I’m Quitting Heroing shakes up fantasy anime by challenging some of its basic assumptions. It blends humor with action and drama, and it does its best to keep viewers on their toes. For fans who watch a lot of anime in this genre, I’m Quitting Heroing is refreshing in many ways. What that series brings to the table is unique, but here are some other fantasy anime that shake up expectations.
8 Overlord
Momonga isn’t quitting heroing, because he isn’t a hero in the first place. In addition to being the greatest sorcerer in the land, he’s also an outright villain: manipulating, lying, and killing to get his way. He’s a character in a fantasy world within his favorite MMO, Yggdrasil, but when the game shuts down he finds himself trapped within, alongside NPCs suddenly gaining sentience.
In terms of anime that shake up the traditional fantasy conventions, one can’t do much better than Overlord. It blends action and drama and, despite its villainous protagonist, isn’t oppressively heavy.
7 The Rising Of The Shield Hero
The Rising of the Shield Hero combines everything that most viewers want in a fantasy anime: fantastic animation and music, solid character designs, creative storytelling, and enough emotional content to payoff the viewer’s investment.
The series benefits from the same sense of gradual progress and empowerment that one finds in RPGs. More importantly, Naofumi Iwatani, the shield hero himself, is a complex, multi-layered protagonist. His goals and motivations aren’t cookie-cutter, and they make sense, all of which makes it easy to root for him and his allies. The Rising of the Shield Hero checks many of the same boxes as I’m Quitting Heroing while adding its own twists.
6 Grimgar: Ashes And Illusions
The heroes of most fantasy anime are defined by their unique and incredible abilities: spells that level armies, swords that slice through castles, or burglary skills that render them practically invisible. Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions is notable for defying expectation by having its protagonists be more or less ordinary people, dropped into a situation where their only reasonable choice is to join the local army.
There’s no world-eating dragon or invincible lightning wizard, just a group of friends trying to do their best in and survive in difficult circumstances. It’s the realism of Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions that makes the series one of the most interesting fantasy and isekai animes around.
5 Somali And The Forest Spirit
Fantasy, by definition, stretches the realm of imagination beyond the ordinary. Powerful spells, strange monsters, and otherworldly kingdoms are all possible. Indeed, anything the creators imagine can become real. It’s therefore disappointing that many fantasy anime end up feeling generic and predictable.
Somali and the Forest Spirit breaks that trend. Humans are persecuted. Monsters reign. A father and daughter journey the work, meeting strange and interesting people, which wouldn’t be so surprising if the father weren’t a golem and the daughter a human girl.Somali and the Forest Spirit feels like a fairytale, replete with spirits, goblins, and other intriguing creatures.
4 The Twelve Kingdoms
Some anime titles are so strange or generic that it’s impossible to guess what they’re about. Then there are anime like The Twelve Kingdoms, which is about twelve kingdoms. The animation might be dated, but that isn’t what viewers come to this series for. The series’ titular kingdoms feel authentic, fleshed out, and lived in.
Whereas other fantasies leave one feeling a little lost, with environments and societies that never seem to have gotten any of the details they needed, here that is not the case. The Twelve Kingdoms is a welcome respite from generic fantasy anime, with grand themes and excellent character development to top it off.
3 Goblin Slayer
What do High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest have in common? They’re all characters in Goblin Slayer, as is Goblin Slayer, for that matter. Those on-the-nose fantasy names are only part of the show’s concerted effort to make viewers feel like they’re part of a classic tabletop fantasy world, and it could hardly be more successful.
The battles are excellent, and the character development between Goblin Slayer and Priestess is well-handled. While it’s not the smoothest anime in terms of pacing and stumbles now and then, Goblin Slayer remains a unique and worthwhile foray into fantasy. Despite the arguably childish origins of its other subject matter, the show contains some mature and disturbing themes significant enough to call for trigger warnings.
2 Didn’t I Say To Make My Abilities Average In The Next Life?!
One would think that receiving magical powers would be an amazing gift and privilege. Unfortunately, the hero of Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average In the Next Life?! wants only unexceptional abilities, and is not pleased when the fantasy world she enters blesses her with magical talents far beyond the norm. The series is funny and knowing, with winks to the audience being frequent.
All Misato wants is to blend in, and instead, she has to deal with being the most powerful magic user around. A strong protagonist, clever premise, and engaging world help make Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! a standout fantasy anime worthy of fans of I’m Quitting Heroing.
1 Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious
Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious is another anime that delights in spelling out its premise in the title. It’s a dangerous world, with swords and villains aplenty. No amount of sword training or number of healing potions squirreled away will convince Seiya that he is safe, hence his caution.
While it might seem like the kind of premise that would quickly wear thin, the anime manages to wring every bit of humor and satire from it to keep fans engaged. The end result is a fantasy anime that’s far more than a punchline, packing in more than its fair share of comedy and quirky twists.
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