10 of the Greatest Adult Animated Shows To Watch if You Love 'Primal'

Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal is a dialogue-free adult animated series that centers on a caveman named Spear and his unlikely friendship with a dinosaur named Fang after they both suffered from devastating losses due to the harsh prehistoric world they live in. With a quality of intensity that blends violence with incredibly deep emotion, Primal delivers an immaculate survival watch that carries weight and consequences. It's a standout series that makes most follow-up shows seem quite lacking, but there are quite a few adult-animated gems that can be just as intense and emotionally resonant as the brutal prehistoric saga.

For audiences searching for the same mesh of depth and brutality, shows like the explosive tale Afro Samurai that focuses on identity and vengeance, and the adult animation Spawn, which explores survival through a dark and spiritual lens, are both perfect examples of what Primal fans are likely looking for. These two shows, along with the others on this list, are must-watch adult animated series that are perfect for those who love the series Primal.

1 'The Legend of Vox Machina' (2022–Present)

This fun fantasy animated series may be far more talkative than Primal, but it delivers humor and brutality that mark it as the ideal follow-up for a show like the raw survival story. The Legend of Vox Machina is a Prime Video animated series that focuses on a ragtag band of mercenaries and their growth as they become unlikely heroes through various fantastical challenges.

For anyone craving high fantasy, unfiltered violence, and laugh-out-loud humor, The Legend of Vox Machina is definitely the show to watch. The addictive adult animation, like Primal, shares the same found family feel, as characters go through constant existential threats that tighten bonds between them. Not only is The Legend of Vox Machina just as heart-poundingly violent as Primal, but the show also has a solid emotional fallout that authentically elevates its story. The Legend of Vox Machina stands as the perfect series for those who adore Primal simply because it offers audiences brutal intensity, and despite it being a much more dialogue-heavy series, the comedic fantasy animation is equally prehistorically savage.

2 'Blue Eye Samurai' (2023–Present)

Blue Eye Samurai is a brilliant Netflix animated series that thrives on raw intensity, vengeance, and visually stunning storytelling. Set in Edo-period Japan, the Netflix banger follows a mixed-race female warrior, Mizu (Maya Erskine), who sets out on a path of revenge dressed as a male swordsman.

Blue Eye Samurai brings to life a thrilling story that packs in on the action and stunning emotional depth. For those who are drawn in by Primal's blend of intensity and violence and enjoy a rather fantastic revenge-driven story, it's likely that Blue Eye Samurai will check all the important boxes. Not many animated series can deliver everything Blue Eye Samurai does; the series is quality TV that wields Primal-level storytelling with dialogue, and just as much blood. The series' action is truly dazzling and shares Primal's emphasis on survival by all means, along with an incredibly powerful emotional core that cements its place on this list for those who consider the prehistoric series peak adult animated fiction.

3 'Blood of Zeus' (2020–2025)

This period series is a Netflix work of art that definitely deserves a lot more attention than it's ever received. Blood of Zeus centers on a commoner-turned-hero, Heron (Derek Phillips), who is dragged into divine warfare after he makes the discovery that he's the son of Zeus and is tasked with the mission of saving the world from a demonic army.

Blood of Zeus is a thrill-ride that captures Primal's "mythic violence" energy quite nicely. The show's mythological chaos will likely greatly appeal to the fans of the dinosaur-laden series, as it sets man and monsters alike on a stage where brutality and indifference reign. The best of Blood of Zeus is where pure momentum: creature combat, chase, and siege, are staged with an extreme sense of weight and danger. The series takes god-level stakes and brutal combat that brings a level of intensity that viewers crave—myth and pure mayhem—after a watch like Primal.

4 'Todd McFarlane's Spawn' (1997–1999)

Todd McFarlane's Spawn is an HBO animated series that features a grim, adult, and horror-driven tone. The series focuses on Al Simmons, aka Spawn (Keith David), a dead CIA assassin who returns to life as a superhuman hellspawn and must now navigate human corruption and demonic politics, while trying to comprehend his second life as a whole.

Long before impactful series like Primal were born, there was Spawn, an adult animated good time that proved the genre can be just as violent, dark, and unflinchingly mature as any live-action viewing experience. The show is steeped in darkness and wields incredibly atmospheric storytelling that would likely be instantly recognizable for Primal fans. While Primal may deliver raw, physical survival, Spawn, in turn, offers an exploration of the survival of the soul—intensely dark and punishing.

5 'The Maxx' (1995)

This cult-classic MTV series, based on the comic book, is trauma-haunted, psychological, and completely surreal. The Maxx follows a confused homeless superhero, the Maxx (Michael Haley), who is trying to protect a social worker friend from a lurking evil.

