The 13 Best Anime Like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ranked By Fans

If you’ve ever finished Avatar: The Last Airbender, stared at the credits, and thought, “Cool, my heart is broken, my standards are ruined, now what?” this list is for you. While Aang’s world isn’t technically anime, it shares a ton of DNA with some of the best series from Japan: elemental-style power systems, found families, world-spanning journeys, and just enough emotional damage to keep therapists in business for years.

Based on fan-voted rankings and recommendations across big pop-culture and anime sites in the U.S. including Ranker, Screen Rant, CBR, TV Guide, MovieWeb, JustWatch, and more these are the 13 best anime like Avatar: The Last Airbender, ranked by how strongly they’ll scratch that “Team Avatar but different” itch.

What Makes an Anime “Like Avatar”?

Before we jump into the rankings, here’s what fans tend to look for when they say “anime like Avatar”:

• Element-style power systems: Bending, alchemy, Nen, magic guilds anything with rules, growth, and cool fight choreography.
• Big journeys and bigger worlds: Traveling across kingdoms, nations, or weird magical landscapes, meeting new cultures along the way.
• Found family energy: A crew that feels like Team Avatar chaotic, loyal, and constantly in mortal danger but still cracking jokes.
• Coming-of-age arcs: Young heroes figuring out who they are while the world expects way too much of them.
• Emotional depth: Not just punching bad guys but exploring trauma, morality, and what “doing the right thing” actually costs.

All the shows below hit several of those points, which is why fans keep voting them to the top of “anime like Avatar” lists.

The 13 Best Anime Like Avatar: The Last Airbender (Ranked by Fans)

1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

If Aang had swapped his glider for a suit of armor and a tragic backstory, he’d probably look a lot like an Elric brother. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood tops multiple fan-voted lists as the closest spiritual cousin to Avatar.

The story follows Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers who break the ultimate taboo of alchemy trying to resurrect their mother. The attempt costs them Ed’s arm and leg and Al’s entire body. They set off across a richly built, war-torn world to find the Philosopher’s Stone and fix what they broke.

• Why Avatar fans love it: Dense worldbuilding, clear rules for alchemy, a huge cast with satisfying arcs, and an emotional payoff that absolutely earns its tears.
• If you loved: Zuko’s redemption, the morality of war, and the way bending is treated like a disciplined art, Brotherhood will feel like coming home to a home that occasionally punches you in the feelings.

2. Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Gon Freecss and Aang would 100% be friends right up until one of them accidentally causes an existential crisis. Hunter x Hunter (2011) follows Gon, a kid who becomes a Hunter to find his missing father. Along the way he picks up a lovable disaster crew and dives into a world powered by Nen, a complex energy system ranked as one of the best in anime.

• Avatar vibes: Big adventure, deep power system, a ton of moral gray areas, and arcs that start light then get surprisingly dark kind of like going from “The King of Omashu” to “The Crossroads of Destiny.”
• Best for: Fans who loved the sense of exploration and the idea that power comes with responsibility and consequences.

3. Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

If you like the way Avatar pulls from East and South Asian traditions, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic does something similar with Middle Eastern folklore and Arabian Nights-inspired adventures.

The story focuses on Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana as they explore mysterious dungeons, bargain with supernatural beings, and get dragged into geopolitical drama they absolutely did not sign up for.

• Avatar vibes: Cultural worldbuilding, elemental-feeling magic, complex politics, and a chosen-one narrative that asks what “destiny” really demands.
• Best for: Viewers who loved Ba Sing Se’s intrigue and the way Avatar blends local myths into its world.

4. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

Think of Moribito as what would happen if the show decided to follow Suki for an entire season. This grounded fantasy follows Balsa, a spear-wielding bodyguard tasked with protecting Prince Chagum, who carries a water spirit that might either save or doom the kingdom.

• Avatar vibes: Spiritual themes, gorgeous landscapes inspired by historical East Asia, and a story that digs into duty, sacrifice, and the weight of being “chosen.”
• Best for: Fans who loved the quieter, more contemplative episodes think “The Guru” or “The Firebending Masters.”

5. Fairy Tail

If the Gaang had paid rent by joining a chaotic magic guild, they’d fit right in with the crew of Fairy Tail. The series is set in a world where wizards take on missions as part of competing guilds; the most infamous of them all is Fairy Tail, home to walking explosion Natsu Dragneel and celestial mage Lucy Heartfilia.

