While many viewers are busy watching highly-anticipated sequels and anime adaptations from renowned studios, only a handful of fans are actively discovering underrated gems. Whether it’s the lack of recognition or terrible timing, some captivating stories never get to see the light of mainstream popularity and viewership. Undoubtedly, the shows which do skyrocket to stardom every season are more than deserving.
But, whether it’s a unique isekai story that was missed or a fantasy slice-of-life with feel-good vibes, some anime series deserve to be looked at again. With the spring 2024 wrapping up and the summer 2024 anime season on the horizon, fans can catch up on some needed stories that went undetected. From underrated mecha gems to fantastical vampire sagas, here are some of the best fantasy anime that deserve a second chance.
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10
Outbreak Company Is A Quirky Fantasy Harem
IMDb Rating 6.7/ MAL Rating 7.18
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In an infinite pool of fantasy action, there are only a few good titles that don’t need to rely on adventurous tales or well-choreographed battles to win over the audience. Outbreak Company is one of those underrated easy watches where the viewers don’t need to be emotionally invested to appreciate a good story. Sometimes, the hilarious misadventures of a diehard otaku in a magical realm are enough to offer viewers a good time.
When Shinichi, a proud NEET, is chosen as the Japanese government’s envoy to a realm of mythical creatures and magic, the last thing he expected was to use his vast otaku knowledge to entertain elves and dragons. Outbreak Company is a unique fantasy harem that confidently makes fun of tropes without being underwhelming and cheap. If anyone’s looking for a relaxing fantasy comedy, Outbreak Company is the perfect title.
Outbreak Company
Shinichi Kanou is a young secluded Otaku who is offered a job thanks to his vast knowledge of anime, video games and manga and just after meeting his new employer, he is kidnapped, awakening in an alternate world with a fantasy setup.
- Release Date
-
October 3, 2013
- Seasons
-
1 Season
- Characters By
-
Genevieve Simmons, Kira Vincent-Davis, Juliet Simmons
- Creator
-
Naruhisa Arakawa
- Producer
-
Takeichirô Aida, Mitsutoshi Arimoto, Tomoko Kawasaki, John Ledford, Gorô Shinjuku, Masashi Takatori, Jun’ichirô Tanaka
- Production Company
-
Dax Production, Feel, Kôdansha, Movic, Pony Canyon, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)
- Number of Episodes
-
12 Episodes
9
The Witch and the Beast Is A Gripping Tale of Magic
IMDb Rating 6.8/ MAL Rating 7.39
One of the most recent additions to the underrated fantasy pool is 2024’s visually stunning adaptation of Kousuke Satake’s manga. Featuring a world of magic, witches, and mages, The Witch and the Beast is full to the brim with action-packed sequences, mesmerizing magical battles, and rich lore. The story mostly centers around a young woman named Guideau, who is plagued by a witch’s curse that has fueled an insatiable urge for revenge within her.
Working under the Order of Magical Resonance, Guideau — along with her cool and calm partner, Ashaf — roams different places to handle magic and rogue witch-related problems for the institution. What makes the anime a deserving choice is its obvious elements of magical powers, the dynamics surrounding the characters’ motives, and the story’s overall purpose. The fantasy series has a lot of potential, from its dark tone to exciting world-building.
The Witch And The Beast
Guideau is a young woman who was cursed by a witch; Ashaf is a soft-spoken man with a coffin strapped to his back.
- Release Date
-
January 12, 2024
- Creator
-
Kousuke Satake
8
Hell Girl Is A Unique Mix of Dark Fantasy and Folklore
IMDb Rating 7.4/MAL Rating 7.61
Not all fantasy stories need to have rich lore or colorful vibes to stand out. For fans of dark themes and eerie settings, Hell Girl is the perfect choice for a one-time binge-watchable series. This dark psychological story centers around a girl named Emma Ai, who is secretly a type of executioner working through a mysterious website. This “Girl From Hell” will literally drag anyone to hell who has tormented the person posting on the website.
It’s safe to say that Hell Girl is not for the faint of heart, yet it’s a captivating story that will drag the audience into its suspenseful atmosphere — one that will make the hair at the back of your neck stand. Hell Girl has the capacity to be unsettling, but it offers a story that’s unfortunately very relatable and depicts humanity’s dark side. It’s a soul-breaking fantasy anime that’s definitely worth the time.
