10 Anime to Watch if You are a Dungeons and Dragons DM

There is perhaps no game as rich in fantasy and imagination as Dungeons & Dragons. Sitting together, at an ordinary table, the dredge of normal life disappears for the length of a campaign. And, for a moment, goblins, sorcerers, elves, and humans alike huddle in one place, face-to-face, and work towards a common goal.


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Anime, with its intricate storylines and visual artistry, can be the perfect accompaniment to Dungeons & Dragons. It’s a bottomless place to find inspiration for future D&D adventures that’s full of diverse worlds that riff on roleplaying staples. Anime is no stranger to dragons, demons, curses, and quests, all of which are ideal for an opportunistic Dungeon Master.

Updated December 4, 2022, by Daniel Kurland: The basic elements of forming a party and heading out on a quest are quintessential to the Dungeons & Dragons experience, but they’re also an effective starting point for plenty of fantasy anime. Mainstream programs continue to popularize D&D, and it’s become quite easy to picture radical universes that fit into a turn-based role-playing framework. Any Dungeon Master who finds themselves struggling with writer’s block can turn to these anime series for creative inspiration.

15/15 A Subversive Spin On Magical World Power Fantasies

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

Satoru and his friends in That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

Anime has found endless ways to turn a fantasy world detour into an embarrassing exercise in power scaling. Ordinary people have woken up in fantasy worlds as swords, vending machines, and spiders, but That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime helps popularize this isekai spin.

A salaryman’s new life as a slime, as demeaning as it is, is full of new opportunities to unite a fractured land. A Dungeon Master could learn a lot from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime when it comes to world-building and political and social relations.

14/15 Fantasy Adventures Meets ’90s Gaming Nostalgia

Uncle From Another World

Ojisan experiments with magical powers in Uncle From Another World

Uncle From Another World is a new 2022 anime that adopts a very different approach to isekai storytelling. Takafumi’s uncle awakens from a coma that’s lasted nearly two decades, yet in reality, he actually spent this time in a fantasy world. Back on Earth, Takafumi’s uncle regales him with all of his magical adventures through video, almost as if he’s a YouTube video recapper.

In addition to Uncle From Another World‘s subversive take on the fantasy genre, “Ojisan” is obsessed with Sega and video games. This passion for gaming naturally feeds into the Dungeons & Dragons mindset.

13/15 An Eclectic Warrior Party Take On Impossible Challenges

Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail's Natsu Dragneel and His Guildmates

Fairy Tail is a fantasy shonen anime that frequently feels like it’s ripped right from the pages of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Natsu Dragneel and his powerful Fairy Tail guild represent the typical D&D party that’s full of diverse fantasy figures.

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There’s a lot in Fairy Tail‘s story that a Dungeon Master can pull from, but even the anime’s approach to Natsu’s gradual character development could be worked into a campaign. Also, with more than 300 episodes to watch, Fairy Tail feels like a long-running D&D campaign that’s had to evolve and change many times across its lifespan.

12/15 A Hunt For Gold Reaches Compelling Complications

Golden Kamuy

Asirpa, Sugimoto, and Shiraishi on the dog sled in Golden Kamuy

Golden Kamuy tells a remarkable story that’s interested in real-life over fantasy. Two unlikely allies, a grizzled Russo-Japanese War veteran and a young girl, team up to help each other accomplish their goals. A complicated quest for gold plays out and the foundation of this mission isn’t dissimilar to a standard Dungeons & Dragons adventure.

Now in its fourth season, Golden Kamuy‘s story has taken enough unexpected turns to properly fuel a lengthy campaign. Golden Kamuy has become more than just a suspenseful hunt for treasure and a Dungeon Master would be wise to look to the turmoil of the Russo-Japanese War and the early twentieth century for inspiration.

11/15 A Unique Fantasy Realm Melds Magic & Mecha

The Vision Of Escaflowne

A mech duel in The Vision of Escaflowne

The Vision of Escaflowne is a 26-episode isekai anime for the 1990s that combines the fantasy and mecha genres. Hitomi gets whisked away to Gaea, a strange new world where she becomes a pivotal figure in an ancient war. Escaflowne is a subversive ’90s series, but its take on mechs and technology is so different from the norm.

There are certainly much worse anime fantasy worlds to model a Dungeons & Dragons campaign after than the kingdom of Fanelia. Mecha dragons are too compelling of a concept to get overlooked. They should be a staple in every D&D campaign.

10/15 Fantasy Staples Meet Their Match In This Innovative Adventure

Record Of Lodoss War

Warrios prepare for battle in fantasy anime Record of Lodoss War

Record of Lodoss War follows Parn, the son of a dishonored knight, who is eager to travel the world in search of grand adventures. A part of Parn wishes to find out the truth behind his father’s fall from grace, which will in turn help his family name once again rise in power. However, Parn is just as determined to conquer new heights and push his own limits.

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Parn is accompanied by many strong companions on his quest, such as Etoh and Slayn, his mentor Ghim, and Parn’s high-elf love interest, Deedlit. Together, Parn has a powerful team that he trusts to have his back in battle.

9/15 A Tale Of Redemption Finds Heroism In Unlikely Places

The Seven Deadly Sins

Meliodas and his team explore a city in The Seven Deadly Sins

Ten years ago, a group of knights called the Seven Deadly Sins were falsely accused of attempting to overthrow the Liones Kingdom. These warriors were hounded, humiliated, and forced to disband. Years later, the princess of that very kingdom finds the courage to recruit the Sins’ former leader, Meliodas, and help him make things right. It’s a powerful introduction to this world.

Meliodas and company head out to restore their legacy, but this world is full of odd creatures and challenging quests that are likely to get the attention of Dungeon Masters. Even on the level of character development, The Seven Deadly Sins offers a lot to long-form fantasy storytelling.

