6 Anime Like To Be HERO [Recommendations]

Chinese based anime has recently enjoyed a sort of renaissance. When we say Chinese based anime, we don’t mean Chinese anime that is then imported into Japan, but rather an anime that is created from Chinese light novels or manga. It seemed to really start with Reikenzan Hoshikuzu no Uchiage in Winter of 2016, Hitori no Shita in Summer 2016 and now in Fall of 2016 there are four shows. This time, we are focusing on the unique, and yet at the same time familiar, anime To Be HERO

Ossan aka old man, or father, is a toilet seat designer. Just from looks at one’s derriere, he can determine what kind of toilet seat would be perfect for you. He, however, is a lecher, and he has a nasty penchant for women and booze after his wife left him. So, he lives alone with his adorable daughter Min-chan who has had it up to here with his debauchery. Did we mention that he is super good looking? One day while using the John, he suddenly gets sucked into the toilet and is mandated to become a superhero!?

He gets super powers and transforms, but once he is done, he loses his good looks and body and becomes a fat, balding, middle-aged old man who cannot say things directly to his daughter correctly. It all comes out as him hitting on her? Aliens, toilets, and super booger bombs, this is an anime that if you have not started or seen for Fall 2016, you are missing out. This is the underrated comedy anime with a few drops of action and there is a masterpiece. Check out 6 Anime Like To Be HERO below!


Similar Anime to To Be HERO

1. One Punch Man

  • Episodes: 12
  • Aired: October 2015 – December 2015

Saitama looks completely average no matter how you look at him. Average height, average looks, oh and he’s bald. The only thing that is not average about him is his hobby; he’s a part-time superhero. He has trained nonstop to become a hero for the last three years and that is where he lost all of his hair. For some reason how he is incredibly powerful. How powerful you may ask? Well with one punch, he can defeat anyone. Crazy right? And yet here we are. One day he picks up 19-year-old Genos, who becomes his disciple in order to learn the ways of being a hero and saving the city while they both register as heroes with the Hero Association.

Much like Saitama, Ossan is kinda easy going. His vices are money and women, but when it comes down to it, even if Min-chan scolds him, he lets it ride off his shoulders. Saitama too in the same way is a bit single-minded and not focused on a lot of other things. The humor between both is par none with the main character being the source of it. Prince, much like Genos, moves in with Yamada-san and Ossan, and at first is a rival to Ossan, but eventually comes around to his side. Not to mention too, the main characters, Saitama and Ossan are overpowered to a ridiculous point that nothing can kill them nor take them down. If you haven’t seen One Punch Man, now is the time to do so.

One Punch Man Trailer


2. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

  • Episodes: 13
  • Aired: October 2010 to December 2010

Panty and Stocking were angels. Angels that were kicked out of heaven for being rude, crude, and all around nasty! Part of their job now demands them running around the earth and defeating ghosts. Panty is a nymphomaniac, Stocking has a bad addiction to candy, and Garterbelt is just plain weird. They run around kicking butt in Daten City with one purpose; Heaven Coins. If they can amass enough of these, they can go back to heaven. Weird yet unique art, a strange story, and two unconventional angels. Here we go!

Panty & Stocking is crude. The show specializes in crude humor and the same is true with the ever thirsty Ossan. Ossan is a lecher and we have already mentioned this so that is a source of humor and a bridge between the shows. You, of course, have the humor with P&S, but with To Be HERO, Ossan’s roommate, Yamada-san, is also a massive source of humor with his pervert exhibitionist attitude. Also, like it or not, Ossan is not a main character that you warm up too immediately, just like Panty and Stocking. While they are the heroes of the story, they are slightly off-putting at first, but they grow on you. Another thing about these two series is that while a central plot is introduced, it is quickly forgotten as the show becomes episodic. Not necessarily bad, but this might not cater to all.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt Trailer


3. Hitori no Shita: The Outcast

  • Episodes: 12
  • Aired: July 2016 – October 2016

Zhang Chulan decides to go to his hometown one day to visit the grave of his grandfather. Upon arriving, he is attacked by zombies? A mysterious girl who brandishes a butcher knife begins to kill the zombies leaving a path for him to escape, then he too must now run before they get him. Shaken, Chulan returns to university to find the girl Baobao now sitting in his class. After a decisive battle, he learns that he possesses a very unique ability and that foes will begin to rise one by one against him in hopes of either killing him or bringing him to their side. There is also Baobao who is now trying to pull him in another direction. What to do? Chulan’s life takes a turn for the unique now as he must find his way in this new world.

Much like with To Be Hero, Hitori no Shita actually takes a tried and true concept that we all know as anime fans, and actually makes it into something new. Now, whether or not it is because these shows are both from Chinese novels/manga or not, is anyone’s guess. Regardless, it is quite enjoyable nonetheless. Both Chulan and Ossan, are obsessed, for different reasons, with the girl closest to them, even if Chulan does not realize it in the beginning. Also, does it even need to be said? Chulan and Ossan are both OP beyond their wildest dreams. Ossan may be trying his hardest to protect Min-chan, and he has yet to fail. These two also reflect the stereotypical rise of the hero within a story. Hero’s Journey anyone?

