HBO’s juggernaut Game of Thrones‘ cutthroat politics and fantasy warfare left many viewers hungry for more after the credits rolled on its divisive finale. While House of the Dragon is the obvious successor to the Westeros TV crown, a bounty of anime has quietly cultivated political fantasy that rivals—and often surpasses—Game of Thrones content of late.

From war-torn space nations to fantasy realms where access to reading causes a revolution, there’s no shortage of anime Game of Thrones alternatives that deliver the intensity and magic that made the Westeros saga appointment viewing. Discover the most politically intriguing of them all below.

10

Requiem For The Rose King Is An Underrated Anime About Richard III

Streaming on Crunchyroll

The Wars of the Roses sparked countless stories of power and betrayal, from Shakespeare to a Benedict Cumberbatch miniseries. Requiem for the Rose King puts its spin on the legend of Richard III, casting him not as a villain, but as a deeply conflicted figure struggling with ambition and identity. Set during a series of civil wars in 15th-century England, with events notorious for inspiring medieval fantasies, the anime focuses on Richard’s moral ache as much as his ambitions for the throne.

Similar to Game of Throne, Requiem for the Rose King looks at the destructive nature of power. But where the HBO fantasy drama centers on bloody battles and shifting loyalties, the anime digs into Richard’s internal battles. Requiem for the Rose King explores how the quest for power slowly takes a toll on Richard’s mental state and slowly unravels him. Both series do a great job of dissecting the costs of ambition but Requiem for the Rose King offers a fresh look at the heavy is the head who wears the crown concept.

Requiem of the Rose King

• Ciarán Strange

  Richard III

• Kelly Greenshield

  Edward of Middleham

• Marisa Duran

  Lady Isabel Neville

• 

9

Kino’s Journey Ponders Politics Without Preaching

Streaming on Crunchyroll

A country where citizens cast daily votes on who lives or dies. A walled nation that executed all adults to create a “children’s paradise.” A land where medical treatment is outlawed, but murder is legal. Each episode of Kino’s Journey explores an isolated sociopolitical experiment, all ideologies untethered from outside consequences.

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Both adaptations (there are two anime, one from 2003 and another from 2017) trade Game of Thrones epic, sprawling conflicts for sharp, episodic parables—singular intellectual feasts that challenge audiences to, like Kino, patiently probe their new surroundings. Through the eyes of Kino and her talking motorcycle, Hermes, the series picks at the thin skin of societies, scabs and all. Westeros’ widespread warfare and ensemble casts don’t await in either Kino’s Journey iteration, but sci-fi, fantasy-tinged morality tales that George R.R. Martin would endorse do.

8

Yona of the Dawn Flips Heiress Tropes On Their Head

Streaming on Crunchyroll

Studio Pierrot’s Yona of the Dawn begins where many fantasy stories would end – with a princess reclaiming her rightful throne. Instead, director Kazuhiro Yoneda presents a 24-episode journey that forces Princess Yona to question whether she should rule at all. After witnessing her cousin Soo-Won murder her father, King Il, Yona escapes with bodyguard Hak only to discover her sheltered palace life has blinded her to widespread suffering perpetuated by her father.

Yona’s journey challenges the core assumptions of inheritance and centralized power that Game of Thrones revolves around. Yona of the Dawn subverts the royal heiress trope, surpassing Sansa Stark’s arc. Unlike Sansa, who eventually seeks power for herself, Yona sees that her father’s rule failed the people, prompting her to question whether the monarchy itself is worth preserving.

7

Vinland Saga Deconstructs Violence and Political Power Better than Game of Thrones

Streaming on Crunchyroll

Studio WIT’s adaptation of Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga begins as a straightforward Viking-age revenge tale but evolves into one of anime and manga’s most profound political commentaries. Power struggles and bloodshed serve as its foundation, not its destination. Unlike the throne-obsessed conflicts of Game of Thrones, Vinland Saga asks what comes after vengeance.

While Game of Thrones revels in political upheaval, bloody battles, and the relentless pursuit of power, Vinland Saga charts a far more challenging course. Thorfinn’s journey isn’t a myth of righteous revenge but of its futility. Rather than glorifying conquest, Vinland Saga forces audiences and Throfinn to confront a radical alternative: the possibility of true victory lying in breaking cycles of violence, not perpetuating them—a rarity in a genre so often defined by combat.

6

Code Geass Swaps Dragons For Robots, Swords For Supernatural Powers

Streaming on Crunchyroll

Code Geass is a steady favorite for anime fans. An equally vast content catalog matches its sprawling world. Series, features, sequels, and more mine Code Geass lore, set in an alternate future where the “Holy Britannian Empire” controls Japan (renamed “Area 11”). Game of Thrones fans will appreciate the conspiracies and dynastic conflict keeping Code Geass going, but its giant robots and supernatural magic systems will test their mettle.

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Audiences follow Code Geass‘ political upheaval through the magically gifted POV of Lelouch Lamperouge, an exiled prince granted the power to command anyone after making eye contact. Rather than his superpowers simplifying his rise, the series complicates Lelouch’s life, his power being both a tool and a curse. As he leads a rebellion against the Holy Britannian Empire, shifting allegiances, secret agendas, and moral ambiguity harken Game of Thrones by forcing viewers to question their loyalties to the characters.

