Shigurui

As soon as Shigurui started, I thought, "Whoa, this opening looks a LOT like Texhnolyze's opening," and I turned out right. Even though the anime take place at completely different times, they have a lot in common. Both are very dark, bloody anime who are more suited for a mature audience. Both are confusing at the start and being explaining later on. Both also share a very similar animation style. 

Both have death-crazy samurai and loads of blood. 

They both have samurai fighting each other. And the gore seems to be equall in both camps. Shigurui is a bit slower but it does have over 200% more episodes than Afro Samurai 

Both of these anime show brutal deaths and unnaturally skilled samurai.....  

Both have a really dark theme. There is too much blood and a deep psychological story. 

Both are gritty, mature stories of revenge set in historical Japan. They pull no punches unafraid to show the darker side of humanity.  

Both involve a feudal environment giving off a pretty classic samurai film atmosphere. Both also show a lot of graphical violence/gore. 

Both shows are EXTREMELY unnerving. Okay, not all of Aoi Bungaku is unnerving - the first story (No Longer Human) and the last 2 (The Spider's Thread and Hell Screen) are the only ones that I'd call "Unnerving". Both shows are also by the same studio, and both are extremely historical. 

Both feature an extensively researched historical setting (though they are set in different historical periods) and capture the mood of some of the more contemplative, subtle and philosophical chanbara films. Both also feature intense, thrilling swordplay with a touch of gritty (and oftentimes grisly) realism, and dark, violent storylines that deconstruct in some ways the romanticism surrounding historical Japan in the time of the samurai. Shigurui goes much further in this regard, however; the themes of redemption and love present in Kenshin are nowhere to be found here, as Shigurui instead adopts an exceptionally bleak and cynical tone as it lends a more distinct "horror" atmosphere to its bone-chilling depictions of violence and depravity. read more 

If you like violence, blood, and gore that comes with martial art, then this is one for you. 

Both are about Samurai. While Champloo is comical and Shigurui serious, they are both very good anime. 

These are both samurai anime taking place in the same era. I think they're pretty similar because of the fights and action freeze. The series are both really detailed and put a lot of importance on one-on-one duels. 

Very in-depth in terms of swordplay along with the lives and tribulations of samurai in the Edo period of Japan 

More often than not, anything with a period piece setting has an artificial, glorifying gloss painted over it. And this is a problem with Japanese period pieces in particular since there was never anything beautiful about a culture where atoning for mistakes involved other men watching as someone stabbed themselves in the stomach and attempted to slice diagonally across (FYI, this is how Shigurui begins, complete with intestines hanging out). The samurai period in Japan was a cruel one, and that's what these two series capture superbly. Shigurui would have been described as an 'ultra violence' series, had it came to be during the OVA boom years. Stylised, unflinching brutality where violence is the main focus as samurai kill, maim and/or dismember each other. Hakkenden isn't quite so... extreme since its focus is more on its supernatural / symbolism / broship plot, but there are numerous scenes where blood splatters, hands/heads are cut off and - yes - a belly-cutting suicide scene. A web of grim misery connects the characters, and Shigurui has that same grimdark tone; albeit with a far darker, more depraved edge than Hakkenden. read more 

Dark, mysterious, interesting and well developed. Time lines are very different but both have a great character development. Johan and Irako have the same voice actor too 

Both anime have lots of action, dark and melancholic atmosphere, blood, gore, deaths. I'd say that Shigurui is way better with the blood spill, but another has a bit more "horror"to it.  

If you loved Goblin Slayer's seriousness and all-out violence, take the next step out of a fantasy world and into the ruthless world of a Samurai's life in 1600's Japan. Our main character in Shigurui is just as stoic, merciless, and relentless as Goblin Slayer, and the animation is even more gruesome. This anime takes a step up in maturity- and not just in rating. This anime is historical and as realistic as most anime get. Although much older than Goblin Slayer, the detail put into this anime is intricate, the animation, blood-curdling, and the story, much more toned for a older audience. If you've already seen Shigurui, and you're tired of seeing the same old Racal-boy type characters taking the lead in a bubbly isekai, I would give Goblin Slayer a try. It has a graver tone than most anime airing in the past couple of seasons.  read more 

Boogiepop Phantom for its oppressively dark atmosphere, disturbing and unsettling tone as well as its exploration of a number of themes, well; Shigurui does all that, and more - maxing particularly on the excessively disturbing aspect and delivering a completely engrossing orgy of blood and death that'll make Boogiepop's darkness seem like child's play. 

