10 best anime like Dark Gathering you need to watch

Our recommendations for anime like Dark Gathering range from creepy stories to others focused on trauma recovery and navigating the complex boundaries between life and death.

With its blend of horror, supernatural intrigue, and compelling character growth, Dark Gathering brings a unique flair to the anime world. For fans hooked by Keitaro’s struggles to accept his unwanted spirit-attracting abilities while solving ghostly cases, plenty more acclaimed series feature similar strengths.

Whether you enjoy the melancholic atmospheres or emotional character journeys highlighted in this series, these supernatural and paranormal anime like Dark Gathering are bound to intrigue fans.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion and is not ranked in any particular order.

10 must-watch anime like Dark Gathering

Dark Gathering (Image via OLM Team Masuda)

Horror animes usually take inspiration from spirits and ghosts mentioned in traditional Japanese folklore and sometimes from other cultures around the world. They are either developed as a fictional retelling of popular stories or simply take inspiration to create a different world for a series.

Dark Gathering follows Keitaro and Eiko who were cursed by a spirit as children as they try to navigate their lives in adulthood, especially Keitaro. He has become a recluse for a long time following the incident and only got better after relying on Eiko. Now, he must help his students Yayoi and Ai to face vengeful spirits and a malicious God.

The below list of anime like Dark Gathering contains similar themes and supernatural elements to provide a truly spooky experience.

1) Mushishi

This acclaimed supernatural anime like Dark Gathering follows the wandering “mushishi” Ginko, who investigates mysteries behind ethereal beings called "Mushi,” unseen by most humans. Often existing at the fringes of the natural world, Mushi can shift from benign to threatening based on changes in their environment.

Beautiful, tranquil landscapes permeate this episodic series as Ginko aids those plagued by Mushi influence, revealing thoughtfully crafted lessons on change and the interconnection of beings at the edge of understanding.

While more philosophical than frightening, Mushishi’s emphasis on spirits reflecting human emotional turbulence will resonate with fans seeking anime like Dark Gathering.

2) Tokyo Ghoul

After surviving an organ transplant from a supernatural creature called a Ghoul, average college student Ken Kaneki finds himself transformed into a half-ghoul hybrid forced to hunt humans for sustenance.

The horror imagery brings Kaneki’s inner transformations vibrantly to life through Studio Pierrot’s adaptation of Sui Ishida’s original manga.

As Kaneki confronts existential questions, death, and grief, adjusting between two worlds he no longer wholly belongs to, Tokyo Ghoul explores the loss of humanity and identity in iconic ways. It is a must-watch anime like Dark Gathering.

Also read: Why is the Tokyo Ghoul anime criticized?

3) Mononoke

Set in feudal Japan, the haunting anime Mononoke follows the wandering medicine seller as he encounters malicious spirits plaguing humans they encounter. In each story arc, he first learns the mononoke’s form, truth, and reasoning before unsheathing his Exorcising Sword to vanquish it.

With its experimental animation style and colorful Japanese folklore entities to face down, Toei Animation brings these ghostly tales and thoughtfully crafted themes examining moral grays to life.

Also read: Mononoke anime film announces July 2024 release date

Echoing Dark Gathering’s exploration of spirits born from different eras in Japan’s history, Mononoke satisfies paranormal anime like Dark Gathering fans.

4) Blue Exorcist

As the literal son of Satan, whose blue flames betray his heritage, Rin Okumura enrolls at True Cross Academy to train to become an exorcist to battle demonic threats after demons kill his guardian.

Here, he confronts rivals and drama with fellow students while contending with his identity. Beyond Rin's fiery powers brought alive through fluid animation from studio A-1 Pictures, Blue Exorcist incorporates religious lore behind classifications of ghosts and ghouls aplenty for fans to analyze.

With supernatural threats around every corner for its exorcists-in-training to confront, this is a great anime like Dark Gathering.

5) Ghost Hunt

Teenager Mai Taniyama inadvertently becomes an assistant to Shibuya Psychic Research Investigator Kazuya Shibuya, nicknamed Naru the Narcissist for his cool, superior demeanor. Their investigations reveal Mai’s latent psychic talents for tuning into supernatural phenomena, including sinister spirits.

Also read: 10 anime where the main character can see ghosts

J.C. Staff’s adaptation of Fuyumi Ono’s light novels balances paranormal cases of the week with emotional character writing anchored by Mai’s growth into her intuition and friendships formed.

