2025’s Biggest Dark Anime Beats Demon Slayer At Its Own Game

by

Following the huge success of *Infinity Castle*, *Demon Slayer* has firmly established itself as one of the best new shonen anime, alongside popular series like *Jujutsu Kaisen* and *Kaiju No. 8*. Now, a new contender has emerged that’s surpassing *Demon Slayer* in key areas. While *Demon Slayer* still boasts superior animation quality thanks to Studio UFOtable, as well as stronger comedic timing and more viral moments, *Gachiakuta* demonstrates that a truly successful shonen anime needs more than just impressive visuals.

Though the new series *Gachiakuta* currently has fewer episodes (13 and counting, with no movies yet) than *Demon Slayer*, it’s quickly gaining traction. Many viewers find *Gachiakuta*’s core elements to be more compelling than those of *Demon Slayer*, leading them to believe it’s already as good, or even better. *Gachiakuta* shares a lot of similarities with *Attack on Titan* – a quality *Demon Slayer* lacks – and this may be the key to its growing popularity.

Gachiakuta Instantly Feels More Dangerous Than Demon Slayer

Both *Gachiakuta* and *Demon Slayer* explore similar ideas and try to achieve the same goals, though they do so with different approaches and varying degrees of success. They fit into a growing trend of darker anime like *Attack on Titan*, *Jujutsu Kaisen*, *Chainsaw Man*, and *Fire Force*, all of which generally follow a similar formula. These shows create a consistently tense and frightening atmosphere, often featuring monsters that constantly threaten people. They typically focus on a defensive style of storytelling, where heroes use unique abilities and tools to react to immediate monster threats.

It’s fair to compare *Gachiakuta* and *Demon Slayer*, with *Demon Slayer* currently setting the standard and *Gachiakuta* being the latest anime trying to reach that level. Both shows have their good qualities, but *Gachiakuta* excels in the basics. Specifically, it creates a truly terrifying atmosphere, something *Demon Slayer* often only hints at or shows briefly. Viewers expect to feel the characters’ vulnerability, and *Gachiakuta* delivers this more effectively with its massive, imposing Trash Beasts and a landscape that feels genuinely dangerous and hopeless.

While *Demon Slayer* includes scary moments, like the Swamp Demon’s victims or attacks on the Swordsmith Village, many fans feel the overall story is too upbeat to truly convey a world constantly threatened by demons. *Demon Slayer* often feels like a series of battles, whereas *Gachiakuta* fully embraces a bleak and dangerous world. *Gachiakuta*’s characters are incredibly vulnerable to massive creatures called Trash Beasts, which represent humanity’s wastefulness and disregard for its creations. The series is set in a harsh, polluted world where even hunting these creatures requires gas masks due to the toxic air, further emphasizing the theme of environmental abuse.

Simply put, *Demon Slayer* portrays a generally good world threatened by various demons, including the powerful Twelve Demon Moons. In contrast, both the world and creatures of *Gachiakuta* are genuinely frightening. *Gachiakuta*’s environments – the Pit and the Ground – are visually striking and far more intense than the historical Japan setting of *Demon Slayer*. While *Demon Slayer* uses 1915 Japan as a simple background, *Gachiakuta*’s world feels like a character itself – a dark and unsettling place filled with pollution, monsters, and harsh inequalities, where the people struggle to survive. *Gachiakuta*’s characters inhabit a broken and hopeless world, creating the ideal setting for a story about humanity’s fight for survival against all odds – monsters, environmental damage, and social injustice.

Demon Slayer’s Simple Setting Lacks the Depth of Gachiakuta’s Mysterious World

What truly sets *Gachiakuta* apart from shows like *Demon Slayer*, especially as a dark fiction series, is its world-building. It effectively addresses relevant issues like social inequality and environmental pollution, which resonates with many viewers. Similar to *Attack on Titan*, *Gachiakuta* makes its setting feel like a living, breathing entity – something fans genuinely want to explore. While it doesn’t reach the grand scope of series like *One Piece* or *Naruto*, *Gachiakuta* is a standout example of modern dark shonen anime, pushing the boundaries of the genre.

Many popular action anime (known as shonen) often use familiar settings like modern Japan or something very similar. Even good shows like *Tokyo Ghoul* and *Jujutsu Kaisen* take place in contemporary Japan, while *Demon Slayer* is set in Japan’s Taisho period—a slight variation. While a detailed setting isn’t essential for every story, it can really help a series stand out. *Gachiakuta* and *Attack on Titan* demonstrate a stronger understanding of this than *Demon Slayer*.

Unlike many monster-filled stories set in familiar places like Tokyo, *Gachiakuta* takes place in a completely original world, creating a strong sense of mystery and encouraging exploration. Rudo is caught up in a challenging journey – battling creatures, seeking revenge, and trying to understand this strange new environment. The world outside the protective walls of the Sphere, known as the Ground, and the life within them, are full of secrets and build a lot of tension. Fans are excited to discover and map out the Ground, looking for important locations, settlements, and historical sites. They’re eager to learn about the world’s past – what it used to be like and how it fell into ruin – and to understand the origins and complicated politics of the Sphere. This focus on world-building is a departure from shows like *Demon Slayer*, which primarily used its historical setting as a backdrop for the action.

What sets *Gachiakuta* apart is its truly adventurous story, going beyond simply fighting to save the world. The world-building feels complete and immersive, offering a much richer experience than in *Demon Slayer*, where Tanjiro’s travels are fairly limited. While *Demon Slayer* does feature some memorable locations – like Mt. Natagumo, the Entertainment District, Swordsmith Village, and Muzan’s castle – these places mostly just provide a different backdrop for each story arc. None of these settings really encourage deeper exploration or thought; even places like Swordsmith Village or the infinity castle are fairly straightforward, relying on familiar concepts like secrecy or endlessness.

Rudo Beats Tanjiro as the Best Dark Shonen Anime Hero

Many action-adventure anime (often called ‘shonen’) are stronger when the main character faces real hardship, but ultimately finds something good in life. The most memorable series frequently show heroes who’ve lost loved ones to monsters, and then build a new family with their fellow fighters. *Demon Slayer* did this well with Tanjiro, who lost almost his entire family, but after a while, his story felt less unique because so many other characters had similar pasts. While Tanjiro’s backstory is still impactful, *Gachiakuta* handles this type of emotional setup even more effectively.

It’s not about comparing which loss is more upsetting; *Gachiakuta* simply has a more compelling mystery. Rudo didn’t just lose a father figure, Regto – there’s also a puzzle surrounding who falsely accused him of the murder and their motives. This loss drives Rudo to uncover the injustices of the Sphere, potentially linking back to Regto’s death, and that’s what keeps *Gachiakuta* fans engaged. Unlike *Demon Slayer*, *Gachiakuta* uses this loss to explore the deep inequalities of its dark and unusual world after Rudo is wrongly imprisoned.

As Rudo journeys on, he finds a sense of family with the Cleaners, and this connection feels even more impactful than Tanjiro’s friendships with other Demon Slayers. This is because Rudo isn’t naturally a warm or caring person, making the bond he forms with the Cleaners particularly special. The genuine warmth of this found family stands out against the often serious demeanor of the heroes, highlighting their importance and hinting at a positive change for Rudo – something anime fans are eager to witness.

Read More

2025-10-08 16:40