Netflix has suddenly announced an upcoming anime based on Dragon’s Dogma, to become available on the streaming service later this year. The show is set to give personalities to the Arisen and their Pawns, which are customisable characters in the game. Netflix has also revealed some of the artwork from the show on Twitter alongside the announcement.
Only the Arisen can face the Dragon and defeat the apocalypse. Here's your first look at the anime series adaptation of Capcom's action fantasy classic Dragon's Dogma, arriving September 17th. pic.twitter.com/UxJMcUrsdp
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) July 14, 2020
The show’s landing page on Netflix is rather brief. “Ethan sets out to vanquish the Dragon that took his heart, but with every demon he battles, the more he loses his humanity,” reads the description. In the show, Ethan is the Arisen, the customisable and silent player character from the game whose heart is cut out and consumed by the dragon that attacked their home. Revived as “The Arisen”, they enlist the help of Pawns, uncanny humanlike soldiers, in their quest to slay the dragon and save the land of Gransys. In the show, Ethan’s primary Pawn is named Hannah. Hopefully she will have more varied dialogue in the series than the infamously repetitive Pawn exposition in the game.
It is not very surprising that Netflix is choosing to adapt a video game property; after all, its adaptations of Castlevania and The Witcher have proven quite popular. Dragon’s Dogma may seem a bit out of left field, considering its general focus on gameplay over plot and characterisation. However, the game did have a compelling setting and mythology to work with. By replacing the silent customisable protagonist with a main character with a personality and more complex motivations, it could make the setting more accessible to a wider audience. The art style is also reminiscent of the fantasy gothic art style of the Castlevania series, which was quite appealing to look at.
The Dragon’s Dogma Netflix series will be available on September 17th. Trailers and more information about the premise are sure to follow. In the meantime, we can look at some screenshots of the show’s art style, which Netflix has provided on Twitter. Hopefully, Netflix’s solid track record with video game adaptations will continue with Dragon’s Dogma.
About the Author
Tom Quirk
he/him
Tom Quirk plays a lot of video games, but when he isn't, he is reading fantasy novels and watching way more television than is healthy.
