There's something really admirable about how the manga and anime mediums manage to visit pretty much every single genre, find inspiration in every culture, and touch every time period. Stories set during the medieval era are often associated with war, knights, and tyrannical kings living in luxury while their subjects suffer. However, there are a number of anime that found clever ways to revamp this classic setting.

From dark and twisted series to more bright and lighthearted ones, these anime series adapted what is usually expected of medieval stories to create something totally unique. Without further ado, here's a ranked list of the best medieval anime out there. In this case, the focus is on anime with a medieval aesthetic and not those necessarily set during the Middle Ages, although the latter will naturally be considered.

Updated on November 8, 2023, by Ajay Aravind: Fictional narratives based on the medieval era often take their cues from Europe, but this isn't always the case. On the contrary, anime series like Inuyasha and Samurai Champloo are set in medieval Japan. Given the sheer amount of medieval anime out there, we've updated this list with five more medieval anime.

10 Most Romantic Medieval Anime

20 The Rising Of The Shield Hero Incorporates Tons Of Medieval Aesthetics

3 Seasons and 50 Episodes

One of the most recent medieval anime out there, The Rising of the Shield Hero was originally based on Aneko Yusagi's web novel. It received consecutive manga and anime adaptations, with the third season releasing in October 2023. This anime has an Isekai premise, with protagonist Naogumi Iwatani traveling to an alternate universe where he's expected to battle vicious monsters known as Waves.

The Rising of the Shield Hero incorporates tons of medieval aesthetics, including weaponry, architecture, and clothing, creating an authentic atmosphere for diehard fans of the genre. Of course, things rarely go well for anime heroes, and Iwatani soon finds himself at the heart of some truly serious accusations. The Rising of the Shield Hero is a decent medieval anime, but will leave fans wanting more.

19 Rage Of Bahamut Successfully Blends Greek Mythology With Biblical Angels

2 Seasons and 36 Episodes

Rage of Bahamut was a card battle game released in 2011. Its popularity explains the eponymous anime adaptation in 2014. This medieval anime is set in a fantasy world filled with both divine and demonic beings, not to mention copious amounts of magic. The story's title comes from Bahamut, a monstrous entity who was sealed away after a great battle.

Rage of Bahamut begins with two separate factions fighting against each other — one wants Bahamut to be resurrected, while the other is strongly opposed to foolhardy ideas. This medieval anime has a lot of conflicting elements, such as Biblical angels and Greek mythology, but Rage of Bahamut somehow makes it work, albeit barely.

18 Fairy Tail Is A Fun, Complex, And Intense Shone Anime

9 Seasons and 328 Episodes

Anyone looking for a fun, complex, and intense shonen anime with lots of unique characters, awesome animation, and a great storyline, should seriously consider giving Fairy Tail a try. The story mainly follows Lucy, a young mage whose dream is to be part of the Fairy Tail Guild. However, her journey has just begun.

One day, Lucy crosses paths with Natsu, a teenage boy with a rare type of magic, and his flying blue cat, both of whom happen to be Fairy Tail members. As they become friends, the three of them regularly go on missions that always happen to be much more dangerous than expected. Fairy Tail is arguably one of the most popular shonen series of the 21st century, but there are several other medieval anime that capture the genre better.

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17 Record Of Lodoss War Is Partially Based On The D&D Role-Playing Style

2 Seasons and 40 Episodes

Record of Lodoss War is one of those rare medieval anime with multiple adaptations, from anime and manga to video games. The plot is neither new nor complex, but anyone who enjoys Dungeons & Dragons should certainly check it out. The narrative framework of Record of Lodoss War is based on D&D's role-playing style, which naturally comprises of quests and adventures.

With 7 volumes of novelizations under its belt, the anime had quite a lot of source material to fall back on. The anime chronicles Parn, a young man who seeks to redeem the family name after his father's knighthood is stripped away. Elves, thieves, dwarves, and priests play major roles in Record of Lodoss War, further augmenting the medieval feel. Unfortunately, there's a little too much fantasy involved.

