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Saint Seiya poster

Shows that feel likeSaint Seiya (1986–1989)

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.

If you loved Saint Seiya, the closest series we have are Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), Cardcaptor Sakura (1998) and Bleach (2004). All three share Saint Seiya's kinetic and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Kaiju No. 8 (2024).

9 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu
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If Saint Seiya hit the spot, these will too

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

The same two preoccupations: greek mythology, and friendship

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.

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

Both are working the same pair: based on manga, anime

The difference: Easier on the stillness than Saint Seiya

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.

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

One thread runs through both: friendship

The difference: Trades the stillness of Saint Seiya for an angle of its own

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.

Dragon Ball Z poster
Dragon Ball Z
1989–1996 · 9 seasons · Fuji TV
★ 8.8animation · sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure

Common ground: based on manga

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

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

Both land momentum and scale at once

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".

Fullmetal Alchemist poster
Fullmetal Alchemist
2003–2004 · 1 season · TBS
★ 8.5animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy

Both are built on the same subject: shounen

Two young brothers are raised as alchemists, but when they are severely injured trying to perform a forbidden act, they begin searching for the one thing that can save them; the fabled philosopher's stone.

Digimon: Digital Monsters poster
Digimon: Digital Monsters
1999–2001 · 2 seasons · Fuji TV
★ 7.4animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

Both keep coming back to the same thing: shounen

While at summer camp, seven kids come across seven Digivices and are transported to a strange digital world. In this new world they make friends with creatures that call themselves Digimon who were born to defend their world from various evil forces.

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

The same mix in both: ideas, then dream logic

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.

The Odyssey poster
The Odyssey
1997 · 1 season · NBC
🍅 79%★ 7.1action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy · dramaPrime Video

The same preoccupation in both: god

Warrior Odysseus leaves his idyllic life in the kingdom of Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War. Following victory, he now must endure a lengthy, decade-long return journey, and with all his wits, overcome deadly monsters, powerful forces of nature, seductive enchantresses, and even journey into the bowels of the Underworld.

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

Contemplative and warm in the same breath

The difference: Made in the 2020s, in a different era of the craft

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.

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

Action & adventure with a pulse of momentum, in both cases

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

Kaiju No. 8 poster
Kaiju No. 8
2024– · 1 season · TV Tokyo
★ 8.2animation · action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy

Common ground: anime

In a world plagued by creatures known as Kaiju, Kafka Hibino aspired to enlist in The Defense Force. He makes a promise to enlist with his childhood friend, Mina Ashiro. Soon, life takes them in separate ways. While employed cleaning up after Kaiju battles, Kafka meets Reno Ichikawa. Reno's determination to join The Defense Force reawakens Kafka's promise to join Mina and protect humanity.

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The best-reviewed series that share Saint Seiya’s defining feeling.