• Avatar vibes: Found family chaos, elemental powers, lots of humor between serious arcs, and villains who sometimes become allies.
• Best for: Viewers who want something lighter and longer this one has enough episodes to get you through an entire Fire Nation siege.

6. One Piece

Where Avatar gives you a world tour on a flying bison, One Piece straps you to a pirate ship and says, “Good luck, we’ll be gone for 1,000 episodes.”

Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates sail a bizarre, ever-changing world, each island with its own rules, politics, and often deeply messed-up history. Underneath the rubber-powered gags is a story about freedom, oppression, found family, and fighting impossible odds themes that feel very familiar to Avatar fans.

• Avatar vibes: A goofy yet heartfelt protagonist, a tight-knit crew, and a long-term journey that reveals just how broken the world really is.
• Best for: People who thought, “What if we never stopped traveling with Aang and just kept discovering new nations forever?”

7. The Seven Deadly Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins follows a disgraced group of legendary knights called back to save their kingdom from corruption and war. It leans more into medieval European fantasy than Avatar’s Asian-inspired world, but it hits similar notes: huge battles, political conspiracies, and a core group whose bond is as important as their power.

• Avatar vibes: Myth-heavy storytelling, big ensemble cast, and villains tied to ancient history, much like Ozai’s war and Sozin’s Comet.
• Best for: Fans who want more “ragtag heroes vs. corrupt rulers” energy with a slightly rowdier tone.

8. Samurai Champloo

If you ever wished Avatar had a hip-hop soundtrack and even more sword fights, Samurai Champloo is your upgrade. Set in a remix of Edo-period Japan with modern music and stylized action, the story follows ex-waitress Fuu and her two completely unhinged bodyguards, Mugen and Jin, as they travel the countryside searching for a mysterious “samurai who smells of sunflowers.”

• Avatar vibes: Road-trip structure, episodic adventures, and a trio dynamic that echoes Aang, Katara, and Sokka’s clashing personalities.
• Best for: Older Avatar fans who want something more mature without losing that adventurous feel.

9. Kino’s Journey

Kino’s Journey swaps bending battles for philosophy, but the underlying structure will feel familiar. Kino and her talking motorcycle, Hermes, travel from country to country, observing strange societies, staying only three days in each place. Every stop is a self-contained story that asks big questions about morality, freedom, and what it means to live well.

• Avatar vibes: World-tour storytelling and an empathetic look at how different cultures build their own rules like the swamp benders, the Dai Li, or the Northern Water Tribe.
• Best for: Fans who loved how Avatar could be thoughtful and quiet, not just explosive.

10. A Certain Scientific Railgun

Imagine Republic City from The Legend of Korra, but cranked up into a futuristic academy city packed with super-powered teens. That’s A Certain Scientific Railgun a spin-off set in Academy City, where “espers” use scientifically developed psychic powers to fight crime, protect friends, or cause chaos.

• Avatar vibes: Rule-based powers (Misaka basically “bends” electricity), tight female friendships, and arcs that explore how power is exploited by institutions.
• Best for: Viewers who liked Korra’s more urban setting and wanted to lean into sci-fi without losing character-driven stories.

11. FLCL (Fooly Cooly)

FLCL is the weird, punk older cousin your parents warned you about. It’s short, surreal, and famously cited as a visual influence on Avatar by members of the original creative team.

The show follows Naota, a bored kid whose life implodes (sometimes literally) when a chaotic alien girl shows up on a Vespa and starts whacking him with a bass guitar. Robots emerge from his forehead. Metaphors for puberty and identity crisis are everywhere. It’s a lot in the best way.

• Avatar vibes: Kinetic animation, exaggerated expressions, and the sense that under all the jokes, the story really gets how confusing it is to grow up.
• Best for: Fans interested in seeing one of the series that helped shape animation style for later shows like Avatar.

12. Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

Long before Aang woke up in an iceberg, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water was telling its own globe-trotting adventure about kids caught in the middle of a world-shaking conflict. Inspired by Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, it follows inventor Jean and circus performer Nadia as they join Captain Nemo to battle the sinister Neo-Atlantean empire.

• Avatar vibes: Traveling heroes, ancient technology, big questions about imperialism, and a tone that balances lighthearted moments with darker plot turns.
• Best for: Fans who enjoyed the mix of steampunk-ish tech, spirit lore, and lost history in the Avatar universe.

13. From the New World

Finally, for the fans who loved the spiritual and moral questions in “The Puppetmaster” or “The Southern Raiders,” From the New World is your “what if we took this to its logical nightmare conclusion?” anime. Set 1,000 years in the future, it follows a group of kids in a seemingly peaceful society where everyone has psychic powers but not everyone is allowed to know the truth about how the world got that way.

