History Literature / RecordOfLodossWar

* UnusualEars: Deedlit and Pirotess, whose ears are far longer than what most Western fantasy fans would attribute to elves. The character designer was supposedly inspired by the antennae on ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' robots. It's worth mentioning that this seems to have influenced the appearance of "elf ears" in all Japanese media afterwards and even bled into Western productions like ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''.

* SayMyName: ''Constantly''in the OVA, to the point that you could make a DrinkingGame of it. "PAHN! DEED-O! DEYDIA! BELDOOOOOO!"

* StandardJapaneseFantasySetting: One of the {{Trope Codifier}}s for Japanese media. Originally an AfterActionReport of a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign and later adapted to every medium under the sun, it was the first introduction of many Japanese fans to ''D&D''-style fantasy, later becoming the inspiration for dozens of anime, light novels and video games.

* WhoDares: In episode six, the first thing that the sea dragon Abram says is ripped off from ''Aladdin'''s Cave of Wonders: "Who dares to disturb my slumber?"

%%* AntiVillain: Ashram and Pirotess.
%%* ApocalypseMaiden: Little Neese.
%%* ArcVillain:
%%** For Parn's campaign, it's Karla.
%%** Orson's campaign, Ashram.
%%** Spark's campaign, Wagnard.

%%** Most of the good wizards fall under this as well. And Orson.

%%* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Parn.%%How? Lampshaded by Deedlit in the TV series.%%Lampshaded how?
%%* ClingyJealousGirl: Deedlit, sometimes.%%Like when?

%%* CreepyMonotone: Orson's voice.

%%* DarkActionGirl: Pirotess.

%%* EvilSorcerer: Wagnard, Gaberra, Astar.

%%* HaveIMentionedIAmADwarfToday: Ghim.
%%* HermeticMagic
%%* HeroWorshipper: Spark toward Parn.
%%* HeroicSacrifice:
%%** [[spoiler:Ghim]].
%%** [[spoiler:Garrack]] in the TV series.

%%* HighFantasy: One of the best known examples in anime.
%%* HotBlooded: Parn and Spark.

%%* IdealHero: Parn.

%%* {{Kaiju}}: The Ancient Dragons.

%%* MedievalEuropeanFantasy

%%* NonActionGuy: Marr.
* NobleDemon: Ashram, while being the signature BlackKnight of the series and one of the key leaders of the Marmo, isn't quite evil. He only does what he does because he wants his people to have a home of their own [[spoiler:in the TV series, he even saved a whole village condemned to death by recruiting them to the Marmo]] and doesn't agree with Wagnard's plan of destroying the entire world.

* OmnicidalManiac: Kardis, the Goddess of Destruction, [[CaptainObvious no doubt]]. Of course, the kook of a black wizard who wants to reincarnate her also deserves mention. Parn even said that the world would be better off if Falaris, the God of Darkness, was to be resurrected. That's saying something.
* OneWePreparedEarlier: A formal introduction of the characters and plot is not made until the second episode. Additionally, it is unclear exactly where the first episode fits into the continuity of the series, though it has been theorized that it takes place between the events of the fifth and sixth episodes.

* AfterActionReport: What the original novels were.

* ActionHoggingOpening: The opening of ''Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'' features absolutely gorgeous animation (especially for the time, as the show was produced in 1998 and was still ''hand-animated'') and an award-worthy song from a young 18-year-old Creator/MaayaSakamoto. The show itself features far sparser action sequences, more still frames, and far more talking.

* TheAnimeOfTheGame: The history here is slightly twisty. The ActualPlay sessions used ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' rules (Parn's campaign used ''[[TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons BECMI D&D]]'', specifically, and helped advertise it), but by the time the OVA aired, TSR (then-owners of ''D&D'') had declined allowing the creation of a formal Alecrast/Lodoss ''D&D'' supplement, so everyone involved made their own TabletopRPG, ''Sword World'', which has since served as the rules and setting for all Alecrast-based media (''Lodoss'', ''Crystania'', and ''Rune Soldier'').

In commemoration of the series' [[MilestoneCelebration thirtieth anniversary]], a {{metroidvania}}-style game entitled ''VideoGame/RecordOfLodossWarDeedlitInWonderLabyrinth'' was released on Steam Early Access in March 12, 2020 and made a full release on March 27, 2021, with a console release on December 16, 2021.