Hitori no Shita: The Outcast Trailer



Any Anime Like To Be HERO ?

4. FLCL (Fooly Cooly)

  • Episodes: 6
  • Aired: April 2000 – March 2001

Fooly Cooly follows Naota, whose life is boring. His brother plays baseball in America, his grandfather lives with him and his father in their bakery, and Mamimi, his older brother’s ex-girlfriend, essentially stalks Naota and forces herself on him often. Be that as it may, one day an insane woman hits Naota with her Vespa bike, strikes him with a guitar and then screaming that he is useless, bolts off. Going home that night, she introduces herself as Haruko Haruhara, and has moved in as his housekeeper? Worse than that, though, is the horn he now has protruding from his forehead. A splitting headache later that night forces a robot to come out of his head and fight another? What is going on?! Naota can no longer have a normal life.

FLCL is a classic for anime fans. If you have not seen it, stop right now, no really, leave this tab open, watch the show, and then keep on reading. FLCL and To Be HERO do sit well with each other. The humor is very random and to a certain extent, makes you often say to yourself “Wha-? who came up with this?” The stories of Ossan and Naota too, while there is a central plot, will make you question sometimes if they even exist? Ossan wants to become normal again and live with Min-chan whom he loves but… there are other factors and enemies weighing in. The randomness that exists from episode to episode is odd and lends to the humor between the two series. Check out the trailer below!

FLCL English Trailer


5. Uchuu Patrol Luluco (Space Patrol Luluco)

  • Episodes: 13
  • Aired: April 2016 – June 2016

The future is here and Luluco lives in it. She lives in Ogikubo where people and aliens all love together in the only Space Immigration Zone on Earth. Luluco wants to be normal and has a crush on one of her classmates. Her father one day eats a sleep capsule by accident though and is turned into an ice block that Luluco adds insult to injury by breaking. She goes to the Space Patrol, where her father works for help and accidentally gets roped into working for them! Wearing the spacesuit of justice she goes to work as an undercover agent but what is really in store? Check out the PV below for more!

Luluco and To Be Hero actually do hold similarities that one would not think of immediately. Both Stories between the two shows are tied to a central father figure. Luluco is trying to restore her father, while Ossan is trying to become the father that he previously was. Both too are short anime, so it is enough to keep you interested and entertained without being too long. Both Luluco and Ossan go through ridiculous transformations into their superhero/police forms, enough to make you laugh and remind you that this is a comedy anime. The humor as well is childish in nature and easily enjoyed.

Uchuu Patrol Luluco Trailer


6. Kill la Kill

  • Episodes: 24
  • Aired: October 2013 – March 2014

Ryuuko Matoi’s father is murdered one day and holding half of what he created, the scissor blade. Ryuuko joins Honnouji Academy where she can hopefully find out some more information. However, Satsuki Kiryuuin runs the school with an iron fist as the student council president, and she is served by the elite four who wear special clothes to enhance just about everything about them! Ryuuko gets her butt handed to her one day and retreats where she comes across senketsu, a sentient uniform much like those that the elite four wear. Once it wakes up after having some of her blood, they team up to take down the bizarre Honnouji Academy and Satsuki Kiryuuin. However, can Ryuuko handle the secret behind the academy and the uniforms?

Much like with Space Patrol Luluco, Ryuuko is searching for answers about her father like Ossan is trying to turn himself back into a normal person. Both of them, Ryuuko’s father and Ossan, have been subjected to something that they did not deserve, and so they have to figure out how to start from scratch and win. The humor is also the same where it is very stupid sometimes. It does not hurt to mention that Ryuuko and Ossan are a bit dense at times. They too also share the quality of not knowing when to give up and having semi-one track minds. They both share bizarre action scenes that are almost surreal at times. Ryuuko, much like Ossan as well goes through a bizarre transformation sequence. However, at the end of the day, a father-daughter relationship is shared between both.

Kill la Kill Trailer


Final Thoughts

To Be HERO is a fantastic breath of fresh air into the comedy and superhero genres. It’s fantastic to see that shows like this are on the rise that show that there can be diversity within genres. Hopefully, it is a sign of good things to come. However, we do know that a lot of people are dismissing it at first glance.

Looking under the lid, however, will show you that To Be HERO is great and a heavily underappreciated show. We are looking forward to more of this show and more like it and we hope you are too! What are some similar shows that you can think of? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

One-Punch-Man- dvd-20160805004602-300x418 6 Anime Like To Be HERO [Recommendations]

Editor/Translator

Author: Nagareboshi

American by birth; international by choice. I am trying to bring attention to one of my favorite causes; me. I translate by day and write by night. Aspiring polyglot. My dream would be to be the personal translator for Amuro Namie. Other than that, my hobbies include languages, weightlifting, sleeping, karaoke, GOOD coffee and music. When I’m not doing any of the above, I am most likely laughing hysterically at Willam Belli videos or EV farming. I ain’t gunna Rupologize for it neither. Waifu are Shirai Kuroko & Euaerin.

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