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Some anime adaptations of video games, such as Persona 4: The Animation and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, have soared into pop culture and are fondly remembered. However, for every big hit with the public, there are a few that fade into obscurity.
How many people remember playing Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within or Persona: Trinity Soul? Many other series, some of which may have been just as good, have similarly fallen into obscurity. Sometimes it's the show's fault that it doesn't do enough to stick in people's minds for more than a year.
Lengthy introduction aside, this list will chronicle five video-game-based anime that truly leveled up in the minds of many fans, as well as others that eventually went the way of coin-operated arcades and were forgotten over time.
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Disclaimer: All of these entries will contain spoilers for their respective anime. Similarly, the opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
5 video-game-based anime that are hit with audiences
1) Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive
Including not one, but two animated film adaptations of Final Fantasy games on this list feels like cheating, but it isn't because these two are the ones that most audiences remember. Advent Children pits the Final Fantasy VII cast against a trio of cultists out to resurrect Sephiroth and Jenova. Kingsglaive is a prequel to Final Fantasy XV that recounts the fall of the kingdom of Lucis, which set the events of the game in motion.
Since Advent Children is a direct sequel to Final Fantasy VII, it features many fan-favorite characters and has more widespread appeal than Kingsglaive. Kingsglaive is a hit due to its nature as a prequel, though less so given Final Fantasy XV's troubled production, which ultimately made the game feel incoherent due to canceled DLC and other projects.
The Royal Edition of Final Fantasy XV, along with the sequel novel Dawn of the Future, which presents the game's original "golden" ending, have helped Kingsglaive's reputation in recent years.
2) Persona 4: The Animation/The Persona 3 movies
Persona as a video game series owes its rise from obscurity to Persona 3 and 4. As a result, this entry will cover anime adaptations from the third and fourth seasons. Persona 3's story was told through a series of movies, as opposed to Persona 4's own well-received series.
Both stories are direct adaptations of their respective games. Persona 4: The Animation focuses on Yu Narukami and their friends investigating a serial killer in the small town of Inaba, while also fighting demonic beings known as Shadows inside the TV world. The Persona 3 movies follow Makato Yuki as he joins an elite operative unit known as SEES to fight Shadows that threaten their city at midnight.
Both are considered smash hits because of their approaches to character development, with Yu Narukami and Makato serving as more than just silent ciphers for the audience. Yu is more snarky and sarcastic than Makato, who is gentler but ruthless when fighting Shadows.
3) Castlevania
The anime, based on the same-named action-horror video game series, was a surprise hit when it debuted in 2017. Its animation quality rivals that of many anime released at the time, and it is considered very clean for a Netflix show.
This Netflix original is renowned for its mature action that rivals Chainsaw Man in terms of brutality and viscera. That is to be expected given that Castlevania features fighting monsters such as werewolves, demons, and Dracula himself. Other factors contributing to its popularity include the detailed art style and the Belmonts and their allies gaining more development than they did in the original games.
To add numbers to the quality claims, this anime received over 30 million views, making it one of the most watched and popular anime on Netflix. Similarly, it still has a lot of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes even in 2023.
4) Steins;Gate
It was a tossup between Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Steins;Gate for this entry. In the end, Steins;Gate won out because of its massive ratings. The anime, based on a visual novel, is currently ranked fourth on MyAnimeList's list of the greatest anime of all time, surpassing Kaguya Sama: Love is War.
Time travel is a unique concept that anime has previously explored, though many fans believe Steins;Gate did it best by exploring the ramifications of time travel even with seemingly innocuous things like text messages revealing certain future events. This ultimately changes many people's professions and fates, as some people end up dead as a result.
The series has been praised for having a unique perspective on PTSD among other subjects like gender identity and trauma. The series also won a Newtype Anime Award for Rintaro Okabe under the Best Male Anime Character of the year category in 2011.
5) Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works
Of all of the Fate series, Stay/Night and Zero are the adaptations considered major hits. Unlike Stay/Night, which is based on a video game, Zero isn't included because it's based on a light novel.
Stay/Night focuses on Rin Tohska and her classmate Shirou Emiya as they fight in the fifth iteration of the Holy Grail War. Unlike Rin, Shirou entered unintentionally, since he was training and unexpectedly stumbled upon Archer and Lancer fighting in his school. Rin and Shirou, alongside their Servants Archer and Saber, both team up to survive and have their wishes granted.
