Anime Like Knights and Magic
Code Geass
Knights and Magic basically combines two of the biggest genres in all of anime, isekai and mecha. In the latter genre, Code Geass is one of the most famous mecha anime of all time, renowned for its combination of intense mecha action, deep politically fueled plot, and dramatic character arcs. The biggest difference between these two series are how Knights and Magic uses a combination of mecha and magical abilities, while Code Geass is much more focused on science fiction and technical aspects.
Both shows put a big emphasis on the technical designs of their mechas, and combat works similarly with a much more visceral and tactical feel than most similar anime. If you’re a fan of the intense mecha action of Knights and Magic, you’ll absolutely love what you find in Code Geass, but prepare yourself. Code Geass has a complex, winding narrative that’s as emotionally devastating as it is gripping.
Anime Like Knights and Magic
In Another World With My Smartphone
In Another World With My Smartphone is one of the latest addition to the isekai genre, and it has a striking similar setup to Knights and Magic. Just like in Knights and Magic, the show’s main character dies in the real world and is reincarnated in a magical one, where he’s given incredible magical power… and he still has his smartphone.
Both shows bring a more upbeat, hopeful tone to their stories, with the main hero journeying around the magical world they’ve been thrust into, and putting together a band of friends. The two show’s similarities even run right down to the color palettes used for their animation, with both using bright vivid colors. If Knights and Magic was your first experience with isekai, you should absolutely follow it up with In Another World With My Smartphone.
Anime Like Knights and Magic
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody is another relative newcomer, and incredibly long named, to the isekai genre. Yet again, there’s some striking similarities to Knights and Magic, although there’s no mecha or anything involved in Parallel World Rhapsody. The show stars a 30-year-old programmer named Ichirou Suzuki, who’s drowning in work at his menial day job. One day Suzuki wakes up to find himself in a magical world, and much younger than he actually is, with a host of powerful spells and abilities at his command.
This setup is quite similar to how Eru finds himself reincarnated in the world of Knights and Magic, and both protagonists are pretty overpowered in their respective worlds. Once again, both shows sport a pretty positive tone, and have some obvious video game inspirations to their settings.
Anime Like Knights and Magic
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
If you’re looking at the inspirations behind any mecha-related anime you can eventually draw things back to Gundam, the granddaddy of all things mecha. The anime megaseries has been running since 1979, with iteration after iteration in all forms of different media. One of the latest anime series, however, is Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, which definitely takes a more gritty, grounded approach than the typical mecha anime.
Iron-Blooded Orphans stars a young man named Mikazuki, a member of a private security company called Chryse Security Guard, who basically use children and young adults like Mikazuki as slave labor. When Chryse is attacked by the military organization Gjallarhorn, Mikazuki and the others take the chance to overthrow the company and form their own PMC called Tekeden. Iron-Blooded Orphans is a bit more dark and serious than Knights and Magic, but its mecha action is second to none. The main Gundam of the series that Mikazuki pilots, called Barbatos, uses a series of unique weapons and attacks that don’t involve the typical laser swords or guns, instead wielding a massive iron spear. Piloting the mecha is central to the main character’s personalities and motivation in both Iron-Blooded Orphans and Knights and Magic, and any mecha fan should enjoy the latest Gundam series just fine.
Anime Like Knights and Magic
The Vision of Escaflowne
Knights and Magic draws some heavy inspiration from the mecha shows of the 80s and 90s, and The Vision of Escaflowne, in particular, probably shares the most in common with it. While Escaflowne definitely has the trappings and look of a classic anime, it also involves a protagonist, the teenage girl Hitomi, that travels to another world, where giant mechas that resemble knights are controlled through magic.
Escaflowne features some fantastic mecha action, although its story is much more serious and darker than Knights and Magic. Still, the sheer similarities behind the initial setup and look of the shows are enough to draw a comparison. Escaflowne achieved worldwide popularity in the 90s, and it was one of the most influential shows in the golden age of mecha anime, right up there with Gundam Wing. If you love Knights and Magic but want a similar world with a more mature story, then definitely give The Vision of Escaflowne a shot.
Anime Like Knights and Magic
Break Blade (a.k.a. Broken Blade)
Break Blade is yet another show inspired by the likes of the anime greats, and it falls in line yet again with the setup that Knights and Magic uses. Break Blade takes place in a world where people can use quartz to use magic for whatever purpose they desire. While a war breaks out on the continent of Cruzon, between the Kingdom of Krisna and the nation of Athens, one man named Rygart Arrow is mysteriously unable to use magic. Known as an “un-sorcerer” he’s the only person that can pilot an ancient Golem, one that’ll allow him to help fight off the forces of Athens.
Break Blade’s mechas have a really unique design aesthetic, easily one of the show’s biggest strengths, and like Knights and Magic they’re all controlled through the power of magic. Rygart builds a loyal group of friends throughout the series, giving off a real sense of teamwork similarly to Knights and Magic, rather than just a lone protagonist. Break Blade is based off of a manga series that was originally adapted into a series of six movies. It was then later adapted and expanded upon into a 12-episode anime series. Generally, the anime series is generally the better way to go as it features an expanded storyline, but you can easily watch either the anime or films, or both if you enjoy Break Blade.
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