Anime Like Blade of the Immortal

This OVA is the first animated feature for Bleach, premiering at the Jump Festa 2004 Anime Tour before receiving a DVD release. Created prior to the anime's television debut, it functions as a pilot episode and presents a special version of events from episodes 8 and 9. Kurosaki Ichigo, the substitute Shinigami serving under Kuchiki Rukia, learns that one of the Hollows he has been tracking is the same being that killed his mother. He engages it in combat, driven by a vengeful sense of pride.

Manji is a notorious swordsman in feudal Japan, earning the title "Hundred Man Killer" for slaughtering one hundred innocent men. Yet even more terrifying than his dark reputation is his immortality—a curse bestowed by Yaobikuni, an eight-hundred-year-old nun who implanted bloodworms in Manji's body that can heal nearly any wound. Seeking atonement for his past sins, Manji vows to kill one thousand evil men. Yaobikuni agrees to this pact, promising that if he succeeds, she will lift his immortality. Shortly after, Manji encounters Rin Asano, a sixteen-year-old girl who begs for his help in avenging her parents' murder. Initially hesitant, Manji turns down Rin's desperate plea. But seeing her lack of strength, he changes his mind and agrees to protect her for four years. With their partnership sealed, the two embark on a perilous journey of bloodshed, vengeance, and redemption, each pursuing their own purpose in life.

Renzaburou Taki seems like an ordinary office worker, but he actually belongs to the Black Guards, a covert group dedicated to preserving the delicate balance between humanity and the demon world. With the deadline for renewing the peace treaty nearing, Taki is assigned to protect Giuseppe Mayart, a vital human mystic, alongside Makie, a female demon. This mission proves far more challenging than anticipated; while a radical group of demons resorts to terrorism to shatter the alliance between the two realms, Giuseppe is solely focused on escaping his duties to pursue romantic encounters with women.

The Sanzou Party has finally reached India, entering a foreign land where the anomaly's influence is widespread and their battles grow increasingly fierce. They also face the tragic destiny that awaits them from five hundred years ago. What awaits them at the conclusion of their long and perilous journey?

Continuing their westward journey, priest Genjo Sanzo and his companions Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo, and Son Goku aim to prevent the demon Gyoumao from being resurrected. As the Sanzo Ikkou's reputation precedes them, they battle demon assassins at every turn, yet must also contend with rising tensions within their own group to overcome a powerful enemy.

Momiji leads an ordinary life until discovering she is a descendant of the renowned Kushinada family. Only her Kushinada blood can stop the Aragami, demonic plant-like monsters that threaten to destroy Japan. Helping her are the TAC and a possible love interest in a young man named Kusanagi.

The Sanzo Ikkou presses onward in its westward trek, bound for a mission to stop a demon from being resurrected. Genjo Sanzo, Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo, and Son Goku battle their way toward their objective, but their journey is riddled with inner conflict. When they come across a powerful duo of enemies hailing from the west, the unity of the group—and the success of their mission—could hang in the balance.

To locate his beloved partner, Wu Liuqi travels back to Xuanwu Country and confronts the pieces of his past he had long forgotten. While the uncovered truth stirs up pain and rage, he no longer has to face it by himself. He must now consider what the true meaning of power is, forcing Wu Liuqi to make a fresh decision regarding his future.

Ambushed by rogue demons during their travels, the Sanzou party considers it just another day—until their latest attackers turn out to be human. Confused, the group soon meets a wandering priest named Hazel Grouse and his imposing bodyguard, Gaty Nene Hawk. Hailing from the far West, Hazel uses his power of resurrection to help grief-stricken villages. Though the locals welcome his ability, the truth behind it is far less miraculous than it appears. Worse, the resurrected humans develop golden eyes—the same trait shared by the recent assailants. The friendly priest's motives are not as benevolent as they seem, and the Sanzou party is on the verge of uncovering them.

A renegade scientist in San Francisco has discovered a method to create a new type of creature known as a Neo-Aragami, bypassing the need for Susanoo's power. As these monsters begin wreaking havoc across California, the United States government seeks assistance from the former members of the Terrestrial Administration Center (TAC).

Yuri, a beautiful Japanese girl, is overjoyed after passing her college entrance exam and sharing her first kiss with her childhood friend, who has become her boyfriend. But her fortune quickly shifts. She begins to observe that water grows turbulent whenever she approaches it. One evening, hands emerge from a puddle on the street and pull her into the water! She is transported to an ancient village in the Middle East, where she is seized by armed soldiers and brought to the Queen's palace to serve as a human sacrifice.

An alchemy experiment gone horribly wrong shatters the lives of brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric. Defying the fundamental alchemical law that forbids human transmutation, they try to revive their deceased mother. The attempt backfires catastrophically: Alphonse loses his entire body, while Edward sacrifices a leg and then an arm to anchor his brother's soul to a massive suit of armor. Their neighbor Pinako Rockbell and her granddaughter Winry take them in. Winry, a gifted engineer specializing in biomechanics, crafts prosthetic limbs for Edward using "automail"—a durable, versatile metal found in robots and battle armor. After years of intense training, the Elric brothers embark on a mission to recover their original bodies by finding the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary gem capable of bypassing the law of Equivalent Exchange. As Edward earns fame as an alchemist and the moniker "Fullmetal," their quest pulls them into a far-reaching conspiracy that could determine the fate of the world.

