I think there’s so many storytelling opportunities to explore new worlds, new cultures, new magic systems, or rich histories that dot the lands. It’s kind of like one of those genres that at least has one show that anyone can enjoy, just because of how versatile it is. Now the main criteria that I have is there’s gotta be a focus on adventure in the show itself. Just travel isn’t enough, there needs to be exploration. Granted this isn’t really a requirement, but it is a general theme, as much of a joke as it tends to be… But “the friends they’ve made along the way” is a great way to tell if we’re looking at an Adventure Fantasy anime. So let’s take a trip, visit some new places together, and maybe find some treasure at the end of the road.
15. The Rising of the Shield Hero
Rising of the Shield Hero has one of my favorite isekai concepts. Four heroes get transported to a world to stop an evil threat – pretty basic. But following the hero who’s only able to use a shield and facing scorn because of that is super interesting. I think this show is at its strongest when it’s delving into the interesting locales and meeting new people. Which tends to be, at its core, the adventure parts. The politics aren’t bad, but they’re generally very simple and really just serve to push the plot forwards. I’ve heard it’s better in the LN, but that’s not the focus here. What’s there is solid though.
14. D. Grey Man
I really love all of the different monster designs in this show. It’s one of the few entries on this list that’s all about monster slaying, instead of having most of the enemies just being other people. Another area where this show really excels is in the character designs. Allen Walker is one of my favorite protagonists of any show (aesthetically), with his eye tattoo and fashion sense. Plus the adventures in a fairly grim world leave a lot of room for the imagination to roam, wondering what else could be out there.
13. Re:Zero
Yet another isekai show, but with a time traveling twist to it. The ability to “respawn” whenever he dies is definitely an interesting power to give our main character. And that’s really about the only special power that he has, unfortunately. Subaru is just a regular human with no talent for magic or swordsmanship at the beginning. And while he trains to get better, a lot of the more hands-on physical confrontations are usually left to his more capable companions.
12. Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail is all about the adventures around the engaging and interesting world of Earth Land (with a less-than-interesting world name). The Fairy Tail guild themselves is full of wizards who study all assortments of different magics. Conjuration is visually one of my favorites. I’ve always loved the idea of summoning as a power, so I’ve always liked Lucy’s power from the start. Though if I were to pick the best part of this show, it would be the insanely wide cast of characters that all manage to feel unique, despite how many there are.
11. Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter has a very cool magic system, and I think that I was really able to get into it after I got over my personal dislike for Gon’s character design. Once I got past my hangups, what I saw was a crazy huge world that we’ve barely even yet to really explore – with super interesting fights and amazing character growth. While I’m personally not the hugest fan of Hisoka, I do think the villains in this show do an amazing job at playing their role.
10. Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is one of the shows that set so many things in motion. Toriyama probably had no idea what he was creating at the time. And considering how much he made up along the way, it turned out fantastic. Dragon Ball is a show with so much heart in it. I love Goku in Dragon Ball specifically, even if I’ve grown to not be a huge fan more recently. It was a fun show about gathering magical dragon balls in order to make wishes, and fighting some fun and interesting enemies along the way. If you’ve never seen it before, do give it a try.
9. Magi: The Labyrinth/Kingdom of Magic
Magi is so much fun. Between sporting Arabian Nights aesthetics and having a colorful main trio that reminds me so much of Avatar, I was sucked into this show immediately. Aladdin is such a cute little boy. And his relationship of encouraging and befriending Alibaba is a fantastic story. I absolutely love exploring the landscapes that are so different from most western European inspired fantasy locations – all in a world that feels like it justifies the subtle details it puts in place.
8. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls In a Dungeon?
I loved this show the moment that it came out, watching it week to week while it was airing. And to this day, I still really like the world that’s been setup here. There’s a giant dungeon at the center of the largest city in the world, where the gods have descended to live amongst humanity, creating families that act similarly to guilds. This premise was just so fascinating to me. And it was even more enjoyable seeing this all through the lens of Bell, our bright-eyed pure boy getting stronger through the power of his Argonaut ability. And I haven’t even mentioned the sweet elements of romance that this show hints at. It’s unfortunate how many people think it’s only a cheap romcom and little else.
