As the year 2022 approaches its second half and 2023 approaches, it’s time to look at the best upcoming action fantasy anime. Many great shows are on the way, ready to deliver exciting action and fantasy. Whether you’re a fan of fast-paced fights or prefer a more slow-paced plot, there’s something for you on this list.
Some anime will be coming out in 2022, while others will be premiered in 2023. Here are the 10 best upcoming action fantasy anime in 2022 & 2023.
Here are the best new and upcoming action fantasy anime in 2022 & 2023
I’m excited about many upcoming anime, but these 10 are the most anticipated new action fantasy anime of 2022 & 2023. It’s an anime that I think all anime fans should know about.
I will be excluding the sequels from this list for the sake of new anime. So, here are our top 10 picks.
10. Reborn to Master the Blade
Hero-King Inglis has gotten all he wanted. He’s not only a mighty knight but he’s also a ruler of a prosperous empire. Being at the top though can get lonely. What meaning is there to living without thrills, without challenges, and without enemies to stand in your way?
Thus, he wishes to live again, this time as a warrior just like how he used to be, so wish granted. Inglis finds himself reborn as a daughter of a minor noble family thanks to the patron goddess Alistia.
Now, she finds herself in a pinch due to her status, making her ineligible for knighthood. Setbacks, challenges, and adversity are just obstacles Inglis has to overcome as she now strives to defeat all that’s in her way and become a new legend, a true noble master of the blade.
Move over people getting reincarnated from the real world to a fantasy world. Reborn to Master the Blade takes the reincarnation premise slightly differently and adds a dash of gender bender to it too. Pretty much the tags and genres you’d find in web novels that are picking up steam.
If you’re a fan of those tropes and tags, then this one’s for you. This anime comes to us early in 2023 and I’m looking forward to seeing this one.
09. Mononogatari
Tsukumogami, objects possessed by spirits, thus granting them a physical form. Some may be malevolent and some may be kind, but one thing’s true members of the Saenome clan task themselves with peacefully sending those spirits back to the spirit world.
However, Hyouma looks at these spirits with little to no favor due to his past and his violent outbursts caused his grandfather to send him off to live with Botan, a girl who lives with the family of friendly Tsukumogami.
Will Hyouma manage to overcome his anger at these spirits or will he be doomed to live a life of rage forever. This obviously has nothing to do with the famous Monogatari series, but they both deal with supernatural beings. This one subtitled malevolent spirits feels more like Jujutsu Kaisen and Bleach. It is however a seinen title published under ultra-jump.
This label brought us recent Jojo titles and the manga adaptations of some niche modern titles like No Guns Life. No release date has been posted at the time of this writing, but it’s good to keep an eye on this title.
08. Arknights: Prelude to Dawn
I’ve always reiterated that video game adaptations can be hit or miss. They could range from nonsensical to something that’s truly amazing, even as a standalone title. I’ve got to say that I warmed up a lot to them. Largely due to the momentum given by titles like the Fake/Grand Order adaptations, Princess Connect, and even lesser-known titles like Takt Op.
Arknights, welcome to the party. With the game being a massive success for quite some time already, it’s not surprising that this tower defense would be the next to join the ever-growing line of Gacha Game adaptations.
A game set in the post-apocalyptic planet of terror and having a cast of cute girls with animal ears, it’s no surprise that Yostar Pictures saw potential in making a full-blown anime out of this. We’ve already got a one shot of the anime but the full tv-series is another thing.
Whether you’re a fan of the game itself or just someone who just loves sci-fi titles with a lot of waifu, the anime series Arknights prelude to dawn will be for you. Who knows if it could even pull a Princess Connect season 2 and end up being one of the top shows in its season?
07. Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy
Here’s something that could sound familiar, Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy. Okay, tell me if you’ve heard this premise before, lord of darkness that was put in stasis awakens after millennia waking up in the form of a young man and to a world that has completely changed through the passage of time.
If you’re a fan of those, then this is for you. Demon Sword Master in contrast takes place in a world where humanity continues to fight the voids and monsters that have nearly eradicated humanity. Awakened after a thousand years, dark lord Leonis finds himself safe from a void by the beautiful Riselia.
He then enrolls in Excalibur Academy, the last bastion of resistance against the voids, where he looks to both uncover past events and come to terms with the modern era. The latter is especially important as those monsters seem to have a mysterious connection to his past.
It’s a tried and true premise, but it never ceases to be awesome. I’m very excited about this show as this is a genre that I really like. Who knows if he manages to pull it off big time in terms of execution or self-awareness, it could even carve out a niche like Misfit of Demon King Academy did.
06. Chained Soldier
Every once in a while, you get these urban fantasy titles about monsters from other dimensions and super-powered people fighting them. This genre was pretty big back then, with the likes of Shakugan no Shana and the Persona Games in anime titles.
So, it’s nice to see another one joining their ranks with Chained Soldier. Are lucky or unlucky depends on how you see it. The protagonist is Yuuki, who finds himself lost in Mato, an entrance to a different dimension filled with unspeakable horrors.
This time, he gets saved by the badass Kyouka. However, instead of the usual trope of quickly integrating the protagonist into her squad, Kyouka has other ideas. She’ll work with Yuuki all right but it’s for her own gain, and he’ll be joining the anti-demon corpse as a slave. Not exactly the most ideal position but perhaps Yuuki is someone who doesn’t mind as much.
