There’s nothing like a stirring battleshonen animeto get the blood pumping. The tense fights, thrilling stunts, high stakes, and big explosions could excite anyone. Except, not everyone likes to be excited with booms, bangs, and bludgeons.
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Some prefer the gentler pace of aslice of life anime, where the drama comes from the setting, situations, and character interactions. So, what can they do when they like a battle shonen anime’s characters, but don’t want their loud bombast? They can check out these spin-offs instead!
5Attack on Titan: Junior High
Hajime Isayama’sAttack on Titanwas a sensation in its original release. It chronicled the efforts of Eren Yeager and his friends trying to destroythe man-eating Titansthat threaten their walled city, alongside some shocking revelations and bloody action along the way. So, how could Saki Nakagawa translate that into a slice of life comedy series? Quite simply, apparently, his manga and anime made Eren and his friends into students at Attack Junior High.
Instead of seeking vengeance for the death of his mother, he wants to avenge the loss of his lunch to Principal Colossal Titan. Rather than being the world’s most powerful soldier, Levi Ackerman is now the strongest student, capable of knocking out Titans with one slap from a paper fan. It’s a more light-hearted take for fans who need more parody in their lives.
4Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu!
The mainlineFull Metal Panicseries was about a covert anti-terrorist agent Sōsuke Sagara protecting a hot-headed high schooler called Kaname Chidori by going undercover at her school. It had action, political intrigue,and big mechsalongside high school yuks and romcom antics. Some fans like both, while others like one side more than the other.
So, Kyoto Animation made theFumoffu!spin-off for those who liked the comedy more than the action. The series is technically set in the same universe, but it has little to no mention of the shonen drama or mechs beyond the cutesy mascot Bonta-kun. It’s just Sōsuke and the gang dealing with love rivals, modeling for art projects, and keeping the rugby club going among other similar shenanigans.
3Soul Eater NOT!
Atsushi Ōkubo’s manga and subsequent anime followed three teams at the ‘Death Weapon Meister Academy’. They each seek to claim the souls of 99 evil humans and one witch, so they can upgradetheir humanoid weaponsinto ‘death scythes’ worthy of their principal Shinigami. While its gothic take is softened by the shonen trappings, it can still be a little grim and kooky.
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So, Ōkubo wroteSoul Eater NOT!,a comedy spin-off that focused on the humans that can turn into the Meister’s weapons. Namely, through Normally Overcome Target (NOT) weapon Tsugumi Harudori and her Meister friends Meme and Anya, who each hope they’ll get to wield her in weapon form. It’s a more grounded school adventure compared to the main series, though people transforming into weapons is still an odd concept.
2DD Fist of the North Star
Fist of the North Staris basicallyMad Maxfused with Bruce Lee, as its lead Kenshiro wanders through the post-apocalyptic wasteland,defeating his foesthrough the power of Hokuto Shinken. Nowadays, fans might be more aware of the show from its occasional comedy scenes and Kenshiro’s signature catchphrase “Omae wa mou shindeiru” (“You’re already dead!”). It’s one of the few cases where the Japanese phrase caught on more than the English translation.
The series has received some funny slice-of-life manga adaptations over the years, like one that re-imagined the series as a TV drama. But only Kajio’sDD Fist of the North Starhas been animated thus far. It’s set in an alternate universe where the apocalypse never happened. So, Kenshiro and co get jobs at a local convenience store, trying to outdo the businesses in the South Star district. Weirdly, they’re all drawn as cutesy chibi characters, except for Yuria who’s a more standard anime girl that’s about a foot or two taller than the others.
1Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals
As one ofShonen Jump’s Big 3,Narutogrew in scope as it went on. It was simple enough at the start, as an outcast boy who has big dreams and tons of potential but has to learn to hone his craft. Then it became a big epic involving death cults, malevolent spirits, and giant battles. Even after the series passed the torch ontoBoruto, it’s hard to know where to begin. Luckily, the comedy spinoff,Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals, offers a more fancy-free way to experienceNaruto.
It follows the popularside character Rock Leein a chibi take onNaruto Shippuden. The heavy plot and intricate connections get simplified to funnier setups. Like Rock and Naruto using their skills to try and get the last cake at a store, or Tenten getting jealous when Lee gets jealous of Naruto helping Sakura during training. If viewers like them when they’re being funny, they can then check out their serious side in the main series.
