Action-comedy anime series are a true treat for fans who crave both thrill and laughter, and you just can’t get enough of them. The stories aren’t often too complex, which makes it a fun watch to enjoy with your friends and family. The intense battles, chase scenes, explosive showdowns, lighthearted banter, and lovable characters make you hooked to the story almost immediately. The genre itself is appealing enough, but throw in spies, assassins, and childcare into the mix, and you’ll get a masterpiece like Spy x Family. Tatsuya Endo’s Shonen Jump hit released an anime adaptation in 2022 and captured the hearts of many viewers.
The story about a pretend family where everyone has personal motives and reasons for hiding their true selves worked out miraculously. The show doesn’t require a few episodes to get hooked; you’ll fall in love with it instantly. Spy x Family will release Season 3 in October 2025, adapting some of the best manga arcs while perfectly balancing the action, comedy, and emotional depth. In the meantime, you can binge these 10 anime that fill the void.
1) Hinamatsuri
Himatsuri is one of the most underrated and heartwarming shows that balances absurd comedy with surprisingly emotional moments. The story centers around a yakuza, Yoshifumi Nitta, whose life is suddenly turned upside down when a strange metal egg drops inside his apartment. An emotionless girl named Hina, who possesses telekinetic powers, suddenly appears from the egg.
Despite her strange powers, she is practically clueless about how normal life works. Yoshifumi couldn’t bring himself to leave the girl to fend for herself, so he reluctantly agrees to let her live with him. What he didn’t know at that time his life would be full of surprising moments as he slowly creates an unbreakable bond with the girl as his father figure.
2) Assassination Classroom
The story follows a group of misfit middle school students of Class 3-E, who are isolated from the school building because of their behavior or poor grades. Only a select few know that the students are tasked with assassinating their homeroom teacher, a strange, yellow-colored octopus-like creature who destroyed a part of the moon. He threatens to do the same to Earth, and the only way to protect the planet is by killing him. Nicknamed Koro Sensei, he is practically unstoppable because of his superhuman speed, instant regeneration, and intelligence.
Although he is a danger to the planet, he is also the best teacher that students of Class 3-E have ever had. Although the students genuinely like and respect their Koro Sensei, they also won’t leave any opportunity to try and find his weakness. The story begins with a bizarre premise that slowly begins to make sense as the truth about Koro Sensei comes to light.
3) Buddy Daddies
This chaotic and heartfelt story follows two professional hitmen, Rei Suwa and Kazuki Kurusu, who suddenly find themselves caring for a young child named Miri Unasaka. The girl had left her home on Christmas Eve to search for her father and stumbled across the duo’s assassination mission of a mafia boss. After the mission went awry, they discovered Miri was the daughter of the target.
They decide to take the girl, but it turns out that taking care of a four-year-old is a lot harder than they anticipated. While Kazuki is an outgoing and responsible person, Rei struggles to interact with her. The story continues as the trio makes the best of each day amidst absurd and dangerous situations.
4) Sakamoto Days
This hilarious Weekly Shonen Jump hit follows Taro Sakamoto, who was once renowned as the greatest assassin of all time. However, he fell in with Aoi at first sight and left behind the dangerous job. Five years later, Taro has gotten out of shape, and his life with his wife and adorable daughter, Hana, couldn’t be better. Unfortunately, trouble comes knocking at his door when he gets a bounty of one billion yen on his head.
He is forced to walk the path of danger once again in hopes of protecting his family. Taro also reunites with a former junior, Shin Asakura, who joins his small and peaceful family while working in the store. The story continues as Taro meets new people while getting into dangerous fights.
5) Gintama
Gintama is one of the Shonen classics and still has a major fanbase for all the right reasons. Even almost two decades since the anime debut, hardly any series can match Gintama’s blend of absurd comedy and action sequences. The story takes place in an alternate-history late-Edo period Japan that has been taken over by powerful aliens known as the Amanto. The once proud land of Samurai has now banned all swords in public, while the influential shogunate is rebuilt to serve as a puppet government for the aliens.