** Firstly, the various adaptations of Parn's arc are collectively one of the great preservers of a quirk of ''[[TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons BECMI D&D]]'' compared to later versions — one might notice how prominently Ghim ''doesn't'' fight like Parn, and how different Deedlit's magic is compared to Slayn, Etoh and other human magic users. This is because Elf, Dwarf and Halfling were ''classes'' in ''BECMI'' - race/ancestry selection distinct from job class wasn't a feature of that edition, and classes were more like archetypes. The various adaptations thus played off the difference as Deedlit's magic being ''spirit'' magic to help represent the mechanical distinction between the three casters in the party in the BECMI rules, and Ghim uses a different fighting style than Parn for much the same reason, as he was a different archetype. In addition to this being an oddity of ''BECMI'', later ''Lodoss'' works, most notably the 1998 TV series that adapted Spark's arc, would acknowledge the trend of separating heritage and fighting class (both in ''D&D'' and in, by then, ''Lodoss''[='s=] new ''Sword World'' home system), and featured non-humans with obviously different classes than the ''BECMI'' standard.

** Firstly, the various adaptations of Parn's arc are collectively one of the great preservers of a quirk of ''[[TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons BECMI D&D]]'' — one might notice how prominently Ghim ''doesn't'' fight like Parn, and how different Deedlit's magic is compared to Slayn, Etoh and other human magic users. This is because Elf, Dwarf and Halfling were ''classes'' in ''BECMI'' - race/ancestry selection distinct from job class wasn't a feature of that edition, and classes were more like archetypes. The various adaptations thus played off the difference as Deedlit's magic being ''spirit'' magic to help represent the mechanical distinction between the three casters in the party in the BECMI rules, and Ghim uses a different fighting style than Parn for much the same reason, as he was a different archetype.

** Firstly, the various adaptations of Parn's arc is one of the great preservers of a quirk of ''[[TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons BECMI D&D]]'' — one might notice how prominently Ghim ''doesn't'' fight like Parn, and how different Deedlit's magic is compared to Slayn, Etoh and other human magic users. This is because Elf, Dwarf and Halfling were ''classes'' in ''BECMI'' - race/ancestry selection distinct from job class wasn't a feature of that edition, and classes were more like archetypes. The various adaptations thus played off the difference as Deedlit's magic being ''spirit'' magic to help represent the mechanical distinction between the three casters in the party in the BECMI rules, and Ghim uses a different fighting style than Parn for much the same reason, as he was a different archetype.

It first began as a series of [[TabletopGames role-playing game sessions]] (with the [[TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons 1983 Basic Set]] of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', no less), [[AfterActionReport recorded and transcribed]] into a series of ActualPlay articles in ''Comptiq Magazine'' from 1986 to 1988 (launched as a celebration of ''D&D''[='s=] first anniversary of publication in Japan), which were then adapted into a series of novels by game master Ryo Mizuno, published from 1988 to 1993. In 1990, it became an animated 13-part {{OVA}} series, and from then on it branched into movies, manga and TV series (some of which were alternate universe versions of the OVA, but which followed the story in the original novels more closely). It even returned to its roots as the most popular tabletop role-playing game in Japan for a time. Its dedicated tabletop RPG system was created after Creator/{{TSR}} turned down an opportunity to create an official ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' supplement based on it.

It first began as a series of [[TabletopGames role-playing game sessions]] (with the [[TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons 1983 Basic Set]] of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', no less), [[AfterActionReport recorded and transcribed]] into a series of ActualPlay articles in ''Comptiq Magazine'' from 1986 to 1988 (first launched as a celebration of ''D&D''[='s=] first publication anniversary in Japan), which were then adapted into a series of novels by game master Ryo Mizuno, published from 1988 to 1993. In 1990, it became an animated 13-part {{OVA}} series, and from then on it branched into movies, manga and TV series (some of which were alternate universe versions of the OVA, but which followed the story in the original novels more closely). It even returned to its roots as the most popular tabletop role-playing game in Japan for a time. Its dedicated tabletop RPG system was created after Creator/{{TSR}} turned down an opportunity to create an official ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' supplement based on it.

It first began as a series of [[TabletopGames role-playing game sessions]] (with the "[[TabletopGame/BasicDungeonsAndDragons BECMI Edition]]" of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' as the basis no less), [[AfterActionReport recorded and transcribed]] into a series of "ActualPlay" articles in ''Comptiq Magazine'' from 1986 to 1988 (first launched as a celebration of ''D&D''[='s=] first publication anniversary in Japan), which were then adapted into a series of novels by game master Ryo Mizuno, published from 1988 to 1993. In 1990, it became an animated 13-part {{OVA}} series, and from then on it branched into movies, manga and TV series (some of which were alternate universe versions of the OVA, but which followed the story in the original novels more closely). It even returned to its roots as the most popular tabletop role-playing game in Japan for a time. Its dedicated tabletop RPG system was created after Creator/{{TSR}} turned down an opportunity to create an official ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' supplement based on it.