The Maxx may be a strange watch, but its intensity is just as heart-pounding as Primal's. The adult animated series wields an abstract form of storytelling that honestly deems it a must-watch. Where Primal delivers a brutality that can be quite chilling, The Maxx produces something far more unconventional but equally captivating and unsettling. The mind-bending superhero watch stands as a compact, adult animation that explores pain and protection, making it perfect for Primal fans in search of a similar emotional undercurrent to the dialogue-free animated epic.

6 'Aeon Flux' (1991–1995)

Æon Flux is an adult dystopian science fiction and cyberpunk series that leans towards pretty minimalist dialogue that matches Primal quite greatly. The series is set in a dark, anarchic future, following the seductively mysterious, morally ambiguous assassin Æon Flux (Denise Poirier) as she undertakes countless dangerous missions.

Much like Primal, Æon Flux wields very minimal dialogue and delivers on striking visuals. The series came long before Primal and stood as one of the best redefinitions of what adult animation could look and feel like. Æon Flux embraces fatalism as its leading lady's body is always at risk in a world that refuses moral comfort, treating the plot as a secondary feature to danger, implication, and movement. For any Primal fans who are in search of a nonverbal and atmospheric watch that stands as a great follow-up to the blood-soaked prehistoric tale, then Æon Flux is likely a great addition to their watch list.

7 'Castlevania' (2017–2021)

This Netflix animated icon offers audiences brutal combat and gothic horror that nicely aligns with what Primal brings to the table: pure intensity. Castlevania, set in the collapsing, plague-ridden cities of Europe, centers around the monster hunter, Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage), who becomes an unwilling protector of humanity amid Dracula's genocidal vengeance.

Castlevania is a bloody good time, that wields a dark tone and a relentless pace that makes it one of the closest matches to Primal. The fantasy series is frequently considered one of the best animated shows to ever grace television screens. Castlevania delivers a seemingly broken world, much like Primal does, and delivers just as much brutal action. The series is beyond violent as it leans heavily on its dark, brooding atmosphere. Each moment within Castlevania, especially its harsh action scenes, builds not only intensity but also emotional impact, making it a more dialogue and character-driven follow-up to the mature series, Primal.

8 'Afro Samurai' (2007)

Afro Samurai is an action-adventure, samurai-themed anime that has maximum intensity and minimal dialogue. The 2007 action series is set in a stylized world of guns and swords, and follows Afro (Samuel L. Jackson) as he hunts for the man who killed his father.

Afro Samurai sometimes gives off the feeling of being a sibling to Primal. The series, although a tad short-lived, is an extremely explosive watch that focuses on action and vengeance, which makes it a fun follow-up for Primal fans. Viewers of the prehistoric survival drama are sure to be drawn in by Afro Samurai's enduringly driven protagonists and its relentless focus on revenge and survival. The series is frequently quite minimalistic in emotional intensity, as it leans more into music, imagery, and violence to communicate its inner state, making it a quality addition to this list of shows perfect for those who love Primal.

9 'Vinland Saga' (2019–2023)

This Japanese anime is a grounded watch that explores brutality through instinct. Vinland Saga centers on Horfinn (Yûto Uemura), who, after a childhood tragedy, chases vengeance through Viking-era warfare, traveling with the man responsible while his worldview both corrodes and reforms under constant and extreme violence.

Vinland Saga is a truly compelling series that wields an emotional weight that's capable of moving its audience, making it a more reflective counterpart to the show Primal. The series delivers deliberate pacing, allowing its themes of consequence, personal growth, and ultimate violence to fully land in a rather emotionally impactful way. Vinland Saga stands as a worthy adult animated match for Primal, not through lack of dialogue but through realistic violence and the cause-and-effect of actions taken. For fans looking for a series just as harsh and emotionally weighty as Primal, then Vinland Saga is the perfect animated series to dive into.

10 'Invincible' (2021–Present)

When it comes to brutal and totally shocking violence, there aren't many shows that can bring to the table what the superhero series Invincible does. The series follows a young teen, Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), who finally inherits the powers he's been waiting for and sets out to be a greater superhero than his dad—the number one hero—only to discover his father is far more villainous than he realizes.

Invincible wields a brutal realism that's rather similar to a series like Primal. The show isn't a traditional superhero tale; rather, it quickly reveals a much darker edge that mirrors the Adult Swim show quite well. Though the two series don't seem to have too much in common on paper, as superheroes are quite different from prehistoric survival—but both shows explore very real consequences and emotional injury, cementing Invincible's place on this list of adult animated series to watch if viewers truly adore the bloody and thrillingly intense series Primal.