15 Anime To Watch If You Love The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K. (2024)

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is a unique gem of an anime. The slice of life comedy centers on Saiki Kusuo, a high schooler who was born with psychic abilities so powerful that he is basically a god on Earth. However, Saiki only wants to live a normal, uncomplicated life. Every day, he tries his best to avoid encounters with classmates and other people in his life, yet somehow he always ends up in the middle of chaotic scenarios.

Saiki K. is the perfect balance of comedy and heartfelt moments. Despite Saiki's apathetic front, he cares a lot and often uses his powers to help others. A master of deadpan comedy, Saiki narrates the show with rapid-fire internal judgments on the world around him. Saiki K. is self-aware and often parodies common anime tropes. Many viewers can't get enough. Thankfully, there are several shows that share similarities and will likely appeal to fans of Saiki K.

Updated on August 10, 2023, by Jennifer Melzer: This article has been updated to comply with CBR's current publishing standards. We have also included five more intriguing anime like The Disastrous Life of Saiki K for fans looking to expand their watchlist.

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15 Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun

3 Seasons, 65 Episodes

After Iruma Suzuki's parents sell him to a demon, he finds himself immersed in the demon world. Adopted by Sullivan, the old demon who bought him, Sullivan makes him his grandsson and enrolls him in the school for demons where he is the headmaster. There's a catch, however. As Iruma begins making friends with his fellow students, Sullivan tells him that no matter what, he must never reveal that he is human.

Hiding his humanity from his friends gives Iruma and Saiki something in common, but that's not all they share. The brightly colored animation style of each, coupled with their approach to comedy ensures that fans of Saiki-K will absolutely love Welcome to Demon School!! Iruma-kun.

14 Gintama

10 Season, 367 Episodes, 2 OVA, 3 Movies

Gintama takes place in a feudal Japan taken over by aliens. Former samurai Gintoki accepts any and all odd jobs to pay the bills. Like Saiki K., much of Gintama is dedicated to short comedic stories.

The style of deadpan comedy Saiki K. fans love is essential to Gintama. Characters often deliver understated, snarky lines commenting on the ridiculousness of whatever strange situation they find themselves in. The show is also self-aware, often cleverly breaking the fourth wall and making references to the anime and manga industry. Fans of running gags and unconventional protagonists will love Gintama.

13 One-Punch Man

2 Seasons, 24 Episodes, 12 OVA

Similar to Saiki K., Saitama from One-Punch Man is an extremely overpowered protagonist. After years of rigorous training, he can defeat any opponent with just one punch, earning him the title of One-Punch Man. While Saiki wants nothing to do with his powers and seeks to live a normal life, Saitama longs to find someone who can rival him in a fight. One-Punch Man is full of deadpan moments and wacky characters. Both Saiki K. and One-Punch Man successfully parody the trope of the overpowered protagonist, so fans of one show will surely love the other.

12 Way of the Househusband

2 Seasons, 15 Episodes

When the infamous yakuza boss, "The Immortal Dragon," retires from a life of crime to settle down and support his career-oriented wife Miku, the only thing that could possibly come of it is a hilarious slice-of-life comedy. Tatsu doesn't know how to move through life without resorting to his old criminal behaviors. That means approaching household chores and interactions at the grocery store with a criminal mind.

Enemies possibly lurk around every corner, every car at the dealership may have a bomb about to expload and those ladies at yoga know exactly how to ease the tensions of everyday life. Turns out being a househusband isn't so different from being a crime boss after all, and that's what makes this absurd, deadpan comedy anime a great match for Saiki-K fans.

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11 Mob Psycho 100

1 Season, 12 Episodes

Mob is the average eighth-grader一except for the fact that he possesses psychic powers. Just like Saiki, Mob tries his best to live a normal life despite his powers. Of course, his abilities often get in the way of this goal, leading to hilarious and very chaotic comedic moments.

Like Saiki. K, Mob Psycho 100 is a slice-of-life comedy in a school setting. While Saiki endeavors to avoid his classmates at all costs, Mob very much wants to make friends as well as win the affections of his crush, Tsubomi. Mob's character development is touching to watch.

10 The Devil Is A Part-Timer!

2 Seasons, 28 Episodes

The Devil is a Part-Timer! is a supernatural comedy that follows Demon Lord Satan after he fails to conquer the world of Ente Isla. He escapes to Earth, taking on the identity of Sadao Maou, and gets a job working at a fast-food restaurant in Japan to make ends meet.

Fans of Saiki K.'s dry humor will enjoy The Devil is a Part-Timer! The devil working at a fast-food restaurant to pay the bills is just as absurd a scenario as a high school student wielding godlike psychic powers. Hilarious moments emerge from Maou's fish-out-of-water experiences in the human world.

9 SKET Dance

2 Seasons, 77 Episodes, 1 OVA

SKET Dance details the adventures of Kaimei High School's SKET Brigade. SKET stands for Support, Kindness, Encouragement, Troubleshoot, and the club's mission is to help others. Made up of three students, the club performs odd jobs and helps faculty and other students to the best of their abilities.

Fans of high school anime will find SKET Dance a fun watch. While there is no supernatural element to the series like in Saiki K., SKET Dance delivers loveable characters and an excellent balance of comedic and heartfelt drama.