16 The Heroic Legend Of Arslan Is A Stereotypical Medieval Anime Loosely Adapted From Persian Epics

2 Seasons and 33 Episodes

The Heroic Legend of Arslan is what one would expect of a stereotypical medieval anime. There are two kingdoms at war and, at their heads, two tyrannical and power-hungry kings. However, Arslan, who's one of the king's sons, is different and aspires to become a good and fair ruler.

As Arslan leaves the palace for his very first battle, his father is betrayed by one of his most trusted advisors. Arslan now must travel throughout his kingdom to gather the skills and knowledge necessary for him to take back his birthright. The Heroic Legend of Arslan is loosely adapted from Persian epics, so it may not be exactly what fans of medieval anime expect.

15 Magi: The Labyrinth Of Magic Borrows Heavily From The Arabian Nights

2 Seasons and 50 Episodes

Shinobu Ohtaka's Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic ran from 2009 to 2017, with 369 chapters compressed into 37 volumes. Some might argue that this anime doesn't fulfill all the medieval criteria, but the Middle Ages didn't just happen in Europe. On the contrary, Magi relies heavily on the One Thousand and One Nights, arguably the best-known collection of stories from the Islamic Golden Age.

In fact, the main characters are known as Aladdin and Alibaba, who eventually encounter a range of mythical entities like djinns and dragons. There's a lot of dungeon-crawling involved in Magi, an element that medieval anime fans are sure to enjoy. There's also a spin-off called Magi: Adventure of Sinbad, yet another character from the Arabian Nights.

14 Drifters Involves Japanese Historical Figures As Well As Middle-earth Entities

1 Season and 12 Episodes

Yet another example of an Isekai medieval anime, Drifters revisualizes the Japanese Middle Ages much like Inuyasha. Popular characters from Japanese history make fictionalized appearances in this story, including Ii Naomasa, Oda Nobunaga, Shimazu Toyohisa, and Nasu no Yoichi. Protagonist Toyohisa takes a journey into a parallel world, where he encounters other men like him.

These people soon become members of the titular "Drifters." In addition, Drifters involves Tolkien-esque beings like Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, and Dragons. At the same time, there is a group known as the Octobrist Organization, presumably a reference to Russia's Octobrist Party that was active during the early 20th century. Drifters is exciting, but medieval anime fans might want something more consistent.

13 Castlevania Is One Of The First Successful Anime Adaptations Of A Video Game

4 Seasons, 32 Episodes

With stellar voice acting, a visceral storyline, and a polished modern look, Castlevania has been heralded as the first really successful video game-to-television adaptation. Richard Armitage brings the main character to life with his noble but sometimes slurred baritone, a big part of the show's appeal.

This medieval anime follows the basic plot that has been laid out in Konami's legendary game series, including House Belmont and the Belnades family. The story is supposed to take place in Transylvania, but the obscure Romanian region of Wallachia is where most of the action occurs. Castlevania finished airing its fourth season in 2021, suggesting that fans really enjoy this medieval anime.

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12 Goblin Slayer Has The Potential To Become A New Medieval Anime Favorite

1 Season and 12 Episodes

Set in a world where adventurers come from afar to join a guild and pick out jobs, an inexperienced priestess finds herself in an unfortunate situation after joining her very first adventuring party. When her entire party is slaughtered by goblins, she is ready to give up and meet her untimely demise. However, fate puts a mysterious and overpowered man on her path.

Goblin Slayer is a relatively new medieval anime that shows great promise and has gotten pretty amazing reviews, although it was not without controversy when it first aired. It has a pretty unique pace, alternating between light-novel adaptation and what resembles dark fantasy. As such, Goblin Slayer definitely has the potential to become a new medieval anime favorite.

