Looking for anime like The Beginning After the End usually means one of two things: you want more of Arthur Leywin's reborn-king story, or you want that story animated better than studio A-CAT managed. The pick that does both is Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. On AniList's page for the first TBATE season, users have recommended it 170 times, about four times as often as the next show.
Here is the shortcut. If you want a baby with an adult's memory, start with Mushoku Tensei. If you liked a former king starting over among people who don't know what he was, take The Misfit of Demon King Academy. If the war was the draw, go to Saga of Tanya the Evil. One number frames the rest: AniList users score TBATE's first season 60 and the second 64, and every pick below scores higher than both. This page covers anime only; for comics, see manhwa like The Beginning After the End.
What viewers want from anime like The Beginning After the End
TBATE viewers usually want three things. First, a second life that starts in the crib with an adult mind: AniList's synopsis says Arthur "enters his second life as a baby" while "his previous wisdom remains." Second, a king starting from nothing; the Tapas description calls Grey a man of "unrivaled strength, wealth, and prestige" who is "reincarnated into a new world filled with magic and monsters." Third, a threat that grows over time, "an undercurrent threatening to destroy everything he has worked for," and AniList tags the first season War. The anime covers all three on paper. AniList users score its two seasons 60 and 64, though, so a search for anime like The Beginning After the End is often a search for a better-made version of the same idea.
We read Episode 1 of the comic, "The End of the Tunnel," on Tapas to pin down what the story opens with. King Grey wakes in the dark and runs through suspects: "Think, Grey." "Was I poisoned?" "Was I assassinated?" "There were too many that wanted me dead." The next voice he hears says, "Congratulations, sir and madam. He's a healthy boy!" The episode's first magic is small. His mother heals a scraped knee with a green glow ("There! All better!"), and the old king concedes, "Perhaps I know nothing of this world after all." That mix of a dead king's paranoia and a toddler's family life is what the best matches below share.
The anime itself: AniList lists Season 1 as a 12-episode TV series from spring 2025 and Season 2 as 12 more episodes that ran from April 1 to June 24, 2026, both made by studio A-CAT. Crunchyroll's official Season 2 trailer:
Video: Crunchyroll's official trailer for The Beginning After the End Season 2.
The complaint from readers is specific. In an r/BeginningAfterTheEnd thread about the anime, one commenter wrote: "The webcomic had more movement panels than the fights had movement frames, and thats not an exaggeration."
Anime like The Beginning After the End at a glance
| Anime | What it shares with TBATE | First season (AniList) | AniList score | AniList users pairing it with TBATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mushoku Tensei | Reborn as an infant with adult memories | 11 episodes, winter 2021 | 81 | 170 |
| That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime | A second life spent building and running a kingdom | 24 episodes, fall 2018 | 80 | 43 (Season 2) |
| The Misfit of Demon King Academy | A reincarnated king starts over at school | 13 episodes, summer 2020 | 72 | 14 |
| The World's Finest Assassin | Past-life expert reborn as a noble's son | 12 episodes, fall 2021 | 72 | 10 |
| Saga of Tanya the Evil | Reborn child fighting on a war front | 12 episodes, winter 2017 | 78 | 18 |
| Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles | Past-life memories, then a noble school | 12 episodes, summer 2021 | 69 | our pick |
| Overlord | The strongest player decides to take over | 13 episodes, summer 2015 | 76 | 36 |
| Solo Leveling | Webcomic hero who levels up alone | 12 episodes, winter 2024 | 80 | 11 (on Season 2) |
1. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (key visual via AniList).
The closest match, and one TBATE readers argue about. AniList's synopsis starts with "a 34-year-old underachiever" who "gets run over by a bus" and is "reincarnated in a new world as an infant," with "all of his past experience intact." Like Arthur, Rudeus grows up "armed with new friends, some freshly acquired magical abilities."
The difference is the man inside the baby. Grey was a king; Rudeus was an underachiever who "will seize every opportunity to live the life he's always wanted." The rivalry is real: one r/BeginningAfterTheEnd post is titled "This panel alone makes it better than Mushoku Tensei". AniList lists Ecchi among its genres, so check that before you start.
