is a franchise of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

s by

Ryo Mizuno is a Japanese author and game designer. Mizuno created ''Record of Lodoss War'', ''Sword World RPG'', ''Legend of Crystania'', ''Rune Soldier'', ''Starship Operators'', ''Record of Grancrest War'', and was the general supervisor of ''Galaxy An ...

based on the work he originally created for a world called '' Forcelia'' as a rules-free setting for

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

s (RPGs).Yasuda, Hitoshi. Afterword. . By Ryo Mizuno. Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko, 1988. 291. There have since been multiple

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

and

computer game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedback ...

adaptations, several of which have been translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. The plots generally follow the conventions and structure of the RPG systems including ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

'' and ''

Sword World RPG is a Japanese tabletop role-playing game created by Group SNE. 10 million copies of the related books including rulebooks, novels and replays have been sold. The game was first published in 1989; the updated edition, known as the "Sword World 2 ...

'', in which several characters of distinct types undertake a specific

quest A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of e ...

Origins

''Record of Lodoss War'' was created in 1986 by

Group SNE Group SNE is a Japanese company founded in 1986 by the current president Hitoshi Yasuda, which produces role-playing games, light novels, board games and card games. Ryo Mizuno was one of the founding members. Group SNE is named after Syntax Er ...

as a ''

'' "replay" serialized in the Japanese magazine ''

Comptiq is a Japanese computer game magazine, first published in 1983, by Kadokawa Shoten. The name "Comptiq" came from combining the words "computer" and "boutique". Originally a PC magazine, its focus shifted from computers to computer games. As of S ...

'' from September 1986 to July 1988 issues, though they also used the setting with other systems such as ''

Tunnels & Trolls ''Tunnels & Trolls'' (abbreviated ''T&T'') is a fantasy role-playing game designed by Ken St. Andre and first published in 1975 by Flying Buffalo. The second modern role-playing game published, it was written by Ken St. Andre to be a more accessib ...

'' and ''

RuneQuest ''RuneQuest'' (commonly abbreviated as RQ) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally designed by Steve Perrin, Ray Turney, Steve Henderson, and Warren James, and set in Greg Stafford's mythical world of Glorantha. It was first publi ...

''. Replays are not novels, but transcripts of RPG sessions, meant to both hold the interest of readers and convey the events that took place. They have proven to be popular, even to those who do not play

s but are fans of fiction (including fantasy fiction). Similar to

light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a '' wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...

s, many characters and parties in replays have become popular as characters of

. An example of such a character is the female elf Deedlit in ''Record of Lodoss War'', who was played by

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

novelist Hiroshi Yamamoto during the RPG sessions. The popularity of the ''Record of Lodoss War'' replays was such that the Dungeon Master Ryo Mizuno started to adapt the story into some of the earliest Japanese-language domestic

high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, ...

novels in 1988. When the replay series went on to become a trilogy,

had to abandon the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' rules and create their own game, dubbed ''Record of Lodoss War Companion'' and released in 1989. All three parts of the replay series were eventually published as paperbacks by

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...

from 1989 to 1991: * (November 1989) — Parn's party, retake played according to the ''Record of Lodoss War Companion'' rules and incorporating elements from the novelization * (September 1990) — Orson's party, retake played according to the ''Record of Lodoss War Companion'' rules and incorporating elements from the novelization * (July 1991) — Spark's party, played according to the ''Record of Lodoss War Companion'' rules Three prequel ''Legend of Lodoss'' replay volumes based on a draft by Ryo Mizuno, written by Hiroshi Takayama and Group SNE, with illustrations by Retsu Tateo and Tatsumi Minegishi were published. Before being published as light novels, the RPG replays were serialized in ''Comptiq'' under the title . * (November 1994) * (October 1995) * (October 1996) Two other replay volumes have been published later: * (April 1998) * (October 2020) Mizuno's novelizations were published by Kadokawa Shoten between 1988 and 1993, and followed by two collections of short stories in 1995, ''High Elf Forest: Deedlit's Tale'' and ''The Black Knight'', all with illustrations done by

Yutaka Izubuchi is a Japanese anime designer, screenwriter and director. Izubuchi is credited for designing costumes, characters and creatures, but most of his designs are mechanical (both robots and other vehicles). He created and directed the ''RahXephon'' ...

