Best Heroic Fantasy Anime, Ranked

Important takeaways

  • Fantasy anime like The Rising of the Shield Hero offer underdog stories filled with betrayal and revenge.
  • One Punch Man's comic take on an overpowered hero creates a unique and entertaining series.
  • Solo Leveling's linear progression fantasy structure creates an engaging story with a lovable main character.



People love underdogs, and they love a heroic story that touches their hearts. The higher the stakes the better the stories, and there are no better stories than those found in fantasy. Heroic stories with a fantasy setting make for some incredible stories.

Fantasy is a genre full of wonder and has been a popular setting, whether in movies, books, or anime. In the grand scheme of things, anime is a fairly new medium, but there are plenty of examples of great heroic stories with a great twist.

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8 The Rising of the Shield Hero

Underpowered Isekai with a grim tone

An anime that thrives on the viewer's suffering, Rising of the Shield Hero is an isekai that doesn't really deviate from the overpowered protagonist trope but adds enough flavor outside of it to make the anime stand out as an outlier among its peers.


The protagonist of the story is an underdog who is falsely accused and must rise against all odds without any support from the people around him. It is a story of unfortunate betrayal, growing hatred and sweet revenge.

7 One Punch Man

Overwhelmed hero goes under the radar

The most important step a person can take is the next one. 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and 10 km run every day, and the world has an unbeatable superhero on its hands who doesn't have a hair on his head.

Not all heroes wear capes, but this one does, and he makes it his life's mission to go through monsters one punch at a time. One Punch Man is a series that doesn't take itself too seriously but sticks remarkably well to its premise. The juxtaposition of the sheer power the main character possesses, how he acts, and how others perceive him makes this anime much more comical than one might expect.


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6 Solo Leveling

Gateway to greatness

Linear progression fantasy is a large subgenre within the fantasy realm. The main character's slow but steady progress provides a great narrative structure and helps the audience connect with an otherwise incomparable hero.

Solo Leveling is one of the more popular manhwa, now an anime, that uses this trope to great effect. It has a great story, a heroic and lovable main character, and graphics that would make an animator cry.

5 Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon?

Simple and charming fantasy


Take a break from Isekai, Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeonalso called Danmachi, brings the viewer into a traditional fantasy world with some divine presence among the people. The main character starts off rather weak but lives up to his heroic status as the story progresses.

Danmachi's world-building is some of the best in recent history, and the story is nothing to sneeze at either. The protagonist's childlike innocence and genuine passion make it a great story to follow.

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4 My Hero Academy

Heroes are not born, they are made

My Hero Academy is a typical underdog story that has all the hallmarks of a great shonen. A powerful mentor who carries on his legacy, a willing disciple with great courage and morals, and a league of villains, literally called the League of Villains, for the heroes to fight and save the world.


The amazing thing about My Hero Academy is that it doesn't try to deny what it is, but embraces it wholeheartedly, making the story that much better in the process. No one will accuse it of being revolutionary, but it's great entertainment regardless.

3 Sign Horizon

The logistics of a fantasy world

Coming back to the realm of isekai anime with some twists, Sign Horizon shows the reality of being transported to another world. The show features a bee class main character with more brains than brawn, and a wealth of knowledge that is used to improve the world in which they live.


Sign Horizon is in many ways a nerdy anime. It's about numbers, logical strategies and intricate systems that have to be slowly deciphered. It's an absolute delight for the right kind of person, and it features some of the best world builders this side of the globe.

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2 Re: Zero – Starting Life in Another World

Time is a deadly construct

It can be tempting to dismiss Re: Zero as another isekai with no real substance, but to do so would be a disservice to the incredible world this show has built over its three-season run.

The first season of the show is perhaps the least powerful, but even it has enough of a hook to capture even the most slippery viewer. The morbid reality of being stuck in a time loop, the horrifying world the main character is stuck in, and the slowly unraveling story that gets more and more interesting as the episode counter ticks up all come together beautifully to create a show that's hard to watch when someone will start.


1 Attack on Titan

The reputation is well deserved

There isn't much to say Attack on Titan it hasn't already been said. It's a masterpiece in every way that matters, and anyone with a passion for fantasy, political intrigue, and grand narratives should watch it with all the ardor they can muster.

The plot of this show, more than any other show, is impeccable. The twists and turns that come along the journey are incredible and the depth of its characters breathes life into an already vibrant world. In the realm of fantasy, it's an all-time classic that everyone should watch.

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