It first began as a series of [[TabletopGames role-playing game sessions]] (with the first edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' as the basis no less), [[AfterActionReport recorded and transcribed]] into a series of "ActualPlay" articles in ''Comptiq Magazine'' from 1986 to 1988 (first launched as a celebration of ''D&D''[='s=] first publication anniversary in Japan), which were then adapted into a series of novels by game master Ryo Mizuno, published from 1988 to 1993. In 1990, it became an animated 13-part {{OVA}} series, and from then on it branched into movies, manga and TV series (some of which were alternate universe versions of the OVA, but which followed the story in the original novels more closely). It even returned to its roots as the most popular tabletop role-playing game in Japan for a time. Its dedicated tabletop RPG system was created after Creator/{{TSR}} turned down an opportunity to create an official ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' supplement based on it.

* TheAnimeOfTheGame: Originally based on ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'' until they were denied by TSR (the company that owned it at the time), so they made their own TabletopRPG, ''Sword World'', which has since served as its setting, likewise for spinoffs like ''Legend of Crystania'' and ''Rune Soldier''.

It first began as a series of [[TabletopGames role-playing game sessions]] (with the first edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' as the basis no less), [[AfterActionReport recorded and transcribed]] into a series of "actual play" articles in ''Comptiq Magazine'' from 1986 to 1988 (first launched as a celebration of ''D&D''[='s=] first publication anniversary in Japan), which were then adapted into a series of novels by game master Ryo Mizuno, published from 1988 to 1993. In 1990, it became an animated 13-part {{OVA}} series, and from then on it branched into movies, manga and TV series (some of which were alternate universe versions of the OVA, but which followed the story in the original novels more closely). It even returned to its roots as the most popular tabletop role-playing game in Japan for a time. Its dedicated tabletop RPG system was created after Creator/{{TSR}} turned down an opportunity to create an official ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' supplement based on it.

* AscendedFanFic: Yup. ''Record of Lodoss War'' started out as nothing more than a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' fan fiction -- the Dungeon Master's BroadStrokes re-write of how he wished the game had gone, complete with the female elf character (Deedlit) falling in love with the male human Fighter (Parn). In fact, these were three different ''D&D'' campaigns (Parn's party, Orson's party, and Spark's party), with the older games' heroes appearing as {{GMPC}}s in the later two campaigns.

What is "it"? It is '''''Record of Lodoss War''''', a sprawling epic which incorporates nearly every Tolkien-esque, and ''D&D'' fantasy cliche in the book, but does so with style, panache and sincerity. The lovely art and character designs by Yutaka Izubuchi and Nobuteru Yuki make the OVA series a visual feast, in spite of its rather limited animation. The swelling orchestral score by Mitsuo Hagita makes it an aural feast as well.

It first began as a series of [[TabletopGames role-playing game sessions]] (with the first edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' as the basis no less), [[AfterActionReport recorded and transcribed]] into a series of "actual play" articles in ''Comptiq Magazine'' from 1986 to 1988, which were then adapted into a series of novels by game master Ryo Mizuno, published from 1988 to 1993. In 1990, it became an animated 13-part {{OVA}} series, and from then on it branched into movies, manga and TV series (some of which were alternate universe versions of the OVA, but which followed the story in the original novels more closely). It even returned to its roots as the most popular tabletop role-playing game in Japan for a time. Its dedicated tabletop RPG system was created after Creator/{{TSR}} turned down an opportunity to create an official ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' supplement based on it.

The production itself is played straight and with earnestness -- which is probably one of its greatest strengths, since it makes the events all the more epic and edge-of-your-seat dramatic as the story nears its end. Later on, the TV series which [[SpinOff spun off]] from it would insert humorous {{Omake}}s at the end of every episode, which were either enjoyable comic interludes, or which undermined the whole tone of the series, depending on how you looked at them. This series is actually more closely based on the plots of the original D&D-game-inspired novels than the beautiful OVA, and there are a number of different manga that also fill in the gaps to tell the full, true story. That said, regardless of what came after, the {{OVA}} version of the story stands out as one of the better examples of pure, ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-inspired high fantasy (if not ''the'' best animated example ever). It's often joked that ''Record of Lodoss War'' is the D&D campaign a DM would ''like'' to run, while ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' is what most D&D campaigns are ''actually'' like.

