Summary

• There are many fantasy anime that are perfect for fans of The Lord of the Rings.
• Some anime play into the fantasy aesthetic in the same way as The Lord of the Rings with incredible animation.
• Other anime are good to watch for how effortlessly they lampoon fantasy stories like The Lord of the Rings.

The Lord of the Rings is undeniably the biggest fantasy franchise in the world, and it has inspired countless works, including many anime series. The books and films are among the most successful pieces of media in history, and not only is it common for stories of any genre to reference it, but its story beats helped lay the foundation for the entire fantasy genre for the decades that followed.

The Lord of the Rings has roots in nearly every medium, and that’s especially true of anime. In addition to the franchise having an anime prequel film in development, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, there are many anime that do a great job of capturing the high fantasy aesthetic that made The Lord of the Rings so popular, whether it does so by playing it straight or by lampooning a lot of the ideas.

10 Goblin Slayer Is A Brilliantly Dark Take On Fantasy

Anime by Liden Films; Based on the light novel by Kumo Kagyu

Liden Films’ Goblin Slayer takes place in a typical fantasy world where adventurers of various classes take on quests to defeat monsters that terrorize the land, including goblins. In most cases, goblins are too weak to ever be a serious threat, but there are often times when they develop skills that put even seasoned adventurers at risk. The only one who truly understands how dangerous goblins are is the aptly named Goblin Slayer, and he won’t stop until every last goblin is dead by his hands.

While some elements might not be appropriate for viewing, especially in the infamous first episode, Goblin Slayer is still a standout fantasy anime. Not only does the premise make for a good deconstruction of classic fantasy conventions, but Goblin Slayer’s writing and worldbuilding allow for an engaging dark take on Dungeons & Dragon-style fantasy, with that sort of influence even being directly part of the overarching lore. It’s a great anime for anyone who loves classic fantasy, and that makes it perfect for fans of The Lord of the Rings.

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9 Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic Adds An Arabian Aesthetic To Classic Fantasy

Anime by A-1 Pictures; Based on the manga by Shinobu Ohtaka

A-1 Pictures’ Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic takes place in an Arabian Nights-esque fantasy world where people challenge deadly dungeons to obtain untold power and riches that can give anyone a high standing in the world at large. Aladdin and Alibaba are two such people who seek out dungeons as they travel the world in search of adventure, but they soon find themselves involved in political and magical conspiracies alike that threaten to destroy the entire world if they and their friends don’t do anything about it.

While Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic doesn’t have the same aesthetic as The Lord of the Rings, fans of the latter can still get a lot out of it. In addition to having a great cast and stellar action, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic’s execution of its fantasy themes is some of the best of any anime thanks to its intricate magic system and all-around incredible worldbuilding. The Arabian Nights aesthetic might be at odds with The Lord of the Rings, but Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic still has plenty to make it worth watching, regardless.

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8 Konosuba: God's Blessing On This Wonderful World! Is Fantasy Parody At Its Finest

Anime by Studio Drive; Based on the light novel by Natsume Akatsuki

Studio Drive's Konosuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! has the typical setup of an isekai anime of protagonist Kazuma Satou being sent to a fantasy world to defeat the demon king. Kazuma, however, is a lazy and selfish jerk who would rather do anything else with his time, and with a party consisting of a lazy and dimwitted goddess, a masochistic knight, and an eccentric mage who only knows how to cast one spell, no one’s going to make him change his attitude, anytime soon.

Konosuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! is one of the most popular isekai anime of the past decade, and for good reason. With a cast of largely selfish people and a story that constantly makes fun of isekai fantasy and fantasy, in general, Konosuba stands as a brilliant fantasy parody from start to finish, and that includes all the things stories like The Lord of the Rings typically play straight. Any fan of those stories will be able to appreciate Konosuba’s parody stylings, and with a third season underway, that idea is bound to become even stronger.

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7 Slayers Is Still An Incredible Fantasy Comedy After Almost 30 Years

Anime by J.C. Staff; Based on the light novel by Hajime Kanzaka

J.C. Staff’s Slayers stars Lina Inverse, a powerful sorceress who wanders the land looking for opportunities to make quick cash and often causes problems that are even bigger than the ones she was trying to solve. Throughout her travels, Lina and her friends occasionally get involved in the eternal between the forces of the two supreme deities who govern over their world, and while Lina would rather have no part in any of it, it often falls to her to save the world in a moment of crisis.

When it comes to fantasy anime, few are better at balancing comedy with serious writing than Slayers. The focus is primarily on the comedic hijinks of the cast, but going right along with that, Slayers has some of the most intricate and interesting worldbuilding of any fantasy story, and the way they complement each other always makes for incredible storytelling. The anime might be close to 30 years old at this point, but it’s still managed to hold up incredibly well as a fantasy story in all that time.

Watch On Funimation

6 Berserk’s First Anime Is Still A Fantasy Milestone

Anime series by OLM, Inc.; Based on the manga by Kentaro Miura

Berserk is the classic dark fantasy series about Guts, a wandering swordsman with a giant sword, on a journey to exact revenge upon the evil God Hand while killing any demonic Apostles he encounters along the way. There have been several adaptations over the years, but the most famous is the original 1997 anime by OLM, Inc., which focused primarily on the Golden Age arc, the story that explored how Guts became the dark and violent man presented at the beginning of the story.