7. Made in Abyss
I absolutely love following the journeys of the main trio in this show. Seeing the Abyss itself and how it mutates people, and how it’s affected Nanachi, are some of the show’s biggest strengths. It leaves the viewer to wonder what exactly is down in the abyss, tantalizing us with stories of relics and dangerous creatures. There’s so much potential to discover in this world. And experiencing it with a cast of three young, ambitious, and adventurous youths makes that journey all the more satisfying.
6. KonoSuba
The focus of KonoSuba isn’t quite on the adventure aspect, even though our core cast is tasked with eventually taking on the Demon Lord. But considering how hilariously incompetent our core cast of characters is, well… that makes this task a lot harder on them. We follow a masochistic crusader, a wizard who can only cast one spell a day, and an adorably useless goddess, led by the cynical Kazuma. Comedy is where this show shines.
5. Demon Slayer
Tanjiro is one of the best examples of a pure hearted protagonist that I’ve ever seen. He wants nothing more than for people to be safe from the demonic threat. And even during his mission, he doesn’t go out of his way to make his enemies suffer – because his own sister is a demon herself. The adventures in this show are often used to serve a purpose of “go to x place and fight y demon, then onto the next task”. Along with training in the downtime, too. And it’s a lot of fun to explore the oftentimes rural locations of Japan, set in a time period not all that long ago.
4. Berserk
Berserk is a dark adventure/dark fantasy anime for sure. And please make sure to only watch the old 1997 series, because the new one isn’t very good unfortunately. But as you could guess, Berserk has a very dark setting. And because of that, it sports very dark themes as well. So if you’re planning on watching it, just know it’s grim – moreso than many of the other entries here. With that stipulation though, the gripping story of Guts is absolutely engaging. And while some of his adventures can get gruesome, it sports some breathtaking action scenes as well.
3. One Piece
One Piece is an adventure story first, and an action series next. Many of you probably already know about it! The journey to become King of the Pirates takes the Straw Hats through so many unique and fun locations. All the different islands and cities that the Straw Hats adventure through are all so memorable, and getting to know the islands before the epic confrontations is my personal favorite part of this show. We’ve gone to tundras, tropics, urban sprawls, and all sorts of bizarre places that couldn’t possibly exist in the real world – the most notable being the Grand Line. Once we get to the Grand Line, this show really starts becoming something exceptional.
2. Castlevania (2017)
Castlevania is amazing. From its animation to its storytelling, this anime manages to take full advantage of demons, and especially its iconic vampires. After the first season, we’ve gathered our party and we get to move on to the really interesting parts of the show. This intriguing journey brings us through vampires, to the Belmont crew’s adventures into their estate, and then into Dracula’s castle. And they’re all absolutely beautiful in presentation. The first season is short and very easy to binge too. So if you want a taste of what the show is like, I highly recommend giving the four episodes of S1 a watch – then see if you want more.
1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Honestly, by now, if I just threw Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood at number 1 on all the lists I’ve written (even ones where it’s not applicable) that’d be on brand for me. But I’ll focus on the adventure aspects of the show here. FMA:B takes place in an alternate fantasy world. And it’s a world so unlike early 1900’s Germany. It manages to flesh out the politics, amazing locations, and its diverse cast of characters in a really exciting way. And you’ll get to know those characters very well throughout the show. This show also makes great use of one of the most fleshed out and interesting magic system I’ve ever seen in anime. Alchemy is calculated down to a science. Thankfully, this interpretation of magic through science makes it very easy follow along with. Even for newer viewers. The show really kicks off when we get to see our characters splitting off with new groups, each with their own dynamics and pretty cool abilities. I love this show. And it’s my favorite pick within my favorite genre, so yeah. Thumbs up from me.
