If You Love Playing D&D, Check Out These Anime

Dungeons & Dragons is beloved for its intricate adventures, immersive fantasy worlds, and richly customizable character options. Whether you’re storming a lich’s lair or simply trying to survive a mimic disguised as a treasure chest, D&D offers a unique blend of creativity, camaraderie, and chaos that keeps players coming back for more.

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However, the downtime between sessions can leave adventurers longing for their next quest. Fortunately, there’s no need to wait until the next initiative roll to get your fix. A wide range of anime series capture the same sense of wonder, party dynamics, and world-shaking stakes that make D&D so unforgettable.

10

Mushi-Shi

• Aired: October 23, 2005 – June 19, 2006
• Number of Episodes: 26
• Streaming: Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime

Set in a fictional era loosely situated between Japan’s Edo and Meiji periods, Mushi-Shi follows Ginko, a rare person with the ability to see mushi, spirit-like creatures that exist on the border between the natural and supernatural. Often invisible to ordinary people, mushi can cause strange phenomena that disrupt the lives of humans.

Mushi-Shi plays out much like a series of one-shot D&D sessions. Each episode stands alone, following Ginko as he investigates a new mystery and attempts to bring balance between the human and mushi worlds. With its beautiful animation, atmospheric sound design, and meditative pacing, the show slowly weaves together a rich, magical world that feels ancient, mysterious, and just out of reach.

9

Record Of Lodoss War

• Aired: April 1, 1998 – September 30, 1998
• Number of Episodes: 27
• Streaming: Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, Apple TV

Record of Lodoss War follows the adventures of Parn, the son of a disgraced knight, who sets out to uncover the truth behind his father’s fall from honor and redeem his family name. Along the way, he gathers a diverse party of adventurers, including a cleric, a wizard, a thief, and an elf, as they face off against dark forces threatening the fragile peace of the island of Lodoss.

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Originally born from a D&D-inspired roleplaying game, Record of Lodoss War evolved into a series of fantasy novels, manga, and anime. That tabletop origin is clearly felt in the show’s structure: a young adventurer’s humble beginnings, a classic fantasy party, and an escalating epic that feels like a campaign straight from the game table.

8

Samurai Champloo

• Aired: May 20, 2014 – March 19, 2005
• Number of Episodes: 26
• Streaming: Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Hulu, Disney Plus

Samurai Champloo follows the unlikely trio of Fuu, a determined tea waitress; Mugen, a wild and unpredictable swordsman; and Jin, a calm and disciplined ronin. After a chaotic encounter leads to mutual trouble, Fuu convinces the two to accompany her on a journey to find the samurai who smells of sunflowers.

Much like a classic D&D campaign, Samurai Champloo thrives on the chemistry of its party. Each character brings a wildly different background, skill set, and personality to the group, leading to constant conflict and moments of surprising camaraderie. Blending emotional storytelling with a hip-hop-infused style, the series balances action, drama, and comedy in a way that feels like a gaming session that never quite goes as planned.

• Aired: April 5, 2009 – July 4, 2010
• Number of Episodes: 64
• Streaming: Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus

After a tragic alchemic accident while trying to resurrect their mother, brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric pay a steep price: Alphonse loses his entire body, and Edward sacrifices his arm and leg to bind Al’s soul to a suit of armor. Surviving the ordeal, the two set out on a journey to find the legendary Philosopher’s Stone, hoping to restore what they lost.

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a tale of redemption, sacrifice, and perseverance, filled with a colorful cast that grows alongside the story’s rising stakes. Like a well-crafted D&D campaign, it blends emotional storytelling and thrilling action in a world with its own internal logic and magic system. The Elric brothers’ journey feels like one born from a tabletop adventure, full of strange creatures, political intrigue, and a bond between characters that carries the emotional weight of a seasoned party.

6

.Hack//SIGN

• Aired: 2002 – 2003
• Number of Episodes: 28
• Streaming: Amazon Prime

The .hack series explores the complex relationship between society and technology through the lens of The World, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game accessed via immersive virtual reality headsets. Set in a rich fantasy realm filled with magic, monsters, and mysteries, the story centers on Tsukasa, a player who finds himself unable to log out.

Much like a D&D campaign, .hack//SIGN follows characters who are technically player characters, controlled by real-world users navigating a fantasy world. This meta-layer adds depth and complexity to the story, making the stakes feel both personal and philosophical. It’s a slow-burning narrative that weaves mystery, existential questions, and world-building into a unique fantasy experience.

