Naruto is the ultimate
Naruto Uzumaki was an outcast who people demonized (no pun intended) because of the beast he’s associated with.
Later on, they kiss his ass after treating him like sh*t because Naruto never gives up and makes something of himself. And its touched millions of fans worldwide, especially in countries like India.
With that said, these motivational anime like Naruto give similar vibes and feelings.
Let’s get started.
1. Food Wars
Food Wars isn’t the first anime that may come to mind. And some people might think of clothes flying off and the
But Food Wars, at its core, before anything else, is a Shounen series that uses food as a means to battle it out, improve, reach new heights, and develop.
Soma Yukihira is the show’s main star who grows up in a restaurant with his dad, then goes onto the so-called “big leagues” to compete with other skilled chefs while upping his skills.
It’s a
2. Bamboo Blade
Still a forgotten anime to this day, especially in 2023 and beyond. Bamboo Blade is about
Their sensei leads them, helps them, but more importantly, pays for them with the little money he has to form his kendo team of
Tamaki Kowazoe is a small but extremely talented girl who kicks off the Kendo team with a bang once she joins up for comical reasons relating to justice.
A new version of this anime would be appreciated and could do well.
3. Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin’s original anime was already
Kenshin Himura is known as the manslayer and is a legend for his involvement in a war back in the day. He’s a powerful swordsman.
He retires from that dark side of his life, carries a reversed sword so he can’t kill people with it, and chooses a different path to change and redeem himself.
Kaoru Kamiya, the main female MC, gives Kenshin a new lease on life and gives him a new purpose which involves protecting people like her.
4. Denpa Kyoushi
Denpa Kyoushi, or The Ultimate Otaku Teacher, is nothing like Naruto as far as the Otaku themes. But when it comes to motivation, both anime have their similarities.
Junichirou Kagami is the series teacher, using gaming mechanics and metaphors from gaming to teach students concepts and help them understand complicated subjects easier.
He owns his own successful blog and buys figurines, but more to the point, he’s committed to only doing the things he yearns to do. And this is where the
5. Guardian Of The Sacred Spirit
Balsa Yonsa is a bodyguard with the skills to do more than just pay the bills. She’s dangerous if needed to be and lives a life of independence as a lone wolf.
She gets a job to protect a prince from the kingdom, silently planning to kill him off. This emotional job changes his and her life as they both form a mother-son relationship while on the run.
Motivation runs throughout this entire series, and it has plenty of emotional episodes that follow along with it.
6. Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z has to be on this list because it influenced Naruto in the first place.
Goku trains for his own selfish reasons, like getting stronger, becoming better, learning, testing his limits, and more. This alone is why people find Goku and the anime so
There’s also the aspect of Goku, that’s innocent and swears to protect others. And then there are the characters Goku is surrounded by, like Krillin, Tien, Vegeta, Piccolo, and others, which add to the motivating aspects of
7. Hinamatsuri
Hinamatsuri is both a
Hina is the source of the anime’s comedy. She’s an introvert, stoic, a bit of a savage, and needy, but most of all, she’s chilled and laid back.
Anzu, the blonde girl, ends up homeless, lives with homeless people, steals food and money, and is struggling.
The latter is where the emotional side of this anime comes to life.
The former is where the anime keeps you giggling and laughing.
The life lessons in between are priceless, and how it’s all portrayed has a sense of realism to it. The series is only 12 episodes long, so short and to the point.
8. Violet Evergarden
Violet Evergarden is an emotional ride from start to finish. Each episode gets more emotional than the last, and each episode feels longer than it should be because so much is jammed into each episode but in a way that enhances the quality.
Violet, the main female character, was an orphan and used as a tool for war growing up. Now, after the war, she has a metal arm, thanks to the damages of the war.
She starts to feel the pain of her past actions, even if she was manipulated and groomed against her will. And she’s on a journey, most of all, to find out what the major meant when his last words to her were “I love you”.
9. Magi: Labyrinth Of Magic
Magi is a lot like Hinamatsuri and Naruto in the fact it has comedic aspects and funny episodes but deeply sad and emotional episodes that make the anime something else.
Morgiana, the pink-haired (or maroon-haired) girl, is a slave at first, along with a lot of her race. Even after being freed, she still thinks she’s a slave and willingly goes back to being one because she’s been broken that much from childhood.
Alibaba is the blonde guy who has his ups and downs, like losing a lot of money, and has a peculiar relationship with a tragic character you see later on.
Aladdin is the knot that ties these two together. The blue-haired kid, the “chosen one” who never seems to be sad and is always smiling and generally happy.
Motivation, inspiration, reliability, Magi has it all.
10. Assassination Classroom
Assassination Classroom focuses on kids in a classroom (failed kids), but a lot of it takes place outside and in various spots around the world.
Their main goal is to kill their teacher, who is an alien and a sarcastic guy who moves at Mach speeds.
Each kid learns something along the way from their teacher despite their seemingly odd relationship with each other, and how the anime progresses ends up being sad, not just motivating.
11. Bleach
Bleach is also an anime that aired alongside Naruto during the same time, and the anime, like Naruto, has a lot of life lessons,
Ichigo Kurosaki’s main goal is to protect his friends and nothing more.
He gets stronger and fights for this reason.
He has two younger sisters, who he also swears to protect, and a father with secrets and a comical personality that makes the anime more lighthearted in their “at home” scenes.
Bleach’s range of characters (there’s a lot) also adds to the
