Elements of Japanese Fantasy

I've discussed the distinct phenomenon of British fantasy gaming in the 70s and 80s - a movement that had its own tropes and conventions quite different from that across the Atlantic. In fact, that was my first brush with writing on this sort of thing when I first submitted it as a long post on the OSR subreddit that garnered plenty of discussion and made me realize I'd do well with this whole blogging thing. But there's also something to be said about the distinct flavor of the fantasy subgenre across the Pacific as well. Japanese fantasy, as seen in anime and JRPG video games but also in that country's own canon of fantasy literature (there's quite a bit there, even if most of it has never been translated into English) has its own idiosyncracies, and while we're on the subject, I figured that would be a fun tangent to explore.

What's interesting about the fantasy genre in Japan is how much of it was popularized through the medium of gaming. While The Lord of the Rings was translated in Japan and was quite popular and influential there in its own right, what really made Western fantasy take off was when Dungeons & Dragons was imported, receiving a complete facelift with new illustrations from local artists. Early works in the Japanese fantasy scene, like Record of Lodoss War, were direct novelizations of the writers' D&D campaigns. This in turn created a demand for video RPGs, which resulted in Ultima and Wizardry becoming such big hits that they spurred the creation of homegrown takes on the genre like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, and those in turn fed back into the popular Japanese consciousness to the point where RPG-like mechanics are commonly employed in fantasy storytelling even if the story isn't based on an existing RPG - what's called the literary RPG, or LitRPG genre. This can range from game mechanics being reinterpreted as in-universe phenomena (like the concept of "monsters," as I'll discuss below) to characters outright talking about leveling up in-universe with a straight face.

This isn't really something I enjoy. As I've discussed elsewhere on this blog, I prefer my game mechanics to facilitate the worldbuilding, not the other way around. Still, it's an interesting observation when it comes to the history of fantasy gaming, and it's worth noting because it makes up a pretty big part of the genre in the Japanese consciousness.

On that note, I should clarify that, despite being based on Dragon Quest, The Saga of the Ortegids is quite pointedly not a "Japanese fantasy" setting. It's based on the older entries in the series before the tropes of Japanese fantasy fully crystalized into what they are today, and specifically on the artwork used to promote the games in Western markets back in the NES era, which downplayed the series' ties to anime in favor of emphasizing its Western fantasy roots. A big part of that exercise was trying to put what we see in the games through the lens of old-school Western fantasy, and seeing what came out on the other side. However, in researching Dragon Quest and its inspirations and derivative works, it's impossible not to come across some common threads that are worth cataloguing. I'm sure it would be of use to some DMs out there.

Slayers

Not all Japanese fantasy stories and settings tick all these boxes. The world of Japanese fantasy runs the full gamut from the silly (Konosuba) to the grimdark (Berserk), and from settings that are almost indistinguishable from a typical D&D campaign (Dungeon Meshi) to settings that have evolved a constellation of unique tropes and traditions of their own (later Final Fantasy titles). However, there's definitely a few select qualities that are particular to Japanese fantasy traditions I want to enumerate.

• To get the more famous superficial differences out of the way: elves tend to have ears that point to the side rather than straight up. Due to the persistent influence of the early D&D editions, kobolds are more likely to be dog-like rather than reptilian, and orcs are more likely to be pig-faced (often, they go as far to be straight-up anthropomorphic pig people, complete with pink skin and portly physiques). Slimes and oozes are much more common, and almost always are low-level cannon fodder, thanks to Wizardry by way of Dragon Quest.

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  Dungeon Meshi

  A major difference I've noted is in the nature of monsters. In Western fantasy RPGs, "monsters" are usually a game mechanic - the term encompasses a number of different, largely unrelated beings, from animals to humanoids to sometimes even archetypes of humans. A "monster" is, effectively, anything with a statblock. In Japanese fantasy, however, it's quite common for "monsters" to be a category of being that exists in-universe and are recognized as such. A goblin, a slime, and a dragon are all, metaphysically, the same class of entity, and are fundamentally different than a human or a horse. It's rare for the cultures and societies of humanoid monsters like orcs and goblins to be explored, and they're usually treated more like exceptionally smart animals. For some reason, it's quite common for monsters to uniformly be edible, and for there to be thriving culinary traditions utilizing their meat.
• If monsters are treated as a monolith, then they will usually be portrayed as servants of a "Demon King," "Dark Lord," "Archfiend," or similar entity. I discuss that some here, but to recap: this is a stock character that serves as an embodiment of evil, but one that exists on the physical plane, with their own territory and minions. They behave as something of a cross between Tolkien's Sauron and a video game final boss, and were inspired by both. Monsters tend to be uniformly or predominately aligned with this figure; in some cases, they're the source of all evil in the world.

