Netflix drops first glimpse at Dragon’s Dogma anime, coming September

Isaac McIntyre

Dragon’s Dogma fans have finally been given a scintillating first look at the franchise’s 2020 anime series, after Netflix unveiled the Capcom show’s teaser trailer on August 24 ahead of its planned mid-September release date.

The Netflix trailer confirms Dragon’s Dogma will be focused around the story of Ethan, whose heart is taken by a dragon when he tries to save his family from its fiery wrath. He is returned to the land of the living as an “Arisen.”

Ethan will also be joined in his quest for revenge by a “Pawn” named Hannah, in the same vein as Capcom’s 2012 action-slasher. The trailer promises plenty of action, gory violence, and undead battles ⁠— just what Dragon’s Dogma fans ordered.

Netflix has previously said they are looking to “bring the world of Dragon’s Dogma to life” in a faithful retelling. Many of the themes from the 2012 title ⁠— including Ethan’s inner war with a multitude of sins ⁠— do seem to have been included.

Check out the full August 24 trailer here:

Back in May, Netflix wrote, “The story follows a man’s journey seeking revenge. On his way, the man is brought back to life as an “Arisen.” [The show is] an action-adventure about a man challenged by demons who represent the seven deadly sins of humans.”

The series’ computer-generated animation style is also on full show in the 2:29 trailer. Netflix appears to have settled on a cel-shaded production style similar to another animated series in its television catalogue, ‘The Dragon Prince.’

Dragon’s Dogma is animated by Sublimation. The company’s representative director, Atsushi Koishikawa, said Sublimation had “long dreamed” of working on an anime like this Capcom adaptation, which is set for a September release date.

“We’re excited to bring our unique cel-shaded animation that carries hand-drawn textures to anime fans around the world,” Koishikawa continued. “We all feel very fortunate to work with Netflix through this production line deal.”

Ethan will
Ethan will “battle the seven deadly sins” during his quest for revenge in ‘Dragon’s Dogma.’

Dragon’s Dogma will premiere on Netflix on September 17, and there has been no indication the titanic streaming service will knock back the anime’s penned-in release date.

The Capcom video game adaptation joins a number of anime series under the ever-growing Netflix banner. The production company recently renewed Castlevania for a fourth season, and Ultraman for a return run.

A similar anime series, ‘The Idhun Chronicles,’ will also be airing in September alongside the Dragon’s Dogma release date. The Spanish project is based off the Idhún’s Memories book saga by Laura Gallego. It premieres on Sep. 10.

About The Author

Isaac was formerly the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. Isaac began his writing career as a sports journalist at Fairfax Media, before falling in love with all things esports and gaming. Since then he's covered Oceanic and global League of Legends for Upcomer, Hotspawn, and Snowball Esports.