Movies like Demon City Shinjuku (1988)
The best movies like Demon City Shinjuku (1988) are Lady Death (2004), Wicked City (1987) and Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend (1989). If Demon City Shinjuku hooked you with its action and fantasy, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedNinja Scroll (1993)7.8/10 from 800 votes
- NewestThe Spine of Night (2021)Released 2021
- In JapaneseWicked City (1987)Also in Japanese
Lady Death (2004)
When accused by the townspeople of being in league with the Devil, Hope finds herself in a satanic deal for her life. After refusing the terms of the deal, she transforms into the powerful Lady Death and vows to wrest control of hell from her father.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWicked City (1987)
A peace treaty between the Earth and the Black World, a parallel universe of demons, is coming to an end. Two cops, Taki, a human male, and Maki, a female demon, are assigned to protect a diplomat who will help secure another treaty. A radical group of demons from the Black World are out to assassinate the diplomat and prevent the treaty; only the bond that forms between the two cops can save the Earth from destruction.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUrotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend (1989)
Legend has it that the human race is not the only dominant civilization living on Earth. Two other races exist in this world: the Makai (a demon race) and the Jujinkai (a half-man, half-beast race). Once every 3,000 years, a supreme being known as the Choujin (Overfiend) will emerge and bring balance to all three realms on Earth. In present-day Japan, after 300 years of endless searching, a Jujinkai named Amano Jyaku has discovered the presence of the Choujin inside high school slacker Tatsuo Nagumo. But now, Amano, along with his sister Megumi and their sidekick Kuroko, must protect Nagumo and his new girlfriend Akemi Ito from the Makai, who believe that Nagumo is not the Choujin, but an evil entity bent on destroying all living beings on Earth.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBattle Royale High School (1987)
When the school Karate club's star fighter quits and decides to go pro, he unwittingly fulfills an ancient interdimensional prophecy and becomes demon king of his dimension. Soon his high school becomes a battleground for demon slaying samurai, interplanetary law enforcement, and even his own traitorous demon minions. Well animated fight scenes ensue.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & action
Ninja Scroll (1993)
Jubei is a masterless ninja who travels the land alone, lending his services to those with gold—or a worthy cause. His fearsome abilities have served him well, but a plot to overthrow the government threatens to end his wandering ways—and possibly his life.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both fantasy & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVampire Hunter D (1985)
In a far-future time ruled by the supernatural, a young girl requests the help of a vampire hunter to kill the vampire who has bitten her and thus prevent her from becoming a vampire herself.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2001)
Legendary dhampir D competes with a motley family of bounty hunters to track down Charlotte Elbourne, a young woman seemingly abducted by undead nobleman Meier Link.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDevilman - Volume 1: The Birth (1987)
Akira Fudo is just a normal kid in Tokyo, until an old friend of his, Ryo, shows up and turns his world upside down. An upcoming war of demons on humanity is waiting in the wings, however, the only way for a human to fight a demon is with their power. To save the world, Akira and Ryo risk a dangerous ceremony in an attempt to create humanity's only hope: the powerful Devilman.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & fantasy
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlood Reign: Curse of the Yoma (1989)
A terrible war has ravaged the land, and now, fuelled by the blood of numerous fallen warriors the Yoma, demons from hell, emerge once more. A skilled ninja seeks to end the bloodshed these demons inflict upon humanity, but to do this he must fight against his undead former best friend and fellow ninja who was killed in battle and has been resurrected to serve the Yoma.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & fantasy
Twilight of the Dark Master (1997)
Tsunami is an ancient guardian from days long ago when the Mother Spirit created demons and guardians to aid a fledgling human race. In 2089, only a few demons and guardians remain in the city of Neo-Shinjuku. Tsunami becomes involved with a woman who has just lost her fiance and her arm and now wants to figure out why this has happened. Meanwhile, the demon leader is still alive and plotting to enslave mankind.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & fantasy
GARO: Divine Flame (2016)