5

Ascendance of a Bookworm Charts Social Change Through Knowledge Politics

Streaming on Crunchyroll

Ascendance of a Bookworm out-muscles a boilerplate isekai anime premise to become something stronger. Protagonist Myne gets reincarnated in the sickly body of a young girl in a fantasy world wherein literacy access has shaped political power structures. A book lover in her past life, these conditions just wouldn’t do for Myne. Deteriorating health and political uproar as ticking clocks, she sets out on an urgent quest to bring books into her world.

Myne sets off a revolutionary domino effect that challenges class structures, religious authority, and economic systems. The series mirrors Game of Thrones despite its lack of violence. Ascendance of a Bookworm transcends Myne’s cherubic nature in making her a vehicle for the exploration of institutional power to deliver sharp commentary on power and privilege. The results rival any Westeros-set drama.

4

The Apothecary Diaries Has Westeros-Style Whispers In Shadowy Kingdom Corners

Streaming on Crunchyroll

The Apothecary Diaries is the perfect anime alternative for those Game of Thrones fans who favor court intrigue and Littlefinger or Lord Varys’ most. The Apothecary Diaries puts a concubine medicine woman in the middle of palace power struggles, using her expertise to solve mysteries threatening the kingdom that kidnapped her, making an unlikely climb up in the political hierarchy. The results are a Thrones-ian story, studying how minor players can influence major political goings-on.

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Westeros politics has dominated HBO with House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, but anime offers equally interesting content. Protagonist Maomao’s analytical approach to court politics and mysterious threats would fit in perfectly as a consultant to whoever sits on the Iron Throne. Much like the aforementioned Westeros gossip, The Apothecary Diaries‘ royal consorts, officials, and servants offer an unsung examination of the royal social strata.

The Apothecary Diaries

Release Date

October 22, 2023

Directors

Norihiro Naganuma, Akinori Fudesaka

Writers

Norihiro Naganuma

• 

3

Legend of the Galactic Heroes Is A Slow-Burning Political Conflict Set In Space

Streaming on Crunchyroll

Legend of the Galactic Heroes hit the airwaves when Ronald Reagan still occupied the White House. It predates Westeros entirely, but its political drama hits similarly—and with timeless effect. Following embattled governing and military bodies, each suffering from institutional corruption and cultish militaristic coups, the prescient Legend of the Galactic Heroes plot is a testament both to the quality of Director Noboru Ishiguro’s meticulous storytelling over its 110-episode run and to the anime medium’s long-standing penchant for political intrigue.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes became iconic thanks to this nuanced approach, treating viewers as discerning and sophisticated adults who can come to their own conclusions. For Game of Thrones fans, the moral grey at play in Legend of the Galactic Heroes will likely be most appealing. Ishiguro avoids binary moral judgments about which system works better. The autocratic Galactic Empire proves efficient but vulnerable to corruption, and the democratic Free Planets Alliance is prone to populist propaganda.

Legend Of The Galactic Heroes

Release Date

1988 – 1997

Directors

Noboru Ishiguro, Masatoshi Tahara, Keizo Shimizu

Writers

Shimao Kawanaka

Franchise(s)

Legend of the Galactic Heroes

• 

  Ryo Horikawa

  Reinhard von Lohengramm

2

Attack on Titan Evolves From Monster Horror to Geopolitical Analysis

Streaming on Crunchyroll

Attack on Titan pulled off one of anime’s most ambitious political plot twists, turning what started as a straightforward monster-hunting survival story into a tale of racial tension, historical revisionism, and geopolitical corruption. Perhaps the medium’s most profound political allegory, Creator Hajime Isayama posits the possibilities when literal walls separate people from uncomfortable truths.

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Fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones will find familiar territory in Attack on Titan’s labyrinthine political machinations. Both excel at subverting audience expectations, not holding characters or their hopes too preciously. Each keeps viewers on their toes with the unexpected, whether it be power shifts, calculated betrayals, unexpected alliances, and brutal consequences for the actions of once-wide-eyed protagonists. Much like Jon Snow or Daenerys, Attack on Titan protagonist Eren Yeager undergoes a drastic moral transformation, and audiences have to grapple with the ramifications of his developing, shifting ideals along with him.

Attack on Titan

Created by

Hajime Isayama

First Film

Attack on Titan

First Episode Air Date

September 28, 2013

1

Ranking of Kings Looks At Leadership In Unexpected Places

Streaming on Crunchyroll

Ranking of Kings subverts fantasy tropes through its protagonist, Bojji, a deaf and physically weak prince and son of giants, determined to become a worthy king despite a kingdom that dismisses him. Ranking of Kings smacks of Studio Ghibli energy, hiding lush symbolism, mythology, and world settings behind a deceptively simple, but still stylish aesthetic. Succession struggles, unlikely assassin allies, and multi-layered double—or triple—crossings that’d make Lannisters blush are among the traits shared between Ranking of Kings and Game of Thrones.

The anime is also equally fascinated with how perception shapes political realities. The misjudged Bojji gets dismissed — placed at the bottom of the literal and proverbial political power rankings, based on appearance alone. Game of Thrones lovers will immediately draw comparisons to Westeros’ underestimated figures like Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister, and they’d be spot on for doing so.