7
Tales of Zestiria The X Has High-Quality Animation
IMDb Rating 6.8/MAL Rating 7.2
Based on the video games Tales of Zestiria and Tales of Berseria, this 2016 anime adaptation is a visually stunning product that will transport the audience right in the middle of great action. Following the story of a fantasy world, Tales of Zestiria dives into the divisiveness between humans and god-like beings called Seraphim. However, the turbulent emotional connection between humans and Seraphim has created monsters who are terrorizing the land.
Although the anime’s lore is a bit complicated to follow at first, the wait is worth it when a magical story unfolds that’s complimented by mind-blowing action sequences and musical scores. Tales of Zestiria may sometimes feel a bit too much with characters that may often slip into blandness. However, the overall use of fantasy elements, including magical powers and ethereal forms, makes the series entertaining.
6
Dorohedoro Is An Unflinching Story of Magic and Violence
IMDb Rating 8.1/MAL Rating 8.05
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Not many fantasy anime try to incorporate clever bizarreness and chaos into their story and live to tell the tale. However, despite not being a mainstream hit, Dorohedoro instills just the right amount of zealousness and unconventionality in its plot that reels the audience into it. The story revolves around the magical city named Hole, where magicians, mages, and humans live together in illusory peace. Despite sharing one space, the sorcerers use humans as guinea pigs for experiments, and they’re also often targets of violent crimes.
That being known, one man with a reptilian head and his trusted restaurant owner sidekick dare to challenge the broken system and find the culprit behind the one who gave Caiman the reptilian head curse. Dorohedoro is different, but its dry humor and snaps at injustice and political imbalance are worthwhile, especially with its toned-down yet impactful fantasy elements.
Dorohedoro
The amnesiac reptilian-headed Caiman works together with his friend Nikaido in order to recover his memories and survive in a strange and violent world.
- Release Date
-
January 12, 2020
- Cast
-
Aleks Le
, Wataru Takagi
, Reina Kondō
, Reba Buhr - Seasons
-
1
- Creator
-
Q Hayashida
5
Strike the Blood Successfully Embraces Several Sub-Genres
IMDb Rating 6.9/MAL Rating 7.02
Vampire anime are often limited to romantic stories and not pushed beyond the scope of a human/vampire forbidden relationship trope. However, this criminally underrated anime successfully incorporates the vampire-romance subgenre and keeps a tight grip on an interesting fantasy story. Strike the Blood details the adventures of a high school boy who has somehow come across great vampiric powers in a world where monsters and magic exist.
As fate would have it, his path crosses with a beautiful teenage Sword Shaman who is assigned to keep an eye on him. Thus begins their adventurous yet swoon-worthy journey of fighting powerful adversaries. While the story has a great fantasy aura, the winner is definitely the in-your-face romance and the sizzling harem situation, complimented with lots of sweaty blood-sucking sessions and will-they/won’t-they moments.
Strike The Blood
A powerful vampire causes chaos in Japan. Yukina, an apprentice Sword Shaman, encounters Akatsuki Kojou, the Fourth Primeval.
- Release Date
-
October 4, 2013
- Cast
-
Asami Seto
, Hisako Kanemoto
, Yoshimasa Hosoya - Seasons
-
5
- Creator
-
Gakuto Okamoto
- Production Company
-
Silver Link, Connect, ASCII Mediaworks, AT-X, Movic, Showgate, The Klockworx, Warner Bros.
- Number of Episodes
-
61
- Main Cast
-
Risa Taneda
4
Rage of Bahamut Is An Epic Fantasy
IMDb Rating 7.3/MAL Rating 7.6
Rage of Bahamut doesn’t get the attention it deserves despite having all the elements that make a good fantasy/action story. From sharp animation to an interesting plot, Rage of Bahamut delivers what it promises: cutting-edge, high-stakes battles between powerful entities, subtle character development, and a story that’s almost ten out of ten. Rage of Bahamut thrives on its adrenaline-infested plot involving a mythical world in which demons and gods coexist with humans.