Chained Soldier, if the character designs don’t give it away is the brainchild of the person who gave us Akame ga Kill. Very similar vibes are going for it and the same badass band of female fighters that work with the audience’s surrogate main character.
The setup of character dynamics judging by the premise seems pretty unique, and it’s certainly going to be quite the different spin on the genre that had its time in the spotlight a decade ago.
05. RWBY: Ice Queendom
Ruby is not a new name. The heat animated series has been going on for quite some time now and It’s popular enough to even get manga adaptations. However, as a full-fledged anime with the style that we’ve all come to love, this is a first.
However, for those who aren’t familiar with the series, RWBY Ice Queendom takes place in a remnant of a world fan of the show will be familiar with.
A world where people and foreigners live under the threat of the monstrous Grimm. Facing them are huntresses armed with their weapons and powers; one such group is team RWBY. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang have different backgrounds and mercurial personalities.
Still, they come together in adventures that put them against the most dangerous threats, the grim and the extremist group white Fang. This is the alternative version of the series that fans have been waiting for. Ice Queendom won’t be a hard reboot and it will instead start out being faithful to the original before setting off to be its own thing.
A new adventure that gives fans a chance to meet new and familiar faces alike. To those who wanted to experience the story but weren’t around back in the day, now’s your chance to do so in a brand-new anime form.
04. Reincarnated as a Sword
Throughout the decade, we’ve seen a lot of takes on the isekai/reincarnation genre. We’ve had the standard isekai and we’ve had people getting reincarnated as slime, spider, whatnot; well, how about a sword this time. Finding himself transformed into a sword in the middle of a forest, the protagonist becomes instrumental in saving the life of an injured girl Fran.
It turns out Fran is not just any ordinary cat girl. She is after all a member of the maltreated black cats. Together with the sword who she named Shishou, she forms a formidable team looking to fight for liberation and justice. Just when I thought isekais were running out of fresh new ideas, the genre still proves me wrong.
From what I can see, this is a story of adventure and growth, but I’m most excited about the dynamic between Fran and Shishou. The two unlock each other’s potential in battle but I can also see a lot of personal growth through their bond.
With these expectations, I feel that this is going to be one of the upcoming isekai titles that will garner quite a nice level of popularity. This title seems to have some potential and we only have to wait until October to see if I’m correct or not.
03. Ragna Crimson
Ragna Crimson takes place in a world ruled by dragons. Whether it be the land, sea, or sky, these creatures of legend hold dominion and only those who have surpassed human limits can even hope to wrest control out of these monsters’ hands. One such adventurer is the dragon hunter Ragna. With victory as his only goal, he teams up with a mysterious Crimson.
Crimson’s motivations are shrouded in the air of mystery but one thing is clear, the two will stop at nothing short of victory and the destruction of the dragon monarchs. Ragna Crimson looks like one of those old-school traditional-style adventure series. Perhaps knowing it’s published in Enix Square Manga can answer the question of why.
Ragna Crimson seems to be one that sticks to a formula but jumps out with some nice subversions immediately to keep the series very interesting to follow.
The action scenes are great and the manga has been a nice read to keep my craving in check for these kinds of old-school JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Games) adventures satisfied. Ragna Crimson airs this 2023.
02. The Eminence in Shadow
Remember those good old days where we just let our imaginations run wild with no care about what other people thought or if we’d get laughed at for our outrageous claims and ecchi worlds we’d cook up in our minds.
Cid Kagenou is privy to such imaginations wanting to be a true mastermind, a true overlord that pulls the strings of the shadow organization that rules the world. Reborn in a world of magic, he finally finds an avenue for those plans of his. Pretending to be a mob character, he starts recruiting people into his organization’s Shadow Garden. Unfortunately, his organization isn’t the only thing present in this world.
Danger lurks in the shadows as the mysterious Diabolos Cult seems to have found its way into this world as well. It’s an isekai but a power fantasy world in a different way. Instead of Cid being the hero who rises and fights the evil cult, he just wants to live a secluded life.
All according to plan before eventually revealing himself to be the mastermind of it all. It’s a good read thanks to the premise and buoyed by the attractive girls with their personality dynamics another light novel staple, of course.
It’s a novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously but why should it be with that premise. If it delivers in the entertainment department which it does, then things will be a-okay.
01. Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku
At first, we have what I think is the most anticipated non-sequel action-adventure anime of the coming year, Hell’s Paradise. I’ve always said that first impressions make an impact big time and with a title like that, it sure gets the job done. It gets people interested and gets them wondering what it’s all about.
A man who does hell’s paradise makes one great impression from the get-go. The immortal Gabimaru the hollow stands at death’s door. Execution awaits him, yet his body and spirit refuse to let him pass on due to his resolve to return to his family. Instead of a man refusing to die, his executioner instead sees the most powerful asset of them all. Thus, giving gabi maru a new purpose.
He’s to join an expedition to an island believed to be paradise itself. It’s here where the elixir of life is supposed to be found and what better mercenary to have than someone immortal.
With dangers that make the island more akin to hell, Gabimaru may have finally found his match. Hell’s Paradise is one of the top rising stars among shounen manga. It combines a lot of the more serious action story beats with a high-stakes adventure full of thrills.
It promises something quite different from the usual shounen jump fit of idealistic teen heroes and powers instead of going on a much darker route. If you want to know the buzz, there’s only one way to find out: watch it.
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