Summary
Dark fantasy has been growing in popularity over the years, with more video games and movies than before catering to a larger audience. Animated television shows have also attempted to adapt this versatile and often visceral genre, and aside from the usual anime selections, there are other television shows made outside of Japan that are also worth watching.
The increase in animated shows thatuse the dark fantasy aestheticpartly comes from the increase in video game adaptations. Many of the animated dark fantasy titles that weren’t made in Japan were inspired by popular video games about demons, vampires, and other fantasy elements, so they’re intended for adults and older kids.
6Dragon Age: Absolution
IMDb Rating: 6.4
This story begins with a robbery that involves an artifact known as the Circulum Infinitus, and its source of power is blood magic, so this show is dark from the start. Fairbanks, a seedy criminal with past ties to the main character Miriam, commissions her for the job along with her friend and ally, Phil.
It might be animated, but this showis clearly for older audiencesbecause the deal immediately goes wrong and the chaos that ensues continues for the rest of the season. The party spends the first few episodes trying to infiltrate a location called the Summer Palace, and that’s only the beginning of the twisted path that waits for them.
5Disenchantment
IMDb Rating: 7.2
The fantasy itself isn’t that dark, but the humor of Matt Groening gives this show a funny but cynical edge asan experiment in “anti-fantasy"or something that makes fun of the usual tropes and stereotypes. The main character, Princess Bean, isn’t cheerful, optimistic, or beautiful. She’s an angry alcoholic with an equally abrasive pet demon and the fantasy world they live in, Dreamland, is just as messed up as they are.
Bean rejects most of her inherited responsibilities, which is just as well since none of the usual “princess” things seem to work out for her or the royal house of Grunkwitz. However, that’s not to say it’s all jokes and cynicism, as Bean and her friends uncover a conspiracy among the fantasy caricatures and her own dark past that includes a powerful sorcerer as a mother.
4Blood of Zeus
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Also known by its former title,Gods And Heroes,Blood of Zeusis a retelling of a few Greek myths, including stories of battles against the Titans at the beginning of the world, and also uses details from the ancient legend of Leda and the Swan to explain the birth of the hero, Heron, and his twin brother, Seraphim, one of the main antagonists.
There’s conflict in Olympus as Titans have returned again, hoping to wrest control of creation from Zeus, with the help of certain gods. Hera is angry about her husband’s latest account of infidelity and Hades is bitter about being regulated to the Underworld. They call an army of demons and monsters the like of which hasn’t been seen since the ancient days, and Heron has to embrace his father’s power and stop them.
3Dota: Dragon’s Blood
IMDb Rating: 7.7
The saga ofDotA, the multiplayer online battle arena mod inspired byWarcraft 3and also known asDefense of the Ancients, is an interesting saga in itself, and part of this explains why it’s Valve, not Blizzard, that’s credited with making the video game on which this dark fantasy cartoon is based. This show is based on the sequel to the original, but still contains the same fantasy elements and takes place in the same setting.
The main character is Yuri, a Dragon Knight with a vendetta against the fire-breathing monsters, but through a strange set of magical circumstances, becomes possessed by one when he attempts to slay it. This isn’t just any dragon, but an ancient and powerful being named Slyrak, who needs Yuri’s help to fight an even greater and more destructive dragon named Terrorblade.
2Castlevania
IMDb Rating: 8.3
Nobody really expected this Netflix experiment in video game adaptation to be a smash hit, butCastlevaniatook the gaming and animation world by storm with its stellar castingand medieval-inspired storyline. Richard Armitage carried the voice acting as Trevor Belmont, Alejandra Reynoso played the magic-user Sypha Belnades, and James Callis brought the dour Dhampir Alucard to life.
Wallacia is a fictional place, but it’s set in the very real early Medieval Eastern Europe, so not only do we have Gothic architecture everywhere, but it’s steeped in a deeply ignorant and superstitious society. People here are afraid of vampires, witches, and demons because they actually exist, and our heroes have to cut a bloody path through layers of viscera and horror to stop them. Like the video games, the final boss is Dracula and the last level is his castle.
1Arcane
IMDb Rating: 9.0
The full title of this show,Arcane: League of Legends, gives away the video game that inspired it.The animation is uniqueand uses a more three-dimensional style than the usual 2D style, one of the features that got it positive reviews from critics.
The opening scene is one of the industrial wasteland of Zaun, and a family that’s faced a devastating tragedy, juxtaposed against the distant urban paradise of Piltover. The main characters of the show are two of the “Champions” featured in the game, Violet and Powder, and the first episode of the series is their backstory. It involves exploding gems, a daring heist in a wizard’s workshop, and the social tensions that arise between the rich and the poor, especially when it comes to something as valuable as magic.
