Robert Pattinson was very impressive in The Batman film that came out recently. He portrayed the characteristics of Batman very well. Batman fans, as well as the people who weren’t into Batman, have been praising the new movie. However, what is even better for fans is that there are many other characters like The Batman across various forms of media that fight crime for their own reasons. Here, we will be looking into ten characters from anime that are very similar to Batman.
Batman is a character created by DC Comics. Bruce Wayne, a philanthropist, is the identity behind the superhero. After Bruce witnessed both of his parents’ murders, he decided to get rid of the crimes in Gotham by fighting the criminals himself. Bruce Wayne decided to take up heavy physical training as well as broaden his perspective on many subjects, especially science. He learned many skills over the years and took up the identity of Batman, someone who works in the dark and is feared by criminals. Bruce Wayne is supported by his loyal butler, Alfred. He also meets other people who become part of the Batman family. Overall, he is known as a superhero without any powers. Depending on sheer physical strength as well as on cool technological equipment, he fights crime and is known as the vigilante protector of Gotham City.
Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto Series)
Sasuke Uchiha is a character from the Naruto series which has come a long way from what he used to be. Like Batman, he too witnessed his parents’ death at a very young age. However, unlike Batman, who decided to get rid of all the criminals in Gotham, Sasuke wanted to kill his brother, the murderer of his parents. Here on, Sasuke took the wrong path to seek revenge.
However, when he grew up, he finally changed his perceptions of things and decided to travel around to protect his village from external dangers. Sasuke is called the “Shadow Hokage,” meaning he protects his village from the shadows. This is an aspect shared between Batman and Sasuke. Another thing they share is intelligence. They both are quick with their thinking and can figure problems out quicker than the others.
Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Another character that seeks works from the shadows is Scar from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist. He is an Ishvalan and seeks to gain revenge for his murdered clan as well as his family. However, because of his goal, he murders state alchemists, making him a serial killer and wanted criminal. In the end, he becomes a reliable ally to the main protagonists. His help makes things a little easier for the main characters as he is skilled in combat as well as is good at analytical thinking. Scar became someone similar to ‘Batman’ for his own people when he went on a killing spree in order to seek revenge as well as those remaining from his tribe.
Stain (My Hero Academia)
Another character that can be compared to Batman, as well as Scar, is Stain from the anime My Hero Academia. Stain’s philosophy is spoken about throughout the anime. He was known as a “Hero-Killer” because he wished to kill all the fake people who only became heroes for fame and money. He acknowledges All Might as the only True Hero alive. However, he does not like killing those who do not fit his category of a “fake hero”. Stain lived as a vigilante. Although what he did wasn’t compatible with the laws, he still was known as someone “cool”. This remained a primary concern in the anime. He cleans up the city of fake and corrupt heroes on his own, which makes him an anime character similar to the likes of Batman.
Hei (Darker than Black)
Darker than Black is another interesting anime based on that one can binge-watch. It introduces us to the protagonist Hei. Hei possesses the ability to manipulate electricity and is a part of The Syndicate, a group made up of assassins. He is literally known as the “Chinese Electric Batman”. As the name suggests, he carries out assassination missions in a dark and mysterious way with the help of his analytical mind. Taking on different personas and going undercover is something that he needs to do too in order to carry out his missions.
Daisuke Kambe (Fugou Keiji Balance: UNLIMITED)
Batman and Daisuke Kambe share the fact that they are both crime-fighting billionaires. Coming from rich backgrounds, Batman, as well as Daisuke, carry the burden of having lost their families. Daisuke Kambe, although having a lot of money, joins the Metropolitan Police Department as a Detective. There he meets his part Haru Kato, and together they solve cases.
However, Daisuke’s intention of joining the detective department is a lot deeper than what appears on the surface. He wanted to reopen the case of his mother’s death as well as find out the secrets of his family. Together with the friends he made, some good technology, as well as his unlimited bank balance, he tries to get to the root of the mystery.
L (Death Note)
When it comes to wanting to fight crimes using sheer intelligence, then L comes to mind. L is a character from the anime Death Note. He is interested in the new murders going on around by the person under the name of “Kira”. Finding the identity behind “Kira” was something L was the closest to in the anime. His intelligence to solve mystery clues and identify suspects can be compared to that of Batman. Initially, L was someone who worked behind the scenes using a fake voice and never showed his face. “Kira” too acknowledged that L was someone to be feared, although he had flawless plans to hide his identity. Speaking of “Kira,” the next character on this list is definitely closer to being similar to Batman from the same anime.
Light Yagami (Death Note)
Although L can be compared to Batman in terms of intelligence and being spot on in identifying suspects, the person closer to being Batman is Light Yagami from Death Note. This main protagonist takes up the guise of “Kira” to free the world from evil. As mentioned above, he never slipped when it came to protecting his identity. Light Yagami is also on par with Batman when it comes to intelligence. Thus, he is the only one that can keep up with L in the first half of the anime.
However, his broad sense of Justice makes him take the laws into his own hands, ultimately making him a serial killer. In short, if Bruce Wayne did not cooperate with the police, used extreme measures to hide his identity, and was narcissistic enough to call himself the “god of justice,” Light Yagami would be the perfect Batman of the anime world. On a side note, Bruce would be intrigued by and love how the Death Note works.
Himura Kenshin (Rurouni Kenshin)
Rurouni Kenshin is an anime from the 90s that is still loved by many fans. It gives us a good story as well as some good characters. Himura Kenshin is the main protagonist of the anime. When Kenshin was born, he was given the name Shinta by his parents. However, as a kid, he witnessed the murder of his parents by some mountain thieves, something that is necessary to be very similar to Batman. Being the lone survivor, he was taken up by a skilled swordsman who taught him how to use a sword and renamed him Kenshin Himura.
As a swordsman, Kenshin was very skilled, making him one of the most deadly assassins of his time. However, he decided to atone for his sins of killing people by traveling around Japan for ten years. He then settled down and began protecting the people of the city by using his sword to fight criminals. Kenshin is, thus, a vigilante with no superpowers that protect the city they live in, just like The Batman.
Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
Attack on Titan is an anime that is coming to an end very soon. This anime has gained a lot of fans for its intriguing storyline. Although you can, in some way, compare the main character, Eren, to the likes of Batman, Levi Ackerman seems to be more of a Batman in their world. Levi Akerman comes from a dark background which required him to fend for himself as a kid. Thus, he lived a delinquent life as a young boy. However, put in the right setting and given the right equipment, he began to utilize his skills very well to protect the place he lived in.
This new life was something that gave Levi a new philosophy to live by as well as gave him many comrades he could rely on. Whenever he lost one of his comrades, he accepted the loss, all the while avenging their deaths by killing titans. He feels compassion towards and cares about his fellow companions. However, he also chooses to be strong and stoic when it comes to dealing with most things. Another aspect that makes Levi and Batman similar is that they are feared among their enemies. However, just like Batman has Joker, Levi has Zeke.
Vash the Stampede (Trigun)
The last character very similar to Batman is the protagonist of the anime Trigun. The protagonist from this 90s anime is Vash, the stampede. Also known as the “Human Typhoon”, he is usually surrounded by chaos and has a huge bounty on his head. However, it is known that Vash isn’t really a bad guy but is someone who fights criminals and prevents crimes as a vigilante.
Not only this, but he also goes against and fights big, corrupt institutions. When compared to Batman, Vash is more on the childish and easy-going side. However, he can get lonely. Vash’s philosophy, which is also his catchphrase, is that “The world is made of Love and Peace”. Although he fights criminals, he refuses to kill anyone. Overall, he is one of the widely known vigilantes in the anime world.
