Demon Slayer's Replacement Is the 10/10 Shonen Anime Cartoon Network Forgot

Demon Slayer is experiencing a new all-time high for its franchise at the moment, coasting steadily off record-breaking box office success, yet the fans will inevitably grow impatient for more. After four seasons, each smaller than the last, the expectation is now to wait years at a time for its final installments.

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 proved worth the wait, a beautiful beginning of the end for Ufotable’s iconic adaptation, but with disappointing confirmations likely putting the sequels into the 2027-and-beyond range, a void is beginning to form. However, one replacement anime might just fill that Demon Slayer void, reminding viewers what makes a truly great shōnen series.

Demon Slayer Has a Classic Replacement Anime All Shonen Fans Should Enjoy

Adapted from the pages of Weekly Shōnen Sunday’s Makoto Raiku manga Konjiki no Gash!!, Zatch Bell! is one of the great quintessential shonen anime every fan should enjoy at least once. Animated by Toei Animation, its 2003 origins certainly show in its more limited visual fidelity, but it surprisingly bears more shades of Demon Slayer than one might realize.

Zatch Bell! starts with a decidedly episodic, monster-of-the-week premise, introducing its primary human character, Kiyomaro “Kiyo” Takamine to the intersecting worlds of humanity with the Mamodo World through his Mamodo (demon) companion, Zatch Bell. By comparison, Demon Slayer’s plot with Tanjiro Kamado avenging his family, saving his sister, and defeating the Demon King almost feels oddly more formulaic.

Demon Slayer’s Movies Are Going to Ruin Anime

Demon Slayer’s movies have become some of the most financially successful movies ever, but that doesn’t mean that they’re good for anime.

Demon Slayer, however, begins and ends without filler, which was far less common before the age of streaming and seasonal anime in 2003. However, Zatch Bell! certainly took on a more serious tone as its underlying plot, in which Kiyo bonds with Zatch, gradually understands the Mamodo’s spellbook, and helps him fight in the Mamodo tournament to become the next Demon King.

While the two have their premises practically as inversions of one another, Zatch Bell! has surprising depth in the rest of its qualities as a shonen anime.

Zatch Bell!’s battle system is sophisticated yet familiar, featuring humans and their humanoid demonic companions, often forming deep bonds, eliminating enemy demons via burning their respective spellbooks. Its multitude of opponents and rivals often have deep backstories, and its emotional weight is surprising, despite its often unserious veneer.

Yet, this same unserious quality is what helped solidify Zatch Bell! even at its low points as an all-time great. Its filler, while more plentiful and sometimes frustrating, can have memorable gems buried among its episodes, with #72 in particular producing one of the oddest earworms imaginable, “Chichi wo Moge”. However, Zatch Bell! lags significantly behind Demon Slayer in one key way.

Zatch Bell! Has Criminally Low Streaming Availability

Despite the English dub airing in the hallowed programming block of Toonami starting in 2005, it’s not enjoyed the same fanfare and returns to old TV homes unlike other anime classics. As things stand, it doesn’t appear to be listed on Crunchyroll, Netflix, or other major streaming services. While intrepid viewers always find a way, such ways are largely illegitimate.

Outside of US and Canadian viewers digging out their library cards and watching the dubbed version on Hoopla, Zatch Bell! sits in conventional streaming service limbo for now. It’s a shame, too, as it is surprisingly still quite well-animated, with recognizable, well-designed characters and a pretty dedicated fandom. But it’s infinitely more available than Demon Slayer’s next movie, for now.