Netflix used to have a massive library of anime available for fans to watch, but like most streaming services, the company has seriously downsized its offerings in the last few years. These days, Netflix tends to focus largely on its own original series and movies to draw viewers in. That said, Netflix subscribers can still get more than their fill of great fantasy anime on the service.
Some entries in Netflix's anime catalog take viewers to faraway worlds, allowing them to experience daring tales of adventure, and hopefully see the heroes defeat the villains. Others are light, slice-of-life fantasy series for audiences to unwind with after a long day's work. It's a good mix and makes Netflix more than worthwhile for longtime anime fans and new fans who are exploring the medium.
Updated by Sage Ashford, June 2023: Despite Netflix's shrinking anime library, CBR has added even more awesome fantasy anime to this guide so fantasy fans who don't want to deal with Crunchyroll can still get their fill on Netflix.
Ni no Kuni
Ni no Kuni is more of a traditional isekai from the '90s, very different than the modern variety. After a group of high school teens just barely manage to avoid being hit by a vehicle, they find themselves transported to the world of Evemore. Once they learn the truth about the world though, they find themselves torn over whether they should return to their own world.
Fans of the Level-5 video game of the same name might think the Ni no Kuni film is a little different than the game they love. Still, from the characters to the game's Ghibli aesthetics, there's a lot for new and old fans to enjoy here.
Hunter x Hunter
One of the greatest shonen anime ever, Hunter x Hunter is an epic fantasy series from Yu Yu Hakusho creator Yoshihiro Togashi. The show begins when a young child named Gon decides to go on a quest to find his father, who left their town to continue his life as an adventurous Hunter.
With each Hunter x Hunter arc drastically different from the previous but united by the world's recurring characters, Hunter x Hunter proves Togashi is a master of his craft. Madhouse's excellent adaptation of the manga is a must-watch, even if the manga itself is incomplete.
Vampire in the Garden
A five-episode Original Net Animation from Wit Studio, Netflix greenlit this project in 2019, finally getting it onto their service in 2022. Set in a future timeline where humanity has lost a war against vampires, the last people in society have built a city surrounded by light to protect themselves.
Unknown to them however, the Queen of the Vampires has already made a home in their city, and her connection with a young soldier named Momo might be humanity's best chance for peace with the vampires. Vampire in the Garden is a short, beautiful action-fantasy that anyone could spend a weekend with.
Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online's high concept is remarkably simple. On the day of the official launch of the titular VRMMO, the game's creator announces that its 10,000 players can't leave until they've beaten the game. Making things worse, deaths within the game are lethal in the real world.
Some fans might argue that Sword Art Online is responsible for the endless waves of isekai anime over the last decade, for good and ill. However, if Sword Art Online wasn't impossible to stop watching, it wouldn't have had the influence it has.
Inuyasha
A staple of the fantasy genre, Inuyasha is well-known as a romantic isekai, a long-running Kagome and her dog demon Inuyasha track down the magical Shikon Jewel over the course of 167 episodes. The chemistry between the main characters is enough to let most fans overlook its formulaic plot, and in fairness, it's a classic for a reason.
Inuyasha could easily be a collection of tropes but instead, it's an interesting and influential series. While the sullen Inuyasha and purely evil villain, Naraku, both feel like they were sent straight from anime's central casting department, there's a reason why magical quests and isekai appeal to anime fans. This action romance is pure, well-executed escapist fantasy and sometimes that's all anyone needs.
Seven Deadly Sins
The Seven Deadly Sins takes place in the land of Britannia, where the protectors of the Kingdom of Liones were scattered across the country a decade prior. Known as the Seven Deadly Sins, they were framed for an attempted coup of their own country, and many vanished to evade capture.
In their absence, the Holy Knights took over and are now plotting to free the unstoppable demons from their prisons. The Kingdom's only hope lies in the princess of Liones, Elizabeth, finding all the Seven Deadly Sins and defeating the Holy Knights. While later seasons struggle with animation problems, The Seven Deadly Sins characters and action sequences make it a fan favorite.
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
One of the best battle shonen to never get a complete adaptation, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic has everything fans are looking for in a fantasy setting. Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, Magi follows two of the original works' most famous heroes, Alibaba and Aladdin.
