In fantasy Europe, war is brewing between the countries. One of the War Maidens known as Vanadis has recently launched an attack on neighboring rival Brune. Young archer and Earl in Brune, Tigre, has his army decimated at her hands. However in a twist of fate, she spares him and takes him on as a servant.
This series was one of those that just sort of slipped through the cracks. However, if you are a big fan of medieval battle strategy with just a touch of fancy magic weapons and a little (bearable) fan service mixed in, perhaps this and its anime recommendations can help you.
Anime Like Lord Marksman and Vanadis
For Fans of Military Strategy
The Heroic Legend of Arslan
The young prince Arslan is ready to prove himself on the battlefield, but on his first battle, his father is betrayed and his kingdom is conquered. With his army in shambles, Arslan is forced to go on the run in search of allies to bring him back home.
Both shows follow a main character of elevated station that goes off to war. While the circumstances are different throughout, in both you follow them through many battles in order complete their ultimate goal. If you enjoy battle-oriented shows that aren’t always super flashy, then both are a good choice.
The Ambition of Oda Nobuna
High schooler Sagara Yoshiharu has the misfortune one day to time travel back to the Sengoku time period. However, all the powerful feudal lords are actually cute girls. On chance, he happens across Oda Nobuna, and begins to serve her in the place of recently deceased Kinoshita Tokichiro.
Both shows have really obvious fan service bait, but they also have a strong battle orienged plot. You get to see the way a number of battle tactics play out in a way that actually makes it very interesting to watch. The nice thing about these two “battle harem” shows is that the characters are actually interesting and not just walking 2D boobs.
Log Horizon
Thirty thousand Japanese players of the popular Elder Tale game all log in to explore the new update of their game, only to discover they are unable to log out. The story focuses on the socially awkward college student Shiroe, a master strategist in-game, and his friends as they try to navigate their new reality.
Even if you hate the “trapped in an MMO” genre, Log Horizon is a true gem in the way it presents itself. The battles in Log Horizon are played out with a huge amount of strategy, thanks in no small part to the main character. While those battles are on a smaller scale than Marksman and Vanadis, they are exceptionally thoughtful.
For Fans of Unlikely Alliances
Maoyu – Archenemy and Hero
After fifteen years of warfare with the demon world, the Hero is unsatisfied with their advance and rushes forward to the Demon Queens Castle. There he not only finds a beautiful woman that is the queen, but she needs his help. To his surprise, she offers a way to not only help his country, but hers as well. Together, they join forces to make that dream a reality.
Both series tell a similar story, at least at first, of a young man that ends up being exposed to a completely different culture that he knew little about. There he discovers that these people that should be his enemy aren’t actually so bad after all. They then join forces which will lead to world-shaking consequences.
Akame ga Kill
Tatsumi is a naive boy from a rural village that makes the trip to the city in order to join the military and help his hometown. However, after he is rejected, he ends up joining Night Raid, a group of assassins part of a revolutionary movement to overthrow the government. From there, he must fight a brutal and increasingly bloody shadow war.
Both stories start off with young men heading out to accomplish one thing and end up getting mixed in something completely different. As it turns out, they end up being major players in their organization as well. However, Akame ga Kill is significantly more violent.
Rage of Bahamut
Thousands of years ago, ancient dragon Bahamut terrorized the world. However, when gods and demons allied themselves to prevent the world’s destruction, they sealed him away, splitting the key among them so he would be eternally imprisoned. After the dragon was sealed, humanity returned to normal. However, things are about to get very abnormal for bounty hunter Favaro when he meets a mysterious women that holds half the key to Bahamut’s seal.
Whether it be a flippant bounty hunter or a lesser noble from an elevated lowborn lineage, you don’t expect the main characters of either show to hold the world in their hands, but they do. While Marksmen and Vanadis is more of a political story, Rage of Bahamut differs in being an old-fashioned story about saving the world.
For Fans of Grand Adventure
Legend of Legendary Heroes
Ryner Lute is a talented mage with the power of Alpha Stigma, special eyes that can analyze all types of magic, but are said to bring destruction. He was once a student in a magic school, but after most of his classmates died in the war, he makes an oath to make the world a more peaceful place. In an effort to do this, he sets out to find relics from legendary heroes with the help of beautiful swordswoman Ferris Eris.
In both tales, you have a man and a women pair of main characters with complimenting abilities, such as archer and swordswoman or mage and swordswoman. While the male mains are powerful, they are almost always dwarfed by the power of their female counterparts.
Yona of the Dawn
After having her luxurious life shattered by the betrayal of her cousin, Princess Yona is forced to escape with her childhood friend Son Hak. However, leaving her palace forces her to see the poverty and strife that really makes up her beloved kingdom. Now she must journey to not only regain her rightful throne, but to return her kingdom to its former glory.
Marksman and Vanadis is often more oriented towards battle, but it has its political moments, which is what Yona of the Dawn focuses more on. However, what both shows have in common is that events launch the main characters on an adventure that goes all over their world.
Seven Deadly Sins
In this feudal world, the realm is protected from those who seek to spread their evil by the Holy Knights. However, in the kingdom of Liones, a small group of Holy Knights known as the Seven Deadly Sins sought to overthrown the king only to be driven off. Now, ten years later, the world hunts for the Seven Deadly Sins, but the Holy Knights have now turned their blades on the king and taken control of the kingdom. Now it is up to his third daughter, Elizabeth, to find the Sins and help them take back control.
The Seven Deadly Sins is distinctly more shounen-oriented in how its fights play out. Unlike in Vanadis, there isn’t much strategy. However, throughout both series, you learn much about the unique politics of the world and it ends up as the main character’s job to restore the peaceful nature of the world.
Have any more anime recommendations like Lord Marksman and Vanadis? Let us know in the comments section below.
