Kengan Ashura is a story about Ouma Tokita, a fighter in an arena where business deals are sealed by winning fights. Besides winning, he aims to prove himself the strongest among all the gladiators in the hall.
This is a story that portrays violence with the essence of martial arts. So, let’s begin with the top 10 anime closely resembling Kengan Ashura.
10Fist Of The North Star
Meet Kenshirou, a fearless warrior on a post-apocalyptic quest in the mysterious year 19XX.
His mission is to rescue kidnapped fiancée Yuria from the clutches of notorious betrayer Shin. Armed with lethal combat style Hokuto Shinken, Kenshirou becomes a guardian, shielding the vulnerable from marauders during his journey.
Roaming the wasteland, his adventures attract warlords and rival martial artists. Despite overwhelming odds, this successor to Hokuto Shinken refuses to back down, aiming to reclaim what matters most.
Confronting Shin and the Nanto Seiken martial arts school, Kenshirou becomes the savior of a chaotic, irradiated world. In this tale of survival and justice, Kenshirou’s skills are tested, paving the way for a transformative journey against a backdrop of global turmoil.
9Street Fighter II V
Street Fighter II V is a story about two friends struggling to escape a trap using their fighting skills.
To become better martial artists, best friends Ryu and Ken travel worldwide, searching for new techniques.
While on their journey, they found themselves trapped in a conspiracy by Shadowlaw, a mysterious organization. They have to fight their way out, which is the only choice to save their lives.
8Baki the Grappler
Baki deals with one’s journey to be the best fighter in a violent world.
Baki Hanma, the son of the mightiest fighter in the world, is trying to become more powerful than his father through intense training.
To get back the lost excitement of a real fight, five of the world’s most violent criminals have gathered to face Baki in hopes of getting crushed by him. Meanwhile, Baki and other underground martial artists prepare for the fight.
Note: Baki the Grappler is divided into two parts, the first one being Baki the Grappler, which aired way back, and the second one being Baki (Netflix) – the one that aired recently. All 4 are canon, and you can check out the proper watch order of Baki below.
7Air Master
Air Master displays one’s true love for nothing but violence.
Aikawa Maki has turned into a rowdy street fighter from a gymnast for her love of fighting freely without any rules.
The only thing he loves is violence, which makes her feel alive. Using her skills from gymnastics, she knocks down every opponent that comes her way. This has earned her the title of “Airmaster.”
6Ashita No Joe
Meet Joe Yabuki, a troubled youth whose go-to solution for problems is an excellent ol’ punch. His self-taught fighting skills compensate for his lack of manners and discipline.
While wandering Doya’s slums, Joe takes on a local gang, outnumbered but victorious. This catches the eye of Danpei Tange, a former boxing coach turned alcoholic. Spotting potential, he offers to train Joe to become Japan’s top boxer.
Initially dismissing Danpei as a lost cause, Joe changes his tune after the coach saves his life. Living with Danpei, Joe learns the art of boxing, but his unruly nature poses challenges.
To survive the brutal boxing world, Joe must trust his mentor and master the taught techniques. Yet, the path to becoming a pro boxer is grueling, testing Joe’s resilience to the max.
5Katanagatari
Katanagatari is a fascinating tale of a man trying to collect the twelve deviant blades.
In Edo-era Japan, Shichika Yasuri practiced Kyotouryuu, the unique sword-fighting style where the user’s body is wielded as a blade. Shichika lived in exile with his sister Nanami until Strategist Togame barged into their lives.
Togame asks her to collect the twelve unique swords known as “Deviant Blades,” which he accepts as being more interested in her rather than the swords. The duo has to defeat each of the fierce wielders of these legendary swords to complete their mission.
4Tenkaichi: Nihon Saikyo Bugeisha Ketteisen
The year is 1600. Ten years have passed since Oda Nobunaga unified the whole country. When Nobunaga realized he was dying, he announced that he would hand over the country to the one who produced the strongest warriors.
Nobunaga then sets up a tournament called Tenkaichi to find the person to succeed him as the shogun of Japan. The game is hosted at Nobunaga’s Osaka castle.
The warlords, whose dreams of unifying the country had been dashed, set up their strongest warriors and set their sights on becoming the king of this country!
3Sun Ken Rock
This anime’s protagonist is Ken, a man from an upper-class family who was left an orphan early by his family’s Yakuza connections and became a violent high school miscreant.
His romantic feelings for Yumi, a classmate, are the only things that spur him on to action. Ken leaves his life in Japan behind and tries to follow in Yumi’s footsteps after learning that she has chosen to travel to Korea to become a police officer.
Unexpected events cause him to accidentally become the head of a local gang, which he tries to hide from Yumi. The group renamed themselves the Sun-Ken Rock Group, with him as the leader.
2Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple proves that anyone can surpass their limits to protect their loved ones through a magnificent story.
Kenichi Shirahama has finally decided to join a Karate club to become strong. Soon after joining the club, he faces a bullying senior who tries to kick Kenichi out. Just on the verge of giving up, Kenichi falls for Miu Furinji, a new classmate.
He begins his intense training at a dojo in Ryouzanpaku, where she lives. Soon after beating the senior, the gang named Ragnarok set their eyes upon him.
To protect his loved ones, Kenichi learns various martial arts like Karate, Muay Thai, Ju-Jitsu, and Chinese Martial Arts to find his signature style
1Hajime no Ippo
Fighting Spirit splendidly illustrates the fight with one’s inner demon to reveal the true self concealed deep within.
Makunouchi Ippo is constantly bullied for his lack of Spirit to fight back. While getting driven the other day, he was saved by Takamura Mamoru, a boxer whose skills amazed Ippo while he was fainting away.
After returning to their senses, Takamura asks Ippo to punch a punching bag with a photo of Ippo’s classmate. Following the punch, Ippo’s feelings led him to train under Takamura.
Not seeming prepared to be a boxer, Takamura hands an impossible task to Ippo. After getting inspired by his hardworking mother, Ippo trains relentlessly to reach the top of the boxing world.
Honorable Mentions
There are some other series which contain a few elements of Kengan Ashura; they are:
Time of Shura, Shootfighter Tekken.
About Kengan Ashura
Kengan Ashura is a Japanese manga series written by Yabako Sandrovich and illustrated by Daromeon.
It was serialized on Shogakukan’s Ura Sunday website from April 2012 to August 2018. A sequel, titled Kengan Omega, began in January 2019.
Beginning two years after the game-changing Kengan Annihilation Tournament on Ganryu Island, we follow the paths of aspiring fighter Narushima Koga and the mysterious Gaoh Ryuki as they are tangled up in the underground world of the Kengan matches.
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