Anime Is One of the Best Inspirations for TTRPG & DnD

Tabletop gaming is an incredible experience. Gathering around a table with your friends and fighting for a make-believe world is thrilling. One of the most thrilling – and terrifying – elements of tabletop gaming is the role of the GM/DM.

It’s a thankless job – there will always be critics, and you’re always under constant pressure to live up to the expectations of your players and, at times, yourself. One such issue I’ve had is trying to make my own mark with a campaign, and a corner of media I take inspiration from is anime.

I’ve made it no secret here – I love anime. I love how it takes the tropes of storytelling and twists them in strange and wonderful ways. Every world is fun and wild and has a unique flair to it, even when these stories tread on familiar story beats.

So, when I come to sessions of gaming where I wish to homebrew, I want to put in characters that my friends are fascinated by. With my first-ever game as a GM, I was playing Mutants & Masterminds. I drew upon my own iterations of DC and Marvel superheroes. Looking back on this now, decades later, I see there was too much baggage with these characters. Their powers also weren’t particularly nuanced. Anime helped me learn from that.

Where to Begin With Anime

Now, over the years, after watching anime, I’ve found so much inspiration for multiple games that I’ve played over the years. For those looking to enhance their World of Darkness experience, there is anime like the Fate franchise. Maybe your Scion game needs a new iteration of a deity, and you’re not sure which one to craft. Within Fate, I have found the only representations of some of the Irish deities. For some unknown reason, our incredibly badass and tragic myths are rarely utilized, but within Fate, they are showcased in devastating fashion. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne is one particular legend of ours, one that Fate has utilized well.

For those looking to improve their NPCs in games like Mutants & Masterminds or Sentinels of the Multiverse, there is My Hero Academia. Perhaps you’re tired of the same old repetitive powers, or you can’t think of a new, interesting way to imagine them. Well, My Hero Academia and its expansive world of quirks have you covered. From the beautiful to the tragic and the grotesque, it ticks every box. 

And for those looking for expansive world-building with magic, science, and wild characters, there is, of course, One Piece. It goes without saying there is so much inspiration to pull from Oda’s world that you’re absolutely spoiled.

But Wait, There’s More

If you’re like me and you want a cinematic experience for your players or as part of your own experience, you’ll pull a lot of tricks out of this anime bag. For example, if you’re lucky enough to have the Mistborn TTRPG but feel like you can’t articulate those amazing battles like Brandon Sanderson, I suggest looking at Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen.

This man’s abilities make him a godlike Misting of the Coinshot variety. When you put yourself into that state of mind, connect the dots of these cinematic abilities, and draw inspiration from the mangaka and animators who have poured their hearts and souls into their work, you are sure to craft something truly memorable with your party.

Anime has bolstered my imagination since I was a young teen. When I first saw how the various series bent and warped the narrative I’d grown complacent of and made it their own, I felt almost constant refreshment when a new anime entered the world and added its own twist to the tale.

RELATED: Enjoyed this piece? Check out the Jujutsu Kaisen Manga Release Date Schedule