. ''The Black Knight'' was re-released in 1998, with illustrations by Masato Natsumoto. The first volume of the novelizations, ''The Grey Witch'', was published in English by

Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...

in 2018. * (April 1988 (Kadokawa Bunko) / August 1994 (Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko)) * (February 1989) * (January 1990) * (June 1990) * (February 1991) * (November 1991) * (March 1993) * (February 1995) * (July 1995 / September 1998) The first volume forms the basis for the first eight episodes of the ''Record of Lodoss War'' OVA series, as well as both ''Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch '' manga series (by Yoshihiko Ochi and Tomomasa Takuma, respectively). The second was also adapted in manga form by Ayumi Saito, and as a four-CD audio drama. The final five episodes of the OVA series are loosely based on the story told across the third and fourth novels and, having caught up with the ongoing novelization at that point, feature an original ending. The ''Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'' TV series and manga drawn by Masato Natsumoto are more faithful adaptations of volumes three to seven. The first collection of short stories was adapted into the ''Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit's Tale'' manga series by Setsuko Yoneyama. Mizuno later went on to pen other series of novels: an adaptation of prequel replays (1994 to 2002, 5 volumes and an extra volume, illustrated by Akihiro Yamada) and sequel novels (1993 to 1996, 4 volumes, illustrated by

Satoshi Urushihara , the "Master of Breasts", is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator known for his distinctive style of beautiful characters. His work is the basis for anime such as '' Plastic Little'' and '' Legend of Lemnear'', and appears in the '' Langrisse ...

, part of ''

Legend of Crystania is a Japanese media franchise of RPGs, novels, anime and manga by Ryo Mizuno and Group SNE. The novels by Mizuno and others were published from 1993 to 2002, based on Mizuno's RPG "replays" serialized in the Japanese magazines ''Comptiq ...

'' setting) and (1998 to 2006, 6 volumes and a prelude volume, illustrated by

(first editions of the prelude and the first novel) and

Haruhiko Mikimoto is a Japanese anime character designer, illustrator and manga artist. Mostly active during the 1980s, during that decade he rose to prominence and is considered one of the top character designers of his time. He graduated from Keio University, ...

); ''Legend of Lodoss'' was also adapted into the ''Record of Lodoss War: The Lady of Pharis'' manga series by Akihiro Yamada and ''Legend of Crystania'' was adapted into a radio drama, a manga by Akira Himekawa, an anime film, and OVA series. In 2019, he began writing a novel sequel series . The new series takes place 100 years after the events of the original series, with Deedlit as the lead protagonist. It is illustrated by Hidari and was adapted into a manga by

Atsushi Suzumi is a Japanese manga artist. She has been drawing manga since kindergarten and cites Akira Toriyama and Mutsumi Inomata as influences. In 2005, she released '' Haridama Magical Cram School'', and in 2007, she released '' Amefurashi: The Rain Godd ...

''Legend of Lodoss''

* (August 1994) * (July 1996) * (November 1996) (Two short stories, later included in ''Eternal Returner'') * (April 1997) * (March 1998) * (December 1999) (Four short stories) * (October 2002)

''Record of Lodoss War Next Generation''

* (May 1998) (Later included in ''Inheritors of the Flame'') * (August 1998 / July 2001) * (May 1999 / June 2002) * (March 2001) * (November 2001) * (October 2004) * (October 2005) * (November 2006)

Plot

''Record of Lodoss War'' recounts the adventures of a youth by the name of Parn, the son of a dishonored

