5. Fire Emblem Warriors
A lot of people don’t know thatFire Emblemalready tried to become an anime. Back in 1996,Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblemwas adapted in a two-episode OVA, but it was cut short and canceled due to poor sales. Maybe it’s time to try again?
Fire Emblem Warriorsis the 2017 entry in the series, available on Nintendo Switch and New Nintendo 3DS. The story centers on a set of royal twins—Lianna and Rowan—who must power up the Shield of Flames to protect their kingdom against the Chaos Dragon.
Sure, the plot may be a little cliché on the surface, but the real draw ofFire Emblem Warriorsis its characters. Lianna and Rowan build up support from heroes across several different nations, and it’s a joy to see them come together over the course of the game.
The beautiful graphics ofFire Emblem Warriors—and the series as a whole—already resemble that of an anime, so an adaptation would make a lot of sense. Complete with the game’s lovely background music, it would be a solid anime based on a video game.
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4. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
The Legend of Heroesis an RPG series that spun off from theDragon Slayerseries in 2004.Trails in the Sky, the first in theTrailssubseries, actually did well enough to warrant a two-part OVA adaptation. The problem is, it felt ridiculously rushed.
The pace of the game is quite slow as there’s ashonenfeel to it: the focus is primarily on the characters, their relationships, and how they develop with and against each other. For the most part, the heroes only have one goal: to see the world.
There’s a distinctly relaxed atmosphere to most of the game—no big wars to fight, no evil conspiracies to expose—so it’s enjoyable in a way that most RPGs aren’t. Plot hooks do make themselves known, but they’re relatively tame in the grand scheme.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Skypaints a realistic image of the world as characters tend to basic everyday needs, like going on a fishing trip or check into a hotel as they arrive at a new city. All of this makes this RPG prime for an anime adaptation!
3. Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moonis an action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world with barely any survivors. Every human encounter is depicted as emotional, touching, and important against the backdrop of an eerie and ruined Tokyo.
The story follows Seto and Ren’s journey as they fight off ghosts and robots while trying to find other survivors. But because the world is so barren, it’s easy to feel lonely and lost. Every moment is intimate and special, which is perfect for an anime.
Along the way, they collect memory items that each provide a glimpse into the memories of their former owners. These would make for some amazing episodes in anime form as they dive into new memories.
There was actually a manga sequel forFragile Dreams, but the game’s story would work really well as an anime series instead. The soundtrack alone would elevate the experience in ways that a manga can’t. It really deserves more than just a manga adaptation!
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2. Ace Combat
There aren’t many anime series about flying, which is why we’d love to see an anime series based on theAce Combatvideo games.
Ace Combatis a combat flight simulation series that started in 1995 withAir Combatfor the PlayStation. It’s one of the longest-running flight simulation franchises, and even spawned a novel calledIkaros in the Sky. Why not an anime series?
Despite being “only” a flight simulator, theAce Combatgames have strong stories full of emotion. You’d be surprised how immersive it can be to hear radio comms during missions, maneuvering harsh weather and conditions, and landing critical missile strikes. All of that’s amplified by the surrounding political conflicts.
And there are deaths. The player must witness tragic events in the midst of battle, without time to grieve as they strive to complete missions. If that doesn’t sound like material for a gut-wrenching anime series, you haven’t seen enough anime!
1. Asura’s Wrath
Asura’s Wrathisn’t your usual video game. This mixture of third-person action fighter and on-rails shooter feels more like an interactive movie than a video game. It’s even presented in an episodic anime style—but, for some reason, it was released as a video game.
Asura is a demigod who seeks revenge on the other demigods who betrayed him by framing him for the emperor’s murder, killing his wife, and abducting his daughter. Understandably, Asura’s rage is unquenchable as he goes on a destructive rampage.
There’s an incredible story here, capped off with beautiful visuals, perfect soundtrack, and epic fight scenes. It really should be a proper anime series, and we hope it will be one day!
This article is a guest contribution by Rachel Torgerson.Rachel is an anime latecomer who now loves to watch all kinds of anime: new series, classic series, good series, bad series. If the synopsis sounds interesting, she’ll watch it! She creates anime filler guides atNo Filler Anime.
