Is Netflix’s Tomb Raider Anime Part of the Video Games’ Canon?

Netflix just dropped the first season of Tomb: Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft – an anime spin on one of gaming’s most iconic characters. But is Netflix’s Tomb Raider series part of the video game franchise’s official canon?

Is Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Canon?

It depends what you mean by “canon.” After all, the Tomb Raider franchise’s continuity has been rebooted twice! As such, there’s technically three versions of the canon: the version introduced by the original Tomb Raider and its five sequels; the version ushered in by Tomb Raider: Legend and its follow-up, Tomb Raider: Underworld; and the version that unites the so-called “Survivor Trilogy” of Tomb Raider (2019), Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Of these iterations of Lara Croft lore, Netflix’s Tomb Raider anime syncs up with two: the OG canon and the Survivor Trilogy. How does that work? With a considerable amount of behind-the-scenes effort, apparently.

Related: All Major Voice Actors For Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

According to showrunner Tasha Huo in a pre-release promo video, The Legend of Lara Croft is part of a wider initiative by Survivor Trilogy developer Crystal Dynamics to merge its canon with that of the first six Tomb Raider titles. “The team at Crystal Dynamics is hard at work unifying the timelines of Tomb Raider and we are so excited to be part of that effort,” she said. Huo added that the Netflix show would “provide… some of the first steps toward unifying the Tomb Raider timelines, as we transition beyond the Survivor Trilogy and start to follow Lara’s journey leading up to the first steps of that first Tomb Raider game.” So, in effect, The Legend of Lara Croft bridges the original and most recent canon.

Where Does The Legend of Lara Croft Fit on the Tomb Raider Timeline?

So, Netflix’s The Legend of Lara Croft is part of the current Tomb Raider canon – but what about its place on the series timeline? Well, as noted above, the anime reflects Crystal Dynamic’s recent push to weave together the classic and modern Tomb Raider continuities. This means reconciling their respective timelines. So, going forward, Crystal Dynamics’ will treat the Survivor Trilogy as the first half of Lara Croft’s career, and Tomb Raider (1996) and its sequels as the latter half. And smack in-between is The Legend of Lara Croft, which is designed to fuse together the ends of this new, composite timeline.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is currently streaming on Netflix.