Stranger Things has become a worldwide phenomenon with its nostalgic '80s setting, endearing young cast, supernatural mysteries, and dark thrills. It begins in the 1980s in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, where a boy named Will Byers goes missing without explanation.
His friends and family start experiencing increasingly strange phenomena as they search for him. Will is trapped in the monster-filled Upside Down, and his friends, mother, and a psychic girl named Eleven fight to save him, uncovering Hawkins' dark secrets.
If you love the show and are looking for some anime series that capture a similar tone and spirit, there are several great options worth checking out. With time travel, altered realities, psychic powers, and conspiracies, these anime offer thrills for Stranger Things fans.
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10 must-watch anime for fans of Stranger Things
1) Steins;Gate
Centering around eccentric "Mad Scientist" Rintaro, Steins;Gate kicks off when he accidentally discovers the secret to time travel while inventing a "phone microwave" device. Soon, Rintaro and his friends are using the phone microwave to send text messages back in time to alter the present.
Initially, the time hacking seems fun, with the group experimenting with small changes to the past. But the friends soon learn they aren't the only ones interested in time travel. A shadowy organization, SERN, gets involved, threatening the lives of Rintaro's friends unless they stop meddling with the past.
The previously playful adventure morphs into a deadly serious game of survival and preventing catastrophe. Like Stranger Things, Steins;Gate draws in viewers through the natural chemistry of its affable, geeky cast of friends. Their bonds of loyalty get tested against the escalating stakes of tampering with time travel.
2) Erased
This supernatural mystery thriller focuses on Satoru, a 29-year-old man who possesses the ability to travel back in time before life-threatening incidents to prevent them from happening.
When his mother is murdered by an unknown assailant, Satoru’s ability sends him back nearly two decades into the past to his childhood days. Now, Satoru has the chance to solve a string of cold cases related to his mother’s death and save the lives of three of his childhood classmates who were abducted.
With its central character thrust on a dangerous quest into the past, Erased will appeal to Stranger Things fans who love the idea of altering and revisiting history to solve a complex web of interwoven mysteries.
3) The Promised Neverland
The Promised Neverland hooks viewers instantly with its wholesome and cheerful opening act. Grace Field House orphanage seems like the idyllic place where young orphans Emma, Norman, and Ray live happily under the nurturing care of "Mama" Isabella.
They enjoy carefree days with their orphan "siblings" until Emma and Norman uncover a horrific truth that shatters their innocence. Emma and Norman uncover that the orphanage actually "sends out" the children as food to demonic monsters, who require human brains—especially intelligent ones—for survival.
Faced with enemies far beyond their worst nightmares, Emma, Norman, and Ray scramble to somehow save their doomed "family." With its shocking twists and young heroes defying a sinister system, The Promised Neverland mirrors Stranger Things.
4) Paranoia Agent
From iconic director Satoshi Kon comes this psychological thriller series tracking a mysterious boy with a bent golden baseball bat who begins assaulting random Tokyo citizens. As hysteria spreads over this “Shōnen Bat” attacker, two determined detectives try to get to the bottom of the strange case.
With its urban legend come-to-life vibes, eccentric characters, and an underlying surreal atmosphere, Paranoia Agent shares the type of eerie mood that often makes Stranger Things so compelling. It’s a bizarre anime that sticks with you long after watching.
5) Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Shifting gears to a more supernatural drama focus, Anohana centers on high schooler Jinta, who has become a recluse after one of his childhood friends, Meiko, tragically drowns.
One hot summer day, the ghost of an older Meiko suddenly appears before Jinta, stating she can't enter heaven until her dying wish is fulfilled. This heartfelt series explores loss and grief as Jinta reunites with his estranged group of friends to grant Meiko’s wish so her restless spirit can finally rest in peace.
With its coming-of-age themes mixed with the supernatural, Anohana strikes a strong emotional chord for those who relate to Stranger Things’ prominent focus on childhood friendship.
6) Elfen Lied
Elfen Lied anime contains some extremely violent and disturbing content. But for older Stranger Things fans unfazed by gore, this controversial anime provides a terrifying mutant strain story.
The plot kicks off when a secret facility accidentally unleashes a dangerous psychic girl named Lucy, who possesses telekinetic arms called "vectors" that can shred people apart. As Lucy tries to escape the facility, she sustains a head injury that creates an innocent split personality.
Echoing various Stranger Things elements, Elfen Lied features shady government facilities, psychically powered young girls, and ordinary people mixed up in extraordinary, blood-soaked circumstances beyond their control.
7) Higurashi: When They Cry
After Keiichi moves from the big city to a small village nestled deep in the mountains, his life seems headed for pleasant new friendships and simple pleasures. He quickly bonds with schoolmates Mion, Rena, Satoko, and Rika as the group plays competitive games together after class lets out.
As the Watanagashi festival nears, Keiichi's friends grow anxious and evasive about the recurring murders. Paranoia and violence erupt as Keiichi uncovers the village elders' dark secrets about the "curse of Oyashiro-sama."
Like the ever-encroaching supernatural forces that lurk below the hometown haven of Hawkins, central to Stranger Things, Higurashi similarly depicts an idyllic rural community whose cultural practices mask sinister and bloody secrets threatening innocent newcomers.
8) Serial Experiments Lain
A cyberpunk classic, this surreal anime focuses on introverted high school girl Lain, who begins receiving strange emails on her new “Navi” computer from someone claiming to have transcended physical reality.
Lain eventually discovers the disturbing secrets of a global communications network called the “Wired,” which allows consciousness and reality itself to be altered. It’s a dense, creepy, and thought-provoking anime for fans wanting something more avant-garde.
With its central focus on fringe technology upending perceptions of identity and reality, Lain contains themes evoking Stranger Things’ central focus on exploring the boundaries between different dimensions of existence.
9) FLCL
Pronounced “fooly cooly,” this frenetic coming-of-age anime OVA series gains inclusion for feeling like an anime version of what going inside an ’80s teen movie might feel like.
Centering on 14-year-old Naota, who meets the hyperactive investigator Haruko, each episode rapidly shifts between parody humor, dynamic action, and confounding weirdness. With its mix of youthful angst, robots, telekinetic battles, and interdimensional intrigue, FLCL stands out.
Its killer soundtrack and eccentric style will appeal to Stranger Things fans embracing their inner weirdo.
10) Made in Abyss
Made in Abyss follows orphan girl Riko, who lives in a town surrounding a deep chasm containing ruins and treasures brought up by cave raiders called Divers.
When Riko discovers a message from her missing Diver mother suggesting she might still be alive at the bottom of the abyss, Riko begins her own perilous descent into the enigmatic pit’s poorly understood mysteries.
With its central focus on kids confronting unfathomable horrors while spelunking into a foreboding subterranean environment, Made in Abyss should fascinate any diehard Stranger Things fans captivated by transdimensional adventures into the darkest realms of the unknown.
Conclusion
While nothing can quite recreate the enthralling experience of watching Stranger Things, the anime on this list comes remarkably close in various aspects. Some match the small town charm, turning nightmarish tone, others contain physic-powered young girls, and the rest focus on eerie experiments with reality itself.
So if finishing the latest season of Stranger Things leaves you longing for some new thrilling tales featuring kids battling the extraordinary, definitely check out these compelling and thought-provoking anime recommendations. Each one explores the eerie edges of scientific, supernatural, and psychological dimensions.
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