WotC Wizards D&D Japan releasing cool art.

[Jahydin]

I would buy an English version with that art in a heartbeat.

5E characters are so over the top powerful, I think an anime aesthetic fits perfectly.

 

[Blue Orange]

I would buy an English version with that art in a heartbeat.

5E characters are so over the top powerful, I think an anime aesthetic fits perfectly.

I agree. I'm convinced anime's had at least some subconscious effect on 3e-5e since it became influential on nerd culture in the 90s, but I can't find any clear examples. The dramatic poses of the characters in the art seem more and more animesque at least (rather than, say, Frazetta).

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Races

finalfantasy.fandom.com

If Final Fantasy will appear in Magic: the Gathering, and we are seen "crossovers" with Rick&Morty or Stranger Things, then we shouldn't be surprised about a partnership with a Japanese company. Maybe Square Enix creates a new IP using most known elements from other franchises, but they should realise the worlddesing design is not like the standar videogames when a little group of main characters change the History forever.

A manga of Planescape with a touch of bizarre comedy set in the bazar of Sigil may be interesting. Known lore shouldn't be necessary, only a funny plot. Other idea is a horror manga set in Ravenloft where main characters hunt Lovecratian horrors. Maybe a "crossover" with Demon Slayer/"Kimetsu no yaiba" about the descendants of the main characters in the curret age playing a D&D game.

 

[beta-ray]

I don't think so. Otaku, by definition, don't play TTRPGs, particularly not in Japan.

The definition may be outdated.

 

[Fifinjir]

I like them. Not much else to say besides that I just noticed that the dwarf has glasses.

 

[Puddles]

Yep. This was the D&D version from the 90s

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Omg, I love this so much!

 

[Sacrosanct]

Looks like a D&D booth in Japan at a convention. Looks like teaching the game to interested parties?

 

[TwoSix]

I'm like the opposite: I dislike most anime and manga, but to me D&D is exactly this: the tabletop version of Final Fantasy/Dragonquest/Shin Megami Tensei!

I like a fair amount of anime (mostly from the 80s-00s cause I'm old), but totally agree with you that I view D&D through a JRPG lens. I'd buy books with this artwork for D&D in a heartbeat.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I suppose Hasbro wants to use D&D as an "icebreaker" to enter into the Japanese market (and South-Korean, and Chinese, but this is an appar case) but also Japanese entertaiment companies can see D&D as an opportunity to enter in the Western market with their own IPs.

When will we know more about that new D&D setting "made in Japan"? I really feel a lot of curiosity, and more if they are going to add details based in their folklore and modern fiction.

Other point is if Japanese D&D players will create a homemade 5Ed version of the martial-adept classes (Crusader, Warblade and Swordsage) because these are perfect for anime style.


(I hope this AMV was useful as possible source of inspiration).

 

[Marandahir]

Yep. This was the D&D version from the 90s

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I knew the Record of the Lodoss War anime was based on a real D&D campaign in Japan but I'm surprised to see just how closely some of the character designs of the show match the style of these player class archetypes.

I know, right? When I saw the elf design I thought "Deedlit!"

The ad was fun. I liked the bit "You're still wearing your costume?" "It's cool, alright?"

To be fair to Lodoss: These are the Japanese editions of the Rules Cyclopedia, and Lodoss was ALREADY A THING in Japan by the time these were released.

It's far more likely that these character designs were created to cash in on the designs from Lodoss, not the other way around.

The first Lodoss campaign was played in 1987; it was released as a replay book and then as a light novel series starting in 1988 WITH THIS ART STYLE included for the art pages. The first anime OVA debuted in 1990. Rules Cyclopedia wouldn't be published in America until 1991. By that point, Mizuno Ryo-san and his players had already long-since switched from BECMI D&D to their own home-brew system released as Sword World RPG, published in 1989, which ALSO used this art-style.

TSR was trying to cash in on the success of Lodoss by imitating it. They were actively competing with Lodoss and its sister series when these books were created. There's no wonder the Cleric on the cover looks identical to Etoh, and the Elf to Deedlit, etc.