Congratulations, you’ve finished Metaphor: ReFantazio. Or, perhaps you’re still in the thick of the struggle to knock Louis out of the world’s creepiest popularity poll. Either way, you’re looking for some supplementary viewing. Here are movies and TV shows to watch after Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Recommended Videos
Persona 5: The Animation
If Metaphor: ReFantazio was your first trip to the park with Atlus, you’re probably curious about its most famous work, Persona 5. After all, Persona 5 was made directly before Metaphor: ReFantazio with the same director, character designer, and composer. But you might not be feeling like dipping into yet another 100-ish hour JPRG, especially one with such similar systems.
No worries! There’s a surprisingly good anime adaptation of the game, aptly called Persona 5: The Animation. The series was made by CloverWorks, the top-tier studio behind major hits like Bocchi the Rock! and Wind Breaker. It also shares the game’s stellar voice cast. So, if you’re not going to play Persona 5, this is definitely the next best thing.
Code Geass
If you loved the “struggle for the crown” aspect of Metaphor: ReFantazio, you might want to check out Code Geass. The series takes place in a world where the USA has become a world-domineering empire called Britannia, with Japan as one of its many colonies.
Code Geass is kind of like Death Note meets Game of Thrones meets a mundane high school romance. Genius student Lelouch Lamperouge gets hold of a power that allows him to order people to do whatever he says. The power only works once per person, but that doesn’t stop Lelouch from dawning the alter-ego Zero and entering the fray to overturn the king.
Delicious in Dungeon
Fantasy is actually having a real moment in anime right now. There’s even talk of a “Fantasy Big Three”: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Delicious in Dungeon, and next year’s highly anticipated Witch Hat Atelier. While Frieren is on all accounts an incredible show, its meditative pacing, existential themes, and emphasis on the relationship between student and teacher make it a very different beast than Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Delicious in Dungeon, however, is a surer jump. The series focuses on a party of a tallman, an elf, a dwarf, a half-foot, and a human-cat hybrid—which means the relationship between fantasy races stays in the forefront, albeit in a more comedic fashion. Animated by the always astounding Studio Trigger, Delicious in Dungeon features one of the most well-thought-out and innovative fantasy worlds I’ve ever encountered. There is literally talk about ecosystems.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
But perhaps, at this juncture, you don’t want an anime that’s heavily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons. After 80 to 100 hours of JPRG goodness, maybe you’d like a change of pace. Maybe you’d rather just have a straight-up hit of Dungeons & Dragons. In which case, the criminally overlooked Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will hit the spot.
The film feels like a true homage to Dungeons & Dragons—you can almost feel the dungeon master guiding along the plot. Honor Among Thieves also does us all the favor of not taking itself too seriously. It’s an absolute delight.
House of the Dragon
When you think of “fantasy series that deals with the politics of the struggle for kingly power,” you probably immediately think of Game of Thrones. So, I won’t do you this disservice by listing Game of Thrones here. But if you can find it in your heart to forgive the series for its horrific final season, then House of the Dragon offers a new story with all the same power-hungry mayhem.
House of the Dragon is a prequel to Game of Thrones, centering on the Targaryens when they were still in power and still had their dragons. In fact, it depicts a civil war among the members of the House. Let the flames fly.
Dorohedoro
Metaphor: ReFantazio does inhabit a stereotypical fantasy world. The game’s races all have a unique flavor to them, and the world itself feels like a fresher, more modern take on the genre. For another atypical take on the world of fantasy, check out MAPPA’s cult favorite series Dorohedoro.
Dorohedoro is a dark fantasy that takes place in a gigantic, dystopian city fittingly named Hole. The protagonist is a mercenary who, after losing his memory, wakes up transformed into a lizard-man.
One Piece
You’ve had your fill of fantasy. Now, you’re ready for politically-minded pirates—and the most famously long watch in all of anime.
But One Piece is worth the time you’ll sink into it. Metaphor: ReFantazio has a lot to say about democracy and political violence. One Piece is a show about people rebelling in any number of ways against a hugely powerful government that controls what information people have access to—and will kill anyone who tries to obstruct that order. In other words, One Piece actively grapples with fascism. So, if you want another piece of media to help offset some political steam, here you go. One Piece also just happens to be the greatest story of our time.
Attack on Titan
Maybe you want your fantasy series grimmer. Perhaps you think Metaphor: ReFantazio didn’t go far enough in its interrogation of how humanity corrupts itself in politics. You might be looking for an edge-of-your-seat series with a pitch-black view of humanity’s capacity to destroy itself, especially in the name of othering and political power. If so, look no further than Attack on Titan.
Attack on Titan is one of the most famous anime series of the last decade. The series begins with the premise that the remainder of humanity had sequestered itself behind a series of walls to protect itself against carnivorous titans. But one day, the walls are breached. And things spiral wildly from there.
Kindred
“Fantasy vs sci-fi” is one of those eternal debates of personal preference. But why must we choose one? And if you’re interested in checking out sci-fi which grapples with societal racism, Octavia Butler should be step one on your journey. Granted, unlike Metaphor: ReFantazio, Butler’s works don’t illustrate these issues via painting a new world. Instead, they focus squarely on American history.
Butler’s most famous work, Kindred, was made into a mini-series in 2022. It focuses on a modern-day Black woman who is sent back to the 19th century.
Death Note
Whenever there’s a discussion about dark, intellectual, morally gray anime, Death Note has to be tossed into consideration by default. Unlike Metaphor: ReFantazio, Death Note fully takes place in our world. But it offers a very grim, dystopian exploration of the question of how to solve society’s ills. Genius high school student Light Yagami is given the power of the Death Note, a notebook that allows the user to kill anyone simply by writing their name. Light decides to use it to kill criminals en masse and soon has to contend with being hunted by a wunderkind detective.
And those are movies and TV shows to watch after Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Metaphor: ReFantaziois now available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
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