5

I May Be A Guild Receptionist, But I’ll Solo Any Boss To Clock Out On Time

• Aired: January 11, 2025 – March 29, 2025
• Number of Episodes: 12
• Streaming: Crunchyroll, Apple TV, Amazon Prime

D&D is full of NPCs who help flesh out the world and support the adventuring party. But what happens when one of those NPCs becomes a protagonist? Alina dreams of nothing more than a quiet, stable life behind the guild’s front desk. Unfortunately, her peaceful aspirations are constantly interrupted by paperwork, specifically, the mountains of forms triggered when adventurers take too long to defeat dungeon bosses. Her solution? Don’t wait for the adventurers. Solo the boss herself, finish the fight, and get back to her filing.

D&D players are notorious for creating quirky, unexpected characters, a fashionista barbarian or a warforged made of porcelain. Alina is the anime equivalent: a seemingly mundane NPC with an absurdly powerful hidden ability and zero interest in glory. Her story is a hilarious inversion of standard adventuring tropes.

4

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

• Aired: September 29, 2023 – Present
• Number of Episodes: 28+
• Streaming: Crunchyroll, Apple TV, Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Fandango At Home

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End follows the elven mage Frieren, 50 years after she and her legendary party defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. For an elf with a near-immortal lifespan, a decade-long quest and a 50-year gap pass in the blink of an eye, but for her human companions, it’s a lifetime. When Frieren finally returns to visit her old friends, she finds them aged or gone, prompting her to reflect on the bonds they shared and the time she took for granted.

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Haunted by the weight of time and memory, Frieren embarks on a new journey, this time with Fern, a gifted young mage, and Stark, a timid but capable warrior. As the trio travels across a peaceful yet still dangerous world, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End feels like the epilogue to a long-running D&D campaign, one where the original party has disbanded, and new characters step forward to continue the story.

3

Gensomaden Saiyuki

• Aired: April 4, 2000 – March 27, 2001
• Number of Episodes: 50
• Streaming: Amazon Prime

Inspired by Journey to the West, Gensomaden Saiyuki follows an unlikely group of heroes, three youkai and a gun-toting human priest named Sanzo, as they journey westward to prevent the resurrection of the powerful youkai god, Gyumao. Efforts to revive him have unleashed a wave of malevolent energy across the land, causing once-peaceful youkai to turn violent and bloodthirsty. To stop the chaos, the Sanzo party must cross a dangerous, war-torn world filled with dark magic, betrayal, and inner demons.

Much like an epic D&D road trip campaign, Saiyuki is filled with gritty encounters, character-driven conflict, and high-stakes battles. The group often faces overwhelming odds, and at times, they even split the party… usually with disastrous consequences. With its blend of action, mythology, and complex party dynamics, Saiyuki feels like a classic tabletop adventure brought to life in anime form.

2

Delicious In Dungeon

• Aired: January 4, 2024 – Present
• Number of Episodes: 24+
• Streaming: Amazon Prime. Netflix

In the world of Delicious in Dungeon, dungeon-delving adventurers are as common as swords and spellbooks. But this particular party stands out, not just for their determination to explore a massive dungeon in search of a lost comrade, but for their… unconventional dining habits. Rather than return to the surface for supplies, they decide to sustain themselves by cooking and eating the monsters they slay.

This quirky twist on the traditional fantasy adventure mirrors the unpredictable chaos of a D&D campaign. After all, who among tabletop players hasn’t tried to eat something strange just to see what happens? Delicious in Dungeon blends humor, world-building, and surprisingly well-researched fantasy gastronomy into a story that feels like it was born at the intersection of a clever Dungeon Master and a hungry, unhinged party.

1

Fairy Tail

• Aired: October 12, 2009 – September 29, 2019
• Number of Episodes: 328
• Streaming: Crunchyroll, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Fandango At Home

Set in the world of Earth-land, Fairy Tail follows Natsu Dragneel, a powerful Dragon Slayer wizard, and his eclectic group of guildmates from the renowned magic guild, Fairy Tail. Bound by deep camaraderie and a shared sense of adventure, the guild takes on a wide range of magical jobs as Natsu searches for his missing adoptive father, the dragon Igneel. Along the way, the team faces dangerous foes, uncovers ancient secrets, and grows stronger with every challenge.

Much like a classic D&D campaign, many of Fairy Tail’s adventures begin at the guild hall’s job board, where magical quests are posted by clients in need. With its colorful cast of characters, over-the-top spell-slinging battles, and themes of friendship, Fairy Tail captures the spirit of a long-running D&D campaign.

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