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

. Part of his motivation for adventuring is to find out what happened to his father, and to restore his family's honor. Despite his inexperience, Parn is considered the leader, who is accompanied by his childhood best friend Etoh, his friend and sometimes advisor Slayn (and later by Slayn's lover Leylia), and his newfound mentor Ghim. They are accompanied by Parn's romantic interest, the high elf Deedlit, who comes from the Forest of No Return seeking an answer to her people's isolationism and an end to what she sees as a slow march to extinction; and a thief named Woodchuck. Throughout the series, Parn comes into contact with friends and foes alike. His allies include King Kashue, King Fahn, Shiris, and Orson; his enemies include Emperor Beld, Ashram, and the evil necromancer Wagnard. The volumes three to seven, adapted into manga and anime ''Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'', continue the adventures of Parn for the first eight episodes, but then focus on Spark and his adventures to complete a quest tasked onto him to protect Neese, the daughter of Slayn and Leylia. He is accompanied by his own cast of friends in the form of Leaf, Garrack, Greevus, Aldo, and Ryna. The television series shares similarities with the plot of the OVA, such as Wagnard seeking to kidnap Neese in order to use her as a reagent for the resurrection of Naneel, a priestess and the

Avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appear ...

of Kardis who was slain by Leylia's mother, the high priestess Neese a short time after the battle with the demonic god. Leylia was the reincarnation of Naneel, but when she lost her virginity she was no longer capable of being the doorway or reagent needed to unseal Naneel. The ''

'' setting places the former villain Ashram into the seat of a would-be hero who is placed under a spell by an "animal god" of Crystania. One of the prominent characters is Pirotess, his dark elven lover, as she tries to find a way to free him from the clutches of the spell and to restore him back to his living self.

Other media

Home video releases

The original OVA series and the TV series had both been released in North America through

Central Park Media Central Park Media, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Central Park, henc ...

on VHS and on DVD. The OVA and TV series were slated for a Blu-ray release through

Media Blasters Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...

, but they had dropped all plans to re-release the series. On April 14, 2017,

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

announced their license to both the OVA series and the ''Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'' TV series and released the OVA on both Blu-ray and DVD and the TV series on DVD in one set on July 18, 2017.

''Record of Lodoss War Online''

GameOn released an online game for PC, ''Record of Lodoss War Online'' in April 2017 and closed it on October 31, 2019. Ryo Mizuno, the novelist and co-creator of the franchise, served as a supervisor on the development of the game. The game was also released outside Japan.

Anime

* 1990 13 episode OVA produced by Madhouse * 1998 27 episode

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

produced by AIC * 1998 3-part

parodic A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

movie produced by AIC * 2014 13 episode parodic

produced by

Studio Deen is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1975 by Sunrise producer Hiroshi Hasegawa and ex-Sunrise animators. The studio owns three subsidiaries: Danny Donghua (丹尼動画), a Chinese sub-contracting studio; Megumi (め組), a digital work sub ...

and Studio Hibari

Manga

* 2 volumes, art by Akihiro Yamada, released in English by

CPM Manga Central Park Media, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Central Park, hence ...

* 2 volumes, art by Ayumi Saito * 3 volumes, art by Yoshihiko Ochi, released in English by CPM Manga * 3 volumes, art by Akira Himekawa * 3 volumes, four panel parodic manga, art by Hyakuyashiki Rei, first two volumes released in English by CPM Manga * 6 volumes, art by Masato Natsumoto, released in English by CPM Manga * 2 volumes, art by Setsuko Yoneyama, released in English by CPM Manga * 3 volumes, art by Tomomasa Takuma * 3 volumes, art by

Related media

*'', a series of RPGs and novels adapted to film, OVAs and manga that focus on Crystania, the land to which Ashram and Pirotess migrated after the ''Lodoss'' series. *''

Rune Soldier is a Japanese light novel series by Ryo Mizuno, which features the apprentice wizard Louie as the hero. The series takes place on the continent of Alecrast on the world called Forcelia, and is related to the series Sword World RPG. It is ...

'', a more comedic series from the same creator that is set in the same world as ''Record of Lodoss War'', but on the Alecrast continent.