High school student Ichigo Kurosaki leads a normal life until his family is targeted by a Hollow, a malevolent spirit that devours human souls. During the attack, he encounters Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper who is wounded while defending Ichigo’s relatives. To protect his family, Ichigo accepts Rukia’s proposal to assume her powers, thereby becoming a Soul Reaper himself. Since Rukia cannot recover her abilities, Ichigo takes on the difficult responsibility of eliminating the Hollows infesting their town. He is not solitary in this mission, as he is eventually aided by his friends and classmates Orihime Inoue, Yasutora Sado, and Uryuu Ishida, each possessing distinct talents. As Ichigo and his companions adjust to their new roles and support one another both in combat and daily life, the young Soul Reaper discovers that Hollows are not the sole danger threatening the human world.

In 1868, English aristocrat George Joestar and his son Jonathan owe a debt to Dario Brando after being rescued from a carriage accident. However, the Joestars remain unaware that Dario never intended to help them—he thought they were dead and was merely looting their possessions. Twelve years later, following Dario's death, George adopts his son Dio as a way to repay the supposed debt. Though Dio outwardly acts affectionate toward his new father, he secretly plots to seize the Joestar wealth. His initial move is to drive a wedge between George and Jonathan. By consistently outshining his foster brother, Dio solidifies his position in the Joestar household. But when Dio pushes Jonathan too far, Jonathan bests him in a physical confrontation. As the years pass, the two appear to have become close friends to outsiders. Yet trouble stirs again when George falls ill, and Jonathan suspects Dio is somehow responsible—and that he has further schemes in motion.

Young Thorfinn spent his childhood listening to tales told by old sailors who had crossed the ocean and arrived at the fabled land called Vinland. According to legend, it was a warm and fertile place where no one needed to fight—nothing like the frozen Icelandic village where he was born, and certainly nothing like the life he leads now as a mercenary. War has become his home. Though his father once told him, "You have no enemies. Nobody does. There is no one it is okay to hurt," as Thorfinn grew older, he came to believe that could not be further from the truth. The ongoing conflict between England and the Danes worsens every year. Death has become ordinary, and the Viking mercenaries revel in every moment of it. By allying with either side, they can drastically shift the balance of power, and the Vikings are eager to earn reputations for themselves while taking whatever spoils they can. Amid all this chaos, Thorfinn must pursue his revenge: to kill Askeladd, the man who murdered his father. For the Vikings, it seems, the only paradise is this relentless age of war and death.

The Four Cardinal Heroes are a group of regular guys from present-day Japan called to the kingdom of Melromarc to serve as its saviors. Melromarc is a country suffering from the Waves of Catastrophe, which have repeatedly devastated the land and brought disaster to its citizens for centuries. The four heroes are each given a sword, spear, bow, and shield to defeat these Waves. Naofumi Iwatani, an otaku, is cursed with the role of the "Shield Hero." With nothing but a weak shield, Naofumi is looked down upon and mocked by the other heroes and the kingdom's citizens because of his poor offensive power and unimpressive personality. After the heroes receive supplies and companions to train alongside, Naofumi begins his journey with the sole person who agrees to join him, Malty Melromarc. However, she soon betrays him, and he is wrongly accused of assaulting her. As a result, Naofumi faces severe discrimination and hatred from the people of Melromarc for a crime he never committed. With deep hurt and distrust burning inside him, Naofumi sets out to build his own strength and repair his reputation. But as he goes on, the hardship of traveling alone becomes too great, so Naofumi purchases a dying demi-human slave named Raphtalia to join him. As the Waves draw closer to the kingdom, Naofumi and Raphtalia must battle to ensure the kingdom's survival and shield its people from their doomed destiny.

Edward Elric is a gifted young alchemist who, at age twelve, suffers devastating losses. When he and his brother Alphonse attempt to bring their deceased mother back using the forbidden technique of human transmutation, Edward loses both his brother and two of his own limbs. Using his exceptional alchemical abilities, Edward manages to anchor Alphonse's soul to a massive suit of armor. One year later, Edward has become a state alchemist with the title of Fullmetal. Together with his younger brother, he sets out in search of the Philosopher's Stone. This legendary artifact is said to greatly amplify an alchemist's power, allowing them to bypass alchemy's core principle: equivalent exchange, where one must sacrifice something of equal value to gain something. Edward intends to use the military's resources to locate the stone and restore his and Alphonse's bodies to their original state. But as the Elric brothers delve deeper, they realize the stone holds secrets far beyond their expectations, drawing them into the heart of a conflict much darker and more vast than they ever anticipated.

