9+ Anime Shows Like Full Metal Panic You Want To Try (Recommended)

Full Metal Panic is an action/mecha series that’s been running for years. It has some good comedy as well.

The series started off in the very early 2000s by studio Gonzo. Then it moved to Kyoto Animation around 2005 with its 2nd season and its parody series “Fumoffu”, which is considered a 3rd season.

After that, it had another studio called Exebec over 10+ years later for its “Invisible Victory” 4th season.

The anime is about Kaname Chidori, a blue-haired student who’s unaware of her unusual gifts and talents and the outside threats who are trying to interfere with her life.

Sousuke Sagara, a military soldier who works for an independent anti-terrorist group is given the mission of protecting Kaname Chidori, but so much more happens as a result (including romance later, life or death situations, and more).

Here’s a list of anime that are like Full Metal Panic!

1. Eureka Seven

Above all else, this is a mystery series, but it’s also a mecha that many seem to overlook when talking about mecha in general.

Renton Thurston, a teenager is sick and tired of living where he is and wants some adventure and excitement in his life. He gets it when a big ship from the Gecko State arrives with a strange girl called Eureka.

Renton falls in love and becomes interested in her. And their relationship slowly builds over time.

There’s action, violence, and even biblical references in this series, along with mechs of course. It’s a meaningful series, but it does start out slower than you’d like.

2. Canaan

Canaan is an anime built around a pandemic. A virus that’s gone out of control. So if you want a pandemic anime in particular, this is the one to see.

The main character is called Canaan, a middle eastern woman similar to Sousuke from Full Metal Panic. She’s efficient, ruthless, seemingly cold, and has a unique ability.

She and the villain of the series are connected, a lot similar to the early stages of FMP. But Canaan is only a short series with some nice visuals, and designs are taken from the FATE franchise since it’s made by TYPE-MOON.

3. Tengan Toppa Gurren Lagann

Gurren Lagann is a classic series and the most entertaining Mecha anime you’ll ever come across. The whole series has “fun” built into it from start to finish, and HYPE is a big thing with this anime.

The main characters, Simon, Yoko, and Kamina, grew up underground (literally) and have been told their whole lives to avoid the surface because it’s too dangerous.

Many people live this way, but Kamina has bigger dreams and encourages his crew to work together to break out and see the surface. They do exactly that and find themselves in trouble. But Kamina is happy either way.

Kamina is the motivation of the series, the backbone. Simon is the youngun who comes up under Kamina, and Yoko is the skilled sniper and the anime’s main female character.

If it’s a wacky Mecha series you want with life lessons, comedy, visuals, and plenty of action, this is it.

4. Spy x Family

Spy x Family is relatively new (it’s 2023 as I write this post). The anime brought over its manga fanbase, which is a big one, and the anime has been doing well ever since it was released in 2022.

Loid Forger, an ironic name for a spy and someone who has forged documents, decides he needs to create a family to keep himself under the radar.

He seeks out a daughter from an orphanage and finds Anya, a girl who’s psychic (he has no idea).

Then he seeks out a wife and finds Yor Forger, an assassin in secret who confesses to Loid, which shocks him to the core.

The anime highlights trickery, the fact people lie to keep up with appearances, spy work and assassin work, wholesome family life, and it has its serious moments as well.

It’s a blend like many similar shows can’t compete with.

5. Code Geass

My favourite mecha anime of all time. Code Geass is about Lelouch, a former “eleven”. A name that was given to Japanese people who are now under the rule of Britannia in what they call “area 11”.

He gains the power of Geass when his life is in danger and uses that power to control, manipulate, and ultimately gain power and build his army to give his sister Nunally a better life.

The anime is a lot more complex than that, though. The battles are strategic, like a game of chess, and the brutality, deception, trickery, and violence at times are enough to make you HATE the protagonist.

It’s a masterpiece of an anime series with similarities to Full Metal Panic.

6. Jormungand

Jormungand is about arms dealers, a concept not foreign to Full Metal Panic given the context of the series. Koko Hekmatyar, one of my favourite characters, is the leader of this series.

She’s a millionaire and is surrounded by top-notch bodyguards wherever she goes. And she’s made enemies out of people who don’t like her or her success in the business.

The good thing about this anime is the realism when highlighting arms dealing. The only real difference between this and a military series like FMP is the lack of “mecha”.

It has military elements, action, violence, brutal life lessons to learn from, and entertainment value that just can’t be beaten.

7. Black Lagoon

Black Lagoon is like a different version of Jormungand, but still similar to Full Metal Panic.

The anime is about the lagoon company, a bunch of smugglers (drugs, people, weapons, whatever). Rock, one of the main characters, ends up being smuggled and decides there and then to join the Lagoon company.

He’s sick and tired of his business life and wants a change. So why not do it in the middle of a crisis?

He ends up building a relationship with Revy Rebecca, a Chinese American character who’s been through hell and will kill anyone at the drop of a hat if they talk the wrong way.

Dutch, the black male character, is the leader of the company and a source of some of the anime’s comedy.

This anime highlights the underworld and what goes on there.

8. School Rumble

School Rumble’s similarities to FMP come from its school environment in particular, nothing else. In this way, the anime has close similarities in its comedy, romance, humour, and the life the characters lead to some degree.

It’s also most similar to the parody version of FMP called Fumoffu.

Tenma is the MC who’s an airheaded girl and is the older sister of Yakumo, who’s more mature and is a supporting character.

The main male character is Kenji Harima, an upcoming manga artist and an ex-delinquent who, after falling in love, decided to change his life around.

There’s also the “rich girl” called Eri, and Mikoto, the blue-haired martial artist.

This anime needs a 3rd season.

9. Aldnoah Zero

And then there’s Aldnoah Zero, an anime about the conflict between earthlings and Martians. Those who live on earth vs those who live on mars.

The battle is constant, and the negotiations are even more constant to stop it from happening, but those with ulterior motives to start wars prevent that from happening to a degree.

You can think of the MC as similar to Sousuke, but barely in reality. Both are awkward, and that’s a trait they share.

–

Recommended Next:

Why Mecha Anime Has Been DECLINING And Losing Its Appeal Since The 2010’s