Sword Art Online Poster
Manga/Anime Table Top

Best Board Game That’s Like…. Anime

You can find a board game with almost any theme out there. When I was doing my Should It Stay Or Should It Go on Monday, one of the games I talked about and kept for Sword Art Online: Sword of Fellows. That is not a good game. But I like the theme, and I really love Sword Art Online, so it stays in my collection. And I’d love a good game, which is why I started designing one that I need to get back to working on. That lead me to think, there are a lot of categories of movies, TV shows, books, and more out there. What board game gives you the feel of Anime?

I could go through and do different ones all at once, but I want to spend more time talking about why a game works for that theme. And some of are going to be more specific than just a category, like anime, but I’ll get to those in the future.

Board Games That Feel Like Anime

So this is an interesting category to talk about. There are a number of games based off of Anime or Manga, and a lot of them are Japanime Games. The issue with that is Japanime games tend to be pretty hit or miss for me. And they are the ones who put out Sword Art Online: Sword of Fellows. But the point of this list isn’t that the game needs to be based on an anime, it needs to have the theme. So I went looking for other games that maybe feel more like an anime.

Middara: Unintentional Malum

First one that I thought of and this one was easy. Middara gives you that Anime art style and theme for sure in the game. This is a big dungeon crawl game where you are a person who was taken from Earth and through a connected portal brought to a new world. This world has magic, weapons, and you’re being trained to go out and adventure. It’s a dungeon crawl game with definitely an Anime flare to it. Very straight forward with how Middara connects.

Middarra
Image Source: Succubus Publishing

Clank Legacy

Clank Legacy is a bit more of a stretch. But one thing about anime is they often are a bit goofy. And Clank Legacy is going to be that, as it is based off of Acquisitions Incorporated D&D Campaign. This is very goofy and a lot of fun to watch. And the situations they get into, while definitely fantasy based, tend to lean into that absurd that you see in Anime.

Super Fantasy Brawl

This is an Anime fighting game. Your team of characters transport in from another time and face off against each other. There are humanoids, animals, and basically all sorts of cool and epic creatures. Then the game itself is a tactical battle where you try and knock out your opponent and complete objectives. This will give you the feel of moments like in Dragonball Z where there is the tournament or My Hero Academia.

Forgotten Waters

Forgotten Waters is a goofy pirate game with voice acting for the story. If you want an epic high seas adventure, this is going to be it. And I think that gives it some of that Anime sort of feel to it, the whole epic pirate adventure but with humor added in as well. Plus, it uses I believe some of the crossroads system from Dead of Winter, so adds in some good choice.

Say Bye to the Villains

Say Bye to the Villains is a Japanese themed game. You play as different Samurai or Ninja who know of villains they will be facing. You have ten days to prepare to face off against the villains, researching their tactics, preparing your skills, and helping others. This is a really hard cooperative card game, in fact, I still want my first win. But it gives you the Japanese theme, and the villains and Samurai or Ninja are larger than life, so definitely an Anime vibe.

King of Tokyo
Image Source: Board Game Geek

King of Tokyo

I doubt this one is too much of a shock for the list. King of Tokyo is all about giant monsters and mechs fighting. While some of it feels more like Godzilla and King Kong than anime, the whole cartoon look and giant things fighting, easy choice for me to add to the list. The game it also really accessible for new gamers, so one that’d be easy to get to the table with Anime fans.

Village Attacks

Sometimes you just want an Anime about an edge-lord, and Village Attacks is going to give you a bit of that in a board game. You all play as the bad guys, the monsters who terrorize the village. And now, you want a peaceful evening, but the village is there with pitchforks and torches ready to destroy the heart of your castle. A dark themed game but plays fairly absurd.

Under Falling Skies

Under Falling Skies is a solo board game where a player defends against waves of aliens attacking. The small ships come down all the time the mothership is making it closer and closer to landfall. Can you research a way to stop the mothership and scramble the jets to blow the smaller ships out of the sky. The game is a ton of fun, but the whole aliens or something crazy coming to earth, that happens in a lot of Anime, or at least a number I’ve watched. So this gives me some of the anime vibe as well as Space Invaders and Independence Day.

Spires End
Image Source: Greg Favro

Spire’s End

Spire’s End is pretty new to my collection but one that I think has an Anime feel to it. The whole premise, a spire popping up out of the ground is weird. Then you add in Mushroom Men, keys that are alive, and trying to rescue townsfolk who have been taken away into the tower. That seems like an Anime plot. And while the game is dark it is a lot of fun to play, and a good solo game.

Sleeping Gods

Finally, Sleeping Gods. It and Spire’s End you can watch game play of on Malts and Meeples. But this game is a bit crazy. Sleeping Gods plays as an Isekai. You are the crew of the Manticore going from Hong Kong to New York. One day, as a storm clears, you find yourself in an unfamiliar land and are told you need to wake up the Sleeping Gods who once were active. Then you go off and explore and adventure. Definitely an Anime feeling plot for the game.

Final Thoughts

I’d have loved to put some games that are based off of actual Anime on the list. Cowboy Bebop Boardgame Boogie is one that I own and should play. I’ve played Sword Art Online: Sword of Fellows, and honestly, I just want better games based off of Anime. Give me a dungeon crawler set in Aincrad, let me play as a random character trying to clear that world and death game.

If I were to pick others, besides Sword Art Online. I think a good pick-up and deliver epic game for Cowboy Bebop would be fun. Demon Slayer as a one versus all fighting game could be cool. My Hero Academia and Dragonball Z with their tournaments would both make nice one versus one games. I mean, My Hero Academia Dice Throne, I’d be all over that.

What anime would you like to see a good board game of, and what type of game would it be?

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