With the announcement of Star Wars: Visions being created by various Japanese studios, and the trailer being released, it’s exciting to see that we’ll be getting an official Star Wars anime! Although this may be an exciting time for Star Wars and anime fans, some haven’t watched much anime. We are Star Wars fans and didn’t get until anime until a couple of years ago. Since then, we’ve watched plenty of anime and know which ones are perfect for those looking to get into anime before “Star Wars: Visions” releases!

If you’re a Star Wars fan who’s excited for Star Wars: Visions and you’re looking to get into anime beforehand so it’s an easier transition, then you’re in the right place! These anime won’t mirror Star Wars directly of course, but they have many of the same themes which are sure to help you with the transition from Star Wars to anime. We won’t be doing a ranking order as everyone has different tastes. Each of these anime is a great introduction to the genre if you’re a Star Wars lover. Here is our list of anime like Star Wars: Visions to try out!

Sword Art Online Season 1

Sword Art Online takes place only 1 year in the future where virtual reality has progressed from the virtual reality we know today, to a real-life feeling game. Imagine putting on a headset and being transferred into another world, a virtual world where your movement happens and feels real except in real life you’re still sitting. It’s an amazing thing to look forward to for the future until you watch Sword Art Online. It begins with the introduction of a video game called ‘Sword Art Online” and with the “NerveGear” technology, the headsets allow you to truly experience virtual reality by controlling your character in-game with only your thoughts.

It all goes south when all the players realize they can’t get out of the game. The creator locked them into this new world until they complete all the levels of the game. Horrible since grinding an MMO can be tiresome but at least they can eventually get outright? Wrong. If you die in the game, you die in real life. Since the “NerveGear” is connected directly to your mind, it will kill you if you die in the game. This means having to survive and navigate through 100 levels to game your freedom.

While the plot of Sword Art Online shares very little compared to Star Wars, the action, and consequences of the world they’ve been put into are very similar to Star Wars. The action is based around melee weapons primarily, the stakes are high for everyone trying to fight a super-power who seems near unbeatable, people are lost, friends are made, enemies are created, and it all wraps up into a large dramatization of realizing the battle they’re up against.

As Star Wars fans, the similarities showed for us in these points and it’s why we recommend it. Even if you don’t see the same thing as we do, that’s fine! It’s not supposed to be Star Wars, it’s supposed to be Sword Art Online, and it accomplishes that very well. We recommend Sword Art Online because it has many of the qualities of other anime’s while being extremely entertaining, so it’s a great place to start integrating yourself into the style of anime before you try out Star Wars: Visions.

Code Geass 

Code Geass is a great anime that can show exactly what the anime genre is like. It takes place in an alternate world where Japan is under the rule of the Britannian Empire after being conquered years ago. Following the protagonist who’s the next heir, he finds himself expelled from the royal family and takes revenge against the empire. It’s a great show with plenty of dramatic scenes. It’s full of dialogue like Star Wars, yet still has all the action you could ask for. The parallel of taking down an “Empire” while being related to the rulers should remind you of a certain Skywalker. This anime is great for Star Wars fans to try out and integrate themselves into the genre as it’s very similar to Star Wars with its plot and includes a lot of dialogue. If you liked the political standpoints of the prequels, you’ll love Code Geass. If you love the action in Star Wars, you’ll love Code Geass. Give Code Geass a try if you’re a Star Wars fan who wants a feel of anime before Star Wars: Visions. We can’t stress how much you’ll love it if you’re a Star Wars fan who reads comics books too. Code Geass has many similarities to comics, so if you’re interested in Star Wars comics, you’ll love Code Geass!

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 

One of our personal favorite anime that had us referencing it for weeks after finishing it, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is centered around 2 brothers searching for a mythical relic that allows them to fix themselves. In this world, alchemy is a thing one can practice except with The Law of Equivalent Exchange. If you want to get something, you must give something.

The two brothers Edward and Alphonse seek the mythical relic “The Philosopher’s Stone” as it allows you to break this rule. They’re searching for the stone as they once performed a forbidden act in alchemy, they attempted human transmutation. They attempted to bring their mother back from the dead, but it failed spectacularly. It took Edward’s right arm and left leg and Alphonse’s entire body. Alphonse now being trapped within a suit of armor which his soul is bound to, and Edward with only 2 of his original limbs, seeks out the stone to hopefully make themselves whole again.

We absolutely loved Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It had us glued to our screens throughout every episode. It is a longer anime, so don’t expect to get through the entire show before Star Wars: Visions releases unless you binge-watch it, but we won’t be surprised if it has you glued as well. Its similarities to Star Wars come with the military feeling and the feeling of wanting to climb up the ranks while in the pursuit of a personal goal. If you’re wondering what we mean, think about how it’s unfair to be given a place on the council yet not be given the rank of master. Anakin is constantly looking to become more powerful to save Padme. Yes, this is a bit of a stretch, but our point is that you can find similarities to Star Wars in most media forms, especially anime. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a great place to start if you’re interested in the anime genre before starting Star Wars: Visions. However, do us a favor and make sure you watch “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” and not “Fullmetal Alchemist”. There’s a big difference in the story at a certain point. Brotherhood follows the manga and is much better, so do yourself a favor and watch Brotherhood.

Cowboy Bebop

Taking place 60 years in the future, humans left earth after it becomes uninhabitable and has colonized many planets and moons. His leads to the solar system having its police force to keep the peace, but everyone needs help sometimes. Come in bounty hunters, outlaws, otherwise known as “cowboys”. Following a team of “cowboys” on their spaceship “bebop”, and you get an anime filled with action and comedy. This anime is a fantastic one to relate to Star Wars as it’s a space western, very reminiscent of “The Mandalorian”. We often wondered if “The Mandalorian” took inspiration from this! If you loved “The Mandalorian” then you’re going to love Cowboy Bebop with its fun adventures, plenty of action, comedy, and the large stakes that are introduced into the protagonists’ personal lives. We 100% recommend you try out Cowboy Bebop before “Star Wars: Visions” for an idea on the anime genre,

We recommend these anime all the time to regular anime fans, but for Star Wars fan’s we think these 4 anime are great places to start. All these are anime like Star Wars: Visions as they all include tropes and plotlines similar within the Star Wars universe, so you’ll feel right at home with these anime! Give them a try, let us know if you enjoyed them, and give us your thoughts! Thanks for reading!