Blade & Bastard Anime Announced: Wizardry Franchise Expands with New Adaptation from Kumo Kagyu and so-bin

The world-renowned Wizardry franchise is set to expand once again, this time with a new anime adaptation based on the Blade & Bastard series of light novels.

Crafted by acclaimed author Kumo Kagyu, known for Goblin Slayer, and brought to life with illustrations from so-bin, the artist behind Overlord, Blade & Bastard is the latest chapter in Wizardry’s enduring cultural impact—particularly in Japan. Originally developed by Andrew C.

Greenberg and Robert Woodhead, Wizardry debuted in 1981 with the release of Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord for the Apple II.

Regarded as one of the most influential releases in RPG history, Wizardry not only shaped Western game design but also fostered an enthusiastic following in Japan, where it inspired numerous sequels, spin-offs, and even anime adaptations. Wizardry’s significant influence in Japan can be traced back to the early 1990s, when TMS Entertainment adapted the series into an anime.

The franchise’s longevity is highlighted by its continued evolution, including region-specific content and games tailored for Japanese audiences.

More recently, Digital Eclipse remastered the original Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord for modern platforms, bringing the classic dungeon crawler to a new generation of players across Steam and Nintendo Switch. The newly announced anime draws inspiration from the Blade & Bastard light novels, which launched in December 2022 and currently comprise five volumes.

In June 2023, the story was further expanded with a manga adaptation.

Blade & Bastard follows characters such as Iarumas, Garbage, Raraja, Ainikki, and Berkanan.

Each protagonist represents a traditional character class from the Wizardry universe, staying true to the franchise’s roots. At the heart of the Blade & Bastard narrative is Iarumas, who, after coming back to life without any memories, spends his days venturing into dungeons to recover the bodies of fallen adventurers—a task that earns him grim respect, but little camaraderie.

He is joined by Garbage, a lone surviving swordswoman, as they both seek answers in the sprawling, perilous depths while trying to piece together Iarumas’s lost past. Since the turn of the millennium, Wizardry’s development has mostly shifted to Japan, with 2001’s Wizardry 8 being the last Western installment.

Japanese developers have since produced a wealth of sequels and spin-offs unique to the region.

In a testament to the franchise’s ongoing appeal, Wizardry: The Five Ordeals, originally a 2006 PC release, has recently launched on the Nintendo Switch, further expanding the storied series’ presence on modern hardware and Nintendo’s eShop. With the upcoming Blade & Bastard anime, Wizardry’s legacy continues to resonate across media, engaging long-time fans and new audiences alike.

The persistent appeal of this iconic RPG demonstrates its foundational role not just in video games, but in Japanese pop culture as well.

Wizardry anime Blade & Bastard Kumo Kagyu so-bin Nintendo Switch Digital Eclipse Nintendo Direct Wizardry: The Five Ordeals TMS Entertainment