11 Vinland Saga Is A Thrilling Medieval Anime About The Viking Era

2 Seasons and 48 Episodes

As the name suggests, Vinland Saga is a medieval anime about Vikings — the clothing, settings, and customs are all lifted from the earlier medieval time period. The plot focuses on an old-fashioned revenge dynamic, following Thorfinn as he tries to catch up to his father's murderer, a mercenary named Askeladd.

When he grows old enough, Thorfinn joins the same band of mercenaries as they set sail to pillage, hoping to eventually grow strong enough to kill their leader. There's very little action that takes place in cities, with most of the main character's trials taking place on a ship among other crewmembers. Despite the violence and unforgiving social environment, fans of medieval anime can relate to Thorfinn's dreams of freedom.

10 The Seven Deadly Sins Is Both Joyous And Dreary, A Combination That Works In Its Favor

5 Seasons and 100 Episodes

The Seven Deadly Sins is another surprisingly good Shonen medieval anime. Despite its colorful world and seemingly buoyant story, the anime turns out to be quite dark at times and has a very gripping narrative. As the kingdom falls into the demonic hands of the Holy Knights, Princess Elizabeth sets up a mission to find and bring together the Seven Deadly Sins.

These titular characters are a group of exiled mages whom she believes will be powerful enough to free her kingdom and bring back peace. However, finding them seems to be the easy part, but getting them to agree on working together turns out to be more complicated than expected. In addition to five seasons, The Seven Deadly Sins also has numerous movies and light novels based on the story, making it one of the better medieval anime out there.

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9 Tears To Tiara Was Originally A Tactical Role-Playing Game

1 Season, 26 Episodes

Tears to Tiara is a medieval anime that follows Riannon, the priestess of a small island governed by the Gael tribe. As news of the Holy Empire's growing power on the mainland reaches the island, Riannon is kidnapped to be offered as a sacrifice to the demon Arawn. The prologue leads viewers down a certain path before shifting focus to the most unexpected protagonist imaginable.

Upon his ascension and to everyone's surprise, Arawn chooses to pledge his allegiance to Riannon and the Gael tribe. Together, they will fight against the Empire to free the kingdom from its oppression. Tears to Tiara was originally created and released as a tactical role-playing game, but the medieval anime adaptation has accrued fans around the world.

8 The Twelve Kingdoms Is An Ideal Mix Of Fantasy, Adventure, And Steampunk

1 Season and 45 Episodes

The Twelve Kingdoms is an ideal mix of the fantasy, adventure, and steampunk genres. The plot begins when whiny teenager Youko Nakajima gets sucked through a dimensional portal into the show's fantasy world. The Twelve Kingdoms also abandons anime tropes like fan service and exaggerated costuming in favor of more authentic clothing that's accurate to the time period. In these terms, it's relatively superior to a few other medieval anime.

There are a number of fantasy characters in the story and this detail keeps the visuals grounded in reality. This medieval anime tackles some deep themes as well, following the main character's development as she navigates both life-threatening adventures and awkward political nuances. The Twelve Kingdoms was originally adapted from Fuyumi Ono's fantasy novel series.

7 Spice And Wolf Offers Authentic Details About Medieval Economics

2 Seasons and 24 Episodes

It's not uncommon to expect knights, some sort of kingdom in peril, and an array of mages when considering a medieval anime. It is therefore refreshing to find an anime that goes in a completely different direction, choosing instead to highlight a romance storyline. Although Spice and Wolf is not without its share of magic, the story mainly focuses on two characters.

Holo, an ancient goddess with waning influence, and Kraft Lawrence, a struggling merchant, build a heartwarming relationship with each other. Along with a strong cast and a moving storyline, Spice and Wolf offers information and details about medieval economics that turn out to be surprisingly interesting. Fans of authenticity are sure to enjoy this gripping medieval anime.

