Those who thought anime were only adapted from manga will be surprised to discover that quite a lot of popular anime drew inspiration from video games. In fact, one can even say that anime and video games are as closely tied to one another as manga to anime.
From visual novels to intense multiplayer games, a variety of games have inspired the content of anime. Here are some of the best anime that were inspired by video games:
10 Granblue Fantasy: The Animation (2017)
Based on Cygames' social-network and role-playing game Granblue Fantasy, Granblue Fantasy: The Animation is a fantasy adventure anime. It currently has two seasons, with the first one animated by A-1 Pictures and the second being animated by MAPPA. Granblue Fantasy: The Animation follows Gran, who encounters a mysterious girl who escaped from a military island. The duo along with Gran’s talking lizard, Vyrn embark on a quest to escape the sky islands.
Granblue Fantasy received quite a lot of praise for its breathtaking animation and amazing music, which is expected given that music composer Nobuo Uematsu and art director Hideo Minana were part of the project. The two were also praised widely for their earlier work for the Final Fantasy franchise.
9 Danganronpa: The Animation (2013)
Created by Kazutaka Kodaka and developed by Spike Chunsoft, Danganronpa is a video game franchise that has a variety of gaming styles including but not limited to adventure, visual novel, and detective. The premise mainly revolves around a group of high-school students who are forced into a survival of the fittest game by a teddy bear named Monokuma.
Interestingly, the game series was not directly adapted into anime. Instead, the anime series serve as prequels, sequels, and side stories to the main narrative of the video game. So for those wanting the full Danganronpa experience, they’ll need to watch the anime and play the video game.
8 Persona 4: The Animation (2011)
Persona is a video game series that offers a role-playing and social simulation game developed by Atlus and owned by Sega. The series is a spin-off of Atlus’ earlier game franchise Megami Tensei. Within the Persona universe, characters battle with each other using personas, which are physical manifestations of their psyches. The first game was released in 1996, and since then there have been a variety of movies and anime series. Persona 5: The Animation being the most recent installment. The anime revolves around the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, a group set on changing the ways of evildoers.
7 Rage of Bahamut (2014)
Interestingly, Rage of Bahamut started off as a digital collectible card game that allowed players to move within the in-game universe. The was quite well-received when it was first released in 2011 in Japan and in 2012 worldwide. It garnered over 10 million users by the end of 2012. With three spin-off anime series (Rage of Bahamut: Genesis, Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul, and Manaria Friends), it is set in a world where gods and demons join forces to seal Bahamut, a dangerous dragon. The series specifically follows a trio, made up of two rival bounty hunters and a mysterious woman, who find themselves in the middle of an ancient conflict.
6 Steins;Gate (2011)
Steins;Gate is often referred to as one of the greatest sci-fi anime of all time. The anime is based on a visual novel of the same name developed by 5pb and Nitroplus. The game is the second installment following Chaos;Head in the Science Adventures series. It centers around Rintaro Okabe, an eccentric college student who likens himself to a mad scientist. Okabe makes a breakthrough by discovering a way to send messages back in time. However, he makes the mistake of meddling with time and history and has to spend the rest of his life trying to undo his mistake.
5 Angels of Death (2018)
Created by Hoshikuzu KRNKRN using RPG Maker, Angels of Death is a horror adventure game that was released for free on the Den Fami Nico Gane Magazine website. The game was not only adapted into a manga, but also a series of novels and anime. Both the anime and the game center around Rachel Gardner, who wakes up in a mysterious building with no memory of how she got there or how to escape.
Angels of Death is quite dark as Rachel does not have the will to live and makes a pact with a serial killer, Zack, to help him get out of the building in return for him to take her life. Unfortunately for the odd duo, the building has people who are even weirder than them. Plus, the more they explore the mysterious building, the less likely it seems to find an exit.
4 Pokémon (1996 - Present)
TV Tokyo
Pokémon is one of the most, if not the most, beloved anime franchise in history. Even those who don’t watch anime know about Pikachu and can be heard humming to the theme (“Gotta Catch ‘'Em All!”). A fact unknown to many is that the game franchise was first inspired by a video game that was created back in the year,1996. It started off with Pocket Monsters: Red and Green (which was later released as Pokémon Red and Blue), a pair of games specially made for the original Game Boy. Since then the franchise has grown immensely with over 1,000 episodes of the TV series, multiple films, mangas, and games.
3 NieR: Automata Ver1.1a (2023)
Based on Square Enix’s open-world action RPG game NieR: Automata, NieR: Automata Ver1.1a is a dystopian anime. Much like the game, the anime is set amidst a proxy war between human-made androids and alien-made machines. Both forces fight in hopes of claiming Earth. The anime focuses particularly on the story of combat android 2B and scanner android 9S, both of whom explore Earth and face many threats that rise against them.
2 The Fate Series (2006 - Present)
Created by Kinoko Nasu and developed by Type-Moon, Fate/stay night is a visual novel that inspired not an anime adaptation, but countless spin-offs as well as a manga series and light novels. The initial game had three main storylines: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven’s Feel. It mostly revolves around a young mage, Shirou Emiya. She plays a crucial part as a warrior in the war between “Servants”, all of whom are fighting to get their hands on the Holy Grail, an object that can grant any wish. A proper understanding of the Fate series requires quite a lot of dedication, as there’s quite a lot of content to keep one occupied for a long while.
1 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022)
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is one of Netflix’s more recent projects, which draws inspiration from the action role-playing game Cyberpunk 2077. The game is set in a world where people have enhanced abilities due to cybernetic implants. Despite having multiple bugs, the game was quick to rise in popularity.
The anime is set in the same universe as the game but takes place sometime before the incidents in the game. Cyberpunk: Edgerunner mainly follows the story of David Martinez, a teenager trying to survive in the slums. He eventually ends up acquiring cybernetic implants and becomes involved with a team of criminal cyborgs. Those who have played the game will be able to spot quite a few references, including the appearance of the in-game character Wakako.