With hauntings fueling both scares and secrets unveiled affecting the living, Ghost Hunt echoes notable Dark Gathering strengths.

6) Ghost Hound

After three boys each experience trauma, they begin to connect via spiritual abilities manifesting from their post-incident anxiety neurosis.

As they probe the mysterious kidnappings once tied to their hometown, the lines separating the physical and dream realms, reality and memory blur. The phantasmagoric imagery Production I.G renders transports viewers through ethical dilemmas as sci-fi and supernatural elements unsettle.

Also read: 10 horror anime that will give you nightmares

With ghosts surfacing from each protagonist's damaged psyches, Ghost Hound’s emphasis on trauma recovery through confronting the ethereal unknown makes it a compelling and smart choice for fans seeking anime like Dark Gathering.

7) Twin Star Exorcists

Twin Star Exorcists (Image via Studio Pierrot)

In order to purge the world of supreme evil Magano’s specters, exorcist prodigy Rokuro Enmadō must marry a special bride after coming of age. Fated partner Benio Adashino has her own longstanding grudge against evil forces.

Check out: Top 10 demon anime series that you should watch

Together, they train and embark on missions facing demonic threats. Pierrot Studio’s adaptation of Yoshiaki Sukeno’s popular shonen manga delivers fantastic action sequences as Rokuro and Benio challenge ghoulish foes.

By spotlighting distinct forms and motivations fueling the paranormal forces menacing humans, Twin Star Exorcists shares intriguing concepts, making it an anime like Dark Gathering.

8) The Ancient Magus' Bride

The Ancient Magus' Bride (Image via Wit Studio)

Abandoned as a child, teenager Chise Hatori sells herself at an underground supernatural slave auction only to get purchased for a hefty sum by an inhumanly tall masked magician.

She soon becomes the apprentice and fiancée of Elias Ainsworth, a mysterious magus engaging in sorcery centuries old, as she confronts her tragic past while forging a new future. Wit Studio brings Korean manwha creator Kore Yamazaki’s dark fantasy world alive through stunning art and animation.

As Chise endeavors to understand her magic abilities and the shadowy fae world existing alongside humankind with help from gargoyles and fairy guardians, The Ancient Magus’ Bride captures the enchanting allure of the unknown that Dark Gathering reveals through its ghost lore storytelling beats.

9) Paranoia Agent

When a shy character designer nicknamed Lil' Slugger becomes the prime suspect behind a wave of attacks hitting Tokyo citizens, detective Keiichi Ikari investigates the bizarre case, crackling with surreal supernatural energy lurking beneath the surface.

Master director Satoshi Kon weaves this dark urban mystery thriller anime together through an experimental animated style from Madhouse Studios.

As the stress-fueled hysteria gives rise to an urban legend coming to life, Paranoia Agent explores the notion of Tulpas with plenty of gripping intrigue and psyches fraying at the seams, reminiscent of minds unhinged by paranormal trauma in anime like Dark Gathering.

10) Requiem from the Darkness

Requiem from the Darkness (Image via Studio Deen)

Set during Japan’s historic Taisho era and infused with dark supernatural forces, Requiem from the Darkness follows gifted writer Momosuke Yamaoka in documenting ghostly legends.

Also read: 10 best supernatural anime to get you into the genre

Accompanied by enigmatic "guardians,” the Ongyou, they travel to rural towns to investigate sinister spirits influencing humans towards violence and madness. Drawing upon Japanese gothic horror and folklore traditions, Studio Pierrot injects the anime with gloomy atmospherics befitting the anthology creepiness fans crave.

Blending chilling stand-alone mysteries with an overarching story that satisfyingly hits emotional notes, this makes for a compelling, though underappreciated, choice among anime like Dark Gathering.

Conclusion

One of the hooks drawing viewers into anime like Dark Gathering lies in its potent blend of paranormal mysteries alongside relatable themes of trauma and friendship. For fans longing for more emotional horror, our picks delve into spirits that reflect human grief and injustice.

Several anime spotlight protagonists are thrust into navigating supernatural worlds, threatening their connections to humanity itself. Yet amidst eerie hauntings also shine stories uplifted by bonds formed, confronting the unknown together.

So prepare for equal parts frights and delights—and the occasional profound realization—if you dive deeper into any of these anime like Dark Gathering.