Movies like Ringing Bell (1978)
The best movies like Ringing Bell (1978) are Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016), The Garden of Sinners: Remaining Sense of Pain (2008) and Attack on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK (2024). If Ringing Bell hooked you with its animation and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBatman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall (2026)9.1/10 from 504 votes
- NewestBatman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseKizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016)Also in Japanese
Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016)
One day, Koyomi Araragi encounters the horrifying vampire, Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade A.K.A. the "King of Apparitions." He saves the fatally wounded Kiss-shot by offering his blood at the expense of his own life as a human. Now Koyomi has to face the vampire hunters to retrieve Kiss-shot’s limbs which were taken by these hunters...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Garden of Sinners: Remaining Sense of Pain (2008)
July 1998 - After a group of delinquents is found dead in their hangout place with all their limbs twisted and torn off, Aozaki Touko receives a request to find the murderer and asks Shiki for help. The main suspect is Asagami Fujino; a girl who was the boys' plaything until recently, who Shiki believes to be "one of her kind".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAttack on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK (2024)
A colossal-sized omnibus film bringing together the last two episodes of Attack on Titan in the franchise's first-ever theatrical experience. After venturing beyond the walls and separated from his comrades, Eren finds himself inspired by this new truth and plots the "Rumbling," a terrifying plan to eradicate every living thing in the world. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, a motley crew of Eren's former comrades and enemies scramble to halt his deadly mission. The only question is, can they stop him?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGANTZ: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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Deer King (2021)
Following a brutal war, former soldier Van toils in a mine controlled by the ruling empire. One day, his solitary existence is upended when a pack of wild dogs carrying a deadly and incurable disease attack, leaving only Van and a young girl named Yuna as survivors. Finally free, the pair seek out a simple existence in the countryside but are pursued by nefarious forces. Intent on protecting Yuna at all costs, Van must uncover the true cause of the plague ravaging the kingdom—and its possible cure.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLupin the Third: Island of Assassins (1997)
Lupin is framed for the murder of Inspector Zenigata by a mysterious assailant holding a silver-coloured Walther P38 pistol Lupin himself once owned. Tracking the true killer leads Lupin to the island of the bloodthirsty Tarantula assassins inside the Devil’s Triangle. After joining the spider-tattooed army against their will, Lupin and his gang make both new friends and enemies as they not only plan to take home the Tarantulas’ massive gold repository for themselves, but hunt down the shooter from Lupin’s past. Can Lupin put to rest this demon who haunts his memories with the Walther P38?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral (2008)
Tomoe Enjou is attacked by bullies from his old school and saved by Shiki Ryougi. He asks her to hide him at her place and admits that he killed someone. Several days later, there are still no broadcasts about the murder as if it didn't happen... and when the victims are found, they're alive and unharmed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa (2005)
Munich, Germany, 1923. Two years have passed since Edward Elric was dragged from his own world to ours, leaving behind his country, his friends and his younger brother, Alphonse. Stripped of his alchemical powers, he has been all this time researching rocketry together with Alphonse Heiderich, a young man who resembles his own brother, hoping to one day find a way back home. His efforts so far had proven fruitless, but after lending a hand to a troubled gipsy girl, Edward is thrown in a series of events that can wreak havoc in both worlds. Meanwhile, at his own world, Alphonse Elric ventures deeper into the mysteries of alchemy in search for a way to reunite with his older brother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBelladonna of Sadness (1973)
An evil feudal lord rapes a village girl on her wedding night and proceeds to ruin her and her husband's lives. After she's eventually banished from her village, the girl makes a pact with the devil to gain magical ability and take revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEvangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (2007)
After the Second Impact, Tokyo-3 is being attacked by giant monsters called Angels that seek to eradicate humankind. The child Shinji’s objective is to fight the Angels by piloting one of the mysterious Evangelion mecha units. A remake of the first six episodes of GAINAX’s famous 1996 anime series. The film was retitled “Evangelion: 1.01” for its DVD release and “Evangelion: 1.11” for a release with additional scenes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEvangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012)
Fourteen years after Third Impact, Shinji Ikari awakens to a world he does not remember. He hasn't aged. Much of Earth is laid in ruins, NERV has been dismantled, and people who he once protected have turned against him. Befriending the enigmatic Kaworu Nagisa, Shinji continues the fight against the angels and realizes the fighting is far from over, even when it could be against his former allies. The characters' struggles continue amidst the battles against the angels and each other, spiraling down to what could inevitably be the end of the world.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCurious George: A Very Monkey Christmas (2009)
George and The Man In The Yellow Hat are having a merry time counting down to Christmas. But neither can decide what to give each other. Will they find the answers before Christmas morning?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNeon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)
SEELE orders an all-out attack on NERV, aiming to destroy the Evas before Gendo can advance his own plans for the Human Instrumentality Project. Shinji is pushed to the limits of his sanity as he is forced to decide the fate of humanity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMobile Suit Gundam Hathaway (2021)
Twelve years after Char's rebellion, Hathaway Noa leads an insurgency against Earth Federation, but meeting an enemy officer and a mysterious woman alters his fate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn- (2023)
In a Holy Grail War, Mages (Masters) and their Heroic Spirits (Servants) fight for the control of the Holy Grail—an omnipotent wish-granting device said to fulfill any desire. Years have passed since the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War in Japan. Now, signs portend the emergence of a new Holy Grail in the western American city of Snowfield. Sure enough, Masters and Servants begin to gather... A missing Servant class... Impossible Servant summonings... A nation shrouded in secrecy... And a city created as a battleground. In the face of such irregularities, the Holy Grail War is twisted and driven into the depth of madness. Let the curtain rise on a masquerade of humans and heroes, made to dance upon the stage of a false Holy Grail.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBatman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall (2026)
