In recent times, anime fans have started resenting fantasy anime. This is due to the prevalence of low quality kicked from the hero’s party stories. They all follow the same formula. Someone has a skill that looks outwardly weak, so the cruel party kicks them out. They then realize how overpowered their skill is, so they gain a party of beautiful women and gain tons of money and love and adoration from society at large. They have the most basic magic systems and races imaginable, basing them entirely on the most simplistic Dungeons and Dragons fantasy setting. Luckily, there’s still fantasy anime out there that do try something different. This ranges from Chainsaw Man to Delicious in Dungeon to The Ancient Magus’ Bride. I’d like to recognize the worlds of these shows and what they do to make anime that are truly special.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride
The Ancient Magus’ Bride does something unique for fantasy anime. It swerves away from the traditional Dungeons and Dragons fantasy. Instead, the main character Chise Hatori enters a world based around European folklore. The setting of the anime even takes place in Great Britain! There is still magic and fantasy creatures like dragons, but they’re based on the European interpretations. In this world, the magical aspects are declining, facing attacks from industrialization and human progress. As Chise familiarizes herself with this world from the support of her master Elias Ainsworth, she wants to learn magic and become a mage. She wants to save all these creatures from extinction, and it turns into the main goal driving her forwards.
This wouldn’t matter if the creatures were your generic goblins, but they aren’t. You have the fae race, which are faeries that are ruled over by Titania and Oberon. These include aerials, mischievous bird like creatures that are masters of wind magic. There are also dragons, which have different subspecies like the uil or beanna. The uil’s body is covered in scales, while the Beanna resembles a bird, except for it not having wings. This dedication to European folklore sets itself apart from other anime into something truly special.
Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Man doesn’t feel like a fantasy anime. There isn’t a traditional magic system, and regular weapons like guns and, yes, chainsaws, play prominent roles. But it is, and that’s due to the presence of the devils. They’re creatures born from humanity’s fear of a specific concept. This ranges from specific objects like the fish devil to entire concepts such as the future or death devils. They’re physical manifestations of the concept they represent, and their power is based around the fear associated with their name. For example, guns aren’t scary on their own, but due to their association with violence and shootings, they’re one of the most powerful devils in the series.
This single devil concept is what drives the entire story, both in terms of the plot and the characters. For example, the protagonist Denji forms a contract with the chainsaw devil. This causes the devil’s powers to fuse with his human body. He’s forced to join the Public Safety Devil Hunters. It’s part of the Japanese government and protects Japan from devils. Humans can make contracts with devils and harness their power by giving up things like body parts. And devils can even take over the corpses of human beings and become fiends. Chainsaw Man is proof for how creative you can get with a single concept, and that you don’t need to follow the traditional fantasy tropes and setting to make something memorable.
Delicious in Dungeon
Delicious in Dungeon follows the traditional Dungeons and Dragons fantasy world. What makes it so special is that it fully leans into the setting. There are the standard human, elf and dwarf races. However, there’s also half-foots, which resemble hobbits from Lord of the Rings, kobolds that are essentially beastmen, gnomes, ogres and orcs. Each race is wildly different from each other. This includes their lifespan, physical and magical capabilities, physical builds, and even personalities. While there are obviously exceptions, elves for example tend to be more arrogant and prideful due to their long lifespans. Meanwhile, half-foots have sharp senses and suffer discrimination because of their childlike appearance. Developing distinct races like this already sets Delicious in Dungeon apart from its contemporaries. But the true star of the show are the monsters.
The entire series takes place in a single, sprawling dungeon. Each floor has its own features and monsters. Floor 2, for example, is a series of tall trees and towers linked together by wooden bridges. The monsters here include basilisks and mandrakes. Meanwhile, floor 3 is the inside of a gigantic castle, and contains undead and metallic enemies such as skeletons and treasure bugs. The anime takes careful consideration of how these monsters might live. This includes how they hunt for food, how they move around, and their strengths and weaknesses. As a result, these creatures feel like actual animals, not just generic creatures meant to serve as obstacles for the protagonists. This single location conveys as many details and tidbits about the world as possible. It does it in such an effortless way that it serves as one of the best examples for what a fantasy world can achieve.
The Beauty of Worldbuilding
The worlds of these three anime are completely different. Delicious in Dungeon explores the inherent potential in a traditional Dungeons and Dragons fantasy. Chainsaw Man takes a simple concept and sees how that would shape the world. What they all prove is that fantasy anime still have the potential to create incredible worlds filled with action and adventure. Beyond the generic fantasy anime, there are still incredible worlds worth discovering, ones that raise the bar not just for anime but for fantasy as a whole.
