When the Pokemon anime first aired in 1997, it took what was already a best-selling formula in the video game world and increased the popularity tenfold and made Pokemon a global phenomenon. Even today, more than twenty years later, the anime, video game series, and merchandise are still as popular as ever. So, of course, it didn’t take long for others to copy Pokemon’s winning formula.
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For a long time in the late 90s to the early 2000s, it seemed every other anime being shipped out of Japan involved a group of kids collecting powerful monsters to fight with. While 80s cartoons had kids buying Care Bears dolls and G.I. Joe action figures, anime in the early 2000s had us collecting virtual pets and trading cards.
Updated May 6, 2025, by Jon Eakin: You might have fond memories of watching the Pokemon anime as a child, but depending on where you lived and when you grew up you might have equally fond memories of some of these shows that took a little inspiration from those pocket monsters.
18
Beyblade
Let It Rip
Sending spinning tops smashing into each other doesn’t seem like a thing you could borrow a lot from Pokemon for, but Beyblade managed just that by placing companion spirits inside of them which could turn the tide of a match.
If you decide to give the original series a watch, just be aware that the English dub is full of censorship, character changes, mispronunciation, and grating voice acting. In all fairness, the soundtrack for the dub is second-to-none, so your mileage may vary.
17
Medabots
More Than The Sum Of Its Parts
Based on a video game series, like so many of these shows, Medabots takes inspiration from various sources. Pokemon, Transformers, even Mobile Suit Gundam, and somehow manages to create something with real heart.
Each of the bots has their own character and even opinions of events, pushing the story forward while also adding a nice sprinkling of drama to the above-average battles. You either have a lot of nostalgia for Medabots or don’t know what you’re missing. Worth watching either way.
16
Zatch Bell!
The Next Evolution
If you grew up with Pokemon and are now old enough to have introduced your kids to it, but are looking for the next thing to watch them now that they’re a little older themselves? The answer is Zatch Bell! without question.
This series swaps out monsters for living dolls, but takes a more mature approach to the genre without tipping too far into dark subject matter. It may be a Pokemon anime rip-off, but it feels more like it builds on what came before rather than shamelessly stealing the formula.
15
My-HiME
A Forgotten Classic
Combing the Pokemon formula with the magical girl genre, My-HiME focuses on a group of girls with the power to summon and control Children: part-spiritual, part-magical creatures. The series is more mature than most of the other entries on this list, as protagonist Mai Tokiha discovers she and the other HiMEs were gathered at Fuka Academy for a secret purpose.
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Dark twists aside, this series did have some merchandise in the form of an adventure game on the PlayStation 2 and two PSP fighting games. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they’ve been released outside of Japan.
14
Monsuno
Nice Try
Of course, Japanese studios weren’t the only ones looking to copy Pokemon’s success. Monsuno was an American cartoon that aired on Nickelodeon, premiering in 2012. Yeah, for some reason, Nickelodeon waited a long time to produce their “Mon” series, long after stronger competitors like Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh! called it quits.
It’s very telling that this series was produced by toy company Jakks Pacific and trading card maker The Topps Company. The show focused on a group of trainers battling monsters made with alien and animal DNA that they keep in devices called Cores. This one wasn’t very memorable.
13
Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Japan Had Enough
A joint production between Canadian and Japanese studios, Bakugan Battle Brawlers starts when some magical cards just fall out of the sky one day, for no real reason. It turns out that these cards contain powerful creatures called Bakugan. So, of course, a group of kids thinks it would be a fun idea to make a game out of them.
It seems Japan was tired of these Pokemon rip offs in 2007, because the series flopped over there. However, it was a hit in North America, leading to a few more seasons and a fairly popular card game.
12
Dragon Drive
A Different Kind Of Hero
Starting off as a manga in Monthly Shonen Jump, Dragon Drive’s hero, Reiji Ozora, stands apart from the determined protagonists common in this genre in that he is a lazy slacker who can’t finish anything. That’s when his childhood friend Maiko introduces him to the titular virtual reality fighting game in which players and their dragon partners face off in a virtual city.
He eventually becomes a more driven hero when he discovers it’s up to him to save multiple worlds. This series spawned a few memorable video games, including Dragon Drive: D-Masters Shot on GameCube.
11
Yo-Kai Watch
A Little Less Serious
Starting off as a franchise of video games and toys, Yo-Kai Watch has become so popular in Japan that the movie beat The Force Awakens when it premiered in theaters. Part of that reason may be due to the anime serving as a parody of Pokémon-type shows.
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While most of these shows have a protagonist who is trying to “be the very best,” Nate is just trying to live a normal life, but all these Yo-Kai (ghosts) keep interrupting his life. What you get is a comedic slice-of-life anime about a boy who sees funny ghosts.
10
Zoids: New Century
Mecha Monsters
Although this is the second series to be based on the Zoids mecha models, Zoids: New Century was the first to be dubbed in English and air on Western television. Taking place long after Zoids: Chaotic Century, Zoids are no longer used for warfare. Instead, they are used in a series of competitions and tournaments run by the Zoid Battle Commission.
As such, this series is much lighter than the previous one. Also, it’s only 26 episodes long, making it ideal for binge-watching. If you ever thought Pokémon battles would be cooler with giant robots, this is the series for you.
9
Magi-Nation
An Easy Skip
Based on the card game Magi Nation Duel, Magi-Nation is a Canadian/Korean animated series. It premiered in 2007 on both CBC Television and Kids’ WB. Taking place in another world known as the Moonlands, the long-sealed evil Shadow Magi Agram plans to escape and bring the Moonlands under his control, and it’s up to a group of kids and their Dream Creatures to stop him.
The cartoon and the card game itself weren’t that good, and the series was cancelled during its second season due to low ratings, with the remaining twelve episodes being dumped online.
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