5 Anime to Binge on Netflix if You Only Watch My Hero Academia

BY ALEXA DUNCAN

I may have mentioned this before in my review of the first season of My Hero Academia, but I’ve been an anime fan for a while. A long while. Like most people my age, I grew up watching Pokemon, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and the like. Even if you weren’t a kid who rented Pokemon VHS tapes from the library with the fervor of a nerdy zealot like I did, you still knew what it was. You still knew Pikachu and maybe your mom bought that cereal once.

 

My point here is this: If you grew up with older anime, you’re going to love this post. If you’re younger and don’t watch or read anything beyond My Hero Academia, then do I have a treat for you. Without further ado, here are five (dare I say) classic anime to watch if you’re only into MHA:

• NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (1995)

Neon Genesis Evangelion might be one of the weirdest things you’ll ever watch. It’s got giant robots! Philosophy! The apocalypse! Yeah, it might not be the lightest anime to watch in these strange and uncertain times, but it’s a classic, and there’s nothing else quite like it in the anime world. Find it on Netflix tonight if you’re curious!

• FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD (2009)

I could talk for days about how much I love FMA:B. Widely touted as one of the best anime of all time, FMA:B is my personal gold standard for character development and storytelling. Following the story of two brothers on their hunt for the mythical Philosopher’s Stone, Ed and Al take viewers on a journey that is both thrilling and tragic at the same time. It’s one of the best shows out there, bar none, and believe me when I say you’ll be hooked from the first episode.

• INUYASHA (2000)

Another personal favorite of mine. Inuyasha is perhaps most famous these days for the voice actors of Inuyasha and Kagome (pictured above) yelling each other’s names every episode. Despite the unintentional hilariousness, Inuyasha is a deeply unique show, combining the real world with a fantasy version of Japan’s feudal era. There’s plenty of action, horror, and romance to be had here. You’ll be yelling INUYASHAAAAAA at your friends like you’re in a demented game of Marco Polo in no time.

• VAMPIRE KNIGHT (2008)

Oh, Vampire Knight. How I loved you in my freshman year of high school. This show is, you guessed it, about a couple of hot vampires and the girl who goes to school with them. While the concept sounds overdone to you now, in 2020, you must remember that vampires were all the rage in 2008 and I–no pun intended–ATE IT UP. Vampire Knight is the perfect mix of horror and romance and its gothic aesthetics are bar none. Even its end credits song was the best. (No, I didn’t download it on Limewire when I was fourteen or anything why do you ask….)

• DURARARA!! (2010)

Last, but not least, we have Durarara!! Filled with gangs and gangsters and high school kids and a headless motorcyclist, DRRR is a great show to watch if you’re looking for something that’s both dark and pretty dang funny. Every episode of this anime offers you a different perspective from each other main characters, and once you start watching, you won’t want to stop. For the record, I still have a crush  Shizuo, the guy in the bartender’s suit. He’s the best and you’ll have to watch the show to see why.

As the title may suggest, each and every one of these shows is available on Netflix, so get to watching if you haven’t already!