10 animated fantasy shows with flawless worldbuilding

A good fantasy world will capture the audience's attention, but a great fantasy world will utterly transport the viewer. Thanks to smash-hit series like Game of Thrones, the fantasy genre has gone from a niche corner of the television landscape to a prominent fixture of mainstream TV. From high fantasy shows with whimsical creatures and award-winning makeup to urban fantasy series that inject the real world with a healthy dose of magic, fans are spoiled for options.

Yet, as groundbreaking as titles like Merlin and The Magicians have been, fantasy lends itself perfectly to an animated format. Unsurprisingly, many of the best animated shows of all time employ fantastical elements, and the carefully-drawn panels bring to life the most imaginative, colorful, and otherworldly concepts in vivid clarity. While some naysayers will write off any animated series as a children's cartoon, enlightened viewers understand the artistic integrity and freedom that comes with animation— and how it is, without question, the perfect breeding ground for fantasy masterpieces.

Castlevania

Before fantasy ran rampant on the small screen, it was a leading genre in the video game sphere, but the lines blur more and more as time passes. In the current age of acclaimed game-to-screen adaptations, the familiar characters, settings, and plots that fans explored with a controller in hand can now play out as stunning feats of animation. Case in point: Castlevania.

The critically acclaimed dark fantasy series reimagines the lore from the beloved game series, but the series added even more depth to Dracula's demonic forces and the intrepid heroes that take arms against him. Ironically, Castlevania deviated from its canon story throughout its run on Netflix, and every change made only bolstered the gothic action-adventure's dark, atmospheric world.

Arcane

Likewise, Arcane is a bona fide fantasy masterpiece, but much of its worldbuilding can be attributed to League of Legends, the game it was adapted from. Nevertheless, the harrowing tale of Violet searching for sister Jinx while traversing the dark underbelly of dystopian city Zaun is far more poignant in the animated series.

Similarly, the tensions between Zaunites and the privileged leaders of Piltover make for an instantly captivating dichotomy. Indomitable voice acting performance, incredible writing, and a highly recognizable art style only strengthen Arcane's immersive world. Furthermore, the characters are each full of depth, but the relationships and interpersonal dynamics between them weave a complex web of allies and enemies that mirrors the series' political overtones.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power may be lost media now, but the reboot lives on thanks to its ardent following. The magical girl science fantasy series follows Adora, an orphan who was trained to be a killer by the fearsome Horde. Once she uncovers a mystical sword that turns her into the titular She-Ra, however, Adora realizes the planet of Etheria isn't the dangerous wasteland she'd been led to believe it was.

Throughout the science fantasy's five seasons, Adora and her closest friends travel the land to rebuild the Princess Alliance. Each kingdom is a new, bite-sized feast for the viewer's eyes, and every princess introduced is equipped with their own special powers, motivations, and full-fledged personhood. Perhaps the success of 2026's Masters of the Universe will breathe new life into the franchise, but fans remember She-Ra and the Princesses of Power as a genuinely fantastic treat.

Hunter x Hunter

When 12-year-old Gon learns that his presumed dead father is secretly living as an esteemed Hunter, the child embarks on a journey to become a Hunter himself. Quickly, the boy is thrown into the deep end of high-octane adventures as he slays sea creatures, solves riddles, and bands together with fellow hopeful Hunters.

The Hunter x Hunter manga is still going, meaning the lore continues expanding with each new volume, but the 148-episode anime is a truly engaging adaptation that grows as it goes. What starts as a lighthearted adventure morphs into a real hero's journey, complete with trials, tribulations, and enough action to spare.

Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball Z is irrefutably one of the most influential anime ever created, but it rarely gets the recognition it deserves for its fantasy worldbuilding. Goku's alien ancestry as a Saiyan is only the tip of the show's iceberg, and every subsequent arc seamlessly blends spirituality, science, and speculative technology.

The detailed setting is merely one reason why Dragon Ball Z has aged like fine wine, but the sheer scope of its worldbuilding set the standard for the droves of fantasy anime that succeeded it. Decades later, Dragon Ball is nowhere near finished, and Dragon Ball Z in particular has permanently cemented the franchise in the cultural zeitgeist.

Over the Garden Wall

Beyond being a must-watch miniseries to ring in the Halloween season, Over the Garden Wall is by far Cartoon Network's best show. Despite their odd outfits, brothers Wirt and Greg are normal children who find themselves in an eerie world full of ghost stories, spooky creatures, and countless mysteries to solve.

Be it a talking bluebird, a skeleton colony that worships pumpkins, or a terrifying woodland monster, Over the Garden Wall casts a wide net with its cozy horror, and it hits the mark time after time. The 10 episodes fly by, but by the end of the series, the viewer will loathe to say goodbye to such an endearing, enigmatic universe.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender has long been recognized as one of the best TV shows of all time, let alone a genre-defining animated series. The coming-of-age fantasy series centers on Aang, the eponymous Avatar who can control the elements of all four nations: fire, water, earth, and air. As the title suggests, Aang is the lone survivor of the Air Nomads, but the remaining three factions are overrun by war, infighting, and numerous other societal ills.

Aang builds a small team of allies from each elemental niche, and they work together to end the Fire Nation's tyranny— among a few smaller, less severe quests. While Avatar: The Last Airbender's 2026 return was wildly divisive, the impact of the original series cannot be overstated, as for decades, countless people tried to discern which element they'd wield (regardless of if they'd seen the show in the first place).

Attack on Titan

In a world where cannibalistic humanoids known as Titans run rampant, humanity responds by forming the Survey Corps, a militia group composed of skilled fighters and a few brilliant strategists. Of course, the post-apocalyptic dark fantasy series doesn't stop there. There were originally nine different types of Titans, and their grotesque violence was never meaningless.

Rather, as the Attack on Titan loreslowly reveals, there are convoluted rules to the giants' powers, and multiple unnerving variants of the titular monsters. From Titan Shifters to the Curse of Ymir, Attack on Titan is far more detailed than your typical action anime, and the clear divide between Titans and the Survey Corps gradually erodes as the characters learn more about the true history of the creatures.

The Legend of Vox Machina

Dungeons & Dragons has always been a gold mine for fantasy fans, and it doesn't get better than storytelling troupes like Critical Role. The web series found massive success online, but Prime Video took two of its biggest campaigns and introduced it to an entirely new audience as a pair of hit television series: The Mighty Nein and The Legend of Vox Machina.

Both series take place on the planet of Exandria, on the sprawling continents of Tal'Dorei and Wildemount. Although The Mighty Nein is already a fan-favorite series of its own, The Legend of Vox Machina was the blueprint that opened the door for Critical Role's current resurgence. Plus, the adventure dramedy raised the bar for D&D-style fantasy series thanks to its quirky ensemble casts of various classes, races, and combat levels— all Dungeons & Dragons characteristics that are flawlessly woven into the overarching plot.

One Piece

Nevertheless, when it comes to worldbuilding, you can't beat a series with over 1,000 episodes (and counting). The One Piece franchise is ever-growing, whether it's the never-ending manga, the live-action Netflix adaptation, or the inescapable anime that has been running since 1999.

As protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and the crew of Straw Hat Pirates continue their endless voyage in search of mythical treasure, the world grows bit by bit, turning the viewer into an explorer of their own. Truly, there's no limit to the anime's creativity, as One Piece is still finding inventive new ways to move the plot along. To that end, the animated series' worldbuilding is as daunting as it is impressive, and it has absolutely earned a place in fantasy history.