21+ Best Anime Like Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu

If you loved Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu, chances are you'll really enjoy Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl, Steins;Gate and the others too. They share that same energy—whether it's the intense Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Supernatural, or just the vibe that keeps you hooked. While you wait for the next episode to drop, it’s the perfect time to explore something new that still feels familiar. These picks aren't just similar—they're fan favorites for a reason, and they might just become your next obsession.

1. Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl

Synonyms: 青ブタ, Ao Buta , 青春猪头少年不会梦到怀梦美少女, Этот глупый свин не понимает мечту девочки-зайки. Фильм

In Fujisawa, where the skies are bright and the seas glisten, Sakuta Azusagawa is in his second year of high school. His blissful days with his girlfriend and upperclassman, Mai Sakurajima, are interrupted with the appearance of his first crush, Shouko Makinohara. For reasons unknown, he encounters two Shouko's: one in middle school and another who has become an adult. As Sakuta finds himself helplessly living with the Shouko's, the adult Shouko leads him around by the nose, causing a huge rift in his relationship with Mai. In the midst of all of this, he discovers that the middle school Shouko is suffering from a grave illness and his scar begins to throb... (Source: Aniplex USA)

2. Steins;Gate

Synonyms: S;G, סטיינס;גייט, 命运石之门

Self-proclaimed mad scientist Okabe Rintarou lives in a small room in Akihabara, where he invents "future gadgets" with fellow lab members Shiina Mayuri, his air-headed childhood friend, and Hashida Itaru, an otaku hacker. The three pass the time by tinkering with their latest creation, a "Phone Microwave" that can be controlled through text messages. The lab members soon face a string of mysterious incidents that lead to a game-changing discovery: the Phone Microwave can send emails to the past and thus alter history. Adapted from the critically acclaimed visual novel by 5pb. and Nitroplus, Steins;Gate takes Okabe to the depths of scientific theory and human despair as he faces the dire consequences of changing the past.

3. Steins;Gate The Movie – Load Region of Déjà Vu

Synonyms: None

After a year in America, Kurisu Makise returns to Akihabara and reunites with Rintarou Okabe. However, their reunion is cut short when Okabe begins to experience recurring flashes of other timelines as the consequences of his time traveling start to manifest. These side effects eventually culminate in Okabe suddenly vanishing from the world, and only the startled Kurisu has any memory of his existence. In the midst of despair, Kurisu is faced with a truly arduous choice that will test both her duty as a scientist and her loyalty as a friend: follow Okabe's advice and stay away from traveling through time to avoid the potential consequences it may have on the world lines, or ignore it to rescue the person that she cherishes most. Regardless of her decision, the path she chooses is one that will affect the past, the present, and the future.

4. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Synonyms: Toki wo Kakeru Shojo, TokiKake, The Girl Who Cut Time, Das Mädchen, das durch die Zeit sprang

The power to travel through time... It can be used for the good of humanity, or just selfishly abused. While many may fantasize about obtaining such a power, it has become nothing less than reality for otherwise-normal schoolgirl Konno Makoto. After a fated event, her life takes a turn for the extraordinary. Though she initially uses her power to literally "leap" into the past and change little things in order to make her life easier, she soon has to face the fact that changing the past can have drastic consequences.

5. Owarimonogatari Second Season

Synonyms: Owarimonogatari 2, End Tale

Third and “Final Season” of the Monogatari Series, part 4/5. Contains the arcs Mayoi Hell, Hitagi Rendezvous, and Ougi Dark from the Owarimonogatari light novels. Koyomi wakes up to see Mayoi Hachikuji before him, the girl who supposedly had gone to the afterlife. She tells Koyomi that they are currently in Avichi, the lowest levels of hell. Koyomi is dubious of how Mayoi knew about the exact timing of his death and which hell he would drop into, when Mayoi tells him that she was there to pick him up by the request of a certain individual. (Source: Aniplex)

6. Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer

Synonyms: None

In Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer, Tomobiki High is in a frenzy to get ready for the school festival. Props need to be made, costumes designed, and maybe somewhere sleep to be had! Ataru, Lum, Shutaro, Shinobu, and the rest of Class 2-4 are determined to not be outdone this year, and they're rushing to make the final preparations for tomorrow's grand opening. Once they wake up the next morning, they continue their mad rush to get ready for tomorrow's grand opening. And then the next day... hey, isn't something strange going on? Silence lingers over the city, the buildings filled with nothing but dust and mold. Is this a dream? Or have the kids (and a few related adults) of Class 2-4 finally woken up? If they can spend each day having fun with each other, does it matter? (Source: Discotek)

7. Kokoro Connect

Synonyms: Kokoroco

The five members of the Cultural Research Club - Taichi Yaegashi, Iori Nagase, Himeko Inaba, Yui Kiriyama, and Yoshifumi Aoki - encounter a bizarre phenomenon one day when Aoki and Yui switch bodies without warning. The same begins to happen to the other club members, throwing their daily lives into disarray. At first the five students find some amusement amidst the confusion, but this unwarranted connection also exposes the painful scars hidden within their hearts. As their calm lives are shattered, the relationships between the five students also begin to change... (Source: Crunchyroll, edited)

8. The Tatami Galaxy

Synonyms: Yojo-Han Shinwa Taikei, Yojou-Han Shinwa Taikei, Yojohan Shinwa Taikei, 四叠半神话大系

When a college dropout stops for a late night bite at a mysterious ramen stand, he crosses paths with a self-proclaimed deity of matrimony. This bizarre meeting sends the young man hurtling through a horrifying flashback to his not-so-glorious college days when the influence of a cruel new friend turned him from a hopeless romantic into a mischievous “black cupid.” (Source: Funimation)

9. Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie Part III: Rebellion

Synonyms: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika Movie 3, Magical Girl Madoka Magica Movie 3

Were all the magical girls truly saved from despair? Now, the great "Law of Cycles" leads the magical girls to their new fate. Madoka Kaname, a girl who once led an ordinary life, sacrificed her very existence to set every magical girl free from their cruel destiny. Homura Akemi, another magical girl who was unable to keep her promise with Madoka, continues to fight in the world in which Madoka left her behind. "I dream of the day when I can finally see your dear smile again." Madoka Kaname has changed the world. In this new world, is what the magical girls see a world of hope... or despair? (Source: Madman)

10. Tokyo Godfathers

Synonyms: Rodzice chrzestni z Tokio, Héroes al Rescate

In modern-day Tokyo, three homeless people’s lives are changed forever when they discover a baby girl at a garbage dump on Christmas Eve. As the New Year fast approaches, these three forgotten members of society band together to solve the mystery of the abandoned child and the fate of her parents. Along the way, encounters with seemingly unrelated events and people force them to confront their own haunted pasts, as they learn to face their future, together. (Source: Shout! Factory) Note: The film received an early premiere at the Big Apple Anime Fest on August 30, 2003.

11. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Synonyms: AoButa, 青春猪头少年不会梦到兔女郎学姐, Негодник, которому не снилась девушка-кролик, Этот глупый свин не понимает мечту девочки-зайки

There's a rumor about a mysterious phenomenon called "puberty syndrome." For example, Sakuta Azusagawa is a high school student who suddenly sees a bunny girl appear in front of him. The girl is actually a girl named Mai Sakurajima, who is Sakuta's upperclassman who is also a famous actress who has gone on hiatus from the entertainment industry. For some reason, the people around Mai cannot see her bunny-girl figure. Sakuta sets out to solve this mystery, and as he spends time with Mai, he learns her secret feelings. Other heroines who have "puberty syndrome" start to appear in front of Sakuta. (Source: Anime News Network)

12. Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid

Synonyms: Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid, Ao Buta, 青ブタ

March begins, and there is only one month left in the third term. Sakuta Azusagawa is about to celebrate the graduation of his girlfriend Mai Sakurajima. As he waits for Mai at Shichirigahama beach, an elementary school-aged girl who looks like Mai did when she was a child actress appears in front of him. While reflecting on this mysterious encounter, he receives a phone call from his father. Kaede’s mother never came to terms with what happened to Kaede. Having been hospitalized for so long, their mother finally wants to see her daughter. To fulfill their mother’s wish, Sakuta makes the decision to meet face-to-face–something they haven’t done in a long time. He’s unable to hide his nervousness about all this. Never-before-seen scars begin to appear on Sakuta’s body. Could these be warning signs of a new type of puberty syndrome? (Source: Fathom Events)

13. Orange: Future

Synonyms: オレンジ -未来-

This film retells the main story from the viewpoint of Hiroto Suwa, as he continues to support Kakeru and Naho's relationship. The film also features an original story which takes place after the events in the manga and anime series.

14. Summer Time Rendering

Synonyms: Summertime Render, ปริศนาบ้านเก่า เงามรณะ, A Ilha das Sombras, 夏日重现

A sci-fi, summer story filled with suspense set on a small island with Shinpei Aijiro, whose childhood friend Ushio Kofune died. He returns to his hometown for the first time in two years for the funeral. Sou Hishigata, his best friend, suspects something's off with Ushio's death, and that someone can die next. A sinister omen is heard as an entire family next door suddenly disappears the following day. Furthermore, Mio implicates a "shadow" three days before Ushio's death. (Source: Disney+)

15. Gintama: The Final Chapter - Be Forever Yorozuya

Synonyms: Gintama Movie 2, Gintama the Final Movie

When Gintoki apprehends a movie pirate at a premiere, he checks the camera's footage and finds himself transported to a bleak, post-apocalyptic version of Edo, where a mysterious epidemic called the "White Plague" has ravished the world's population. It turns out that the movie pirate wasn't a pirate after all—it was an android time machine, and Gintoki has been hurtled five years into the future! Shinpachi and Kagura, his Yorozuya cohorts, have had a falling out and are now battle-hardened solo vigilantes and he himself has been missing for years, disappearing without a trace after scribbling a strange message in his journal. Setting out in the disguise given to him by the android time machine, Gintoki haphazardly reunites the Yorozuya team to investigate the White Plague, and soon discovers that the key to saving the future lies in the darkness of his own past. Determined to confront a powerful foe, he makes an important discovery—with a ragtag band of friends and allies at his side, he doesn't have to fight alone. (Source: MAL Rewrite)

16. Kaguya-sama: Love is War -The First Kiss That Never Ends-

Synonyms: Kaguya-sama: Love is War Movie, Kaguya-sama: Cuộc chiến tỏ tình - Nụ hôn đầu không hồi kết, Госпожа Кагуя: в любви как на войне. Бесконечный первый поцелуй

Shuchiin Academy’s student council room: the place where Student Council Vice President Kaguya Shinomiya and President Miyuki Shirogane met. After a long battle in love, these two geniuses communicated their feelings and, at the Hoshin Festival, had their very first kiss. However, there was no clear confession of love. The relationship between these two, who assumed they would be a couple, remains ambiguous. Now, overly conscious of their feelings, they must face the biggest challenge yet: Christmas. It’s Shirogane who wants it to be perfect versus Kaguya who pursues the imperfect situation. This is the very “normal” love story of two geniuses and the first kiss that never ends. (Source: Aniplex of America) Note: The anime first premiered in theaters across Japan on December 17, 2022. It was later split into 2 parts on TV, and 4 episodes on streaming, and Blu-Ray/DVD.

17. ERASED

Synonyms: Bokumachi, Desaparecido, Miasto beze mnie, รีไววัล ย้อนอดีตไขปริศนา

Satoru Fujinuma is a 29 year old manga artist struggling to make a name for himself following his debut. But, that was not the only thing in his life that Satoru was feeling frustrated about… He has a unique supernatural ability of being forced to prevent deaths and catastrophes by being sent back in time before the incident occurred, repeating time until the accident is prevented. One day, he gets involved in an accident that has him framed as a murderer. Desperate to save the victim, he sends himself back in time only to find himself as a grade-schooler one month before fellow classmate Kayo Hinazuki went missing. Satoru now embarks on a new quest: to save Kayo and solve the mystery behind her disappearance.

