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In the fantasy anime genre, worldbuilding plays a crucial role in ensuring that the audience stays immersed in the story. Many fantasy series don’t strive to innovate when it comes to developing their worlds, preferring to stick to existing fantasy conventions. And, while such an approach works just fine for numerous titles, these shows aren’t particularly renowned for their worldbuilding.
Fantasy is a genre of endless possibilities, where even the boldest, most extraordinary ideas can be brought to life. Among the countless fantasy universes fans get to explore in anime, the worlds created by these shows are the most awe-inspiring and imaginative, striking the perfect balance between fantastical grandeur and nuanced realism.
One Piece’s Worldbuilding Is Second to None in the Shonen Demographic
One Piece is relentlessly praised for the strengths of its worldbuilding, and the acclaim it gets is fully merited. The Straw Hat Pirates’ voyage stretches across a world wondrously abundant and awe-inspiringly creative, with each island having its own culture, politics, climate, and a place in the grander structure of One Piece’s universe.
Eiichiro Oda is a revered master of long-term storytelling, but also a writer willing to experiment and add new things along the way, which is reflected in how One Piece’s world evolves. The setting he crafts is vibrant and kinetic, with a rich history and plenty of mysteries the story spends long years uncovering. However, no matter how long the One Piece adventure takes to conclude, it never stops being exhilarating.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s World Is Complex But Exhilarating to Explore
Often referred to as the perfect shonen series, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, of course, doesn’t slack in the worldbuilding department. Despite being a fantasy series, Fullmetal Alchemist is set in a world that feels realistic and consistent, with logic even applying to its alchemy-based magic system.
The story puts a lot of care into developing the culture and history of its world, including its sorrowful and tragic parts, like the Ishval Civil War, which, in the present, still has lingering ramifications. While not as expansive as some other fantasy universes, the country of Amestris feels much more immersive due to its grounded essence and the series’ dedicated focus on exploring relatable sociopolitical themes in a fantasy context.
Vampire Hunter D’s Gloomy Science Fantasy World Is the Most Atmospheric
One of the most atmospheric and gorgeous exemplars of gothic fantasy in anime, Vampire Hunter D blends a number of peculiar genres in its setting. Its titular protagonist travels through a post-apocalyptic world, a version of futuristic Earth devastated by nuclear warfare, with the remains of advanced technology that functions more akin to magic, giving the series a sci-fi flair.
At the same time, this world is filled to the brim with fantastical terrors, including vampires, demons, mutants, and cosmic horror beings beyond human comprehension. Vampire Hunter D’s setting is gloomy but undeniably unique, managing to merge its various clashing elements into one beautifully ghastly world that, despite being immensely eerie, possesses a one-of-a-kind allure.
The Fate Series Fleshes Out Its World Over Dozens of Entries
An expansive multi-media franchise, the Fate series, for the most part, centers around the concept of the Holy Grail War – a ritual in which mages summon historical spirits to battle for the titular wish-granting artifact. However, considering how many Fate entries the Nasuverse comprises, the series’ world is obviously not simple or shallow.
The history of magic and the Holy Grail Wars in Fate goes way back and stretches far into the future. Considering the sheer size of the franchise, it, of course, has staggeringly in-depth lore, a nuanced magic system, and a detailed mythology that, despite featuring some contradictions, stays surprisingly consistent across entries. To most casual fans, grasping the Fate lore in its entirety is an impossible challenge; however, its creative fantasy worldbuilding is highly enjoyable even if one sticks to the most popular entries.
The Twelve Kingdoms Is Not Your Typical Isekai Fantasy
Despite being a staple of fantasy anime, isekai features surprisingly few truly original worlds, with most shows embracing a generic sword and sorcery framework. Being an older isekai title from before the genre has become so widespread, The Twelve Kingdoms avoids falling into its clichés and surprises fans with a refreshingly unique and immersive fantasy universe.