However, their fragile balance gets threatened by the release of a powerful ancient dragon called Bahamut, whose only goal is to wreak havoc. In this battle of saving the world, a group of unlikely members are forced to come together to stand between total annihilation and Bahamut. It’s safe to say that being produced by Studio MAPPA is enough reason to check out this anime.
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis
Favaro Leone, a thief with absolutely no honor and no self-esteem is asked by a mysterious girl to take her to a place this one mentioned to have bent. Followed by a knight who wishes to fulfill his duty as a knight and avenge his hanged father, he imposes the girl one condition that will become his burden and his new aim.
- Release Date
-
September 1, 2014
- Cast
-
Tia Lynn Ballard
, Chris Rager
, Kyle Phillips
, Brian Mathis
, Apphia Yu
, Ian Sinclair
, Kent Williams
, Jad Saxton - Seasons
-
1
3
86 Is A Criminally Underrated Mecha Gem
IMDb Rating 8.2/MAL Rating 8.3
86 starts off strong with a war-ridden backdrop and integration in the masses that are beyond repair. The political themes combined with a subtle star-crossed lovers’ trope is the cherry on top of this otherwise intense plot that’s plagued with gut-wrenching realism. 86 tells the story of the Republic of San Magnolia and its neighboring countries that are under attack by the Empire’s AI-powered Legion.
Aboard combat machines named the Juggernaut are the “Eighty-Sixers,” who are deemed as “disposable” manpower in the war. In this hopeless and dangerous world, two souls dare to dream and hope beyond their assigned designation and fight the fates in hopes of knowing that they might be together one day. The anime offers a bittersweet journey that’s packed with action, emotions, and a meaningful ending.
86 Eighty-Six
The Republic of San Magnolia is at war with its neighboring country, the Empire of Giad. Both sides use unmanned drones to conduct a “war without casualties”. The story follows Lena as she commands a squad of drones called the 86.
- Release Date
-
April 10, 2021
- Cast
-
Suzie Yeung
, Billy Kametz
, Saori Hayami - Seasons
-
2 Seasons
- Creator
-
Toshiya Ōno
- Producer
-
Miyako Mayu, Nobuhiro Nakayama, Kiyose Takao
- Production Company
-
A-1 Pictures, Aniplex, Bandai Spirits
- Number of Episodes
-
24 Episodes
IMDb Rating 7.6/MAL Rating 7.89
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With the current landscape full of isekai anime with regular humans reincarnated as bottom-tier heroes or OP characters in a different dimension, anime like Drifters change the game with their unique twist to the genre. This fantasy/isekai anime is a dark telling of a world where heroes have been transported from different timelines and worlds. These historic, heroic figures — including a warrior named Shimazu — are carefully plucked to fight off a great evil known as the “Ends,” who want to eradicate this world and its beings.
Drifters excels at its depiction of mature themes that are well-balanced with stunning action sequences and relatable character development. The show manages to transport the audience to a dystopian world through its captivating storytelling and lore that uplifts its fantasy elements.
Drifters
Various historical fighters are summoned from across time to wage war on each other, with the fate of the world in the balance.
- Release Date
-
October 7, 2016
- Creator(s)
-
Kohta Hirano
- Cast
-
Mitsuki Saiga
, Naoya Uchida
, Yuichi Nakamura
, Takahiro Sakurai
, Daisuke Ono
, Tomokazu Sugita
, Akira Ishida
, Tatsuhisa Suzuki - Seasons
-
1
1
Beyond the Boundary Is A Dark Fantasy Masterpiece
IMDb Rating 7.2/MAL Rating 7.7
Considering how top-notch this anime’s quality is, Beyond the Boundary was supposed to be a mainstream hit. Mixing in elements of dark fantasy, supernatural, and action, Beyond the Boundary is a fantastic piece of animation that offers emotional depth, stunning visuals, and a story that will tug at the heartstrings. The series revolves around the intriguing story of a world where mythical creatures are a manifestation of humanity’s negative emotions.
In this majestic chaos, two high school students come together to save the world from imminent danger, all the while losing their hearts to one another. The anime’s strength lies in its impeccable storytelling and characters that are lovable from the very first moment. Besides its well-executed plot and captivating story-telling, one of the best things about this fantasy anime is its mesmerizing visuals and battle sequences that will blow the audience away.
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