18. When They Cry Kai

Synonyms: 쓰르라미 울 적에 해

Continuing from the first series, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai begins to shed some light on the dark mysteries prevalent in the preceding season. The young group of friends in the town of Hinamizawa continue to enter terrible conflicts with one another in their never ending summer of 1983, often ending with the brutal murder of one of their numbers. Furude Rika, with the help of her spiritual friend Hanyuu, tackles challenges over and over, trying her best to keep their lives from coming to a tragic end. With no end to the torture in sight, Rika must call upon the bonds of friendship and trust among her friends to discover the true villain of this eternal June.

19. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion

Synonyms: הסוף של אוונגליון, אוונגליון של הסוף, Конец Евангелиона

NERV faces a brutal attack from SEELE, but with Asuka in a coma, and Shinji in a nervous breakdown, things soon turn into the surreal. This movie provides a concurrent ending to the final two episodes of the show Neon Genesis Evangelion. (Source: IMDb)

20. Crayon Shin-chan: Fierceness That Invites Storm! The Adult Empire Strikes Back

Synonyms: Eiga Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Mouretsu! Otona Teikoku Gyakushuu, Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called: The Adult Empire Strikes Back, Shin Chan: ¡Los adultos contraatacan!, ชินจัง เดอะมูฟวี่ 9 : บุกถล่มอาณาจักรพวกผู้ใหญ่

As the 21st century approaches, a new 20th-century museum has opened in town, for the adults to relive their childhood. However, the owners of the museum seem to have other plans for it. The adults start to behave strangely, and one morning, they abandon their children for the 20th-century museum. Shinnosuke, along with his friends, must now rescue his parents and stop the world from returning to the 20th century before they get captured. (Source: Anime News Network)

21. Bakemonogatari

Synonyms: Monster Tale, 化物语, ปกรณัมของเหล่าภูต, Monogatari

First season of the Monogatari Series, part 1/6. Contains the arcs Hitagi Crab, Mayoi Snail, Suruga Monkey, Nadeko Snake, and Tsubasa Cat from the Bakemonogatari light novels. Thanks to Meme Oshino, Koyomi Araragi, a high school student, is able to remain a human after coming across a female vampire... However, since the incident, Koyomi seems to meet girls who have an apparition-related issue. Hitagi Senjougahara doesn’t weigh anything, Suruga Kanbaru’s right arm becomes like that of a monkey’s, and a young girl, Mayoi, cannot find her way home no matter how many times she tries. Koyomi, a Mr. Nice Guy, ends up helping each and every girl solve her problem with the help of Meme Oshino. (Source: Aniplex)

22. Revue Starlight: The Movie

Synonyms: None

The stage emulates life and compresses it, setting free skills learned over lifetimes in brief but dazzling displays for the amusement and judgment of others. For the performers, it is the ultimate risk, and some will rise while others must fall. Nowhere is this truer than at the Seisho Music Academy, where music, dance and real weapons all come into play in the creation of the next great Star. Karen and Hikari’s destinies have been linked since a childhood promise, but their journeys here have taken very different paths. Now, after Hikari leaves, Karen must discover who she is without her opposite, while Hikari must rediscover her own course. (Source: Sentai Filmworks)

If you're anything like me, once you finish something amazing like Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu, you're left wondering—what now? Luckily, there’s a whole world of stories out there that give off the same energy, whether it’s the intense fights, emotional backstories, or just that feeling of being completely hooked. The titles like Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl, Steins;Gate... I’ve shared aren’t just similar—they feel right. They hit that same nerve that made Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu special in the first place. Of course, everyone’s taste is different, but I really think you’ll find something here that pulls you in. And hey—if you’ve got a favorite that didn’t make the list, I’d love to hear about it. I’m always looking for my next obsession.