The story centers around an eccentric, wavy-haired man, Gintoki Sakata, who carries around a wooden sword and does all kinds of odd jobs to make ends meet. Accompanied by Shinpachi Shimura, a proud son of a Samurai, and Kagura, a girl from another planet with superhuman strength, Gintoki runs into all kinds of bizarre incidents.
6) Detective Conan
Detective Conan, also often known as Case Closed, is one of the longest-running crime drama anime series with just the right amount of action, comedy, and mystery thrown into the mix. The story follows Shinichi Kudo, a renowned detective despite being only a 17-year-old high school student. While investigating a suspicious activity at an amusement park, he is suddenly attacked by two mysterious men and forced to ingest a poison called APTX 4869. The poison turns his body into that of a 7-year-old child, which significantly disrupts his life.
Shinichi tries his best to hide his identity and investigate the organization that created the product in hopes of finding a cure. He adopts the alias Conan Edogawa and moves in with his childhood friend, Ran Mouri, and her father, Kogo Mouri, who works as a private detective. Since Conan can’t freely solve cases anymore, he often uses Kogoro as a shield to hide his genius.
7) Beelzebub
This action-comedy centers around Tatsumi Oda, the most feared delinquent in Ishiyama High, who accidentally became the guardian of a mysterious child who turns out to be Beelzebub IV, the future Demon King. The child immediately grew attached to Tatsumi and wouldn’t leave his side.
Accompanied by a demon maid, Hildegard, Tatsumi is now responsible for raising the child and helping him grow strong enough to destroy humanity, as per the prophecy. Having no interest in world domination, Tatsumi struggles to survive each day while taking care of a demon infant and getting into constant trouble with delinquents and even demons.
8) The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting
The story follows Tooru Kirishima, nicknamed “The Demon of Sakuragi,” infamous for his ruthlessness as the enforcer for the Sakuragi crime family. His violent tendencies make him feared by everyone in the yakuza underworld. Fed up with his antics and hoping to set him on the right path, his boss assigns him the most difficult task of his life: babysitting his seven-year-old daughter, Yaeka, who is more reserved compared to kids her age.
Tooru initially finds it difficult to navigate the challenges of childcare and the responsibilities that come with it. However, as he spends more time with the girl, his heart begins to melt and he slowly accepts his new role. The story blends wholesome slice-of-life elements with sharp humor and occasional bursts of yakuza action.
Hiramu Arakawa’s acclaimed manga, Fullmetal Alchemistreleased an anime adaptation in 2003, only two years after the manga’s debut. However, because the original anime was released while the manga was still being written, it eventually ended up diverging significantly from the source material. As a result, Bones created a reboot titled Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which became one of the highest-rated anime series of all time. The story is set in a world where alchemists are knowledgeable and talented individuals who have learned how to manipulate and modify matter.
They use this skill in everyday lives and even in the military to serve as human weapons. Alchemy requires certain laws that one must follow, no matter the circumstances. Two young brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, committed the ultimate taboo and paid a hefty price for it. After becoming the youngest State Alchemist serving in the military, Edward travels across the land in hopes of finding the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary item that will set things right for them.
10) Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun
Putting greater emphasis on slice-of-life than action, much like most installments of Spy x Family have tended to do, this Weekly Shonen Champion hit by the creator of Ichi the Witch is just what the doctor ordered. While the concepts sound fundamentally different, a fantasy series versus a Cold War-inspired world rife with intrigue and secrets, Osamu Nishi’s Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun will provide the same sort of belly laughs people might crave while waiting for more Spy x Family. In fact, it could become the fans’ new fixation altogether.
Bandai Namco Pictures’ production brings Iruma Suzuki’s story to life in brilliantly colorful fashion, as the young teenage boy is adopted by the Demon Lord and finds himself enrolled at Babyls Demon School, where Iruma’s identity as a human is kept intensely secret. The hijinks of this anime come alive quickly, especially when considering that this school is a huge step up from Iruma’s horrible parents back at home. Adopted by the overbearing headmaster, Sullivan, Iruma must make friends and keep his secret, unless he wants to be eaten. Think Eden Academy, but with much more desolate landscaping.
Are there any anime you’d have added to this list for people to watch between binges of Spy x Family? Let us know in the comments below!