A chance meeting forces Alibaba and Aladdin into an alliance as they try to conquer a Dungeon, one of many magical castles that bestow incredible power and money on anyone who can survive their trials. While Alibaba is just a normal merchant, Aladdin is a special child with a unique connection to the Dungeons. However, they'll only be able to discover the truth if they can survive all the other people who want the power of the Dungeons.
Sword Art Online: Alicization
While it set the standard for isekai anime, Sword Art Online was a little rough around the edges starting out. As author Reki Kawahara gained more experience, he began telling drastically better stories. Sword Art Online: Alicization takes place after the original anime's first two seasons, picking up with Kirito after he narrowly survives an attack in the real world from player killer Johnny Black.
To allow his mind to recover, Kirito is placed within the digital Soul Translator, where he exists inside a realistic game, the Underworld. While there, Kirito lives a different life, where he goes on a journey with his friend Eugeo to rescue their kidnapped friend, Alice Zuberg.
Shaman King
The original Shaman King aired in the early 2000s but came to an end after 64 episodes to avoid passing the manga. When the series was revived in 2021, they wanted to completely adapt the manga. Although the pacing might leave something to be desired, Shaman King still manages to capture what made the original series work.
The story follows Yoh Asakura, a teenage Shaman, with the power to talk with supernatural creatures. Yoh hopes to win the Shaman Fight, a tournament held once every 500 years, and then use his power as the Shaman King to reshape the world.
Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer took the anime world by storm when it premiered in 2019. Fans praised its first season, and its film, Demon Slayer – The Movie: Mugen Train, was the highest-grossing Japanese film ever made. Demon Slayer follows the paths of Tanjiro and Nezuko Kamado, siblings living in the Taisho era of Japan, whose remote cabin is attacked by a demon while Tanjiro is away, leaving most of the family slaughtered and Nezuko transforming into a demon.
Instead of giving in to bloodlust, Nezuko uses her enhanced abilities to fiercely protect her brother, which grants her a second chance with the Demon Slayer Corps, who usually would have killed her. In order to get revenge on the demon who murdered his family, Tanjiro joins the Corps, and his and Nezuko's journey for vengeance begins.
Brand New Animal (BNA)
Brand New Animal is an incredible fantasy anime from Studio Trigger that centers on a world where Beastmen have always been mistrusted and mistreated by humans because of their ability to transform into animals. Anima City was established as a haven for Beastmen, so when Michiru Kagemori wakes up one morning to discover she's a tanuki, she flees to Anima City for safety.
Michiru's bizarre transformation from human to Beastman must be kept quiet, and Michiru finds himself attached to an odd-jobs wolf Beastman named Shiro who always looks like he could use another cup of coffee. Anima City is hardly a utopia, and crime syndicates, cults, and conspiracies soon shake up Michiru's new life, forcing her to consider what role she can play in a world that has never known equality.
Heaven Official's Blessing
The third ascension of 'scrap god' Xie Lian causes quite a stir in the Heavenly Realm, from dropping bells onto other Heavenly Officials to relocating palaces. Xie Lian, a prince of a long-irrelevant kingdom, has no way to pay for the damages and finds himself in massive debt just moments after ascending.
Heaven Official's Blessing follows Xie Lian as he attempts to solve the human realm's problems to not only pay off his debt but also gain a few worshippers, even though he doesn't have anything to offer them. Xie Lian might be heaven's unluckiest god but he's also a survivor to the end.
Little Witch Academia
Another anime from Studio Trigger, Little Witch Academia tells the story of Akko Kagari, a girl determined to make it big at Luna Nova Magical Academy. However, it would help a lot if she had any magical talents.
The only reason Akko manages to complete a spell is her discovery of the Shiny Rod, a relic left by the famous witch – and Akko's idol -–Shiny Chariot. Akko's good-natured fumbling through the world of magic is a sweet reminder of children's faith and their desire to do the impossible.
Children of the Whales
Children of the Whales might be one of the most beautiful anime ever made. Here, a divided society lives inside a massive sand-sailing vessel, the Mud Whale. Within its strange walls dwell the Marked, short-lived telekinetics, and the mundane Unmarked, living together uneasily.
Chakuro is Marked and works to record the world for those who come after him, always dreaming about what life is like outside the Mud Whale. One day, the Whale's course takes it to an island, and the young girl who lives there will change Chakuro's life, and the lives of everyone on board the great ship.