The best fantasy anime on Hulu include series from a wide variety of subgenres, but they all share an innate ability to incorporate magic into their narratives and build a world of colorful creatures and phenomena on the opposite spectrum from realism. Hulu boasts a rather extensive listing of anime, leaving many wonderful fantasy series to choose from.
To narrow down a genre as broad as fantasy, the distinction should be made between pure fantasy and imaginative fiction. Although series such as Hunter x Hunter can be considered a fantasy, the types of powers involved are more akin to the supernatural than to magic. Furthermore, a fantasy should involve worldbuilding that tickles the senses while still not straying too far from fantasy archetypes. As a result, anime such as Dragon Ball and Bleach will not be considered, especially with battle-oriented storytelling. On the other hand, series from the isekai genre fit in perfectly.
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10 Best Isekai Anime on Hulu
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10 Blue Exorcist Turns Exorcism Magical
Based on the manga by Katou Kazue
Blue Exorcist is a fantasy anime with a recently announced sequel, and tells the tales of not only demons and humans, but that of complicated familial relationships, particularly those concerning Satan himself. The story follows Okumura Rin, the son of Satan who is sent to the surface world to pave the way for Satan’s descent. Ironically, Rin is raised by a caring, but hard-nosed priest who does exorcisms on the side of his daily services. Blue Exorcist really takes off in its fantastical nature once Rin and his brother, Yukio, enroll at True Cross Academy, a luxurious prep school on the surface that is secretly a training ground for budding exorcists.
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9 Noragami Exposes the Hardships of Minor Deities
Based on the manga by Adachitoka
The story of Noragami is an anime that shuttles through the fantastical world of deities, ranging from well-known mythical figures, to minor characters such as Yato, who is regulated to doing odd jobs to maintain a following. The story takes off once a middle school girl named Iki Hiyori has a dangerous encounter with Yato, the self-proclaimed God of Delivery, where she saves him at the expense of getting hit by a car. Fortunately, Hiyori survives, but gets entangled with Yato’s world of deities as the pair embark on a fantastical adventure in hopes of remedying Hiyori’s soul that has been loosely detached from her body.
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8 Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun Is a Hilarious Rendering of Demon Academy
Based on the manga by Nishi Osamu
Iruma-kun is both a pure fantasy series and an isekai anime, as it follows a very unlucky 14-year-old boy who scarcely has a negative outlook on life. However, his luck reaches a new low when his parents sell him to a demon, the chairman of the demon school, Babyls. Fortunately for Iruma, the situation is not so bad, as Sullivan proves that a new life in the Demon World will be more comfortable than Iruma’s struggles through the mountains and high seas. With every interaction between Iruma and the doting parental-role-assuming Sullivan as well as other demons, a demon world full of surprises accepts Iruma with open arms.
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7 Black Clover Is a Journey Towards Magical Supremacy
Based on the manga by Tabata Yuuki
The premise of Black Clover is as close to high fantasy as it can get, as the anime follows a young boy who dreams of becoming the wizard king named Asta. Although the series is both shonen and battle-focused, its inclusion among other fantasy anime is due to its main mode of power being a traditional magic system. Black Clover is an endearing display of perseverance, as Asta possesses no magical power. Instead, he trains in his physicality, and through a hint of luck, Asta is admitted into the Black Bulls of the kingdom’s Magic Knights, thus beginning his slow climb towards the peak of the magic world.
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6 That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Has Peak Worldbuilding
Based on the manga by Kawakami Taiki and Fuse
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is a fantasy anime that immediately became a hit isekai classic through its seemingly contradictory premise. Mikami Satoru, an average Japanese corporate man, is reborn as a slime, a creature considered the bottom of the fantastical totem pole. However, the anime utilizes such a weakness to introduce a system and create an enthralling way of gaining power: devour. Thus, the slime, renamed as Rimuru, enters the world with curiosity and hope of finding new friends, eventually leaving his own mark on the fantasy world through village construction and later country construction, all the while existing parallel to the human camp.
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5 No Game No Life Raises Stakes to the Max
Based on the light novel by Kamiya Yuu
No Game No Life is a colorful landscape of fantastical neon that adds a fresh and delightful flare to both the fantasy and isekai anime genres. The series follows a brother-sister gaming duo who share the name Blank, and together, they are undefeated in any and all forms of games. One day, a god invites the pair to enter a new world, one governed by the laws of games, where disputes, political decisions, and more are decided by a high-stakes gamble. Ultimately, No Game No Life tears down the isekai game tropes such as those present in Sword Art Online, and replaces them with strategical bouts of all varieties.
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4 Log Horizon Does the Isekai Game Right
Based on the light novel by Touno Mamare and Hana Kazuhiro
The premise of Log Horizon may sound similar in the realm of fantasy anime, as its characters are trapped within a video game. Despite being part of an overused isekai trope, Log Horizon is one of the earliest to do it, and one that does it right. The protagonist, Shiroe, is complex and level-headed, and despite the strength that he retains from previously playing Elder Tale, he finds time to make meaningful connections and help beginners. Instead of struggling to escape the game world and agonizing over their fate, the characters in Log Horizon are able to control their own fate, constructing towns, guilds, and even an entire political sphere.
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3 Yona of the Dawn Is an Adventure Turned Fantasy
Based on the manga by Kusanagi Mizuho
Yona of the Dawn is a fantasy anime with subtle, but potent magical undertones, and its characters develop alongside each other in ways that slowly open the lens peering into the transforming world. The story follows a young princess named Yona, who is thrown into the unforgiving wilderness due to unfortunate political uprisings. Her journey is originally framed as an adventure accompanied by her long-time bodyguard, Hak, but quickly develops into a story of maturity and camaraderie, as Yona learns to fend for herself and finds new companions. Furthermore, the fantastical elements of the series start to unfold with characters such as Kija, a dragon warrior with the blood of the White Dragon.
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2 KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World Features Comedy Supported By Fantasy
Based on the Light Novel by Mishima Kurone and Akatsuki Natsume
KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World is an isekai anime that carries with it a contagious amount of laughter, all the while navigating a fantasy world. The story follows Kazuma, a high school student who dies a humiliating death and is offered the chance of rebirth. In a hilarious turn of events, he tricks the goddess who is supposed to grant him his rebirth along with one wish, into personally accompanying him through his fantasy adventure. The goddess, named Aqua, is reluctantly forced to comply, starting a wacky adventure of dungeons, monsters, explosions, and unexpected party magic tricks.
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1 Puella Magi Madoka Magica Challenges the Realm of Fantasy
An original series directed by Shinbo Akiyuki and Miyamoto Yukihiro
Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a fantasy magical girl anime that begins as any other series of the genre would, with protagonist Kaname Madoka awakening a colorful transformation and powerful magic through a mysterious white cat named Kyuubey. However, the series takes a quick and serious turn, as the world of fantasy is plagued by witches that offer a cruel and frightening reality. In contrast to most magical girl anime, Madoka Magica leans into the grotesque and weird, utilizing disorienting depictions of the witches’ world. Ultimately, the series completely flips the magical girl genre in a way that not only questions consumerism, but challenges the optimistic notions of fantasy worlds.
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