The worlds of video games and anime have crossed over dozens of times before. JRPG franchises like Dragon Quest, Persona, and Final Fantasy all have anime adaptations of their most iconic titles. It’s becoming increasingly hard to find a game franchise that hasn’t had an anime adaptation these days. But among these numerous adaptations, several OVAs have produced the best storylines from their respective game series.

These OVAs capture the essence of their game series perfectly. It can be hard to adapt a 30+ hr RPG or a competitive fighting game into a full-length anime. But these titles do more than just adapt the basic story beats of their franchises. In many ways, these entries exceeded expectations and provided a unique experience for old and new fans of the games they were based on.

10

The King of Fighters: Another Day Examines The Misadventures of the Franchise’s Most Popular Characters

The King of Fighters: Another Day is a collection of six-minute shorts released online to promote the release of King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2. The collection of shorts focuses on the lives of different martial artists as they uncover mysterious incidents occurring in Southtown, the setting of the Fatal Fury games. The anime explores characters like Rock Howard grappling with visions of his father, Geese Howard, or K, looking into the whereabouts of the defunct NEST organization. These characters’ struggles were explored in the games, but Another Day provides more focus on the thoughts and feelings of the series’ most popular characters.

Characters from more recent entries in the series are also featured. Soirée Meira from the Maximum Impact series tries to protect other Southtown residents from a sudden fire. Ash Crimson from KOF 2003 manipulates events from behind the scenes, leading to his pursuit by rival Kyo Kusanagi. It’s the blend between the old and new story elements of the series that makes King of Fighters: Another Day so fun to watch.

9

Megaman: Upon A Star Brings the Blue Bomber Into the Real World

Megaman: Upon A Star takes the iconic character to a place he’s never gone before: the real world. Set in the early 1990s, the story revolves around a boy named Yuuta Kobayashi who forgets to turn off his video game console while playing Mega Man 5. As a result, the characters from that game escape into the real world, forcing Yuuta to team with Mega Man to prevent Dr. Wily from causing trouble in Tokyo.

The best parts of the OVA lie in Megaman and Roll learning about what modern-day Japan is like. Yuuta teaches them about Japanese holidays, like Japanese New Year and Children’s Day. It’s a fun way to differentiate the series from other Megaman spin-offs and is a lighthearted reprieve from the constant fighting with Dr. Wily. Megaman: Upon A Star is a unique OVA that’s a fun watch for any fan of the classic NES games.

8

Street Fighter II: Yomigaeru Fujiwara-kyo Provides an Unorthodox Follow-Up to a Classic Movie

Street Fighter II: Yomigaeru Fujiwara-kyō follows up the events of Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, featuring much of the same cast and the same animation studio. The anime sees Ryu, Ken and Chun Li being invited to a sumo wrestling contest in Japan by E.Honda. However, the fighters end up getting sent back in time to Fujiwara 1,300 years into the past. As the fighters try to find their way back home, Ken informs Ryu about Fujiwara’s history.

The OVA was released to promote a real-life exhibition about Fujiwara held in Japan’s Nara prefecture. Hence, why the OVA is less focused on action and more about educating its viewers. But this isn’t a bad thing. Seeing Ken orate the former capital of Japan’s rise and fall to Ryu is fascinating and can only be found in this OVA.

7

The Darkstalkers OVA Brings the World of the Night Warriors to Life With Stunning Animation

The Darkstalkers franchise has had plenty of multimedia spin-offs over the years. But the best of the lot is still the Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge OVAs, released in 1997. The four-episode adaptation focuses on the ongoing conflict between series rivals Dimitri Maximoff and Morrigan Aensland. But amidst their battle, the alien overlord Pyron sets his sights on conquering the people of Earth.

Each episode showcases excellent fight scenes and drama that make the world of Darkstalkers memorable. Dimitri and Morrigan fighting against Huitzuil robots is stunning to watch and is a great aerial spectacle. Similarly, the half-vampire Donovan struggles to suppress his vampiric urges, scouring the world for a solution to his bloodlust. Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge is a must-watch anime for any fan of the classic fighting game series.

6

Zone of the Enders: 2167 Idolo Chronicles the Events Leading Up to the First Game in the Mecha Action Series

Zone of the Enders: 2167 Idolo is a prequel that covers everything that led up to the first game’s events. The OVA focuses on Radium Lavans, a pilot representing the futuristic military of Mars who is known for his stubborn attitude. Working with his comrade Viola, the two are chosen to test a new prototype vehicle called the Orbital Frame. As Radium and Viola use the Orbital Frames against the forces of Earth, it becomes clear that not everything is what it seems.