AniList: TV, 11 episodes, winter 2021, Studio Bind, average score 81. Season 3 ran 14 episodes in summer 2026 and scores 86. Streams on Crunchyroll, Netflix and Hulu.
2. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (key visual via AniList).
The pick for viewers who liked the bigger, political side of TBATE more than the childhood. AniList's synopsis follows "lonely thirty-seven-year-old Satoru Mikami," who wakes up "in a fantasy realm...as a slime monster!" and whose "exploits with the other monsters set off a chain of events that will change his new world forever." AniList tags it Kingdom Management and Politics.
Nobody raises Rimuru from birth, and the tone is much lighter, with Comedy among its AniList genres. Its second season has 43 recommendations on the TBATE page, the second most of any show.
AniList: TV, 24 episodes, fall 2018, 8-bit, average score 80; Season 2 is 12 episodes from winter 2021 and scores 82. Streams on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
3. The Misfit of Demon King Academy
The Misfit of Demon King Academy (key visual via AniList).
The best match for a king starting over. AniList's synopsis has "Anos, the Demon King of Tyranny" reincarnate himself, and "when he wakes two thousand years later," he "enrolls in Demon King Academy," where the staff "regard Anos as a misfit" because they can't measure his power.
Anos makes no secret of who he was. AniList lists Comedy among the show's genres, and the joke is everyone underestimating a man who used to rule. If the "I was a king" line in TBATE's first episode is what hooked you, start here.
AniList: TV, 13 episodes, summer 2020, SILVER LINK., average score 72. Streams on Crunchyroll, Netflix and Hulu.
If you'd rather stay with comics, Best Reincarnation Manhwa → sorts reborn-lead series by how they use the second life.
4. The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat
The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat (key visual via AniList).
The pick for a lead who treats his childhood as training. AniList's synopsis has the world's top assassin "reincarnated as the eldest son of a family of aristocrat assassins," with one condition from a goddess: "Kill the Hero who is prophesied to destroy the world."
Like Grey, Lugh carries a professional's skills into a child's body; the synopsis credits "the vast knowledge and experience he gained" in his first life. The difference is purpose. Arthur is trying to live better, while Lugh is reborn with a target already set.
AniList: TV, 12 episodes, fall 2021, SILVER LINK. and Studio Palette, average score 72. A second season is listed for winter 2027. Streams on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
5. Saga of Tanya the Evil
Saga of Tanya the Evil (key visual via AniList).
The pick for the war. AniList's synopsis says Tanya "used to be one of Japan's elite office workers," but "was reborn as a little girl" and now "fights on the frontlines in war." She "commands the army," so this is the most military show here.
The reborn adult in a child's body is the same setup, but Tanya is no hero: the synopsis says she "prioritizes optimization and career advancement above all." If TBATE's war is what hooked you, this is the most direct fit.
AniList: TV, 12 episodes, winter 2017, NUT, average score 78; Season 2 aired 12 episodes in summer 2026 and scores 80. Streams on Crunchyroll.
6. Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles
Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles (key visual via AniList).
Our own addition, not one AniList users pair with TBATE. An orphan in the slums, Rio, "awakens to the memories of Haruto Amakawa," then saves a princess and "finds himself enrolled in a famous school where the children of the nobility gather." Like Arthur, he has a past life to draw on and a new world to climb.
The memories arrive while he is already a slum orphan, not at birth, and AniList lists Romance among its genres, so the focus is less on family than TBATE's early chapters.
AniList: TV, 12 episodes, summer 2021, TMS Entertainment and WAO World, average score 69; Season 2 aired in fall 2024. Streams on Crunchyroll.
7. Overlord
Overlord (key visual via AniList).
The pick for viewers who want the strongest person in the room to stop holding back. AniList's synopsis has the game Yggdrasil "quietly shut down," while Momonga "decides to not log out," becomes "the most powerful wizard," and "strives to take over the new world the game has become." On the TBATE page it has 36 recommendations, third overall.
Grey lost a crown; Momonga goes looking for one. Nobody is reborn as a child, so it shares the ruler's mindset more than the plot. Our anime like Overgeared list covers it from the game angle.
