The best fantasy anime really makes the most of the limitless creative possibilities available in the genre. From traditional sword and sorcery, to isekai, genre-defying series, anime and fantasy go hand in hand.

Fantasy anime clearly shows the diversity of ideas within the genre. Some fantasy anime are set in stylized, magical versions of the real world. Others are set in unique fictional worlds built from scratch by the author. These anime have gone down as classics of the genre regardless of the actual world they are set in and whatever adventures the characters are going on.

10 Berserk (1997) – Studio OLM

Based on the manga created by Kentaro Miura

Berserk is the most popular and a serious contender for the darkest fantasy manga of all time. Various arcs of the original manga were adapted into anime series in the 90s and 2010s, but most of the Berserk manga has yet to be adapted. With the help of an amazing soundtrack by Japanese electronic artist Susumu Hirasawa, the 1997 anime Berserk is widely regarded as a classic. Despite that classic level, what holds Berserk back is its lack of a true ending. It’s hard to say whether he’s setting up a second season that never got made or trying to increase manga sales. Still, fantasy fans are missing out by not seeing the 1997 Berserk anime.

9 Lodos War Archive – Studio Madhouse

Based on the novel series created by Ryo Mizuno

War Log of Lodoss is one of the best Dungeons and Dragons-style fantasy anime of all time, and a big reason for that is that the story began life during author Ryo Mizuno’s tabletop gaming session with his friends. Eventually, they developed these into a series of light novels that received a 13-episode anime adaptation in the early 90s, followed by the less-serious, 1998 reboot Chronicles of the Heroic Knight.

Given that War of Lodoss is 30 years old and the fantasy genre has changed a lot since the early 90s, the series can feel very generic, as the series relies on many ancient characters and plot devices played entirely straight. Even so, it’s very well done, and comes across as a refreshingly honest and straightforward high fantasy story, given how many modern fantasy anime are based on satire and expectations.

Stream now on Crunchyroll

8 Rise of the Shield Hero – Studio Kinema Citrus

Based on the light novel series created by Aneko Usagi and Minami Seira

The isekai genre is so widespread that the best isekai anime do something unique with the concept to make it truly memorable. Rise of the Shield Hero is notable for being darker than the typical Isekai story. Although it’s never as intense as Berserk or other epic dark anime series, Shield Hero is still a dark fantasy story that offers an unmistakably seductive approach to both fantasy worlds and the Isekai genre in particular. The tone may be enough to turn some viewers off the series, but it’s undeniably a different spin on isekai anime.

Watch now on Crunchyroll

7 Fairy tail – A-1 pictures

Based on the manga created by Hiro Mashima

The most amazing thing about Fairy Tail is how diverse its magic system is. Fiore’s setting is dominated by magical groups and every main character is technically considered a wizard. While there is an established archetype for witches in the genre, Fairy Tail presents the witches as everything. Natsu and Gray are basically martial artists whose fighting styles use fire and ice respectively, while Erza has a seemingly limitless supply of magical armor. Similarly, the minority members of the Fairy Tail group as well as the various opponents are all given unique vision patterns and magical abilities. It is a clear demonstration of the creative mind of author Hiro Mashima.

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6 KonoSuba – Studio Deen

Based on the light novel series created by Natsume Akatsuki

Short for Kono Subarashi: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World, KonoSuba is a comedy isekai classic. Like many isekai series, KonoSuba is set in a virtual world that takes on the logic of a video game or tabletop RPG. KonoSuba fully commits to its RPG roots to highlight the setting’s intrinsic swagger. The minor characters never understand how ridiculous their world is. In contrast, protagonists are smart enough to recognize many features of the game-based world, outwardly repeat enough and comically fail to exploit them, but become good at lateral thinking and eventually win in unexpected ways.

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5 Slayers – E&G Films

Based on the light novel series created by Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Arazumi

Slayers is one of anime’s best examples of how to successfully blend comedy and action. The fictional world of Slayers is fairly comprehensive, but the setting is perfect for the series’ reverential tone. The general fantasy setting allows the characters’ bombastic and humorous personalities to illuminate many of the beloved aspects of the fantasy genre in a humorous way. At the same time, the characters become involved in legal persuasive actions and adventures, in which the fate of the entire murderer is at stake. Both the satirical self-aware humor and the oddly imaginative action are brilliantly executed.

Watch it now on Funimation

4 One Piece – Toei Animation

Based on the manga created by Eiichiro Oda

One Piece is the best-selling series and longest-running anime of all time. By default, this makes it one of the most popular fantasy works of all time. Although One Piece doesn’t share much with Lord of the Rings or Dungeons and Dragons-influenced fantasy works, it’s still essentially a fantasy story at heart. The adventures of Straw Howe’s pirates take you across a fictional world with its own unique roles and logic, cultures and governments. One Piece may not normally be fantasy, but Eiichiro Oda has created one of the most unique, creative, and memorable fictional worlds in all of pop culture.

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3 Princess Mononoke – Studio Ghibli

An original anime created by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

Despite a lot of nostalgia for the millennial audience who saw Princess Mononoke as children when it was first released, Princess Mononoke is still a classic even when it’s freed from that nostalgia. The English script for Princess Mononoke was written by the beloved author Neil Gaiman, who did a great job adapting the story for an English-language audience and still staying within the strict Nausicaa policy put in place after the release of Hayao Miyazaki’s strict Nausicaa English. Valley of the wind.

Princess Mononoke is a beautiful film, both artistically and thematically. The designs of animals and monsters are both majestic and terrifying, often at the same time. The film’s plot is driven by strong environmentalism and peaceful scenery.

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Based on the manga created by Hiromu Arakawa

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is considered by many fans to be one of the greatest anime of all time. Although the Amestris series is set in post-industrial revolution Germany, which has fairly unrevealed fantasy elements, at least on the surface, it’s clear that alchemy plays a major role in the plot. Series creator Hiromu Arakawa has laid out a lot of ideas in the system about exactly how the magic system behind the series Alchemy works. The system of alchemy is complex but internally coherent, drawing inspiration from many real-world historical magical, alchemical, and scientific principles.

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1 Inuyasha – Sunrise

Based on the manga created by Rumiko Takahashi

One of many manga series by mangaka Rumiko Takahashi, Inuyasha is a historical isekai series that predates the genre’s explosion in popularity in the 2010s. Although the series tells the story of an epic quest to control a powerful magical jewel that sees the cast fighting monsters and demons, Inuyasha is very much a romance under Takahashi’s other popular works. Inuyasha is a masterful combination of epic adventure, brilliant action, and fantastic character and monster design centered around a legitimately beautiful romance. Inuyasha has become one of the most popular anime series of the early 21st century. All of this adds up to make Inuyasha the best fantasy anime of all time.

Watch it now on Netflix

While there is a certain amount of fantasy work, the best creators don’t necessarily stick to established archetypes. While some anime series fully embrace the archetypal fantasy traditions, others cater to the comedy genre. Other creators decided to take fantasy in completely new and different directions. There isn’t just one way to tell a fantasy story, and the most popular anime creators understand that fact. The limitless creative potential for new worlds and stories is at the best of all time.