You don't see much Greek mythology in anime, which is a shame given how awesome it is. With so many fascinating characters, tales, tragedies, monsters—the possibilities are endless.
If you're tired of generic fantasy anime but still want to stay in the genre, you might appreciate these series from across the decades that incorporate Greek gods, goddesses, and heroes.
Of course, this is anime we're talking about, so don't expect your run-of-the-mill retellings of ancient Greek tales.
These figures are going to be twisted, spun, and taken far away from their origins. In fact, some of them may not even be very faithful to the source material at all!
Indeed, anime creators aren't afraid to infuse the ancient Greek gods with their own "anime style," thus blending ancient mythology with other elements—magic, demons, romance, and more.
Are you ready? Here are my picks for the best anime series with Greek gods and heroes!
8. Olympus Guardian
Let's start off with Olympus Guardian, a South Korean animated series that takes an informative approach to Greek mythology (rather than one of entertainment).
Olympus Guardian features two siblings—Ji-woo and Ji-yeon—along with their father, who narrates to them the tales and stories of the Greek and Roman gods.
You'll encounter many of the Olympian gods, their works, their histories, and their most notable legends.
But you'll also see other mythological characters, including the likes of Bellerophon, King Midas, and Achilles.
Despite the informative approach, Olympus Guardians does deviate a bit from the source in order to present a more family-friendly production. It is, after all, meant for younger audiences!
7. Blood of Zeus
Netflix's Blood of Zeus follows the story of Heron (the demigod son of Zeus) and his exploits as he tries to save the land of gods (Olympus) and the land of the mortals (Earth) against an army of demons.
The thing is, if you actually dig into the actual family tree of Zeus, you won't find the name "Heron" anywhere in it—because this is a character who was made up just for this series.
Demigods are prominent throughout Greek mythology, and you might recognize a few like Heracles and Perseus even if Heron is new.
Blood of Zeus offers a creatively fresh take on well-known stories and settings in Greek mythology, featuring many mythical figures who appear as both central and supporting characters.
As stated in the prologue, Blood of Zeus is framed as one of those stories that was "never passed down" and "never transcribed."
6. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (also known by its much shorter nickname DanMachi) is an anime with characters based on the gods, goddesses, and deities of several mythologies, including Greek and Norse myths.
It follows the story of Bell Cranel, an adventurer who wants to become stronger and prove that he's worthy of the girl he admires.
He serves under the banner of Hestia Familia, with Hestia (the Greek goddess of the hearth and family) as his deity.
Apart from Hestia, DanMachi also features Hephaestus, Apollo, and Hermes, who all take on their character descriptions from Greek mythology but have their own vibes unique to this show.
For example, Hephaestus is male and he's the Greek god of blacksmiths, but in this anime, Hephaestus is depicted as a woman (although she's still the goddess of the craft).
5. Campione!
Campione! is the anime adaptation of the light novel of the same name, written by Jō Taketsuki and illustrated by Sikorski.
"Campione" is the Italian word for "champion," but the champions in this series aren't gladiators—they're god slayers!
We follow the main character, Godou Kusanagi, who's just delivering an artifact. Unbeknownst to him, he'll encounter a "rogue god" along the way and become a god slayer himself.
In Campione!, rogue gods (known as Heretic Gods) are gods from various myths who step out of their realms and wreak havoc in the human world. The god slayers are people who defeat gods, which grants them the abilities of the gods they defeat.
Godou manages to defeat Verethragna, granting him the ten incarnations of the battle-savvy deity.
4. One Piece
You may wonder why One Piece appears on this list, given that it's primarily an anime series about pirates.
Well, there are actually two characters in the story who are based on Greek gods: Zeus and Hera, the special homies of Big Mom.
In Greek mythology, Zeus is the chief god of Olympus, who wields the power of lightning. In One Piece, Zeus is a thundercloud with a portion of Big Mom's soul, who has the ability of lightning.
And then you have Hera, the wife of Zeus in Greek mythology. In One Piece, Hera is also a thundercloud—she's Zeus' replacement after he's caught and unable to aid Big Mom in battle.
One Piece also has the sun homie Prometheus, who's based on his mythological source as the one who defied the Olympian gods, stole their fire, and brought it to humanity.
3. Saint Seiya
Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Originally aired 1986 to 1989
114 episodes (9 seasons)
Saint Seiya is a classic shonen series full of fantasy, flash, and lore. The main premise follows the story of Seiya, one of the Saints of Athena (the goddess who protects the peace of Earth).
Seiya's battles—along with the other Saints who protect Athena—involve fighting a Holy War against other godly beings who want dominion over Earth.
Many of the characters are based on constellations, like Pegasus, Andromeda, and Cygnus, which are rooted in mythologies. (For example, the winged stallion Pegasus is a mythical creature that's closely tied to the stories of Bellerophon.)
Saint Seiya is an older series from the 1980s, which spawned several sequels, spin-offs, and movies, including the modern reboot on Netflix called Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac and the seinen series Saint Seiya: Saintia Sho.
2. Record of Ragnarok
In Record of Ragnarok, the fate of mankind is at stake as we head into the decisive battle—called Ragnarok—between the gods and the representatives of humanity.
While this tournament seems like a one-sided fight in favor of the all-powerful gods, humanity has the Valkyries on their side, who provide them with weapons that can wound and even kill gods.
If you're looking for an anime series about mythological gods, Record of Ragnarok is one of the best, featuring gods and heroes from many different cultures around the world.
You have Zeus from the Greek Pantheon serving as the chairman of the Gods' Council, along with Greek deities like Aphrodite, Hermes, and Poseidon, plus ones from other mythologies like Thor and Loki (Norse), Shiva (Hindu), and Buddha (Buddhist).
Record of Ragnarok's creative liberties actually led to some countries banning it for its wrongful depictions of their deities. But apart from that, it's an action-packed series worth watching.
1. Bride of Deimos (1988)
Bride of Deimos: The Orchid Suite is an anime OVA adapted from a chapter of the manga Bride of Deimos, written by Etsuko Ikeda and illustrated by Yuuho Ashibe.
It centers on the character of Minako Ifu, who's caught in a dark and deadly mystery between one man and his elder sister.
While the OVA mainly focuses on Minako, it also features a demon named Deimos who follows her and wants to bring her to the underworld to be his bride.
In Greek mythology, Deimos is the son of the Greek gods Ares and Aphrodite and is himself the god of dread and fear.
What make this OVA a great watch are its interesting story, its classic animation, and its eerie sound design that highlights the show's dark premise, ominous settings, and horror elements.