Arkham Asylum has been destroyed, and all its inmates have been unleashed upon Gotham City. As Batman races to round up some of his greatest enemies, he is pushed to his physical and mental limits and into a final confrontation with a new threat: the man called Bane!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisEVANGELION: DEATH (TRUE)² (1998)
A highly experimental film presenting a story out of chronological order taking place 15 years after a near-apocalyptic catastrophe, about four traumatized 14 year olds who are tasked with piloting massive humanoid decisive weapons called Evangelion, the psychologically maladjusted adults who handle and command them, and the events and forces that affect them or which they take part in as they engage massive hostile invaders known as "Angels."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDC Showcase: Death (2019)
Vincent, an artist with unresolved inner demons, meets a mysterious girl who helps him come to terms with his creative legacy… and eventual death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAfro Samurai: Resurrection (2009)
Afro Samurai avenged his father and found a life of peace. But the legendary master is forced back into the game by a beautiful and deadly woman from his past. The sparks of violence dropped along Afro’s bloody path now burn out of control – and nowhere are the flames of hatred more intense than in the eyes of Sio.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDr. Dolittle (TBA)
Sent on a forced vacation to a five-star hotel, Dr. Dolittle learns from his pet monkey Chi-Chi that an epidemic has broken out among the animals in Africa. Together with Chi-Chi, he embarks on a journey to Africa aboard a tourist hot air balloon. The duo soon discovers that the epidemic is the work of the villainous robber Barm`o`Ley, who can deny nothing to his young daughter Lea. Barm`o`Ley kidnaps baby animals to stock his daughter’s private zoo. However, after meeting Dr. Dolittle, Lea begins to reconsider her attitude toward animals — and ultimately reforms her father, Barm`o`Ley.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Dear Frankie (2004)
Nine-year-old Frankie and his single mum Lizzie have been on the move ever since Frankie can remember, most recently arriving in a seaside Scottish town. Wanting to protect her deaf son from the truth that they've run away from his father, Lizzie has invented a story that he is away at sea on the HMS Accra. Every few weeks, Lizzie writes Frankie a make-believe letter from his father, telling of his adventures in exotic lands. As Frankie tracks the ship's progress around the globe, he discovers that it is due to dock in his hometown. With the real HMS Accra arriving in only a fortnight, Lizzie must choose between telling Frankie the truth or finding the perfect stranger to play Frankie's father for just one day...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTreasure Planet (2002)
When space galleon cabin boy Jim Hawkins discovers a map to an intergalactic "loot of a thousand worlds," a cyborg cook named John Silver teaches him to battle supernovas and space storms on their journey to find treasure.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Sword in the Stone (1963)
Wart is a young boy who aspires to be a knight's squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for him beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give him an education, believing that once one has an education, one can go anywhere. Needless to say, it doesn't quite work out that way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWaking Life (2001)
Waking Life is about a young man in a persistent lucid dream-like state. The film follows its protagonist as he initially observes and later participates in philosophical discussions that weave together issues like reality, free will, our relationships with others, and the meaning of life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVeggieTales: Pistachio - The Little Boy that Woodn't (2010)
A family adventure featuring a helpful lesson in listening to your parents and the importance of family. This creative parody of the beloved story of Pinocchio is a classic retelling with a clever VeggieTales twist. Once upon a time, a lonely toymaker named Gelato decided to carve a little boy out of wood. Imagine his surprise when he learned that this little toy boy could walk ... and talk ... and definitely had a mind of his own! When Pistachio tries to do things his way he lands in a "whale" of a situation! Will he decide to listen to the wisdom of a loving father in time to save his whole family from becoming fish food?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both family & animation
VeggieTales: Saint Nicholas - A Story of Joyful Giving (2009)
Laura Carrot's Christmas stocking might be empty this year because her dad is in danger of losing his job. While Larry thinks a letter to the North Pole should fix the problem, Bob knows what will really help… and tells the story of a little boy named Nicholas who made a discovery in Bethlehem that changed Christmas forever. But what did Nick learn and how can it possibly help Laura and her family? Find out as the Veggies discover the true joy of giving to others – at Christmas time and throughout the year!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & family
Hold me tighter than anyone else (2025)
Tsukina and Ryouki have been dating since their teenage years. Unfortunately Ryouki has developed a obsession with cleanliness that has left him unable to even touch Tsukina. Eventually agreeing to start therapy for his condition, Ryouki meets Chiharu, a young woman suffering from the same issue as himself, and begins to form a connection. At the same time Tsukina meets a handsome Korean man who shows an interest in her.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
ALL YOU NEED IS KILL (2026)
When a massive alien flower known as "Darol" unexpectedly erupts in a deadly event, unleashing monstrous creatures that decimate the population of Japan, Rita is caught in the destruction—and killed. But then she wakes up again. And again. Caught in an endless time loop, Rita must navigate the trauma and repetition of death until she crosses paths with Keiji, a shy young man trapped in the same cycle. Together, they fight to break free from the loop and find meaning in the chaos around them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDisclosure (1994)
A computer specialist is sued for sexual harassment by a former lover turned boss who initiated the act forcefully, which threatens both his career and his personal life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Ringing Bell?
The closest matches to Ringing Bell are Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016), The Garden of Sinners: Remaining Sense of Pain (2008) and Attack on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Ringing Bell?
Start with Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016), the closest match to Ringing Bell.
What is the highest-rated movie like Ringing Bell?
Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall (2026), rated 9.1/10 by 504 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Ringing Bell?
Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Ringing Bell?
Yes: Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu (2016), The Garden of Sinners: Remaining Sense of Pain (2008) and Attack on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK (2024).
How are movies similar to Ringing Bell chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Ringing Bell, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.