If you want bl anime like banana fish, the closest picks depend on what hurt the most after finishing it: the crime tension, the queer emotional bond, or the tragedy. Start with 91 Days for mafia revenge, No. 6 for a bond that echoes Ash and Eiji, and Given if you need something emotional but less brutal.
Best anime to watch after Banana Fish
Banana Fish is hard to follow because it is not only a romance-coded story and not only a crime thriller. The safest way to choose your next anime is to decide which part you want more of first.
- For crime and revenge: choose 91 Days.
- For Ash-and-Eiji-style emotional intimacy: choose No. 6.
- For true BL with grief and healing: choose Given.
- For darker adult BL: approach Mignon, Twittering Birds Never Fly, or Ai no Kusabi with content awareness.
No. 6
No. 6 is the best first choice if the Ash and Eiji relationship was the part that stayed with you. Shion begins as a sheltered boy inside a controlled city, while Nezumi is a guarded survivor from outside that system. Their connection has clear romantic weight, even though the story also focuses on dystopia, oppression, and escape.
The match is emotional rather than genre-based. You will not get mafia politics, but you do get two boys becoming each other's refuge in a dangerous world. If you want tenderness under pressure, No. 6 is one of the strongest follow-ups.
91 Days
91 Days is the closest pick for viewers who miss the criminal atmosphere of Banana Fish. It follows Angelo Lagusa as he enters the mafia world to avenge his family, and the story is full of betrayal, manipulation, and doomed loyalty.
There is no confirmed BL romance here, so it is not the right choice if you specifically want queer romance on screen. It works because the male relationships are tense, tragic, and emotionally loaded in a way that many Banana Fish fans respond to.
Given
Given is much gentler, but it belongs on this list because it understands grief. Instead of gangs and survival, it uses music, silence, and slow emotional honesty to tell a true BL romance about loss and healing.
This is the better pick if you finished Banana Fish feeling drained rather than hungry for more violence. You still get queer intimacy and emotional pain, but the direction is toward recovery, not destruction.
Mignon
Mignon is short, intense, and more openly adult than most mainstream BL anime. It follows an underground fighter and a doctor whose connection is wrapped in violence, secrecy, and desire.
Choose it when you want something compact and dark rather than a long crime saga. The appeal is the raw mood: physical danger, attachment, and romance that does not feel soft or safe.
Ai no Kusabi
Ai no Kusabi is a classic dark BL title, but it is not a comfort watch. Its relationship is shaped by hierarchy, possession, coercion, and unequal power inside a dystopian society.
That makes it useful for viewers interested in older, influential BL that explores control and exploitation. It is not the title to choose if you mainly want the tenderness of Ash and Eiji.
Moriarty the Patriot
Moriarty the Patriot is not BL, but it can still work for Banana Fish fans who like elegant crime stories, morally complicated men, and intense male dynamics. It has strategy, class conflict, murder, and theatrical tension.
Think of it as a stylish BL-adjacent recommendation rather than a queer romance. If you want confirmed romance, skip it for now; if you want intelligent crime drama with charged relationships, it is worth considering.
Which anime is most similar to Banana Fish?
The most similar anime depends on the part of Banana Fish you are trying to replace. No single title copies its mix of organized crime, trauma, queer intimacy, political corruption, and tragedy, so the better question is which overlap matters most to you.
| If you want... | Watch first | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Mafia revenge and betrayal | 91 Days | Closest crime-thriller atmosphere |
| A central queer bond under pressure | No. 6 | Most similar emotional structure |
| Explicit mature crime BL | Twittering Birds Never Fly | True BL inside a criminal world |
| Queer grief without more crime | Given | Emotional healing after trauma |
How dark are these recommendations?
The darkness varies a lot, and that is worth checking before you start. Given is emotional but approachable. No. 6 and 91 Days add violence, oppression, and tragedy. Mignon, Twittering Birds Never Fly, and Ai no Kusabi move into more adult or disturbing territory.
Two viewers can search for the same thing and need very different recommendations. Someone looking for a weekend recovery watch after Banana Fish should not start in the same place as someone actively seeking explicit dark BL.
Given is the gentlest option
Given is the safest starting point if you want queer emotion without constant danger. It includes grief and painful memory, but the story gives its characters room to communicate, grow, and heal.
No. 6 mixes romance with dystopian violence
No. 6 has surveillance, social control, and real danger, but the central bond keeps the story from feeling purely bleak. It is a good middle-ground choice if you want pressure and romance without stepping into explicit adult BL.
91 Days focuses on revenge and organized crime
The darkness in 91 Days comes from revenge, murder, and emotional emptiness. It is harsh in a crime-drama way, not in a sexually explicit BL way.
That distinction matters. If you want the doomed criminal world of Banana Fish but prefer to avoid adult BL content, this is usually the better route.
Mignon contains violence and mature romance
Mignon combines physical violence with a more sensual BL tone. It is not as sprawling or politically layered as Banana Fish, but it does create a strong feeling of intimacy under threat.
Twittering Birds Never Fly includes explicit adult themes
Twittering Birds Never Fly is for mature viewers who want crime, trauma, desire, and damaged attachment handled directly. It can be compelling, but it is not a casual next watch if you only want light BL tension.
Check content warnings before starting, especially if coercive dynamics or sexual trauma are hard limits for you.
Ai no Kusabi explores abuse and unequal power
Ai no Kusabi is difficult because its core relationship is built around control, status, and possession. Its importance in BL history does not make it an easy romance.
Choose it for bleak power dynamics and old-school dark BL atmosphere. Avoid it if what you want next is mutual comfort, warmth, or emotional safety.
How to choose what to watch next
Start by choosing your priority, not the title with the most similar description. The first check is simple: do you want more crime, more queer emotional intimacy, more explicit BL, or a softer story after the pain of Banana Fish?
- Need the closest mood? Pick 91 Days.
- Need the closest bond? Pick No. 6.
- Need confirmed BL but less darkness? Pick Given.
- Need adult crime BL? Pick Twittering Birds Never Fly, but check the content first.
Choose 91 Days for the closest crime atmosphere
Choose 91 Days when the appeal is mafia pressure, revenge, betrayal, and characters who cannot escape the consequences of their choices. It is the strongest pick for the thriller side of Banana Fish.
Do not choose it first if your main requirement is canon queer romance. Its value is mood, not BL confirmation.
Choose No. 6 for a bond similar to Ash and Eiji
No. 6 is the better choice when you want two characters whose trust becomes the heart of the story. It keeps danger in the background while letting the relationship carry the emotional weight.
Choose Twittering Birds Never Fly for true crime BL
Choose Twittering Birds Never Fly if "crime" and "BL" are equally important to you. It does not soften the adult material, so it is best for viewers who already know they want mature queer crime drama.
Choose Given for a more hopeful emotional story
Given is the right first watch if you want to stay with queer emotion but step away from guns, gangs, and survival trauma. It still hurts, but it gives the pain somewhere to go.
Conclusion
The best next watch is the one that matches the part of Banana Fish you are actually missing: 91 Days for crime, No. 6 for the central bond, Twittering Birds Never Fly for mature crime BL, and Given for a softer emotional landing. If you are unsure, start with No. 6; it gives you danger, intimacy, and queer resonance without being the harshest option on the list.