Shigurui is a samurai anime which shares many similar characteristics with Baki. Both stories are a sort of build up to an ultimate end fight; Yujiro in Baki and irako in Shigurui. Unfortunately both anime do not complete the story to conclude the end fight, to which you will have to read the manga to conclude. Art for both are very similar in my opinion, especially in the manga. The art styles for both mangaka are really similar and not just in the character styles but also the graphic violence. However the animation for shigurui is much better and a joy to watch if you appreciate this kind of thing. Although both anime are violent in nature, shigurui is much more gory and contains a lot of nudity. Shigurui is perhaps a more mature and realistic anime than Baki, however I found them really similar when watching/reading both. I would recommend reading the manga for both to complete the stories and see their similarities.  read more 

Obviously very different shows, but still many similatities... -Both set in historic Japan, and fairly historically plausible (by anime standards, at least- apart from the obvious supernatural themes in Mushishi ofc) -Both very much aimed at an adult audience, with almost entirely adult characters, and a generally 'mature' sensibiilty. -Both moody, atmospheric, and (Shigurui more so than Mushishi) dark, focusing on mostly character drama rather than action and gimmicks. -Both slow paced, but not in a bad way ("unhurried"?) -Both very unique- neither really fits neatly in a genre or has many peers. -Both have high quality production, a slightly "artsy" feel -Both (very effectively) use washed-out, grey-ish colours, and moody, slow music with a traditional Japanese style. read more 

While Shigurui certainly took the artistic presentation of the samurai culture of Japan to a historical and artistic level of brilliance (and anyone who believes otherwise has certainly not seen or cannot appreciate the degree of subtlety put into the final cut itself), it is clear that Muramasa is an anime which cannot be ignored and certainly can be seen as being a precursor to the intended mood Shigurui was aiming for. The art style, although seemingly low budget (and definitely lacking the fluidity which is marked and presented in Shigurui), are engaging in terms of the environment and the atmosphere this anime (Muramasa) was aiming for, and which are aspects used in Shigurui. The presentation of the unnamed samurai and how his own involvement with the sword is visual, and represents the state of mind of the samurai as well as his environment remarkably well from beginning till end. But the single most important reason for why Muramasa is recommended when compared to Shigurui is its sound - the characters never speak a word, and everything is reliant on the score. Combined with the already mentioned aspect of visual cues, this anime clearly shows a precursor and can be seen as inspiring Shigurui significantly. You do not need to know the Samurai, but are able to understand his dilemma and his struggle with this sword because of those two aspects. If you have seen Shigurui, then Muramasa is something which will be a satisfying watch. read more 

They are both rather serious anime set in historical japan with exceptional art. I guess they appeals to the same target group, with rather mature taste and interest in traditional japanese lifestyle.  

Both are about gory Japanese sword fights and take place in Feudal Japan :) 

The art is pretty similar (maybe because of Madhouse's production). Both animes are historical and the action is full of violence, gore and blood. 

Samurai, ninjas, and tragedy play the main roles in both OVAs. Both feature fantastic animation and share similar art styles. 

Both set in the samurai Edo period, with shigurui being more violent and Amatsuki more laid back 

Ayakashi and Shigurui are both cruel anime; however, Ayakashi is about legends and Shigurui is about humans not about ghosts. Both anime include the samurai way of life and their women who suffer a lot. 

Both contain masive blood and killing. Killing and nudity are both extremly frequent in these animes, and, escpecially for Shigurui, not for the faint stomached. The only huge difference from Elfen Lied to Shigurui is that Shigurui actually contain some "hidden" sex scenes. 

You can try to compare learning Kendo in modern ways and the ancient ways. Totally different story styles & level of drama but shared some similarity. 

Both are historical type anime that have a focus on samurai. There's a great deal of fighting/action in each. Both have sadistic characters that lead the plot for their own personal gain. 

Not everyone knows Shigurui, but both animes are about Samurai at feudal eras, have historical background, fast and violent battle scenes and characters with unique sword skills. But be aware that Shigurui is infinetely more violent and bloody, it's definetely not something for children. NOTE: The anime ends at the chapter 32~33 of the manga, which is still ongoing. I also highly recommend the manga. 

Both contain a lot of blood and dead bodies. 

Lots of gore and disturbing images, unique animation styles, both feature the competition for the heritage of a dojo