The Orbital Frame Idolo seems to have a mind of its own, leaving no one but Radium equipped to pilot it. As the story goes on, the Idolo drives Radium into fits of madness, going on rampages that threaten everyone around him. The OVA also has great mecha action that stands up with the best the genre has to offer. The animation was handled by Studio Sunrise, which does a great job at capturing the unique designs and movements of the series’ Orbital Frames.

5

Panzer Dragoon’s OVA Adaptation Fleshes Out Its Fantasy World

Panzer Dragoon’s OVA installment takes the arcade shooter and explores it from a completely new perspective. It focuses on the new character Kyle, a knight who’s heard legends of a place filled with vicious dragons called the Dark Tower. However, when his blind girlfriend, Alita, is stolen away by a black dragon, Kyle will have to venture to the Dark Tower to rescue his love. The knight’s attempts to save Alita aren’t easy and lead to some incredible aerial action.

Kyle rides a dragon of his own to save Alita and faces numerous challenges. Kyle and his dragon have to shoot down imperial battleships and explore underground passages on their quest. The action scenes look utterly gorgeous and help elevate an otherwise standard fantasy story. The Panzer Dragoon OVA may not have the most mindblowing story, but it’s worth watching for any Sega fan feeling nostalgic about the dormant shooting franchise.

4

Ninja Gaiden’s Anime OVA Continues the Story of the Classic NES Games

Ninja Ryūkenden is the OVA continuation of the NES Ninja Gaiden games, depicting Ryu Hayabusa’s early years as a ninja. In this entry, Ryu is attacked by assassins in New York City, with the only connection to the attack being related to the Friedman company. Ryu’s investigation leads him to uncover more about Dr. Ned Friedman, who has recently discovered a cure for cancer. Ryu’s friend Irene is also kidnapped, forcing Ryu to dig deeper into his investigation in hopes of saving her.

Ryu’s new adventure has him facing off against several monsters that are out for blood. Like the 3D Ninja Gaiden games, this OVA sees Ryu decapitate and brutally dismember his enemies. The mystery elements behind Ned Friedman’s true nature also help break up the action and keep the story intriguing. Ninja Ryūkenden is an underrated OVA that perfectly reflects the Ninja Gaiden‘s strengths.

3

Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem Faithfully Adapts One of the Series’ Most Iconic Characters

The third game in the iconic Fire Emblem franchise, Mystery of the Emblem, only covers a handful of the game’s early plot. Only two episodes of the OVA were released. More were supposed to be produced, but seemed to be cut from a lack of funding. However, what is adapted helps to flesh out Marth, the main protagonist, more than his game counterpart.

Marth’s struggles as a young man are a large part of what makes the OVA enjoyable. Marth and his knights help fend off a city from pirates and help his childhood friend, Princess Caeda. Marth’s quest to reclaim his homeland is accompanied by crisp visuals that still hold up decades later. Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem‘s OVA adaptation may not cover all of its story, but it does serve as a good introduction to Marth and the world around him.

2

The OVA for Valkyria Chronicles 3 Doesn’t Shy Away From the Horrors of War

Valkyria Chronicles 3 may not have been released in the West, but its OVA still does a fine job at recapping its later events for series fans. The anime focuses on Squad 422, a unit of the Gallien Military composed of deserters, outlaws, and other criminals that handle the army’s dirty work. However, Squad 422 has since been branded as rebels by the Galliens, and it’s up to the Squad leader, Kurt, to navigate his allies to safety. But despite no longer being associated with the Galliens, Kurt and his squad still take the time to liberate cities from their Imperial enemies.

Both animated episodes also depict Squad 422’s willingness to help others and their brief moments of respite. Squad 422 may be a group of hardened soldiers, but they’ll still act to liberate towns from the influence of Imperial forces. Scenes with Kurt also getting time to relax with his close friend Riela also solidify their bond as comrades and show how close the squadmates are with each other. Valkyria Chronicles 3 may not be the most well-known entry in the series, but its OVA does a good job at filling fans in on its characters and narrative.

1

Tales of Symphonia: The Animation Translates the Game’s Story Into a Memorable OVA

Tales of Symphonia is one of the most beloved JRPGs of the 2000s, popularizing the Tales series and taking it to new heights. Its anime adaptation, Tales of Symphonia: The Animation, fully recaps the iconic story into an 11-episode OVA. The main story beats largely remain the same between the two versions of Tales of Symphonia. However, the OVA adaptation does make a few tweaks that help improve the overall experience.

For example, Dirk and Lloyd aren’t familiar with the power-enhancing Exspheres like in the game, allowing the audience to get a clear explanation of how they work. Likewise, using the Exspheres is treated as a last resort for empowering combat techniques. In the original game, the skill-granting items could be used as long as they were equipped to a character’s moveset. But seeing them be used more cautiously in the OVA makes sense and gives their use a sense of urgency.