9 Best Anime About Dragons for Everyone Tired of Waiting for Next HotD Episode

Dragons are constant characters in fantasy stories in both the West and the East. They also occupy an important place in Japanese animation – there is an incredible amount of anime about dragons.

We have chosen nine titles for you, so that the weekly wait for the next episode of the main dragon series right now – House of the Dragon – would be less painful.

1. Fairy Tail, 2009-2019

Once upon a time, dragons ruled the world, but no one has seen them in centuries. All that remains are legends about these wise and powerful creatures.

However, their magical power lives in people called Dragon Slayers – one of them is the main character named Natsu Dragneel. Together with other wizards, he forms the guild Fairy Tail to travel the world and fight evil.

In this story, there are dragons of all kinds: living and dead, dragons turned into humans and humans turned into dragons. Such a concentration makes the story of the adventures of Natsu and his team one of the most important dragon projects in Japanese animation.

2. Record of the Lodoss War, 1990-1991

In 1988, Ryo Mizuno decided to write a series of novels and used the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons to create the world. Soon the adventures of the brave heroes of Lodoss were transferred to the format of manga, anime series, and video games.

A group of adventurers consisting of a knight, an elf, a dwarf, a wizard, a cleric and a thief set out on a journey to stop a bloody war.

Mizuno's manga was influenced by European fantasy, so the world of Lodoss could not do without dragons. Although the plot revolves around people and the like, dragons also play an important role in the story.

3. Burn the Witch, 2020

The inhabitants of modern London have no idea that up to 70% of the deaths in their city are actually related to dragons. To prevent such incidents, there is an organization of wizards and witches in Reverse London that is dedicated to protecting humans and dragons from each other. The witches Noel and Ninny work in the agency and try to keep order as best they can.

The popular franchise Bleach also mentions dragons. However, they are rarely given much attention. The author of the manga, Tite Kubo, decided to change that in a spin-off about the activities of the western branch of the Soul Society in Reverse London.

To understand this story, it is not necessary to be familiar with the universe of Bleach – the adventures of Ninny and Noel is a completely independent story.

4. Onigamiden – Legend of the Millennium Dragon, 2011

Dragons of Eastern mythology are different from their Western counterparts. In Japan, the animators are very fond of European fairy tales and fantasy, but they do not forget their roots.

An ordinary Japanese schoolboy, Jun Tendo, is transported one thousand two hundred years back in time to the Heian period. The capital – then the city of Kyoto – is under constant attack by Oni demons.

Jun can turn the tide of the war – as a descendant of an ancient family, he is able to bend the dragon Yamata-no-Orochi to his will. However, choosing a side in this confrontation is not as simple as it seems at first glance.

In this anime, legends are intertwined with a real story about the struggle of the ancestors of modern Japanese with the Ainu, the indigenous inhabitants of the Japanese islands. The dragon Yamata-no-Orochi is mentioned in the oldest historical and mythological texts, so after watching this anime you can at least get an idea of Japanese mythology and the place dragons occupy in it.

5. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, 2017-2022

After a night of heavy drinking, a woman dreamed that she accidentally wandered into the forest, met a wounded dragon, helped it and offered it to live in her apartment. But it turned out that it was no dream.

This is exactly the situation in which Kobayashi, an ordinary office worker, found herself. One fine morning she opened her door to find the charming dragoness Tohru standing on the threshold.

Wanting to thank her savior, Tohru decides to become Kobayashi's maid – and no objections will help Kobayashi escape from her new friend. And where one dragon appears, others are bound to follow.

6. Dragon Goes House Hunting, 2021

Dragons are supposed to be fierce and powerful. But a young red dragon named Letty was unlucky: nature robbed him of both strength and fierceness.

Letty's disappointed family banished him from home, hoping that trials would strengthen his character and make him a worthy representative of the dragon race. Now, shy and weak, Letty is forced to find a new home.

The elven magician, a skilled architect and real estate agent, Dearia, volunteers to help him. The duo will have to travel a lot – after all, finding the perfect home for a dragon is no easy task.

7. A Herbivorous Dragon of 5,000 Years Gets Unfairly Villainized, 2022

Instead of burning castles and kidnapping virgins, the five-thousand-year-old dragon Ravendia is on a vegetarian diet and sits peacefully in a cave. But one day, his quiet and measured life comes to an end. A girl named Reiko from a neighboring village begs Ravendia to protect her fellow villagers and offers herself as a sacrifice.

To get rid of the annoying girl, the dragon pretends to have eaten her soul. But Reiko begins to believe that the loss of her soul has given her magical powers. The dragon's self-proclaimed disciple sets out to fight the demon lord, and Ravendia is forced to follow her.

8. Dragon Ball, 1986-1989; Dragon Ball Z, 1989-1996

In March 2024, Akira Toriyama, the creator of the Dragon Ball manga, died. Dragon Ball spawned a massive franchise whose influence on Japanese and world culture cannot be overstated. Based on the original story, several anime series, feature films, and countless video games have been released.

A boy with a monkey tail, Son Goku, travels the world learning martial arts and searching for the mysterious Dragon Balls. According to legend, if you collect seven of these relics, the dragon Shenron will grant you any wish.

As the franchise evolved, Toriyama's world became more eclectic. However, two anime series that aired from 1986 to 1996, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, remain recognized classics.

9. Tales from Earthsea, 2006

A movie adaptation of the fantasy series about Earthsea was a longtime dream of Hayao Miyazaki. But when he asked the author, Ursula K. Le Guin, for her permission, she turned down the then little-known director and later regretted her decision. When the subject of a film adaptation came up again, the elder Miyazaki temporarily stepped aside and his son Goro took over.

The plot of the full-feature anime covers the third and fourth books of the series – The Farthest Shore and Tehanu. The world of Earthsea is suffering because someone has violated the natural order of things. Dragons, which no one has seen for a long time, begin to appear on the islands. Sorcerer Sparrowhawk, Prince Arren, who is hiding a terrible secret, and the mysterious girl Therru go in search of the causes of this problem.