‘Tis a duo as old as time. Most people (like me) would even argue they go together perfectly. In fact, a little research conducted by Crunchyroll back in 2017 even confirmed that at least 90% of the 10,000 users that participated in their survey were gamers. That’s a lotta gamers! Now what could be more attractive for us gamers/anime fans than shows that have stuff in common with one of the most popular RPGs of the century? Excluding the numerous FF anime adaptations themselves, here are some other anime you should check out if you’re a fan of the Final Fantasy games – or just RPGs in general.
15. Ragnarok the Animation
While this one does have its flaws, Ragnarok is simply too big of an IP for me to leave out. Besides, I do admit I have a bit of a bias when it comes to anything Ragnarok Online, which I can guess might just be a game that was part of everyone else’s childhood like it was to mine. Just like Final Fantasy, Ragnarok relies heavily on RPG and fantasy elements – stuff that any other gamer would enjoy. And even though the anime didn’t do a particularly great job at expressing these things, it’s still pretty solid thematically.
14. Tales Series
Just like Final Fantasy, the Tales franchise has many anime adaptation titles under its belt. And even though I won’t necessarily put them above most FF releases, the Tales games are actually pretty darn good too. The ones I’ve played so far have brilliant artworks, solid game designs, cool soundtracks, and more importantly, well-written stories, characters, and lore. This all shows in each of their anime adaptations – which makes them more than worth a watch in my book.
13. Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
This title is the first on this list that isn’t adapted from a game. Instead, it came from a light novel that coincidentally falls into my favorite genre. As a casual light novel reader myself, the LitRPG genre truly does fill that otaku/gamer niche perfectly, and this light novel-to-anime adaptation is a great example of that. I mean, a hilarious isekai anime featuring game elements in a fantasy setting? Who would pass that up?
12. Infinite Dendrogram
This one can also be called SAO’s less successful cousin given their similarities. But Infinite Dendrogram is still a good watch for Final Fantasy/RPG fans & anime fans alike. Especially if you enjoyed the early Final Fantasy games like I did, which have some similar elements to this show. Sporting a tried and tested VRMMO element, Infinite Dendrogram is a pretty interesting take on Isekai that’s set in a fantasy virtual world. Like I said, much like Sword Art Online, but with fewer seasons.
11. Accel World
Accel World was adapted from a LitRPG light novel just like Kono Yuusha ga Ore Tueee Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru (Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious). Although it’s not exactly a traditional isekai like that anime. Accel World is a title that falls more closely into the VRMMO genre – and it includes a school-life setting outside of the virtual, futuristic one. Still, it’s a good title to watch out for. Especially if you’re a fan of SciFi RPGs or SciFi anime in general.
10. BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense.
Shoutout to all the minmaxers out there. This one’s for you! Or maybe not, I guess it depends on what you think about the MC’s casual approach to the game. Kaede is Maple — our main character who allocated all of her stats on Defense as per the title of the series. While some of you might think she did it as a cheese strat or something, she didn’t. Although surprisingly enough, it did work out for her in the end. For the most part, this anime focuses on the casual side of online gaming and having fun – which is really what games are all about.
9. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Also called DanMachi for short (or “Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka” for long), this show is a massive hit for more than one reason. Although if I had to pick the most notable one, it’s the impressive amount of fanservice it has. Of course, the so-called “spice melange of anime” isn’t the only good element in this series like I said. It’s also a pretty fantastic adventure, action, and fantasy title, with a romance and harem subplot sprinkled here and there. Most of all, the world that it’s set in is governed by a gamelike system that’s reminiscent of any stat growth-based RPG ever.
8. Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!
KonoSuba just had to be on this list. After all, the adventurer/party-styled theme that runs throughout the series hits close too close to home. Especially when we consider FF’s earlier titles that are similarly set in a medieval high fantasy setting of swords, shields, and magic. Although I doubt the characters in the games are as weird and hilarious as the ones in KonoSuba. I mean, that’s pretty much a given.
7. Sword Art Online
As most of you probably already expected, SAO is also a great anime to check out if you’re an RPG fan as well. It is, after all, the anime that popularized the Isekai genre upon its highly successful release. And it’s great for several seasons. The first reason, in my opinion, is that it’s great to check out if you’re a Final Fantasy/RPG fan who loves a good story set in a fantasy and gamelike setting. Of course, it also falls squarely into the VRMMO genre as well, along with leaning more heavily into sci-fi for its second season.
6. The .hack// Series
Much like most of the titles on this list, the .hack// anime adaptations are based on its IP’s several game releases. The entire series is set in The World — a VRMMORPG just like in the games that have millions of fictional players. And some of these players have succumbed to comatose in real life, which is where the intrigue and conflict of the series mostly arise. This premise sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Of course it does. But you’d probably be surprised to learn that all of its anime adaptations came out way before SAO and other titles of the same genre did.
5. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar
This series is arguably the most realistic isekai of them all. As someone who read and loved its light novel counterpart, this GameLit-themed series isn’t a show that you wouldn’t want to miss. Especially if you like the Final Fantasy franchise – or simply enjoy RPG games as a whole. The best thing about this show, I would say, is that it shows us real characters with real motivations and interactions – despite the anime’s high-fantasy isekai setting. It’s one of the more underrated anime with game elements, in my opinion.
4. Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
Of all the isekai titles that came out in the past decade, Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (The Rising of the Shield Hero) has one of the best representations of RPG in anime. It has a heavy reliance on its game-like elements and high fantasy setting that meshes well with its “Defeat the Demon Lord” trope that was once prevalent in the earlier FF titles. Not only that, but its overall story also holds up pretty well and so do its characters. Also, the MC’s often shrewd yet practical approach on how to “play the game” is pretty interesting to watch, and so is the development of his relationships with other characters over time.
3. Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken
Imagine instead of playing as Cloud, Tifa, Tidus, Yuna, etc., you get to play as a monster with the same game-like growth system. It’s unusual and maybe even a bit weird for some, but still… It’s pretty neat, right? That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime explores this possibility – and does it amazingly well. So much so that it has actually become one of my favorite isekai titles. And while it might not be the only series of its genre that features an inhuman MC, it’s one of, if not the best titles that represents the largely untapped trope so far.
2. Overlord
This anime has just about the same premise as Slime Datta Ken. Only here, the MC is a hard metal-looking skeleton man so overpowered that he’s even put in contention when it comes to characters that can beat Goku. Not a bad achievement, although I personally doubt that claim myself. Our MC’s OPness aside, the anime resembles most high fantasy-based Final Fantasy titles — especially FFXIV Online, as it could somewhat be compared to YGGDRASIL in a lot of ways.
1. Log Horizon
If there’s one series that’s generally underrated amongst the many titles that any RPG fans would love, it’s this one. Log Horizon is a high-fantasy isekai and GameLit-themed title that has most (maybe all) of the elements that any gamer would like in their anime. It has a very solid plotline, great characters, and many well-done party/guild-based combat scenes that will make anyone reminisce about taking down their first RPG’s final boss. Plus it has a cerebral strategist-type main character in Shiroe that I’ve always been a fan of. Seriously, anyone would love to have this guy on their party. Especially if they’re looking to clear some “unbeatable” boss raids.