8 My Love Story!!

1 Season, 24 Episodes

My Love Story!! is a shojo anime, but it shares several similarities with Saiki K. Both are comedies that take place in high school and star unconventional leads. The main protagonist of My Love Story!! is Takeo Gouda, who is so tall and large that he intimidates everyone around him despite having a heart of gold. After saving Rinko Yamato from a groper, Takeo falls deeply in love with her and she with him.

Fans of Saiki's apathetic demeanor will love Takeo's best friend, Makoto Sunakawa. Extremely handsome, Sunakawa attracts the affection of many girls yet expresses no interest in any of them, leading viewers to question if he is asexual or aromantic.

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7 Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto

1 Season, 12 Episodes, 1 OVA

Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto is a slice-of-life comedy about a high schooler named Sakamoto. Cool, handsome, smart, and incapable of error, Sakamoto seemingly has more in common with a robot than a high school student. His perfection is exaggerated to the point that it is basically a superpower that rivals the abilities of Saiki.

Like Saiki K., the series plays on common tropes. Many anime, especially anime about high schoolers, at some point feature the perfect character: a character who others look up to for their ability to do everything flawlessly. Sakamoto fulfills this trope but to the extreme一his perfection often reaches hilariously ridiculous levels.

6 Tanaka-Kun Is Always Listless

1 Season, 12 Episodes

Tanaka-kun wants nothing more than to sleep all day and avoid exerting himself in any way. Despite Tanaka-kun's dedication to a lazy lifestyle, his classmates repeatedly interrupt his peace. Saiki K. revolves around a similar dynamic. Others constantly involve themselves in Saiki's life and proclaim themselves his friends despite Saiki's goal of living a solitary life. Fans of slice-of-life comedies will appreciate Tanaka-kun is Always Listless. The perfectly timed comedic moments, beautiful animation, and the loveable nature of Tanaka-kun himself make the show a worthwhile watch.

5 Ouran High School Host Club

1 Season, 26 Episodes

While Saiki K. and Ouran High School Host Club are different in many ways, both are comedies in high school settings. Ouran High School Host Club begins with Haruhi Fujioka accidentally discovering the Host Club, a group of attractive male students who entertain Ouran Academy's female students. Haruhi becomes a full-fledged member of the club and entertains while wearing men's clothing.

Haruhi is like Saiki in that she constantly supplies snarky comments, usually with a straight face. She is also oblivious to how much the other members of the club like her. As she expresses no interest in anyone romantically, many of the show's fans theorize that Haruhi is asexual or aromantic.

4 Mashle: Magic and Muscle

1 Season, 12 Episodes

In a world where magic is the natural order of things, an ordinary boy like Mash Burnedead must hide his mundane existence from the wizards who rule. In order to win freedom from persecution for him and his adopted father, Mash must attend Easton Magic Academy and become the Divine Visionary. Even without magic at his disposal, Mash finds a way to use his muscle to achieve the same feats as his fellow magic students, but he doesn't make friends easily.

Much like Saiki, Mash is an outsider, but as people get to know him, he becomes something of a hero the people of Easton Magic Academy can look up to. Though the premise is absurd, and shares a lot in common with the Harry Potter franchise, it turns so many things on their head, it's impossible not to fall in love with his hilarious series and its hero.

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3 Assassination Classroom

2 Seasons, 47 Episodes, 2 OVAs, 1 Film

Koro-sensei is an indestructible alien creature responsible for destroying the moon. He is also a teacher at Kunugigaoka Junior High. To prevent him from destroying Earth next, Koro-sensei's students vow to assassinate him by any means necessary. Unluckily for them, Koro-sensei is practically unkillable一and he's an amazing teacher.

Similar to the main cast of Saiki K., the students of class 3-E are a group of misfits who viewers can't help but love. Assassination Classroom is a mix of action-packed sequences and everyday school shenanigans. This contrast is part of what makes the show's humor work so well.

2 The Troubled Life of Miss Kotoura

1 Season, 13 Episodes

There are some similarities between Saiki-K and Miss Kotoura that make The Troubled Life of Miss Kotoura the perfect anime for fans to check out. Both protagonists have psychic abilities that make them feel like outsiders among their peers. The comedic aspect of Kotoura-san revolves around Manabe, a boy Kotoura meets whose mind is filled with erotic thoughts about her.

Every time they are together, it's all she can hear going on with him, which makes for some troubling interactions. The fact that he seems to know he's making her blush only furthers his interest in embarrassing her. Among people who accept her for her differences, she feels she could be about to start a new life of acceptance, but Manabe's attention is definitely making that difficult.

1 Spy x Family

1 Season, 25 Episodes, 1 Film (12/2023)

While the similarities between Saiki-K and Spy x Family may seem few and far between, the two series actually have a lot in common. Like Saiki, Anya Forger is psychic, and her abilities often get her into serious trouble. None of her friends or family know she can read their minds, or that she has been using these abilities to get through school, so she can get closer to the son of her adoptive father's spy target. Anya has a knack for breaking the fourth wall, making funny comments and turning to look at the camera with a wicked smile. Her weird and hilarious antics, coupled with the absurd nature of her family overall, make for plenty of laughs and heartwarming moments.