Anime fans should be aware that the classic 1990s series Record of Lodoss War is the best unofficial Dungeons & Dragons anime adaptation. Dungeons & Dragons has come a long way since the publication of the First Edition in 1974. The game has gone from a niche hobby to a mainstream pillar of pop culture. Since its inception, Dungeons & Dragons has produced many official adaptations with a bit of mixed success and has also influenced many other works that could be seen as unofficial adaptations of the game.
Record of Lodoss War is one of the best fantasy series available to stream, with both the original Record of Lodoss War and the 1998 series Chronicles of the Heroic Knight available on Crunchyroll. Admittedly, Lodoss War can feel like a generic fantasy anime, but it’s so well-executed, with such unflinching sincerity and commitment to the premise that it’s worth watching, even if the story doesn’t really tread any new ground. Since Record of Lodoss War tells such an archetypal Dungeons & Dragons-style story, anyone who has played D&D before is going to find it a very relatable story. Every Dungeons & Dragons player has had a character who has faced the same challenges as Deedlit, Parn, and their companions.
The Lodoss War Franchise Has a Fascinating History
Based on the Original Novels by Ryu Mizuno.
Record of Lodoss War feels like an idealized tabletop campaign, and in many ways, it is. The original source for the story of Lodoss War is author Ryo Mizuno’s transcriptions of his group’s sessions, which he reworked into a light novel series that was ultimately adapted into the Lodoss War anime. On one hand, this does make Record of Lodoss War feel rather generic, revolving around a group of archetypal adventurers on a quest to save the world. On the other hand, given how common it has become for recent fantasy series to be based on premises that either satirize or deconstruct the genre, Lodoss War feels refreshingly straightforward and sincere.
Although the two anime series are the best-known and most accessible parts of the franchise to an English-speaking audience, in Japan, Lodoss War is a very prolific franchise. Mizuno’s original transcriptions of his gameplay sessions — in many ways a precursor to podcast series like Critical Role — were serialized in a magazine. These transcriptions led to the light novel series that had nine volumes, subsequently adapted into a manga series. While neither the original manga series nor the majority of the light novels are available in English, the first light novel, telling the part of the story equivalent to the original anime series, has been translated. Additionally, the 2019 sequel manga The Crown of the Covenant is also available in English.
The original Record of Lodoss War is a High Fantasy Classic
The original anime series debuted in 1990, produced by the now-iconic studio Madhouse.
Release Year | 1990 |
Number of Episodes | 13 |
Where to Stream | Crunchyroll |
The first episode of Lodoss War is a strong hook for the series, beginning in the middle of the story with the heroes’ party already established and midway into their adventure. This first episode owes a clear debt to The Lord of the Rings, with the heroes traveling through an abandoned subterranean Dwarven city clearly inspired by the Mines of Moria. This first episode is a good introduction to both the tone of the series and the main cast of heroes: the knight Parn, the Elf Deedlit, the priest Etoh, the wizard Slayn, the Dwarf Ghim, and the thief Woodchuck. Every character gets an opportunity to establish both their personality and their skills during their adventure through the underground city.
From there, Lodoss War jumps back to get the audience caught up with the story. Since the series only has a 13-episode runtime, this doesn’t take very long. The heroes are embroiled in a war between the kingdoms of Valis and Marmo with the fate of the world in the balance from very early on. The original Lodoss War may move a little too fast for its own good at times and would have benefited from more time to breathe at some points in the story, but the epic war story that dominates the plot of the series is depicted with all the fantasy grandeur a conflict between kingdoms, heroes, and god-like dragons deserves.
Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Expands on the World of Lodoss War
Chronicles of the Heroic Knight released in 1998, produced by AIC.
Release Year | 1998 |
Number of Episodes | 27 |
Where to Stream | Crunchyroll |
Admittedly, it can be a little confusing to figure out how exactly Chronicles of the Heroic Knight is supposed to tie into the original Lodoss War series. Characters who were important in the original series have watered-down roles in Chronicles of the Heroic Knight. Characters who died in the original series survive in Chronicles of the Heroic Knight and vice versa. These differences are in part because the original series compressed elements from different parts of the original RPG sessions and light novels into a single storyline. Chronicles of the Heroic Knight is a truer adaptation of the original storylines, allowing them to be depicted more fully thanks to this series having about twice as many episodes than its predecessor.
The bulk of Chronicles of the Heroic Knight takes place 10 years after the events of the original series, and follows the new character Spark and his new group of companions. Overall, it’s very similar to the original Lodoss War, with the notable addition of bizarre but highly amusing comedy sketches featuring heavily stylized and cartoonish versions of the main character closing out every episode. As a sequel series, Chronicles of the Heroic Knight isn’t necessarily better than the original Lodosss War, but it does have notable strengths in being a more faithful representation of the original stories and having better pacing thanks to having more episodes to work with.
Whether the original Record of Lodoss War series, or the Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, fans of the Fantasy genre are sure to appreciate the epic story being told in Lodoss War. It’s an uncommonly sincere and straightforward Fantasy series that makes it all the more engaging and endearing. Lodoss War wears its origin in Ryo Mizuno’s tabletop gaming sessions proudly, making it the perfect unofficial Dungeons & Dragons anime adaptation.
Watch on Crunchyroll