AniList: TV, 13 episodes, summer 2015, MADHOUSE, average score 76. Streams on Crunchyroll, Netflix and Hulu.
8. Solo Leveling
Solo Leveling (key visual via AniList).
The pick if you came to TBATE through webcomics and want an adaptation that viewers rated well. AniList's synopsis calls Seong Jin-U "the world's weakest hunter," who comes back from a dungeon with "the System, a program only he could see." It tops the user recommendations on TBATE Season 2's AniList page with 11.
No one is reborn here. What it shares is a webcomic hero growing far past everyone around him, and AniList users score it 80 to TBATE's 60. Our Solo Leveling anime review covers how the adaptation holds up.
AniList: TV, 12 episodes, winter 2024, A-1 Pictures, average score 80. Streams on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
Our take: which anime like TBATE to start with
Start with Mushoku Tensei. It's the show AniList users pair with TBATE most, it covers the same ground from the crib onward, and its third season scores higher than anything else here. Check the Ecchi genre tag first if that matters to you.
Then choose by what you liked best. Misfit for the fallen king, Tanya for the war, Slime for kingdom politics, World's Finest Assassin for a reborn expert with a plan. If you want the story itself rather than its cousins, the comic is the better version. Our TBATE reading guide maps the novel against the comic, and our TBATE review says what we think of it.
One practical point: the comic runs 302 episodes on Tapas, and Tapas shuts down on March 31, 2027. The Tapas shutdown guide covers what happens to episodes you have already unlocked.
Frequently Asked Questions
What anime is most like The Beginning After the End?
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. On AniList's page for the first TBATE season it has 170 user recommendations, more than any other show, and both start with an adult mind waking up in a newborn's body in a world of magic.
Is there an anime like TBATE where a king is reincarnated?
The Misfit of Demon King Academy. Its lead is a demon king who reincarnates himself, wakes two thousand years later and enrolls in a school where nobody can measure his magic. It's the closest match to King Grey starting over.
Is The Beginning After the End anime finished?
Both seasons are. AniList lists Season 1 as 12 episodes in spring 2025 and Season 2 as 12 episodes from April 1 to June 24, 2026, both by studio A-CAT.
Where can I read The Beginning After the End after the anime?
The comic is on Tapas, which lists 302 episodes, but Tapas has announced a hiatus after Episode 259 on October 29, 2026, with no return date. Tapas ends service on March 31, 2027 and stopped selling Ink on October 1, 2026, so check our Tapas shutdown guide before you start the comic there.
Is Solo Leveling like The Beginning After the End?
Partly. Both follow a lead who ends up far stronger than everyone around him, but nobody in Solo Leveling is reborn. It is the top AniList user recommendation on TBATE Season 2's page, with 11, and users score it 80.
Related Reading
- Manhwa Like The Beginning After the End: the comic version of this list.
- The Beginning After the End Reading Guide: novel vs comic, and how to read each.
- The Beginning After the End Character Guide: who's who on Dicathen.
How we checked this
We read Episode 1 of the comic, "The End of the Tunnel," on Tapas on October 24, 2026. Every format, episode count, season, studio, score and streaming service comes from each show's AniList record, and the recommendation counts come from AniList's user recommendations on both TBATE seasons, all pulled on October 24, 2026. Scores and counts move as users vote. The Season 2 premiere is from Crunchyroll News and the episode count and hiatus notice from the Tapas series page, re-opened on October 29, 2026. Each fact has a row with a quoted line in our sources table.
Last reviewed: October 24, 2026
References
- The Beginning After the End anime on AniList
- The Beginning After the End Season 2 on AniList
- The Beginning After the End comic on Tapas
- Crunchyroll News: Season 2 April 1 premiere
- Tapas end-of-service notice
- Mushoku Tensei on AniList
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime on AniList
- The Misfit of Demon King Academy on AniList
- The World's Finest Assassin on AniList
- Saga of Tanya the Evil on AniList
- Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles on AniList
- Overlord on AniList
- Solo Leveling anime on AniList
