10 anime with the same dark atmosphere as Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan is known for repeatedly expanding the scale of its story. It begins as a tale of survival and revenge, then grows into a world shaped by mystery, war and complex conflict.

The article highlights 10 anime with similar qualities. Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress follows humanity as it shelters in fortified settlements from the Kabane, former humans transformed into flesh-eating monsters by a mysterious virus. Young engineer Ikoma develops ways to fight them and helps create armored trains for travel between the strongholds.

In Seraph of the End, a virus kills 90 percent of humanity and leaves vampires controlling the survivors. After losing his family, Yuuichiro joins the military to seek revenge, echoing Attack on Titan’s use of loss as a driving force. Fire Force centers on people transformed into fiery Infernals, while Shinra Kusakabe’s work with Special Fire Force Company 8 leads him toward secrets about the world’s history.

From the New World presents a seemingly peaceful society whose authorities conceal important truths. After a friend disappears, Saki investigates and discovers frightening secrets behind the world she knows. Gurren Lagann similarly begins with people living underground, cut off from the sky, before Simon and Kamina set out for the surface and reveal a much larger world.

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet adds a post-apocalyptic setting in which part of humanity has left Earth to survive in space and fight the Hideauze. Pilot Ledo must adapt to life on Earth after falling there from space. Across these titles, the article finds the same appeal in survival, hidden histories and stories that grow beyond their original boundaries.