8/15 Hybrid Hunters Fight Against Endless Demon Hordes

Claymore

Clare draws her sword in Claymore

Clare is a Claymore — a half-human, half-yoma hybrid — who, along with her friends and associates must navigate a world full of shape-shifting demonic yoma. In Clare’s first assignment, she meets a boy named Raki, whose entire family has been murdered by a yoma. In Claymore, it’s Clare’s job to kill the demon.

However, this task isn’t as easy as it seems due to the clever nature of these demons. Clare completes her mission and a strong bond between her and Raki forms in the process that’s full of sweet elements that should entertain a Dungeon Master. Claymore redefines the action and fantasy genres’ entrenched gender roles and finds strength through this schism.

7/15 A Displaced Girl Finds Strength In A Weird Realm

The Twelve Kingdoms

A meeting between leaders in fantasy anime The Twelve Kingdoms

Inspired by Chinese mythology, The Twelve Kingdoms is about twelve separate kingdoms that exist under the rule of a person chosen by the revered Tians. This fantasy anime juggles several story threads, but by and large, it follows the heroic characters Youko Nakajima and Taiki. Youko is an innocent modern schoolgirl who finds herself pulled into this unusual universe.

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Stranded in a strange world, Youko attempts to find a purpose for herself. It’s not an easy journey for Youko, but each step that she takes to naturalize her new surroundings helps her learn a little more about herself in the process.

6/15 Two Brothers Go Above & Beyond To Fix Their Fractured Family

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Edward begins to fight in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers raised by a single mother, show an early interest and talent in alchemy. After their mother suddenly dies, Edward and Alphonse begin to travel the world in order to become better alchemists under the guidance of Izumi Curtis.

Upon their return and with newly-acquired knowledge at hand, the brothers try to revive their mother but only end up injuring themselves in the process. Undeterred, the Elric siblings only fall deeper into alchemy asFullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood begins its epic adventure.

5/15 A Hidden Hero Becomes The Leader To An Exceptional Assassin Squad

Akame ga Kill!

Esdeath fights to her limit in Akame Ga Kill

Akame ga Kill! centers around a young man, Tatsumi, who travels to the Capital from his village and is appalled to see the state of corruption around him. Tatsumi is so disgusted with the state of society that he catches the attention of an assassin group called the Night Raid. This select group appeals Tatsumi to join in their fight against corruption, despite his inexperience and reluctance.

And yet, Tatsumi’s hands aren’t exactly clean. When it is revealed to him that a rich girl who had offered him shelter in the Capital had in fact tortured and abused quite a few people in the countryside in the past, Tatsumi realizes that he must choose a side. With that decision in mind, he kills the girl and joins the Night Raid.

4/15 Magical Fantasy Hierarchy Meets Awkward Hijinks

Scrapped Princess

An awkward ride to the village in Scrapped Princess

Scrapped Princess begins on Earth in the distant future where a girl called Pacifica Casull is born to the royal family of the kingdom of Leinwan. Pacifica is the sister in a pair of twins, but she’s soon abandoned after the 5111th Grendel Prophecy announces that she will destroy the world upon her sixteenth birthday.

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These heightened stakes give Scrapped Princess a lot of mileage when the anime begins. Pacifica is nearly executed before a wizard intervenes and helps her turn over a new leaf with a fresh family. Now, with a new support system, Pacifica is ready to storm her former kingdom and re-balance these karmic scales.

3/15 A Stoic Soldier Wields An Impossible Blade Against Evil

Berserk

Guts is pained with guilt in 2016's Berserk

Multiple adaptations of Kentaro Miura’s Berserk have come to pass, some of which are better than others, but they all triumph when it comes to a dark fantasy world and its reluctant protector. Guts is the archetype for a lone wolf adventurer, especially after a bloody, emotional falling out with his former leader, Griffith.

Griffith succumbs to greed and temptation that come at the cost of Guts and his fellow soldiers. Now a member of the God Hand, Griffith is the ultimate rival for Guts and his mission of vengeance. Berserk continues to heroically soldier forward as Guts attempts to find satisfaction for his rage and conquer the new evils that challenge him along the way.

2/15 A Curious Heroine Holds Tremendous World-Changing Power

Rage Of Bahamut

A prolific meeting occurs in Rage of Bahamut

Rage of Bahamut‘s Mistarcia is a magical land where humans, gods, and demons all live together in peace and harmony. There have been threats to that peace, of course; a demon beast called Bahamut has almost destroyed Mistarcia. However, the fantasy world’s inhabitants have stood together and used a seal to trap the beast and buy themselves some temporary peace.

Unsurprisingly, all good things must come to an end. After two thousand years, a mysterious woman named Amira appears with half of a key to disrupt this peacekeeping seal. Amira claims her gift has been given to her by the Gods, but her very presence in Mistarcia threatens to dismantle thousands of years of happiness.

1/15 Unconventional Strategies Are The Only Hope Of Ending A Decade-Long Feud

Maoyu: Archenemy & Hero

An awkward embrace occurs in Maoyu: Archenemy & Hero

Maoyu: Archenemy & Hero is an entertaining fantasy anime that begins with the Southern Kingdoms War, which has been raging for fifteen years. A courageous human aptly named Hero declares he will finally end this war. Hero valiantly confronts the Demon King, but he is surprised by the pivotal revelation that this alleged malevolent monarch is actually a peaceful queen.

Hero faces a new obstacle when this comely queen tells him that the end of the Southern Kingdoms War will only lead to greater bloodshed. The two are determined to find a new solution to this feud that doesn’t involve violence. Dungeon Masters will cherish the level of strategy and planning in Maoyu: Archenemy & Hero.

NEXT: 10 Isekai Anime Not Set In A Fantasy World

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