Leon, who has succeeded the name of Golden Knight "GARO," devotes himself to train a young Makai Knight for the next generation, together with Prince Alfonso of the Valiante Kingdom. Then, they receive an order to exterminate the most beautiful Horror in the world which resides in a neighboring country "Vazelia." At the same time, a young Makai Knight for the next generation is kidnapped by an unknown person. Leon desperately follows them, only to find that he is surrounded by his enemies at a dead end. Then, a Makai Knight Dario who was supposed to be missing for some time suddenly appears and rescues him. Under his guidance, Leon is led to the town where he meets up a totally unexpected person.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & animation
Baoh: The Visitor (1989)
Doress, a Japanese "black projects" organization, has been gathering psionics and creating biological weapons to "make Japan superior". When one of the biological experiments, BAOH, a parasite living inside 17-year-old Ikuro, escapes with a psychic young girl named Sumire, Doress will do anything to get the boy and girl back. The only problem for them is that BAOH has the ability to alter its host into a living death machine in order to keep it alive. BAOH "awakens" to its "Armed Defense Phenomenons", giving Ikuro acid-tipped claws, bio-regeneration, and super-strength. But Doress takes the girl, and BAOH, alongside its host, must fight an army of commandos and psionics to get her back.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisViolence Jack: Hell's Wind (1990)
The survivors of Kanto's Hell Earthquake built a new city and christened it "Hope Town". However, this peaceful town becomes a nightmare when it's raided by the motorcycle gang, "Hell's Wind". They abduct the women while the remaining townsfolk are left helpless against them. Meanwhile, a boy, Saburo, meets Jun. Jun's lover was previously murdered, and the duo help one another to fight against Hell's Wind. The battles are getting more and more difficult, but with the appearance of Violence Jack, the citizens seem to gain the upper hand against Hell's Wind.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & horror
Berserk: 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: Fans watch both · both animation & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBLAME! (2017)
In the distant technological future, civilization has reached its ultimate Net-based form. An "infection" in the past caused the automated systems to spiral out of order, resulting in a multi-leveled city structure that replicates itself infinitely in all directions. Now humanity has lost access to the city's controls, and is hunted down and purged by the defense system known as the Safeguard. In a tiny corner of the city, a little enclave known as the Electro-Fishers is facing eventual extinction, trapped between the threat of the Safeguard and dwindling food supplies. A girl named Zuru goes on a journey to find food for her village, only to inadvertently cause doom when an observation tower senses her and summons a Safeguard pack to eliminate the threat. With her companions dead and all escape routes blocked, the only thing that can save her now is the sudden arrival of Killy the Wanderer, on his quest for the Net Terminal Genes, the key to restoring order to the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVampire Princess Miyu (1988)
Its central characters are a vampire girl named Miyu and her demonic companion Larva. Miyu is the daughter of both a human and a shinma (demon) and as such she was awakened as the guardian whose destiny is to hunt down all stray shinma and send them back to the darkness.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both fantasy & animation
GANTZ:O (2016)
After being brutally murdered in a subway station, a teen boy awakens to find himself resurrected by a strange computer named Gantz, and forced to fight a large force of invading aliens in Osaka.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBio Hunter (1995)
A strange virus known as the Demon Virus, attacks the human genetic code, transforming people into monsters with demonic powers. One particular monster is terrorizing the streets of Tokyo. ripping open young women to devour their livers. A famed psychic holds the secret to the identity and purpose of this monster. Now it is up to two molecular biologists. self-proclaimed Bio Hunters Komada and Koshigaya, to reach the psychic and his beautiful daughter before its too late! The Demon Virus is out to conquer the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisYu Yu Hakusho: The Movie - The Golden Seal (1993)
While vacationing, Koenma is kidnapped by a pair of demons known as Koashura and Garuga, who demand the possession of Lord Enma's coveted "Golden Seal." Botan finds Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara on their summer vacation as well, and asks for their assistance in Koenma's rescue.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Curse of Kazuo Umezu (1990)
"Do not toy with the supernatural." Two stories of the consequences that descend upon humans who venture beyond the safe confines of their ordinary worlds.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & horror
Violence Jack: Harem Bomber (1986)
Lovers separated during the apocalypse are swept up in a vicious grudge match between the Slum King, ruler of the wasteland, and the immortal warrior Violence Jack.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & horror
Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield must battle a rogue warrior seeking revenge after unleashing the deadly G-Virus, whilst a mutated monster goes on a rampage.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGiant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo (2012)
The short focuses on the God Warrior from Nausicaa of The Valley of The Wind (1984). Super-powered bio-weapons in ceramic armor begin attacking Tokyo, annihilating human civilization.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both horror & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDevilman - Volume 2: Demon Bird (1990)
Akira Fudo, adjusting to his new powers as Devilman, is in for a heap of trouble as his newest enemies sent from the demon world are Jinmen, the sadistic tortoise with his victims' faces on his shell --including Akira's mother-- and Sirene, the demon bird, who has more than a few tricks up her feathery sleeves to keep him and humanity at the brink of extinction.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both fantasy & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBerserk: The Golden Age Arc III - The Advent (2013)
One year has passed since Guts left the Band of the Hawk and Griffith was imprisoned by the Kingdom of Midland for treason. In the dead of night, at a camping site where they hide, the Band of the Hawk is attacked by Bakiraka assassins led by Silat. When all seems lost, Guts returns from his journey. "You destroyed everything." Crying that Griffith is nothing without Guts, Casca and Guts are joined together body and soul. Griffith is imprisoned in the oldest building in Wyndham Catle, the Tower of Rebirth.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both animation & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGolgo 13: Queen Bee (1998)
Golgo 13, Japan's most celebrated and notorious assassin, meets his match in Queen Bee, the leader of a South American liberation army, whom he must kill before she can assassinate a popular presidential candidate. However, once Golgo 13 penetrates the Queen's hive, he realizes that the machinations behind the planned assassination are more complex than he could have imagined.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & animation
SnoozefestMovies like thisDeadbeat at Dawn (1988)
Goose leaves the gang life behind after pleas from his girlfriend. But it isn't long before he's pulled back into the world of violence.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both action & horror
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisX (1996)
It's the year of destiny, and 15 year old Kamui Shiro, a powerful psychic, has returned to Toyko after a 6 year absence, having left when he was very young. He wants to be with his childhood friends, Fuma (his best friend) and Kotori, Fuma's little sister (and Kamui's possible girlfriend). He wants to protect them from all dangers, but destiny and fate are haunting Kamui and pulling in himself and his beloved childhood friends. It is his destiny and his sole decision to decide the fate of the world, no matter if he wants the role or not. Now it is a matter of if he will join the side of the Seven Seals and become the Dragon of Heaven to save mankind or join the Seven Angels and become the Dragon of Earth to destroy all civilization so the earth can heal itself from man's destruction.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (2006)
A folklore professor becomes unwittingly possessed by the ancient Japanese demons of Thunder and Lightning. But when The Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense dispatches a team of agents to investigate, a cursed samurai sword sends Hellboy to a supernatural dimension of ghosts, monsters, and feudal mayhem. Now while pyrokinetic Liz Sherman and fishboy Abe Sapien battle one very pissed-off dragon, a lost and cranky Hellboy must find his way home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Spine of Night (2021)
When ancient dark magic falls into sinister hands and unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind, a group of heroes from different eras and cultures must band together in order to defeat it at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & fantasy
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Demon City Shinjuku?
The closest matches to Demon City Shinjuku are Lady Death (2004), Wicked City (1987) and Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend (1989). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Demon City Shinjuku?
People who watched Demon City Shinjuku most often go on to Lady Death (2004), Wicked City (1987) and Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend (1989).
What is the highest-rated movie like Demon City Shinjuku?
Ninja Scroll (1993), rated 7.8/10 by 800 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Demon City Shinjuku?
The Spine of Night (2021) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Demon City Shinjuku?
Yes: Wicked City (1987), Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend (1989) and Battle Royale High School (1987).
How are movies similar to Demon City Shinjuku chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Demon City Shinjuku, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.