area as Squid game.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Nexus

Trailer: Link

Genre: Action + Mystery + Sci-Fi

Average episode length: 26m

Number of episodes: 11

Number of seasons: 1

4.Kakegurui

賭ケグルイ

“The Amount Of Money One Owns Ultimately Decides The Victor. It’s A Rule That Forms The Basis Of A Capitalist Society.”

Kakegurui takes place at the prestigious Hyakkaou Private Academy, a school that prides itself on preparing students for their time in the real world. With most students coming from extremely rich backgrounds, a bizarre eccentricity has risen: gambling takes place, where both money and people are accepted as commodities through ranks. The games vary from typical card games such as poker to more insane ones like Russian roulette. Character’s reasons for gambling vary, some being literally money-obsessed and others sadistically enjoying the thrill of the unknown. Kakegurui explores a lot of the same character traits and psychology of the players of Squid Game.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: MAPPA

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Drama + Mystery + Psychological
Average episode length: 24m

Number of episodes: 24

Number of seasons: 2

5. Mirai Nikki

未来日記 - Future diary

“Those who seem kindest, are often the most insidiously cruel.”

Mirai Nikki centers around twelve people competing in a deadly survival contest whose winner will become the next God of Time and Space (yes, I know, a bit to take in, but bear with me). Each participant is given a ‘Future Diary,’ granting the player a unique and special ability that he can use to both kill and try not to get killed. Apart from its obvious similarity to Squid Game, both shows portray everyday people in life-threatening situations, sometimes triggering their inner monsters to come out and moral compass to fail.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Asread

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Action + Mystery + Supernatural + Suspense

Average episode length: 23m

Number of episodes: 26

Number of seasons: 1

6.Danganronpa: The Animation

ダンガンロンパ 希望の学園と絶望の高校生- Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei

“A lack of adaptability...is a lack of survivability. Survival is not based on who is the strongest or the smartest. It comes down to who can adapt.”

Danganronpa: The Animation occurs at Hope's Peak Academy, an elite high school whose students are renowned for becoming future pioneers. Naegi Makoto and his classmates get accepted into the school, but their happiness is short-lived as the principal - a robotic bear known as Monokuma - informs them that they must partake in a task to be allowed to continue with their lives and future: one of them must murder one of his peers without getting caught by anyone. If the killer is caught, he will be killed himself, and the remaining players will have to attempt the scheme again.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Lerche

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Horror + Mystery

Average episode length: 24m

Number of episodes: 36

Number of seasons: 3

7.Platinum End

プラチナエンド

“Everyone is born with the goal of finding happiness, and everyone lives with the aim of attaining even greater happiness.”

After graduation, Mirai Kakehashi decides to kill himself as he finds that he cannot feel happiness years after his parent’s death. As he jumps from the top of a building, an angel catches him in his fall and grants him special powers to help him in his pursuit of joy. However, these new powers come with a new responsibility: Mirai is thrown into a 999 days battle royale whose victor will eventually emerge as the new God of the world.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Signal.MD

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Drama + Supernatural + Psychological

Average episode length: 24m
Number of episodes: 24

Number of seasons: 1

8.DEADMAN WONDERLAND

デッドマン・ワンダーランド

“Couldn’t I Be Forgiven For Trying To Make You Feel The Same Pain I Felt?”

Ganta Igarashi is a seemingly completely everyday middle school boy who finds himself convicted of murder after 29 of his classmates are found dead. His life quickly unfolds into a nightmare as he gets sentenced to ‘Deadman Wonderland,’ a prison that doubles as a theme park for monetary purposes. Thrown into a world of brutality, Ganta must participate in the fights that occur at this prison while trying to clear his name from this heinous crime he did not commit.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Manglobe

Trailer: Link.

Genre: Action + Horror + Sci-Fi + Supernatural

Average episode length: 24m

Number of episodes: 12

Number of seasons: 1

9.High-Rise Invasion

天空侵犯 - Tenkuu Shinpan

“I don’t want to die.”

16-year-old Yuri Honjou wakes up amidst a sea of high-rise abandoned buildings and masks assailants committing murders. Trying to flee, she comes across more masked murderers whose goal is not to kill but instead to push people to end their own lives. Later on, she also discovers that the mask, rather than serving as some kind of sadistic Halloween decoration, is actually embedded with a technology that seems to control their wearer into fulfilling any type of command ordered through them. In this unclear game of pushing people to their deaths, the only clarity is the objective: survival.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: Zero-G

Trailer: Link

Genre: Action + Horror + Mystery

Average episode length: 25m

Number of episodes: 12

Number of seasons: 1

10. Alice in Borderland

今際の国のアリス - Imawa no Kuni no Alice

“Whether it’s on the other side of the planet, or right in front of one’s eyes, as long as one is safe, it doesn’t matter how many others die. Isn’t that humanity?”

Alice in Borderland follows the story of 24-year-old Ryohei Arisu as he, along with his two best friends, suddenly gets transported to a parallel dimension known as ‘‘The Borderlands’’. There, in order to get out alive, they are forced to participate in a series of deadly games whose type and difficulty are assigned through playing cards. This series is based on a hugely popular manga that also has a Netflix live-action adaptation, worthy of a watch itself and greatly similar to Squid Game.

Studio + Other Works by Studio: SILVER LINK. + Connect

Trailer: Link

Genre: Action + Supernatural + Suspense

Average episode length: 23m

Number of episodes: 3

Number of seasons: 1