10 best anime to watch if you like The All-Devouring Whale: Homecoming

The 2025 donghua The All-Devouring Whale: Homecoming has captured the attention of anime fans globally with its stunning visuals and cultivation fantasy story revolving around spirit beast battles.

The All-Devouring Whale follows talented spirit pet master Fan Lingxiao, who is betrayed and killed during a competition by his trusted whale. He later reincarnates into a new body and embarks on a quest to regain his powers, revive his sect, and uncover the conspiracy behind his demise.

Viewers have drawn comparisons to popular franchises like Pokémon for the monster taming elements blended with traditional xianxia themes. If you enjoyed Fan Lingxiao's reincarnation journey of redemption and sect revival in The All-Devouring Whale, these 10 anime will satisfy your craving for similar stories.

10 must-watch anime for fans of The All-Devouring Whale: Homecoming

1. Soul Land

Soul Land (Image via Sparkly Key Animation Studio)

Among Chinese anime, Soul Land stands out for its expansive fantasy world brimming with spirit beasts and soul masters. The plot follows protagonist Tang San, who aims to become the strongest soul master after being reincarnated into another world.

Like The All-Devouring Whale, this series blends cultivation with monster taming, as soul masters can absorb the power of spirit beasts through spirit rings. The magic systems also share similarities.

With several seasons adapting the popular manhua source material, Soul Land delivers epic adventures and beautifully animated spirit beast battles on par with Lingxiao's whale.

2. Tales of Demons and Gods

Tales of Demons and Gods (Image via Ruo Hong Culture)

Another top pick for fans of The All-Devouring Whale is the action-packed Tales of Demons and Gods. Its protagonist, Nie Li, gets a chance at redemption after being betrayed and killed in his previous life. He's sent back in time to rewrite his fate armed with extensive knowledge of cultivation techniques and lore.

The series shares the reincarnation and revenge themes central to Lingxiao's journey. Nie Li similarly embarks to regain his strength in a world teeming with demons, sect politics, and power struggles. Backed by a popular manhua source, the anime delivers vengeful catharsis through fluid martial arts spectacle.

3. The Daily Life of the Immortal King

The Daily Life of the Immortal King (Image via Haoliners Animation League)

For a more lighthearted take on Chinese fantasy combined with high school comedy, The Daily Life of the Immortal King is an easy pick for The All-Devouring Whale fans.

It focuses on Wang Ling, a cultivator attempting to live an ordinary student life while hiding his incredible powers from mortals. Fans of Lingxiao's earlier academy days will appreciate the playful humor as Wang Ling tries to blend in without exposing his extraordinary abilities.

It's also a visual delight, experimenting with varied art styles from 2D to 3D CGI animation. While less action-focused, it captures the essence of cultivators trapped in mundane mortal realities.

4. Link Click

Link Click (Image via Studio LAN and Haoliners Animation League)

For a mind-bending take on time-travel mystery, Link Click crafts a unique premise based on time-travel photography.

The two protagonists, Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang, run a mysterious time photo studio that allows them to enter photographs and alter the past. Like The All-Devouring Whale, Link Click structured its first season into separate arcs with self-contained stories.

It also balances character-focused slice-of-life moments with darker supernatural mystery. And while not focused on battles, its brilliantly crafted time-travel narratives will appeal to viewers who appreciate the creative worldbuilding.

5. Mo Dao Zu Shi

Mo Dao Zu Shi (Image via B.CMAY Pictures)

Based on the massively popular Chinese novel, Mo Dao Zu Shi expands the historical fantasy genre by blending cultivation sects with corpse puppetry.

Protagonist Wei Wuxian utilizes unorthodox powers tied to dark arts as he unravels sinister plots. The series shares The All-Devouring Whale's flair for fusing magic with close-quarters combat cultivated through years of sect training.

Wei Wuxian similarly contends with conspiracies from rival powers in atmospherically rendered landscapes. It's lighter on overt monster battles but still delivers captivating mystical action sequences.

6. Pokémon: Origins

Pokémon: Origins (Image via Production I.G and Xebec)

No recommendations list would be complete without the quintessential monster-collecting anime Pokémon. While the long-running main series focuses on broader slapstick adventures, the mini-series Pokémon: Origins offers a more focused take appropriate for The All-Devouring Whale viewers.

It stays closer to the spirit of the games, following protagonist Red's journey from receiving his starter Pokémon to challenging the Elite Four, focusing on key moments from the original games.

From bonding with starters to intense gym battles, it encapsulates core mechanics that The All-Devouring Whale adapted to cultivation fantasy.

7. Battle Through the Heavens

Battle Through the Heavens (Image via Motion Magic)

Another great donghua, Battle Through the Heavens, closely mirrors The All-Devouring Whale's sect competition backdrop, focused on alchemy and martial arts. It centers on young genius Xiao Yan, whose talent mysteriously deteriorated, forcing him to retrain from scratch amidst rival sect plotting.

Like Lingxiao relearning beast mastery in a new body, Xiao Yan has to regain his skills to collect spirit ingredients and craft alchemic flames while countering enemies.

Blending magic spells with choreographed combat should easily satisfy viewers craving more vengeful prodigy protagonists overcoming conspiracies.

8. Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World

Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World (Image via White Fox)

Isekai fans who enjoyed The All-Devouring Whale's reincarnation plot can dive deeper with the violently grim Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World. It sends protagonist Subaru to a fantasy realm where he's granted a "Return by Death" ability that forces him to return to specific save points when he dies.

Much like Lingxiao's awakening in a new body, Subaru must make sense of unfamiliar powers and second chances while navigating dangerous magical threats.

And like the betrayals Lingxiao faces, Subaru contends with devastating setbacks at the hands of those he trusts most. Viewers who crave high-stakes twists should add this pick.

9. Monster Rancher

Monster Rancher (Image via TMS Entertainment)

For 90's anime fans, Monster Rancher offered a unique take on monster raising mechanics blended into an adventure narrative.

Lead Genki undertakes a quest to unlock the secrets of the Monster Rancher tournament, battling rival breeders with his unique monsters that are resurrected from ancient monster discs containing data from a lost civilization.

It followed in the footsteps of Pokémon and expanded the genre with charm despite aging production values. Viewers nostalgic for classic monster training anime can revisit this series to see foundational elements executed with heart.

10. Spiritpact

Spiritpact (Image via Haoliners Animation League)

Lastly, for viewers who particularly enjoyed the soul contract between Lingxiao and his spirit whale, Spiritpact offers a compelling twist built on master-spirit partnership. Protagonist You Keika forms an accord with wandering exorcist Tanmoku Ki, who has the power to summon a supernatural beast.

As they investigate disturbances between the human and spirit realms, their partnership evolves from antagonistic to a profound spiritual bond. By fusing emotional drama with stylishly animated spectral fight scenes, Spiritpact is sure to captivate fans of the All-Devouring Whale, particularly those drawn to the central beast-master relationship.

Conclusion

From vast cultivation epics to emotional spirit contracts, this selection covers top Chinese anime and pioneering monster training classics that align with essential elements driving The All-Devouring Whale: Homecoming. All feature stunning battles and powerful stories of growth with mystical creatures.

By tracing influences, we better appreciate the combinations of fantasy, action, and soul bonds that make The All-Devouring Whale so uniquely compelling.