Role-playing games

* 1989 * 1991 * 1994 * 1995 * 1996 * 1998 - supplemental material for ''

'' * 2018 - 30th anniversary revised edition * 2019

Soundtracks and music

*''Record of Lodoss War: Original Soundtrack 1'' (VICL-00051 and SLP-85) *''Record of Lodoss War: Original Soundtrack 2'' (VICL-00114) *''Record of Lodoss War: Original Soundtrack 3'' (VICL-00267) *''Record of Lodoss War: Minstrels' Memory of Lodoss'' (VICL-8090) *''Record of Lodoss War: Arrange Sound'' (VDR-28071) *''Symphonic House from Record of Lodoss War II Arrange Sound'' (VICL-8060) *''Record of Lodoss War TV: Maaya Sakamoto - Kiseki No Umi single'' (VIDL-30202) *''Record of Lodoss War TV: Original Soundtrack 1'' (VICL-60243) *''Record of Lodoss War TV: Original Soundtrack 2'' (VICL-60244) *''Record of Lodoss War TV: Original Soundtrack 3'' (VICL-60246) *''Welcome to Lodoss Island!'' (KICA-400)

Video games

* ''Record of Lodoss War'' ( PC 98, MSX) 1988 * ''Record of Lodoss War - Fuku Zinduke'' (

X68000 The is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation. It was first released in 1987 and sold only in Japan. The initial model has a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM, and lacks a hard drive. The final model was released in 1993 wi ...

) 1991 * ''Record of Lodoss War - Haiiro No Majio'' (X68000/

PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, thoug ...

) 1991/1992 * ''Record of Lodoss War 2 - Goshiki No Maryu'' (X68000/PC Engine) 1992/1994 * ''Record of Lodoss War'' ( Sega Mega-CD) 1994 * ''Record of Lodoss War ''(

SNES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eu ...

) 1995 * ''Record of Lodoss War: Eiyuu Kishiden'' (

Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...

) 1998, published by

Tomy is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Ta ...

* '' Record of Lodoss War: Advent of Cardice'' (

Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...

) 2000, released in English * ''Record of Lodoss War: Successor of the Legend'' (browser-based TCG) 2012 * ''Record of Lodoss War Online'' (PC

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

) 2016, released in English * '' Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth'' (PC & Consoles, 2D

Metroidvania Metroidvania is a sub-genre of platform video games focused on guided non-linearity and utility-gated exploration and progression. The term is a portmanteau of the names of the video game series ''Metroid'' and ''Castlevania'', with games in the ...

) 2021, released in English

Radio drama

* , released in 4 CD collections. Based on the plot of the second novel which was once supposed to become a second OVA series, but that project was put on hold.

Books on tape

The first three are original stories. * , side story of novel 1 * , side story of novel 3 * , side story of novel 3, and an episode featuring the mage and magic beast tamer Elena of Alania * , based on ''Deedlit's Tale'' * , based on ''Deedlit's Tale'' * , based on ''Deedlit's Tale''

Reception

The novel series has sold over 10 million copies in Japan. Australian magazine ''

Hyper Hyper may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hyper'' (2016 film), 2016 Indian Telugu film * ''Hyper'' (2018 film), 2018 Indian Kannada film * ''Hyper'' (magazine), an Australian video game magazine *Hyper (TV channel), a Filipino sports channe ...

'' reviewed ''Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'' in 1999. They rated it 8.5 out of 10.

References

External links

Official Kadokawa novel site

'Lodoss war Online game site'
* {{Monthly Shōnen Ace 1990 anime OVAs 1998 anime television series debuts Anime International Company Central Park Media CPM Press FM Towns games Funimation Game Boy games Game Boy Color games Japanese fantasy novels Kadokawa Shoten manga Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko Kadokawa Dwango franchises Madhouse (company) MSX games NEC PC-9801 games Sega CD games Seven Seas Entertainment titles Sharp X68000 games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Sword and sorcery anime and manga Tomy games TurboGrafx-CD games TV Tokyo original programming War in anime and manga Yonkoma