  

  Final Fantasy

• Often, the "Demon King" is contrasted with a "Hero." If the Demon King is an archetype that grew from the final bosses of video games, the Hero represents the player character. They are usually chosen by a divine power and may be imbued with special abilities, and tasked with slaying the Demon King. I've seen multiple settings where the Demon King and Hero were both positions in a cyclical cosmic struggle - every time the Demon King is slain by a Hero, there is a period of peace until a new Demon King arises, at which point a new Hero is chosen to oppose them. The Hero is usually the protagonist of the story, but it's a very popular twist to reveal that the prophecized Hero is in fact someone else - so popular that, despite being in many ways the template of this archetype, Dragon Quest has done it twice.
• Religion and deities do not often play an important part in the setting, compared to Western fantasy. There will often be a religion, and clerics will often have D&D-like healing magic, but it's rare for that religion to be defined in a worldbuilding sense. Usually, the aesthetics and structure of this religion will be heavily based on Catholicism, and it will either be monotheistic or worship a vaguely-defined pantheon of gods, but the gods will rarely be named or have their portfolios described. If the religion is important in the setting, it will almost invariably be villainous in nature - how this manifests can be anywhere from "run by corrupt clergy only concerned with worldly power" to "front for demon worship."

Tales of Symphonia

• Japanese fantasy settings tend to be humanocentric, even more so than their Western counterparts. Human polities and settlements will almost always be uniformly human. If other races exist, they will have entirely separate societies. Often times, if there are traditional fantasy races like elves and dwarves, they will largely be present as NPCs and their societies will not receive that much attention; nonhumans are more likely to be major characters if they belong to a race invented for the setting.
• Compared to Western fantasy settings, human civilizations are less likely to be based on a specific real-world culture, and are usually a generically late medieval melange. There are often multiple kingdoms, but they tend to be outwardly similar if not identical in culture. If there are exceptions, there will almost always be a culture based on feudal Japan (for obvious reasons). Ancient Egypt is another popular choice.

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  Konosuba

  Anachronistic technology tends to be more common than in Western fantasy settings, particularly in more animesque settings that run on the rule of cool (like Final Fantasy). This tends to manifest as steampunk technology, magically-powered technology, or both. Firearms are more likely to be present in Japanese fantasy settings than Western ones. Even in more grounded settings, there are usually anachronisms that can be attributed to the skewed perception of historical Europe as an exotic foreign culture from the perspective of Japanese writers - for instance, nobles will usually live in Baroque palaces, not medieval castles, even if the domains they govern are feudal.
• Kings and emperors are either ineffectual buffoons, corrupt tyrants, or ineffectual buffoons controlled by their corrupt tyrannical advisors. Queens are usually absent or inconsequential. Princes are spoiled snobs. Princesses are clever, kind, and often secretly yearn for lives of adventure. If lesser nobles like dukes, counts, barons, or lords show up, they are usually evil. The royal family of a kingdom will often have the name of their kingdom as a surname (seriously, once you start noticing this, you see it everywhere.)
• Magic tends to be rigidly codified, even more so than in Western fantasy settings. Owing to influence from TRPGs, video games, and martial arts anime, spells will usually have distinct names, usually of the sort spoken aloud in a dramatic fashion while casting them. Their properties are well-defined and predictable, and they may have distinct "levels" of power or difficulty to master that are known in-universe.

These are just some observations I've made through consuming this sort of media. There are almost certainly more - and if I've missed anything, feel free to leave a comment below. If you're making a fantasy setting that's inspired by anime or JRPGs, using tropes like these will help it feel more authentic, while at the same time imbuing a flavor quite distinct from Western fantasy.