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Shows that feel likeThunderCats (1985–1989)

The inhabitants of the planet Thundera evacuate just before it is destroyed. They were pursued by a band of mutants. All but one of their escape ships was destroyed. Only a small group of Thunderians (Thundercats) remained. With only half engine power, the group, which was led by Jaga, had to set a course for the nearest planet. Jaga commanded their ship while the other seven were in their stasis tubes. Jaga died on their journey to Third Earth and their ship crashed there. Soon they made friends with various groups in the area and they designed a fortress. Mumm-Ra the centuries-old embodiment of evil, along with the mutants that destroyed the rest of the Thunderians are a constant threat. But Lion-O, the new leader of the Thundercats, with his weapon the "Sword of Omens" will help the Thundercats to have a standing chance.

If you loved ThunderCats, the closest series we have are Falling Skies (2011), Into the Badlands (2015) and The Last Ship (2014). All three share ThunderCats' cerebral and dreamlike feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (2000).

★ 7.9 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗4 seasons · Syndicationcreated by Theodore Walter Wolfcerebraldreamlikekineticepicwarmbleak
11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu
Stream it:Hulu ↗

If ThunderCats hit the spot, these will too

Falling Skies poster
Falling Skies
2011–2015 · 5 seasons · TNT
★ 7.1action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy · dramaNetflix

One thread runs through both: life after the end

The difference: Trades the warmth of ThunderCats for an angle of its own

Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force.

Into the Badlands poster
Into the Badlands
2015–2019 · 3 seasons · AMC
★ 7.9action & adventure · drama · sci-fi & fantasy

Both are built on the same subject: life after the end

The difference: Takes it somewhere less warm than ThunderCats does

In a land controlled by feudal barons, a great warrior and a young boy embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment. A genre-bending martial arts series very loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West.

The Last Ship poster
The Last Ship
2014–2018 · 5 seasons · TNT
★ 7.4action & adventure · drama · sci-fi & fantasyNetflix

Cerebral and dreamlike in the same breath

The difference: Sits closer to drama than ThunderCats does

Their mission is simple: Find a cure. Stop the virus. Save the world. When a global pandemic wipes out eighty percent of the planet's population, the crew of a lone naval destroyer must find a way to pull humanity from the brink of extinction.

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X-Men
1992–1997 · 5 seasons · FOX
★ 8.4kids · sci-fi & fantasy · animationDisney+

Both land momentum and scale at once

The X-Men are an elite team of mutants, genetically gifted human beings with superpowers, sworn to fight for mutant rights against hostile Government agencies, whilst at the same time protecting mankind from mutant supremacist Magneto who seeks to destroy the human race in return for the atrocities committed against mutant kind.

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

The same preoccupation in both: magic

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".

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Vikings: Valhalla
2022–2024 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.4action & adventure · drama · war & politicsNetflix

Common ground: sword

The difference: 37 years apart, and the 2020s show

In this sequel to "Vikings," a hundred years have passed and a new generation of legendary heroes arises to forge its own destiny — and make history.

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Plunderer
2020 · 1 season · TOKYO MX
★ 6.5action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy · animation

Both lean on bleakness more than on animation

In a post-apocalyptic world dominated by the so-called "Numbers," each human will have their identity branded with their own "Count," which could define any number related to their life. May it be one's walked distance or amount of compliments given to them by others, this Count could lead them to the abyss when it has dropped to zero. In the year 305 of the Alcian calendar, Hina has inherited a mission from her Mother, whose Count has depreciated to zero, to search for the Legendary Red Baron. In her adventure, she meets a half-masked swordsman named Licht who tries to hide his identity, as he is known as a degenerate for having an incredibly low Count.

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

Sci-fi & fantasy built on warmth, twice over

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.

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12 Monkeys
2015–2018 · 4 seasons · Syfy
★ 7.7sci-fi & fantasy · dramaPrime Video

Cerebral action & adventure, and it commits to that

The provocative story of Cole, a time traveler from a decimated future in a high-stakes race against the clock. Utilizing a dangerous and untested method of time travel, he journeys from 2043 to the present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will all but annihilate the human race.

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Power Rangers
1993–2023 · 30 seasons · ABC
★ 6.6action & adventure · sci-fi & fantasy · kidsNetflixPrime Video

Kids with a pulse of dream logic, in both cases

A team of teenagers with attitude are recruited to save Angel Grove from the evil witch, Rita Repulsa, and later, Lord Zedd, Emperor of all he sees, and their horde of monsters.

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Akame ga Kill!
2014 · 1 season · TOKYO MX
★ 7.7animation · drama · action & adventure

Kinetic animation in both cases

Young Tatsumi travels to the capital of the Empire in order to earn money for his starving people and encounters a world of unimaginable depravity, dominated by the ruthless Prime Minister who controls the child Emperor. Tatsumi is recruited by Night Raid, a group of assassins dedicated to eliminating corruption by mercilessly killing officials and privileged nobles.

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

Both keep coming back to the same thing: sword

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.

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The best-reviewed series that share ThunderCats’ defining feeling.