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Dragon Ball Z poster

Shows that feel likeDragon Ball Z (1989–1996)

Now happily married and with a son, martial arts champion Goku must defend Earth from a series of extraterrestrial invaders bent on destruction.

If you loved Dragon Ball Z, the closest series we have are Bleach (2004), Saint Seiya (1986) and Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005). All three share Dragon Ball Z's cerebral and dreamlike feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Cardcaptor Sakura (1998).

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If Dragon Ball Z hit the spot, these will too

Bleach poster
Bleach
2004– · 2 seasons · TV Tokyo
★ 8.3action & adventure · animation · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

Training, power tiers and long arcs building to one enormous fight

The difference: Sword-and-spirits urban fantasy, moodier and less goofy between battles

For as long as he can remember, Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts. But when he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper who battles evil spirits known as Hollows, he finds his life is changed forever. Now, with a newfound wealth of spiritual energy, Ichigo discovers his true calling: to protect the living and the dead from evil.

Saint Seiya poster
Saint Seiya
1986–1989 · 1 season · tv asahi
★ 8.4animation · drama · action & adventure

Warriors channelling cosmic power through tiers of increasingly holy opponents

The difference: 80s mythology and armour, more solemn and less funny

Ages ago, the goddess Athena was served by fighters called Saints who channeled the power of the Cosmos within them. Now a youth named Seiya has trained to become a Saint himself by earning the mystical Cloth of Pegasus. He is joined by other Saints with Cloths of their own to fight for Athena.

Avatar: The Last Airbender poster
Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005–2008 · 3 seasons · Nickelodeon
★ 9.3animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyNetflixParamount+

Martial arts as a discipline you train into, with the world in the balance

The difference: Tightly plotted with a real ending — no endless escalation of power

In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.

Xena: Warrior Princess poster
Xena: Warrior Princess
1995–2001 · 6 seasons · Syndication
🍅 63%★ 6.8drama · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy

Larger-than-life warriors trading blows with gods and monsters

The difference: Live-action camp on a syndication budget — winks over power-ups

Xena is an infamous warrior on a quest to seek redemption for her past sins against the innocent. Accompanied by her comrade-in-arms Gabrielle, the campy couple use their formidable fighting skills to help those who are unable to defend themselves.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters poster
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
2000–2004 · 1 season · TV Tokyo
★ 8.2animation · action & adventurePrime VideoDisney+

Common ground: friendship

The difference: Trades the ideas of Dragon Ball Z for an angle of its own

Bullies often target someone frail and weak—someone exactly like Yûgi Muto. He treasures his Millennium Puzzle, an ancient Egyptian artifact that was brought into his grandfather's game shop. Believing that solving the puzzle will grant him his wish, he completes the puzzle, unleashing a new personality within him, the soul of the "King of Games." The new personality named Yami Yûgi is the exact opposite of Yûgi. Upon any injustice toward him, Yami Yûgi takes over Yûgi's body and forces the opponent into a "Shadow Game".

Cardcaptor Sakura poster
Cardcaptor Sakura
1998–2018 · 4 seasons · NHK BS2
★ 8animation · sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure

A young hero gaining power one challenge at a time with friends close by

The difference: Gentle magical-girl warmth — the stakes never leave a child's world

Sakura Kinomoto, an elementary school student who discovers that she possesses magical powers after accidentally freeing a set of magical cards from the book they had been sealed in for years. She is then tasked with retrieving those cards in order to avoid an unknown catastrophe from befalling the world.

Berserk poster
Berserk
1997–1998 · 1 season · Nippon TV
★ 8.8action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy · animation

Enormous swords, enormous men and battles that genuinely cost something

The difference: Bleak medieval horror for adults — no comedy, no coming back stronger

Guts, a wandering mercenary, joins the Band of the Hawk after being defeated in a duel by Griffith, the group's leader and founder. Together, they dominate every battle, but something menacing lurks in the shadows.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End poster
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
2023– · 1 season · Nippon TV
★ 8.9animation · action & adventure · dramaNetflixHulu

The same preoccupation in both: based on manga

The difference: Leans harder into drama than Dragon Ball Z does

After the party of heroes defeated the Demon King, they restored peace to the land and returned to lives of solitude. Generations pass, and the elven mage Frieren comes face to face with humanity's mortality. She takes on a new apprentice and promises to fulfill old friends' dying wishes. Can an elven mind make peace with the nature of life and death? Frieren embarks on her quest to find out.

Hunter x Hunter poster
Hunter x Hunter
2011–2014 · 3 seasons · Nippon TV
★ 9animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyNetflixPrime Video

A cheerful kid, a rigorous power system and friendships forged in fights

The difference: Far more strategic and darker as it runs — the fights are puzzles

Gon, a young boy who lives on Whale Island, dreams of becoming a Hunter like his father, who left when Gon was still young.

The Legend of Korra poster
The Legend of Korra
2012–2014 · 4 seasons · Nickelodeon
★ 8.3animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyParamount+

Bending styles as a martial tradition, with fights staged like real bouts

The difference: Grounded city politics in short seasons — no planet-level threats

Avatar Korra, a headstrong, rebellious, feisty young woman who continually challenges and breaks with tradition, is on her quest to become a fully realized Avatar. In this story, the Avatar struggles to find balance within herself.

Star Trek: The Next Generation poster
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987–1994 · 7 seasons · Syndication
★ 8.7sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure · dramaParamount+

New alien threats arriving weekly to test a crew you grow old with

The difference: Solves crises with ethics debates instead of energy beams

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

ONE PIECE poster
ONE PIECE
2023– · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.3action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyNetflix

One thread runs through both: friendship

The difference: 34 years apart, and the 2020s show

With his straw hat and ragtag crew, young pirate Monkey D. Luffy goes on an epic voyage for treasure.

In the mood for more cerebral?

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The best-reviewed series that share Dragon Ball Z’s defining feeling.