A tower exists that summons selected individuals, referred to as Regulars, with the promise of fulfilling their deepest desires. Whether those desires are wealth, fame, power, or something beyond all of that—everything awaits those who reach its summit. Twenty-Fifth Bam had spent his entire life knowing only a dark cave, a ragged cloth, and a distant, unreachable light. Then a girl named Rachel appeared to him through that light, and his whole world changed. They became close friends, and Rachel taught him many things about the world outside. But when she told him she had to leave to climb the Tower, his world fell apart. Vowing to pursue her no matter the cost, he fixed his gaze upon the Tower—and a miracle took place. This is how the journey of Bam begins: a boy not chosen by the Tower, but who opened its doors on his own. Such beings are called Irregulars—entities that have shaken the very foundations of the Tower every time they have entered it.

Sent to Earth for observation, an entity known simply as It possesses the ability to assume the forms of creatures it encounters. Initially manifesting as a stone and later as moss in response to rising temperatures, It remains stationary until a dying wolf passes by. Upon taking the wolf’s shape, It gains consciousness and begins to wander aimlessly. It soon encounters the wolf’s owner, a young boy left behind while his tribe travels south to a land rich in food. Despite his solitude, the boy clings to the hope that his loved ones remember him and that they will one day reunite. Driven by a desire to explore, the boy chooses to leave his home with It, following the tribe’s trail to find their promised paradise. However, as the boy’s body deteriorates from severe injuries and his companions remain missing, his fate hangs in the balance. Fumetsu no Anata e chronicles the journey of an immortal being as it experiences life, interacting with diverse individuals across different eras and locations.

Orphaned and taken in by the notorious mafia don Dino Golzine, seventeen-year-old Aslan Jade Callenreese, better known as Ash Lynx, now leads his own criminal organization. Driven by the cryptic final words of his deceased brother Griffin, who repeated "Banana Fish" after returning from the Iraq War, Ash delves into a dangerous investigation. His search is abruptly interrupted when Dino’s enforcers raid his secret hideout at an underground bar. There, Ash’s friend Skip has just introduced him to Shunichi Ibe and his assistant Eiji Okumura, Japanese photojournalists documenting street gangs. Amidst the chaos of the attack, Shorter Wong alerts Ash to the danger, but Dino’s men manage to abduct Skip and Eiji. Forced into action, Ash must navigate his violent past with the mafia to rescue the kidnapped photographers and uncover the truth behind the elusive Banana Fish.

Convicted ninja Gabimaru the Hollow, weary from a life steeped in violence, feels he deserves his death sentence and remains indifferent to his fate. Yet, every execution attempt inexplicably fails. When Sagiri Yamada Asaemon, a young member of a renowned executioner family, is assigned to end Gabimaru’s life, she refuses. Citing his lingering love for his wife as the reason he cannot die, Sagiri proposes a deal: Gabimaru can earn a full pardon if he retrieves the Elixir of Life from the mysterious island of Shinsekyo for the shogun. Despite the fact that no previous expedition has returned sane, let alone alive, Gabimaru joins ten other death row inmates in accepting this perilous mission, driven by the hope of finally reuniting with his wife in peace.

In the small village of Pasloe, Holo, a mighty wolf god, is honored for blessing the yearly harvest. Over time, however, the townspeople grow more self-reliant, and Holo fades into nothing more than a legend. When the wandering merchant Kraft Lawrence stops in the village, Holo suggests a business arrangement: she will help him if he brings her to her northern homeland, Yoitsu. The shrewd trader realizes Holo has a special talent for reading people's true natures and agrees to her offer. Armed with keen deal-making skills and a persuasive companion, Lawrence moves closer to his dream of owning his own store. But as he journeys across the countryside with Holo, searching for profitable ventures, he starts to realize that his ambitions are gradually changing into something unforeseen.

With only a week left until the next Wave, Naofumi Iwatani and his party feel the pressure mounting. The urgency heightens after bat-like familiars assault Lurolona Village, which causes the Wave countdown to halt. In response, the Four Cardinal Heroes convene with Queen Mirelia Q Melromarc for an urgent meeting. She believes that these unusual occurrences may be linked to the Spirit Tortoise, a perilous creature that has awakened and started causing destruction once again. As plans are drawn up to defeat the Spirit Tortoise, among the four heroes, only the disparaged Shield Hero steps forward to offer his assistance.

After losing his father and seeing his village burned by English raiders, Einar hopes to live peacefully with his family on their restored farms. But fate intervenes once more: his village is attacked again. Einar can only watch as Danish marauders set his lands ablaze and kill his relatives. He is taken captive and brought to Denmark as a slave. Clutching his mother's last words to stay alive, Einar is bought by Ketil, a benevolent slave owner and farmer who tells Einar he can earn his freedom by working the fields. There, Einar meets his new partner in farm labor—Thorfinn, a listless and sorrowful slave. As Einar and Thorfinn toil together toward their liberation, they are tormented by past wrongs and current schemes. Still, they press on, reaching for a faint spark of hope, redemption, and calm in a world that offers nothing but cruelty and despair.