See also ''Literature/RuneSoldierLouie'', which is set in the same world as ''Lodoss'', on the northern continent of Alecrast (but which is otherwise unconnected to the series), and ''Legend of Crystania'' (a novel, film and OVA series that partly serve as a DistantEpilogue about Arsham and Pirotesse). The same author later wrote ''LightNovel/RecordOfGrancrestWar''.

''Record of Lodoss War'' first began as a series of [[TabletopGames role-playing game sessions]] (with the first edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' as the basis no less), [[AfterActionReport recorded and transcribed]] into a series of novels by Ryo Mizuno which was originally published from 1988 to 1993. In 1990, it became an animated 13-part {{OVA}} series, and from then on it branched into movies, manga and TV series (some of which were alternate universe versions of the OVA, but which followed the story in the original novels more closely). It even returned to its roots as the most popular tabletop role-playing game in Japan. The ''Lodoss'' RPG was created after Creator/{{TSR}} turned the world down as a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' supplement.

What is "it"? It is a sprawling epic which incorporates nearly every Tolkien-esque fantasy cliche in the book, but does so with style. The lovely art and character designs by Yutaka Izubuchi and Nobuteru Yuki make the OVA series a visual feast, in spite of its rather limited animation. The swelling orchestral score by Mitsuo Hagita makes it an aural feast as well.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Lodoss' most powerful rulers have a habit of being legends in their own time. This trope is probably most literal with Kashue, who becomes King of Flaim by forcibly uniting its people.

''Record of Lodoss War'' first began as a series of [[TabletopGames role-playing game sessions]] (with the first edition of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' as the basis no less), [[AfterActionReport recorded and transcribed]] into a series of novels by Ryo Mizuno. In 1990, it became an animated 13-part {{OVA}} series, and from then on it branched into movies, manga and TV series (some of which were alternate universe versions of the OVA, but which followed the story in the original novels more closely). It even returned to its roots as the most popular tabletop role-playing game in Japan. The ''Lodoss'' RPG was created after Creator/{{TSR}} turned the world down as a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' supplement.

The production itself is played straight and with earnestness -- which is probably one of its greatest strengths, since it makes the events all the more epic and edge-of-your-seat dramatic as the story nears its end. Later on, the TV series which [[SpinOff spun off]] from it would insert humorous {{Omake}}s at the end of every episode, which were either enjoyable comic interludes, or which undermined the whole tone of the series, depending on how you looked at them. This series is actually more closely based on the plots of the original D&D-game-inspired novels than the beautiful OVA, and there are a number of different manga that also fill in the gaps to tell the full, true story. That said, regardless of what came after, the {{OVA}} version of the story stands out as one of the better examples of pure, ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-inspired high fantasy (if not ''the'' best animated example ever). It's often joked that ''Record of Lodoss War'' is the D&D campaign a DM would ''like'' to run, while ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' is what most D&D campaigns are ''actually'' like.

See also ''Anime/RuneSoldierLouie'', which is set in the same world as ''Lodoss'', on the northern continent of Alecrast (but which is otherwise unconnected to the series), and ''Legend of Crystania'' (a novel, film and OVA series that partly serve as a DistantEpilogue about Arsham and Pirotesse). The same author later wrote ''LightNovel/RecordOfGrancrestWar''.

* BestHerToBedHer: Shiris, as it was deconstructed by Orson when he got his emotions back. Shiris was bested by Parn in the first episode of the TV series, and after that, Shiris was quite adamant that she was in love with him. However, Orson pointed out that she was really resentful of Parn beating her and desperately wanted to replace that resentment with another emotion, namely "love", in order to regain her lost pride. [[ArmorPiercingSlap Shiris didn't take this lecture very well.]]

See also ''Anime/RuneSoldierLouie'', which is set in the same world as ''Lodoss'', on the northern continent of Alecrast (but which is otherwise unconnected to the series), and ''Legend of Crystania'' (a film and OVA series that partly serve as a DistantEpilogue about Arsham and Pirotesse). The same author later wrote ''LightNovel/RecordOfGrancrestWar''.

* {{Stripperiffic}}: Pirotess' outfit, a white leather dress with a very short skirt and a top that displays AbsoluteCleavage.