• Avatar vibes: Supernatural powers, oppressive systems built on old atrocities, and protagonists forced to question the stories they were raised on.
• Best for: Viewers ready for something darker and more psychological, while still wanting a world that feels as fully realized as the Four Nations.

How to Choose Which Anime to Watch First

Here’s a quick cheat sheet to help you pick your next binge based on your favorite part of Avatar: The Last Airbender:

• If you love character-driven redemption arcs: Start with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or From the New World.
• If you miss Team Avatar’s goofy road-trip energy: Try Hunter x Hunter, One Piece, or Samurai Champloo.
• If you want rich mythology and worldbuilding: Go for Magi, Moribito, or Nadia.
• If you’re into big found-family chaos: Fairy Tail and The Seven Deadly Sins are your best bet.
• If you want something more experimental: FLCL and Kino’s Journey lean harder into symbolism and philosophy.
• If you liked the tech-meets-bending feel of Korra: A Certain Scientific Railgun gives you that urban sci-fi twist.

Extra: Fan Experiences and Tips for Watching Anime Like Avatar

One of the fun things about dipping into anime after Avatar is realizing you’ve accidentally unlocked an entire universe of similar feelings in very different packages. Fans who started with Aang’s adventures often describe these shows as “Avatar, but…” Avatar, but darker, longer, weirder, funnier, or more experimental.

1. Expect a Different Rhythm

Avatar is tightly plotted across three seasons. Many anime on this list have longer or differently structured runs. One Piece is a marathon; Hunter x Hunter has distinct arcs that each feel like mini-series; Fairy Tail and The Seven Deadly Sins bounce between quests and big battles. Give each show a few episodes to establish its world and tone before deciding whether it’s for you.

2. Embrace the Power Systems

Part of what makes bending so satisfying is how rule-driven it feels. Fans often say that learning Nen in Hunter x Hunter or the laws of alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood gives them the same rush you start understanding why certain matchups matter, how characters can outsmart stronger opponents, and what “training” actually changes. Paying attention to the rules makes fights feel more like clever chess matches than random explosions.

3. Let the Worlds Get Under Your Skin

Just like the Four Nations, these series build settings that feel lived-in: slums and capitals, remote villages and bustling ports, spirit dimensions and secret labs. Fans often recommend taking it slow maybe an episode or two a night so you can absorb the details. Notice recurring symbols, landscapes, and cultural cues. Shows like Magi, Moribito, and From the New World reward that kind of close watching.

4. Share the Journey (Like Team Avatar Would)

Watching these series with friends can recreate that “campfire after a long day of traveling” feeling from Avatar. Plenty of fans do group watches, argue about best arcs, or rank their own “Team Avatar equivalents” in every show which character is the Sokka, who has the Zuko energy, who’s the Toph of the group. It turns each series into a shared adventure instead of a solo binge.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Drop and Try Another

Even highly ranked shows won’t work for everyone. Maybe you love the emotional weight of Brotherhood but bounce off the pacing of One Piece, or you vibe with Kino’s Journey more than the louder shounen titles. That’s normal and one perk of having a fan-driven top 13 is that you have plenty of options to test until one clicks.

6. Use Avatar as Your Compass

Whenever you’re unsure what to try next, go back to what you loved most about Avatar:
was it the spiritual themes, the martial arts, the politics, or the character growth? Pick the anime above that lines up strongest with that piece. Over time, you’ll probably find yourself branching out into genres you never expected just like how a lot of fans discovered anime in the first place by searching “shows like Avatar” and falling into this rabbit hole.

At the end of the day, none of these series are trying to replace Avatar: The Last Airbender. Instead, they expand on pieces of it the friendship, the philosophy, the power systems, the worldbuilding and let you experience them in new forms. Think of them as 13 different bending styles: all unique, all powerful, and all worth mastering in their own way.

Conclusion

Avatar: The Last Airbender set the bar impossibly high for animated storytelling, but anime fans have been quietly yelling for years, “Hey, there’s more where that came from!” Thanks to fan voting and recommendations, we can see a clear pattern: series that blend heart, humor, and high-stakes adventure rise to the top.

Whether you start with fan favorite Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, dive into the sprawling oceans of One Piece, or test your moral limits with From the New World, you’re stepping into worlds that echo what made Avatar special while still feeling completely their own. So queue up your next show, grab some snacks, and remember: in every universe, there’s always another hero learning to bend their fate.