Nowadays, no one would be surprised if another online game gets an anime adaptation. Numerous gacha already exist in the animated 2D worlds with both original plot or repeating the games’ story line. Single player projects receive the animated series version even more often, and many JRPG or slashers conquer the anime world.
But what about MMORPGs? Not Genshin or Honkai, but more classic older games, which follow a more classic understanding of this term. Let’s see which projects were popular enough in the past to receive an anime adaptation.
RAGNAROK ONLINE
A very old and still fairly popular MMORPG from Korean studio Gravity. Back in 2004 the game received an official anime adaptation which came under the title Ragnarok the Animation.
The project took from the game the lore of Rune-Midgard world, including game classes and the all known back to the date game features. The original story follows the swordsman Roan and the acolyte Yufa, who just began their journey.
The adaptation turned out to be very close to the original source, while sumbling over the original story.
MapleStory
Another Korean side-scrolling MMORPG became popular enough to receive an anime version in 2007. The studio Madhouse took the original source and turned it into an animated series with original plot.
However, the title became more of a stand-alone creation, the spin of the original game. From the base source the anime took only key points like races, classes and basic lore, including the World Tree and Maple Island.
In the end the series became a more simplified version of the original, staying close to the game only in title and in spirit.
Arad Senki: Slap-Up Party
Arad Senki: Slap-Up Party became a loose adaptation of another side-scrolling MMORPG Dungeon Fighter Online. Aired back in 2009, the anime follows the story of an official web comic, taking only base lore of the game as a starting point.
However, the prologue of the anime is very much the same as the beginning of the game itself, but later on the project live its own life, with original characters as main heroes.
Blade & Soul
Blade & Soul anime series produced by Gonzo aired from April to June 2014. Following the original story, the project brought the world of the Korean 3D action to 2D space. The anime uses the game’s wuxia-inspired fantasy world, martial arts style, visual design and some atmosphere, but creates its own narrative.
The series tells a story of betrayal and growth, while following the female protagonist and featuring many female characters of all classes. However, it was poorly accepted by the public, receiving very mixed reviews.
Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation
The adaptation of the MMORPG developed by SEGA came to the world back in 2016. However, this game received even two animated series, and the second one came under the title Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode Oracle in 2019.
Both anime exist in the same universe of the original game, while having the different approach to adaptation. Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation follows the original narrative, telling a story of the high school students at Seiga Academy. This anime is mostly a slice of life version of the game universe, with a minor relation to the gameplay. Meanwhile, Episode Oracle retells the game plot, following the early game and ARKS organization arc.
However, it underwent many changes to match the anime format.