The original Berserk anime is easily its best adaptation, and it’s not hard to see why that is. Not only does it have the best and most consistent art and animation out of the various adaptations, but the direction of the original Berserk anime does the best job of depicting the unflinchingly dark nature of its world, even if it ended rather abruptly. It’s still one of the best fantasy anime around, and that makes it perfect for any Lord of the Rings fans.

5 Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Is Isekai Fantasy At Its Finest

Anime by Studio Bind; Based on the light novel by Rifujin na Magonote

The protagonist of Studio Bind’s Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation was an obese shut-in evicted from his home following his parents’ deaths and dies saving some kids from a speeding truck, the only useful thing he did with his life. The man is then reincarnated into a fantasy world as Rudeus Greyrat, a boy with a natural affinity to magic, and he decides to use the opportunity to live a life he can actually be proud of.

While Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is the godfather of isekai anime, it has far more to offer. Not only does it have some of the best art and animation of any anime in recent years, but Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’s story does a great job of playing into the aesthetic of high fantasy writing, whether it’s through the overall plot or the cast, specifically. Controversial elements of Rudeus’ character aside, it’s a gorgeous fantasy anime, and it’s one that offers everything great about The Lord of the Rings and more.

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4 Re:Zero Is A Near-Perfect Deconstruction Of Isekai Anime

Anime by White Fox; Based on the light novel by Tappei Nagatsuki

White Fox’s Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World stars Subaru Natsuki, an ordinary boy who suddenly finds himself transported to a fantasy world. Rather than receive any overpowered abilities, however, Subaru gets the power to return to specific points in time whenever he dies, and the series often uses that to have him die in increasingly horrific ways as he slowly gets involved in the darker elements of his new reality.

The biggest hallmark of Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World’s success is its dark storytelling. Subaru’s constant and gruesome deaths are one thing, but Re:Zero constantly deconstructs typical isekai anime through Subaru’s self-loathing and how much he has to work for everything, making for a much more serious take on the genre than other stories like it. Add in some great worldbuilding, fight scenes, and character writing, and it’s an all-around great fantasy series anyone can enjoy, especially fans of The Lord of the Rings.

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3 Record Of Lodoss War Perfectly Understands The Dungeons & Dragons Aesthetic

Anime by Studio AIC; Based on the novel by Ryo Mizuno

Studio AIC’s Record of Lodoss War is centered around Parn, a young knight on a quest to discover how his father became disgraced and restore his family’s honor. Along the way, Parn ends up forming a party with a wide array of adventurers, each one on a quest of their own, and it ultimately escalates into Parn and his party being the ones who have to save all of Lodoss from destruction.

Owing to its origins as a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, Record of Lodoss War does a great job of capturing the aesthetic of classical fantasy. The characters and worldbuilding are all that one would expect from a Dungeons & Dragons-style story, and as cliché as it might be, the straightforwardness of Record of Lodoss War’s writing makes it all incredibly sincere from start to finish. It’s one of the most classic traditional fantasy stories in anime, and as such, it’s perfect for fans of The Lord of the Rings.

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2 Delicious In Dungeon Has A Hilarious Take On Classic Fantasy

Anime by Studio Trigger; Based on the manga by Ryoko Kui

Studio Trigger’s Delicious in Dungeon opens with Laios and his adventurer party being wiped out by a ferocious dragon and Laios’ sister, Falin, being eaten alive. The party only has a limited amount of time to go back through the dungeon and revive Falin, and to survive off of limited supplies, food included, Laios gets his party to start eating the various monsters they encounter in the dungeon, something Laios is heavily implied to have been looking for an excuse to do for a while.

Delicious in Dungeon is a fairly recent series, but it’s already established itself as a great fantasy anime. The way it effortlessly parodies fantasy stories is one thing, but the thought and care Delicious in Dungeon puts into its worldbuilding makes for a world that’s both creative and engaging, and that only becomes more evident with every episode. Add in the always gorgeous animation of Studio Trigger, and Delicious in Dungeon is a wonderful love letter to classic fantasy that’s perfect for fans of The Lord of the Rings.

Watch On Netflix

1 Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Is Already One Of Anime’s Greatest Fantasy Stories

Anime by Studio Madhouse; Based on the manga by Kanehito Yamada & Tsukasa Abe

Studio Madhouse’s Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End stars Frieren, the virtually unaging elf mage of the adventurer party that defeated the demon lord. While Frieren initially didn’t think much of her time with her companions, the death of the Hero, Himmel, made her realize how much she cared about them, and her regret over not treasuring the times spent together pushes Frieren to go on a new journey to learn how to better understand people.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has taken the anime community by storm, and it’s easy to see why that is. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End’s thoughtful and philosophical approach to fantasy is a breath of fresh air after years of isekai anime, especially with the poignant and all-around great character writing, and with its incredible animation and direction, every episode is a visual spectacle from start to finish. Considering its poetical approach to the genre, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is easily the best anime for fans of The Lord of the Rings.

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