The world of The Twelve Kingdoms is inspired by Chinese mythology, but also features many unorthodox elements that make the audience (and the protagonist) truly feel transported to a different realm. Each society in The Twelve Kingdoms has its own customs, histories, and cultures, and the series explores the various elements of its setting, from myths to politics to biology, in detail.
Witch Hat Atelier’s World Is Magical But Surprisingly Grounded
In the world of Witch Hat Atelier, magic is exclusively inherent to witches – or, at least, that’s what the witch society tells ordinary folk. In reality, anyone can learn how to draw spells, and this art is purposefully reserved for the select few with the seemingly noble intention of preventing the world from plunging into chaos.
Witch Hat Atelier’s world feels much smaller and more intimate than most grand fantasy epics. What it lacks in scope, however, the series makes up for in nuance. Fans get to learn in-depth how magic in this world works, how the witch society functions, and, most importantly, what ramifications hiding magic from the masses has and what moral dilemmas arise from limiting people’s access to such a vital, life-altering art.
Made in Abyss Features a Terrifying World Fans Still Want to Keep Exploring
At the center of Made in Abyss’s world lies the titular pit of seemingly endless depth – the tiered Abyss with peculiar supernatural properties, where one can only explore so much before being unable to return. Riko and Reg’s descent into the Abyss is known to be a one-way journey from the start. Yet, no matter how many horrors they encounter on their adventure, it never stops being exhilarating.
What makes Made in Abyss’s worldbuilding so enticing are its mysteries. The Abyss hides a fascinating blend of fantastical and scientific abominations, but also plenty of wonders, and no one knows what lies in its unexplored depths.Every new layer uncovers something new and exhilarating, and this sense of exploration is what keeps fans coming back to the series.
Lord of Mysteries’ Universe Will Only Continue Getting More Alluring & Dangerous
Lord of Mysteries might’ve only begun to immerse audiences in its wondrous yet dangerous universe, yet it has already captivated countless fans with its stellar worldbuilding. The world of Beyonders is a ruthless realm where even the slightest misstep can lead those seeking great power to lose their humanity. Yet, stepping onto this perilous path is the only way to learn the secrets hidden in the darkness.
On top of its tiered power system, astounding in its complexity and uniqueness, Lord of Mysteries also excels at making all other parts of its world feel alive, from the histories of the various aristocratic families, nations, and organizations to the mundane aspects of day-to-day living. And, as fans of the adaptation will soon learn, the real story of Lord of Mysteries goes far deeper than they could ever imagine.
Hunter x Hunter’s World Expands Wonderfully Over Time
Among the big shonen classics, Hunter x Hunter features one of the most fascinating worlds, which grows in complexity and scope along with the series. The protagonists, together with the audience, get to learn about this universe gradually by traveling to its different corners, encountering various powerful factions, getting involved in its politics and power struggles, and discovering that the world is a lot crueler and more multifaceted than it appears at first glance.
Hunter x Hunter features few conventional fantasy elements, being a mix of urban fantasy, magical fiction, and supernatural components unique to the series. Experiencing Hunter x Hunter, one always gets the sense that its world is its own ecosystem where even the protagonists play only a small role in the grand scheme of things.
Berserk Is the Gold Standard for Worldbuilding in Dark Fantasy Anime
Kentaro Miura’s magnum opus, Berserk, set the standard for the dark fantasy genre not just in anime and manga but across media, with everything from books to video games borrowing elements from this iconic story. Berserk’s world is also one of the grimmest in anime dark fantasy, taking the framework of a classic sword and sorcery setting and adding complexity to it over time.
While the brutality and supernatural horrors of Berserk’s universe aren’t a secret to anyone, the series’ worldbuilding is much more nuanced than a chaotic amalgamation of shock value terrors. Berserk’s world possesses a rich history and an even more turbulent present, both in terms of grounded human conflicts and the frightening merge between realms, with the series masterfully integrating exposition into its high-stakes, engrossing storyline.