The anime adaptation was called one of the most beautiful anime at the time, almost considered cinematic in detail. An important part of the story was the development of the relationships between Rin, Shirou, and their Servants, especially in light of the betrayals they suffered and the character drama that surrounded their participation in the war.
5 video game-based anime that are long forgotten
1) Persona: Trinity Soul
It was tempting to include the much-maligned Persona 5-based series here. But there's a catch: the anime adaptation of Persona 5 is remembered negatively to this day due to its poor animation and failure to live up to the standards set by Persona 4.
Many Persona fans have completely forgotten about Trinity Soul to this day. The anime took place in 2020, ten years after Persona 3. Despite being a very dark anime about Persona experiments and sudden outbursts of Apathy Syndrome, the anime feels largely disconnected from the larger Persona universe.
Reactions to the anime were split. Some viewers thought it was fine as long as they weren't expecting a continuation of Persona 3's story with a good soundtrack and an overall tragic mood. Critics complained about the lackluster animation and two-dimensional characters, and they took issue with the story's central premise that adults are forbidden from using their Personas. While it's an intriguing spinoff, it can't be compared to other anime adaptations.
2) Mass Effect: Paragon Lost
Mass Effect: Paragon Lost is either considered a forgotten gem or a time sink, depending on which Mass Effect fan, one asks. Mass Effect was one of the best video game series that Bioware put out during the late 2000s and 2010s.
However, most fans were disappointed that the protagonist was none other than James Vega. Vega was a recent addition to the Normandy crew in Mass Effect 3 and was basically the space equivalent of a jarheaded Marine. Some were disappointed that the film takes place between Mass Effect 1 and 2 and features no recognizable characters other than Vega.
To be fair, the animation and action sequences are passable, the voice actors do their best, and the soundtrack is excellent, but the Mass Effect series is primarily known for its story and characters. According to many, this film deserves to be forgotten for this reason alone.
3) Dead Space: Downfall and Aftermath
While we're on the subject of failing in many areas, let's talk about Dead Space for a minute. The first two games are considered horror game classics, with highlights including the Necromorphs, Markers, and Berethern Moons, which continue to frighten many gamers today. The problem was that Electronic Arts overestimated the amount of money the franchise would make, so audiences were subjected to Dead Space: Downfall and Aftermath like a Marker creating Necromorphs.
Now, to get the positives out of the way. Both movies are enjoyable, showcasing what it's like to survive against hordes of Necromorphs and infections. Players will find plenty of bloody and gory violence to enjoy. The problem with both of these films is that they move at a breakneck pace, with multiple plotlines often occurring simultaneously.
So why were these two otherwise decent films, which sold well and received generally favorable reviews, forgotten? Simply put, they're extremely niche for anime films and didn't appeal to most people barring horror and video game series fans. They were forgotten in the aftermath of Dead Space 3's release, which was panned by critics and fans alike, and EA's decision to discontinue the series.
4) Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
What's worse than a film most people would rather forget? A film that was so expensive, it helped put an end to Square Pictures as a film production company and was widely considered the most expensive film adaptation of a video game up until the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and followed two scientists named Aki Ross and Doctor Sid as they sought to free Earth from a race of aliens known as The Phantoms while also avoiding General Hein, who desired an apocalyptic means of ending the conflict.
The film was lauded for introducing the first photorealistic computer-animated characters, a feat that inspired others such as the Mass Effect video game series. The problem was everything else: the story felt emotionally dead, the characters felt cold and lifeless in some places, and the plot and dialogues weren't exactly great. To summarize, it looks great for a 2001 film but isn't particularly compelling or memorable.
5) Monster Strike
Other possibilities include an OVA based on Corpse Party or the Bayonetta OVA. However, this entry feels appropriate because, despite having been watched over 200 million times on YouTube as of June 2017, no one thinks of Monster Strike as an anime. The mobile video game is considered extremely successful, with over a billion dollars in revenue and numerous crossovers with popular series such as Doraemon and Spy x Family.
The anime itself, however, has either been largely forgotten or is otherwise bland enough to fade into the background of other pocket monster and monster-controlling series like Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh! Even though the animation is impressive for something based on a mobile game, nothing about it is particularly memorable.
Critics say the show lacks depth, its characters are uninteresting and two-dimensional and the action moves at a snail's pace compared to other pocket monster shows.
With that, we've come to the end of our list of the top five video game-inspired anime that everyone loved and five that faded quickly. Readers are encouraged to list their own favorites or forgettable examples in the comments down below.
