Dhruv Sharma
Adapted from Tony Valente’s French Manfra of the same name, ‘Radiant’ has a massive cast of well-developed characters, a meticulously devised world, and incredible production. Although it had a rough start when its first season premiered back in 2018, with its second season, ‘Radiant’ has now shunned all the hate surrounding it with the depth of its storyline. But for all its hype and worth, ‘Radiant’ is still not unique and has a lot of similarities with other shounen out there. So here’s a list of all the anime that you might enjoy watching if you like ‘Radiant‘. Most of the anime mentioned in the list below are available on Funimation, Crunchyroll or Hulu.
4. UQ Holder (2017-2018)
Just like ‘Radiant’, ‘UQ Holder’ is set in a world where the whole idea of magic is new to most people and that’s the reason why they look at it with skepticism. Unlike Radiant, the main character of ‘UQ Holder’ is not considered to be an outcast just because of his magical abilities but he, too, struggles to make a name for himself in a world where his uncanny powers make him a minority. Also, ‘UQ Holder’ is a very loyal adaptation of its source manga whereas ‘Radiant’ often makes changes to the original storyline.
3. The Legend of the Legendary Heroes (2010-)
‘The Legend of the Legendary Heroes’ revolves around a lazy mage named Ryner Lute who possesses the Alpha Stigma, a mark on his forehead which takes control over his body and forces him to do things he doesn’t want to do. Because of this uncontrollable ability, he often ends up killing anyone he gets close to. But later, he joins forces with a swordswoman and a king to finally put his ability to good use and bring peace in the world he lives in.
For the most part, ‘The Legend of the Legendary Heroes’ is less of a shounen and more of a fantasy anime show. However, it does share a lot of world-building elements and shounen tropes with ‘Radiant’. Even the magic system of the two anime is quite similar. Moreover, the protagonists of both the anime are initially feared because of their unique magic abilities but when they put these abilities to good use, they get the respect they deserve.
2. Black Clover (2017-)
Asta and Yuno are two young boys who were abandoned at the Church. After growing up together, both of them started sharing the common dream of becoming the demon king someday. As they grew up, Yuno started to show some promising magic skills while Asta tried his best to show off but never really managed to outshine Yuno. Because of his skills, Yuno ends up getting a Grimoire with a four-leaf clover while Asta gets nothing at all. However, one day, when Yuno gets attacked by a former magic knight, everything changes. Just to save his friend from the Knight, Asta ends up unleashing all of his magical abilities and with this, he and Yuno embark on an adventure to fulfill their dream of becoming the greatest mage of their village.
Unlike ‘Radiant’, where magic practitioners are often looked upon, magic is more of a necessity in the world of ‘Black Clover.’ But because of that, just like Seth, even Asta and Yuno turn out to be misfits among their people. Both the shows also follow a very typical shounen-styled storyline which can get a little predictable at times, but their main appeal lies in their epic battle scenes. From a character development standpoint, ‘Black Clover’ has more depth but Radiant’s comedy is far more enjoyable.
1. Blue Exorcist (2011-2012)
In the world of ‘Blue Exorcist’, humans and demons don’t get along too well and exist in two different realms. The only way demons can exist in the human realm is by possessing humans on the other side. Satan, who is the ruler of the demon realm, fails to find a suitable host and is forced to stay trapped in his own realm. That’s when he gets an idea. Instead of going to the human realm himself, he sends his own son there and hopes that he’ll grow up to fulfill his dream of ruling humans.
Rin Okumura is the demon’s son who initially lives a fairly ordinary life in the human world until one day, he is ambushed by several demons and is told what is expected from him. However, he chooses to defy his father and instead of conquering the human world, he vows to become an exorcist and protect it from evil forces. Just like Seth from ‘Radiant’, Rin seems to be somewhat of a troublesome teenager but he later proves that there’s a lot more to him than just that. The protagonists of both the shows are initially distrusted by the ones who surround them because of how different they are. But much later, they’re both able to prove that they only intend to protect humans from dark forces.
Read More: Radiant Season 3
