If you're a fan of The Legend of Vox Machina and looking for more shows to sink your teeth into, you're in luck. While Vox Machina is an animated series based on the popular Dungeons & Dragons campaign, there are plenty of other shows that share similar themes, settings, and tones. Here are five TV shows that will scratch that fantasy itch and keep you entertained for hours on end.
Dota: Dragon's Blood
One of the most visually stunning shows on this list, Dota: Dragon's Blood is a Netflix original series based on the popular online multiplayer game Dota 2. Even if you've never heard of Dota 2, don't worry — the show is designed to be accessible to newcomers while still being a great adaptation for existing fans. The voice acting is fantastic, with a solid roster of characters that are both gorgeous and skilled. The show takes place in a universe full of magic, demons, and dragons, following a group of adventurers who each bring their own unique skills to the party. The story revolves around Davion, a famed Dragon Knight who has spent his whole life battling dragons but now finds himself reluctantly aligning with them to take down the dangerous demon Terrorblade. This is a thrilling and highly bingeable fantasy epic that ran for three seasons on Netflix, and fans of The Legend of Vox Machina are bound to fall in love with it if they give the show a chance.
Record of Lodoss War
Another anime classic, Record of Lodoss War is a 13-episode series that follows a knight, an elf, a dwarf, a wizard, a thief, and a cleric as they attempt to fight off a previously dormant evil that has recently been reawakened. The show is highly regarded for its gorgeous animation from Madhouse, incredible music, a cast of fully-formed characters, and a story that remains compelling throughout despite the well-worn fantasy territory. And, if you love it, there's more Record of Lodoss War content out there, including the 1998 follow-up anime series Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight. While Small World RPG, the Japanese tabletop role-playing game that inspired the series, might not be driven by user-created content and scenarios in the same way that Dungeons & Dragons is, the two RPGs share a lot of the same DNA, and the main setting of Small World — a place called Forcelia — wouldn't be out of place as a D&D location.
The Dragon Prince
Of all the shows on this list, the only one that has zero ties to an existing game of any kind is The Dragon Prince. Serving as something of a spiritual successor to Avatar: The Last Airbender in that the two shows share a key creative figure (Aaron Ehasz), The Dragon Prince is otherwise a wholly original work that isn't an adaptation of nor based on an existing property. Of course, it can be argued that this makes this recommendation stand out from the others in a positive way rather than a negative one — adaptations are great, but we definitely don't get enough original works these days. The show is about the forces of good and evil battling one another with magic in a high fantasy setting in which dragons are ever-present. The magic in the world of The Dragon Prince is a natural resource that can be mined not only from the land and sea but also the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars. Everything was fine on the continent of Xadia until the humans got fed up with not being able to access the naturally-occurring magic the way the elves could and started to dabble in a dark form of it. Doing so poisoned their souls and caused them to be exiled, which eventually led to a great battle between the tainted humans and those that banished them.
Castlevania
While the Castlevania video games aren't technically RPGs but rather action/adventure titles, the spirit of RPGs — using magic, leveling up abilities, choosing what types of weapons and gear to equip — has always run through the franchise. And while it took a shockingly long time after the series' debut in 1986 to finally see any sort of screen adaptation, the wait was worth it with Netflix's astounding 2017 series Castlevania. Loosely following the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, one of the most beloved titles in the game series, Castlevania sees Trevor Belmont somewhat reluctantly accept his duties as the latest in a long line of vampire-slaying Belmonts. He eventually joins up with magician Sypha Belnades on his quest to take down Vlad Dracula Tepes, the de facto vampire king who has pledged an eternity of suffering against humans for the murder of his wife. Castlevania is one of the best TV shows about vampires and it's also one of the best video game adaptations ever, including both television and film. The follow-up series Castlevania: Nocturne isn't quite as great, but if you enjoy the original it's worth checking out, especially if you're looking to scratch your The Legend of Vox Machina itch.
Arcane: League of Legends
Lastly, we have an adaptation of a video game franchise so good that it made Emmy history in more ways than one — most crucially, being the first video game adaptation to ever win one of the coveted awards. Since then, shows like The Last of Us and Fallout have made it commonplace for video game shows to get Emmy love, but it was a big deal when Arcane: League of Legends crossed that bridge first. Another show that requires zero familiarity with the source material while also serving as a wonderful tribute to it, Arcane is an incredibly ambitious animated series that's all about the class warfare between the rich residents of Piltover and the poor residents of Zaun. Zaunite sisters Vi and Jinx are thrown into the middle of that battle, and it threatens to cost them their relationship. Arcane is the most expensive animated series of all time, and it shows — the Netflix series really is stunning. The massive budget is evident in every frame of the show's visually arresting animation and jaw-dropping action sequences. Sadly, this is also why Netflix canceled Arcane — the series may have wowed critics and audiences alike, but approximately $250 million was spent on creating the two seasons, and the high costs doomed the show.
In my opinion, these five shows are a must-watch for any fan of The Legend of Vox Machina. While they may not all be based on Dungeons & Dragons, they all share similar themes, settings, and tones that will scratch that fantasy itch and keep you entertained for hours on end.
