Movies like Buddha: The Great Departure (2011)
The best movies like Buddha: The Great Departure (2011) are Buddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014), Barefoot Gen (1983) and Arion (1986). If Buddha: The Great Departure hooked you with its adventure and animation, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGrave of the Fireflies (1988)8.4/10 from 6,957 votes
- NewestCharlotte (2022)Released 2022
- In JapaneseBuddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014)Also in Japanese
- Same seriesBuddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014)Osamu Tezuka's Buddha
Buddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014)
2500 years ago, in India, Siddhartha was born as a prince of the Shakya clan, but he gives up his position as a prince to see the world. He meets a strange boy named Assaji, who can predict the future, a monk with only one eye and Depa. Siddhartha continues traveling. Siddhartha is overwhelmed by the sufferings he witnesses around him. Meanwhile, Prince Ruri of Kosara begins his attack on the Shakya clan. Second Buddha movie from Tezuka Productions.
Why it matches: Same series: Osamu Tezuka's Buddha · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarefoot Gen (1983)
A story about the effect of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on a boy's life and the lives of the Japanese people.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisArion (1986)
The story follows Arion, a young man kidnapped by Hades as a child and raised to believe that his mother was blinded by Zeus and that killing the ruler of Mount Olympus will cure her.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & animation
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Wind Rises (2013)
A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMillennium Actress (2002)
Documentary filmmaker Genya Tachibana has tracked down the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who mysteriously vanished at the height of her career. When he presents her with a key she had lost and thought was gone forever, the filmmaker could not have imagined that it would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life... but also his own.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisKundun (1997)
From childhood to adulthood, Tibet's fourteenth Dalai Lama deals with Chinese oppression and other problems.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Buddha (1993)
After the death of Lama Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist monks find three children — one American and two Nepalese — who may be the rebirth of their great teacher.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn This Corner of the World (2016)
Japan, 1943, during World War II. Young Suzu leaves her village near Hiroshima to marry and live with her in-laws in Kure, a military harbor. Her creativity to overcome deprivation quickly makes her indispensable at home. Inhabited by an ancestral wisdom, Suzu impregnates the simple gestures of everyday life with poetry and beauty. The many hardships, the loss of loved ones, the frequent air raids of the enemy, nothing alters her enthusiasm…
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSakuran (2006)
Kiyoha rises from the lowly courtesan ranks to the high class position of Oiran in the steamy red-light district of Yoshiwara. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and live life as she pleased.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTomorrow's Joe The Movie (1980)
An abridged remake of the first Ashita no Joe TV series, released in 1980 to provide back-story for the second TV series to new fans who were not familiar with the first TV series or the manga.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & drama
Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer journeys to the Himalayas without his family to head an expedition in 1939. But when World War II breaks out, the arrogant Harrer falls into Allied forces' hands as a prisoner of war. He escapes with a fellow detainee and makes his way to Lhasa, Tibet, where he meets the 14-year-old Dalai Lama, whose friendship ultimately transforms his outlook on life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHorus: Prince of the Sun (1968)
Young Horus lives in a mythical Scandinavia of the Iron Age. Recovering the stolen Sword of the Sun from a rock giant, he learns he must travel to the lands of his ancestors, encountering the beautiful but enigmatic Hilda as his journey leads to a series of adventures.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSamsara (2002)
A love story situated in the Himalayas. A Buddhist monk can't choose between life and the way of the Buddha.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFate/Grand Order the Movie: Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot 1 Wandering; Agateram (2020)
The wandering knight, Bedivere, reaches the end of his journey. It is A.D. 1273 in Jerusalem. The Holy Land has been transformed into a massive desert and its people have been forced out of their homes as three major powers wage war with each other in this wasteland. The Knights of the Round Table come together to protect the Holy City and their Lion King. With the whole of his kingdom summoned into a strange land, Ozymandias, the Sun King, quietly plots against the tyranny of this bizarre realm. The mountain people, protectors of those who were stripped of their land, await their chance at rebellion. In order to fulfill his mission, Bedivere heads for the Holy City where the Lion King rules. There he meets humanity’s final Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru, who has come to Jerusalem, accompanied by his Demi-Servant, Mash Kyrielight, in their quest to restore human history.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCharlotte (2022)
The true story of Charlotte Salomon, a young German-Jewish painter who comes of age in Berlin on the eve of the Second World War. Fiercely imaginative and deeply gifted, she dreams of becoming an artist. Her first love applauds her talent, which emboldens her resolve. When anti-Semitic policies inspire violent mobs, she escapes to the safety of the South of France. There she begins to paint again, and finds new love. But her work is interrupted, this time by a family tragedy that reveals an even darker secret. Believing that only an extraordinary act will save her, she embarks on the monumental adventure of painting her life story.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & drama
Warriors of the Wind (1984)
After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAmon Saga (1986)
Set in a world of fantasy and adventure, Amon is a young warrior embarking on a quest to avenge the death of his mother. When the hunt leads him ultimately to the kingdom of Valhiss, Amon enlists in the ranks of the Emperor's army in order to gain an opportunity to exact his revenge. However, a chance encounter with the Princess Lichia, being held captive by the Emperor in an effort to ransom a map away from his main rival, King Darai-Sem, Amon must decide whether to follow his path of revenge or to help rescue the Princess in an effort to save a lost kingdom.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & adventure
Agora (2009)
A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria and her relationship with her slave Davus, who is torn between his love for her and the possibility of gaining his freedom by joining the rising tide of Christianity.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both adventure & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisZen (2009)
In the early 1200s, Dogen brought Chinese Zen philosophy to Japan, and established the Japanese Zen school of Buddhism. He taught that a person was capable of realizing Buddhahood within himself, by way of Zazen. Zazen is extended hours of sitting and meditating to achieve a state of “Mu” (nothingness, or empty existence).
