10 best anime to watch if you like The Future Diary

The Future Diary (also known as Mirai Nikki) has become a hugely popular psychological thriller anime since its release in 2011. Fans love the constant tension between the series' main characters, Yuki and Yuno, as they leverage their future-telling diaries in a ruthless battle royale orchestrated by the god of time and space, Deus Ex Machina.

With its intense death game premise, a yandere female lead, and tons of exciting plot twists, it's easy to see why so many anime fans count it among their favorites. If you're a fan of The Future Diary and want to watch other anime that capture its unique formula of mature themes, action-packed violence, complex characters, and deadly game plots, here are 10 fantastic recommendations for you.

Disclaimer: The article reflects the writer's opinion. The animes are not ranked in any particular order.

10 must-watch anime for fans of The Future Diary

1) Deadman Wonderland

Deadman Wonderland throws viewers into a deadly game set up by powerful schemers. The story follows a middle school boy named Ganta, who gets framed for murdering his entire classroom. He gets sentenced to Deadman Wonderland, a twisted prison that doubles as a sadistic amusement park for onlookers to watch the inmates compete in dangerous games for survival.

As Ganta tries to survive while proving his innocence, he must participate in action-packed death matches against other prisoners who can weaponize their blood. With lots of violence, a gritty setting, dark secrets, and high stakes at play, Deadman Wonderland will appeal greatly to The Future Diary fans.

2) Danganronpa

Danganronpa has not one but two intense death game anime adaptations: Danganronpa: The Animation and Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School. Both tell the story of high school students trapped in a game where the only way out is to commit a perfect murder without getting caught.

Much like Yuno and Yuki's plans to outwit each other in The Future Diary, the students in Danganronpa must form strategies, alibis, and complex lies to eliminate their competitors during class trials. It's a constant battle of wits and deduction between the participants.

With psychotic breakdowns, betrayals, and more plot twists than you can count, Danganronpa is perfect for Future Diary fans.

3) Death Parade

While less action-packed than The Future Diary, Death Parade delivers thought-provoking intensity through its mysterious bar setting and fascinating characters.

The story brings recently deceased people to Quindecim Bar, where they must participate in a death game against another departed soul before being reincarnated or vanishing permanently into the void.

The games reveal the darkest aspects of human nature as the bar master, Decim, analyzes the souls who pass through. Like how Yuno and Yuki react to the game's psychological toll in twisted ways, viewers get to witness the riveting impacts of Death Parade's games on its damaged participants.

4) Fate/Zero

Fate/Zero may be more fantasy-based, but it still shares The Future Diary's intense battle royale premise. Seven mages summon legendary heroes to fight for the Holy Grail in a bloody contest for a wish. Zouken Matou is a particularly excellent Future Diary comparison, as he manipulates his adopted heir Kariya Matou to compete, similar to how Deus Ex Machina pressures his pawns Yuno and Yuki.

The mages and their servants display varying levels of honor, sanity, and skill in their attempts to eliminate each other. With mature themes, complex motivations, and a dark tone, Fate/Zero excellently complements The Future Diary.

5) Happy Sugar Life

Fans who love to watch iconic yandere female leads will absolutely adore Happy Sugar Life. The show follows Satou Matsuzaka, a high school girl who becomes obsessed with a young girl named Shio after isolating her from her abusive home life.

Satou hides a deeply unstable mind under her sweet appearance, leading her to horrific lengths to "protect" her beloved Shio from being taken away from her.

With creepy, manipulative undertones and the constant fear that Satou will snap at any moment, Happy Sugar Life exemplifies the best yandere anime moments that The Future Diary popularized.

6) Kakegurui

For fans of The Future Diary's intense psychological thrills and high-stakes games, Kakegurui is a perfect addition. This anime is set at Hyakkaou Private Academy, where the students are compulsive gamblers who risk everything on games of chance and deceit.

The series follows Yumeko Jabami, a seemingly sweet girl who is actually a wildly sadistic gambling addict. As she takes on the school's elite student council in twisted gambling battles, the anime ratchets up the tension and depraved thrills.

With an artfully stylish look, a colorful cast of unhinged gamblers, and endlessly inventive game scenarios, Kakegurui captures the adrenaline rush of risking it all that Future Diary fans crave.

7) Darwin's Game

Darwin's Game throws its protagonist, Shuka Karino, into a terrifying mobile game that forces players to kill each other to survive. Much like The Future Diary's survival premise, Shuka must outwit and overpower opponents, wielding special abilities granted by the Darwin's Game program.

With a compelling lead character and creative battles, Darwin's Game excellently captures the intensity of having one's future and life dictated by an unseen game master. It's a thrilling watch for Future Diary fans who can't get enough of deadly game plots.

8) Big Order

Big Order comes from the same creator as The Future Diary, so its DNA shares many similarities.

The plot follows a boy named Eiji Hoshimiya, who gains the ability to make any wish he wants come true after a mystical encounter as a child. However, his lavish wishes attract the attention of other "Orders"—people with reality-warping powers that get corrupted into causing destruction.

If overpowered characters and chaotic battles are what you loved about The Future Diary, you'll definitely enjoy Big Order. It doubles down on intensity with its godlike power users, similar to Yuno.

9) King's Game

Much like The Future Diary's premise of characters receiving future predictions through cell phones, King's Game revolves around a cell phone message that forces students to participate in a death game commanded by the mysterious "King." Refusing an order results in gruesome consequences in classic thriller fashion.

King's Game captures a very similar tone to The Future Diary with its supernatural cell phone game that pushes ordinary students to psychological extremes for survival. It also features one of the most memorably intense female leads, Natsuko Honda, a perfect match for Yuno's creepy obsessiveness.

10) Btooom!

Btooom! is another strong recommendation for The Future Diary fans, as it throws its characters into a battle royale death match with bombs.

After being kidnapped and stranded on a deserted island, protagonist Ryota Sakamoto discovers that he must locate and eliminate the other captives by using powerful bomb weapons known as "BIM".

Like how Yuki and Yuno leverage their future diaries to progress and survive in The Future Diary's game, Ryota must make strategic use of different bomb types while uncovering the other players' tactics and secret identities. Btooom! matches the constant tension, psychological stakes, and kill-or-be-killed intensity that make The Future Diary so gripping and thrilling to watch.

Conclusion

The Future Diary remains an iconic and hugely influential anime years after its release due to its compelling characters, mature themes, psychological tension, exciting action, and ruthless death game that come together into a thrilling package.

For fans hungry for more anime that capture a similar vibe, be sure to check out the fantastic recommendations on this list. Whether you crave more battle royales, yandere leads, or deadly game plots, there's plenty here to satisfy viewers who can't get enough of The Future Diary's unique formula.