The Worst Fantasy Anime of Every Year of the 2010s

The 2010s were a fantastic decade for anime fantasy. The genre moved beyond traditional magic and swordplay, embracing a wider range of stories, settings, and characters. This led to some truly exceptional fantasy anime that received widespread acclaim for its innovation and quality.

Despite a lot of great fantasy anime emerging during that time, a few disappointing shows also came out. While some series innovated and moved the genre forward, others stuck to overused and predictable storylines. So, let’s highlight the worst fantasy anime of the 2010s.

2010: Blessing of the Campanella

First up is Blessing of the Campanella, a 12-episode fantasy anime created by Studio AIC – the team behind popular shows like Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and My Bride Is a Mermaid. You can expect good-quality animation, and the show features a cast of adorable female characters, with Leicester’s group of companions providing plenty of lighthearted and charming moments.

While Blessing of the Campanella has good animation thanks to AIC, the show suffers from a weak story, a main character who doesn’t seem to care much, and a general lack of new ideas. Each episode follows Leicester and Minette on adventures, but their overall story doesn’t really progress, making it feel like a series of disconnected, lighthearted events.

2011: Astarotte’s Toy

Despite featuring a young girl as the main character, the anime Astarotte’s Toy isn’t appropriate for children. Astarotte Ygvar isn’t a typical anime heroine; she’s a succubus princess who needs to maintain a group of men to power her magic and keep her kingdom safe. One of these men is Naoya, a 23-year-old single dad.

“Astarotte’s Toy” presents a problematic situation where Naoya becomes involved with the significantly younger Astarotte, creating a disturbing and uncomfortable relationship that’s hard to overlook. The issue is compounded by Naoya’s character design, which resembles a teenager—seemingly an attempt to soften the potentially inappropriate premise for the audience.

2012: Hiiro no Kakera: The Tamayori Princess Saga

Hiiro no Kakera: The Tamayori Princess Saga is a fantasy anime where the main character can see spirits and other supernatural beings – a common trope seen in shows like Natsume’s Book of Friends and Kamisama Kiss. However, unlike those enjoyable series, Hiiro no Kakera is notably not very good.

This anime is a fantasy romance with a promising story, but it doesn’t delve very deep. It spends more time on the relationships between Tamaki and her suitors than on the fantastical world it creates, and doesn’t fully explain the supernatural elements or show exciting battles. While it doesn’t fully utilize its potential, fans of reverse harem anime might still enjoy it.

2013: Amnesia

Like Hiiro no Kakera, Amnesia is a fantasy anime with a lot of potential love interests, but a weak main character who doesn’t have much agency. It started as a visual novel, so the story focuses heavily on different romantic paths with the male characters, often sacrificing a strong plot and in-depth character growth.

It’s clear that Amnesia seems designed to satisfy the romantic desires of its viewers. The story prioritizes the female lead’s relationships with the male characters, even if she lacks a strong personality or independent drive, over giving her any real depth or growth.

2014: Pupa

Despite being incredibly popular, the anime Pupa isn’t considered a great show – in fact, many see it as one of the worst. Although the original manga has fans, the anime adaptation is often criticized for being too short, moving too quickly, and telling its story badly.

The anime Pupa has 12 very short episodes, each lasting only about 4 minutes, which doesn’t allow for much character development or a well-built plot. Though there are some connecting threads, they don’t quite come together to form a complete story. The anime feels fragmented, and it’s better to read the manga instead, even though the anime’s short length might seem appealing.

2015: Absolute Duo

Absolute Duo began with a compelling premise: characters team up in pairs to battle each other. The idea of these pairings was initially very interesting, and the anime featured a lot of action. Combined with strong animation, it quickly drew viewers into its world.

Despite having a strong initial idea, the anime doesn’t quite live up to its potential. It wastes its characters, failing to give them real purpose or development. The female characters are reduced to simple love interests, and the main character lacks the depth and motivation needed to truly lead the story.

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2016: Divine Gate

Divine Gate is an anime series inspired by a fantasy mobile game created by Acquire. Many anime are based on games, but not all of them are well-made, and unfortunately, Divine Gate falls into that category.

Okay, so Divine Gate had a really interesting premise, but honestly, trying to fit all those different storylines into just 12 episodes was a huge mistake. It ended up feeling super rushed and confusing! I appreciate that they tried to build out the world and characters with flashbacks, but it just didn’t come together very well. It’s a shame, because the potential was definitely there.

2017: Glamorous Heroes

Don’t expect anything fancy from the anime Glamorous Heroes. All ten episodes are easily skippable. It’s based on the game 300 Heroes, just like Divine Gate, but Glamorous Heroes really cuts corners – the animation, voice acting, and overall production are significantly lower quality.

Honestly, the best thing I can say about Glamorous Heroes is that it doesn’t overstay its welcome! Each episode is only about 10 minutes long, but it often feels shorter because so much time is spent on stuff that doesn’t really move the story forward. I wish they’d focused more on the actual anime content instead of padding things out.

2018: The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar

Despite the many fantasy and isekai anime released in the 2010s, The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar is memorable—but not for good reasons. It isn’t a particularly well-made show, its main character is hard to like, and the plot doesn’t really go anywhere interesting.

Right from the start, it’s clear this story doesn’t have a strong focus. The characters, both main and supporting, feel underdeveloped, and the world they inhabit looks cheap compared to other anime of the same type. The computer-generated imagery is noticeably poor, which makes action scenes feel clumsy and take you out of the moment. Plus, the main character, Suou Yuuto, isn’t very engaging – he lacks personality and feels unmotivated throughout the series.

2019: Assassins Pride

Assassins Pride is a refreshing fantasy series that stands out by focusing on its story, not just appealing to popular trends. It centers around Melida Angel, a young girl constantly teased for not having any magical powers. Everything changes when a mysterious tutor named Kufa Vampir appears and offers her help in a surprising way.

While the premise of Assassins Pride is appealing, the series unfortunately doesn’t quite deliver on its potential. The story feels rushed, which prevents viewers from fully connecting with the main character, Melida, and makes her sudden victories feel unearned. Frequent time jumps also hinder the narrative, glossing over important moments and relationships that would have strengthened the plot.

2026-03-24 01:46