4 Seasons and 88 Episodes

Attack on Titan is one of the most popular anime of the last few years. This series is a phenomenon of its own and combines amazing characters, beautiful design and animation, and a highly nuanced story. To say that Attack on Titan contains political themes is an understatement — the entire narrative framework is an expression of political and personal differences between the Eldian race and everyone else.

Each episode keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, and the anime genuinely evokes that "one more episode" feel in the audience. The very last episode is set to release on November 5, 2023. As such, it's as good a time as any to get started and to binge Attack on Titan in time for its inevitably grand finale.

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5 Inuyasha Was Originally Subtitled "A Feudal Fairy Tale"

8 Seasons, 193 Episodes

A classic medieval anime and one of the genre's better options, Inuyasha was originally based on a manga by Rumiko Takahashi. Despite its fantasy premise, the story starts with an accident involving time travel. Kagome Higurashi is just a normal middle-school girl in Tokyo, but then she falls into a well at her family's shrine and finds herself in the Sengoku period, which coincides with the late Middle Ages.

One of the first individuals she meets is the titular character, the half-dog demon, half-human named Inuyasha. There are eight seasons to watch as well as a few films, so there's plenty to binge for people looking for this type of medieval anime. The first version of the anime had the complete name, Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale, which gives viewers a more specific idea as to the tone and setting.

1 Season, 24 Episodes

Mizuho Kusanagi's Yona of the Dawn is a highly popular Shojo manga that has been running since 2009. The eponymous Princess Yona's perfect, luxury-filled life is turned upside down when a coup d'état occurs. With the king dead and the whole kingdom at risk, Yona has no other choice but to run away and hide among her people.

Now that she is confronted with the reality of life outside the palace, Yona is forced to admit that her kingdom is far from the idyllic place she had always imagined. As in the case of any dedicated medieval anime protagonist, Yona resolves to win back her kingdom and create a better life for her people. Yona of the Dawn may not be a medieval anime masterpiece, but it's certainly a worthwhile watch for genre fans.

3 Claymore Is A Dark Fantasy Anime With Awesome Fight Scenes

1 Season and 26 Episodes

Fans on the hunt for a dark fantasy anime with awesome fight scenes and innovative ways to make fan-favorite characters experience suffering need look no further than the iconic Claymore. The warrior characters in this story are known as Claymores, a reference to their claymore blades. Although slightly hyperbolic, Claymore remains an excellent example of the medieval anime genre.

Despite being hated and rejected by a society that despises the supernatural, a group of women infused with demon blood dedicate their lives to kill all demons and protect humans. Written by Norihiro Yagi, the mangaka behind Angel Densetsu, Claymore eventually manages to fulfill most of the audience's expectations.

2 Samurai Champloo Is A Historically Accurate Anime Set In The Meiji Era

1 Season and 26 Episodes

Fans looking for a more historically accurate anime should check out Shinichiro Watanabe's Samurai Champloo. While the story of the three main characters on a road trip is fictional, the environment they travel through is an authentic recreation of Japan's Meiji Era. This was right before the modern era was just beginning, and feudal Japan was slowly evolving into an industrialized world power.

At first, it seems that the characters have little connection with the history happening around them. However, as the story deepens, each one becomes an icon of both past and present timelines. Anyone curious about some of the nuances of Japanese history shouldn't miss Samurai Champloo.

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1 Berserk Is One Of The Best Medieval Anime Series Ever Made

3 Seasons and 49 Episodes

If there is one medieval anime set that needs to be on any anime fan's to-be-watched list, it's Berserk. Both the original 1997 series and the 2016 reboot are worth watching as they each focus on different aspects of life in an eerie and ominous world filled with Apostles and other nightmarish entities.

The original series is highly focused on political intrigue, battlefield strategies, and power dynamics between different people. On the other hand, the reboot directs the spotlight onto subjects like witchcraft, torture, and the role of religion in medieval times. Although the series can get pretty dark, Berserk remains one of the best anime ever made.