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & history
Run, Melos! (1992)
The movie tells the story of Melos, a Greek country man that gets arrested and accused of conspiracy against the king. He gets three days to travel to his sister's wedding while Selinentius (Selinae), a genius sculptor that Melos just met stays as a hostage.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & history
Nasu: Summer in Andalusia (2003)
Pepe Benengeli is a second-class cyclist, only there to support the star member of the team. This summer he is participating in the Tour of Spain, which passes through the streets of his hometown of Andalusia. In a coincidence, his brother and ex-girlfriend are getting married on the same day as the climax of the race. Pepe, who left his hometown after suffering a breakdown, is determined to achieve something special on this day.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Summit of the Gods (2021)
A photojournalist's obsessive quest for the truth about the first expedition to Mt. Everest leads him to search for an esteemed climber who went missing.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMuhammad: The Messenger of God (2015)
Abousofyan tells Aboutaleb, Muhammad's uncle, that in the upcoming morning he wants to kill the holy prophet of Islam and Muslims, who are in boycott. Aboutaleb remembers the past years when Abraha charges ahead Mecca to ruin the house of God. but by God's will his army loses out against millions of small birds sent by GOD. A month later, Muhammad is born.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both history & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNasu: A Migratory Bird with Suitcase (2007)
Legendary bicycle racer Marco Rondanini dies as team Pao Pao Beer is set to race in Japan. Team member Ciocci, close friend of Marco, starts to think about quitting. Under heavy rain, Ciocci and Pepe must put that aside as Team Pao Pao struggles to reach another victory. Pepe continues to ride his bicycle both in competition and training. He often spends time with his other team mates while they train in beautiful scenery in Japan. While in Japan a local girl helps out the team before and during the race.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & drama
Saint☆Young Men (2013)
Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha, the founders of Christianity and Buddhism, are living together as roommates in a Tokyo apartment while taking a vacation on Earth. The comedy often involves jokes about Christianity, Buddhism, and all things related, as well as the main characters' attempts to hide their identities and understand modern society in Japan.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnemy (2013)
Shotru (English: Enemy) is a 2011 Bengali action film directed by Raj Chakraborty and starring Jeet, Supriyo Dutta and Nusrat Jahan, who gave her debut by this film. This film was produced by Ashok Dhanuka of Eskay Movies who also distributed it. The movie is a remake of the Tamil film Singam which starred Surya and ...
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Bilal: A New Breed of Hero (2016)
A thousand years ago, one boy with a dream of becoming a great warrior is abducted with his sister and taken to a land far away from home. Thrown into a world where greed and injustice rule all, Bilal finds the courage to raise his voice and make a change. Inspired by true events, this is a story of a real hero who earned his remembrance in time and history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBerserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King (2012)
Guts, an immensely strong sword-for-hire, has little direction in his life, simply fighting one battle after the next. However, this all changes suddenly when he meets and is bested by Griffith, a beautiful and charismatic young man who leads the Band of the Hawk mercenary army. After Guts joins the Band and the relationship between the two men begins to blossom, Casca, the tough, lone swordswoman in the Band of the Hawk, struggles to accept Guts and the influence he has on the world around her. While the two men begin to fight together, Griffith continues to rise to power, all seemingly in order to reach his mysterious, prophesied goals. What lengths will Guts and Griffith go to in order to reach these goals, and where will fate take the two men?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Buddha: The Great Departure?
The closest matches to Buddha: The Great Departure are Buddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014), Barefoot Gen (1983) and Arion (1986). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Buddha: The Great Departure?
People who watched Buddha: The Great Departure most often go on to Barefoot Gen (1983), Arion (1986) and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013).
What is the highest-rated movie like Buddha: The Great Departure?
Grave of the Fireflies (1988), rated 8.4/10 by 6,957 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Buddha: The Great Departure?
Charlotte (2022) is the most recent release on this list.
Is Buddha: The Great Departure part of a series?
Yes. It belongs to Osamu Tezuka's Buddha, which includes Buddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014).
Are there Japanese movies like Buddha: The Great Departure?
Yes: Buddha 2: The Endless Journey (2014), Barefoot Gen (1983) and Arion (1986).
How are movies similar to Buddha: The Great Departure chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Buddha: The Great Departure, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.