History Literature / TheHeroicLegendOfArslan

* {{Expy}}: In Hiromu Arakawa's manga, the characters bear strong resemblances to characters of her other work [[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist]]; Arslan looks like Edward with Alphonse's expressions and white hair, Daryun resembles Kimblee, Etoile has Alphonse's appearance and Edward's expressions, Falangies resembles Lust, etc.

A new {{Manga}} adaptation of the novels was created by Creator/HiromuArakawa of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' fame in 2013.

An {{Anime}} {{OVA}} adaptation was also created, animated by studios Movic and Creator/JCStaff[[note]]With cooperation from ProductionIG, {{Madhouse}}, Creator/StudioTakuranke and Creator/StudioMark[[/note]] under the direction of Mamoru Hamatsu (episodes: I & II and V & VI) Tetsurō Amino (episodes: III & IV). Released August 17th 1991 to 1996 the Anime OVA consists of six episodes and is notable for its beautiful animation for its age (at least the in first two episodes), its music, its voice acting talent, and for being unfinished due to funding issues.

An {{Anime}} {{OVA}} adaptation was also created, animated by studios Movic and JCStaff[[note]]With cooperation from ProductionIG, {{Madhouse}}, Creator/StudioTakuranke and Creator/StudioMark[[/note]] under the direction of Mamoru Hamatsu (episodes: I & II and V & VI) Tetsurō Amino (episodes: III & IV). Released August 17th 1991 to 1996 the Anime OVA consists of six episodes and is notable for its beautiful animation for its age (at least the in first two episodes), its music, its voice acting talent, and for being unfinished due to funding issues.

A new {{Manga}} adaptation of the novels was created by Yoshiki Tanaka and drawn by Creator/HiromuArakawa of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' fame in 2013.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Arakawa's version, which shows us WarIsHell very (un)gloriously. In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', we are already shown what happened when [[FightingForSurvival desperate]] [[LaResistance militias]] fighting against [[MyCountryRightOrWrong obedient]], [[PunchClockVillain but largely unwilling]] [[JustFollowingOrders army,]] [[NightmareFuel and it's]] [[TearJerker not pleasant.]] In ''Arslan Senki''? [[NightmarewFuel We found out]] [[NauseaFuel what happened if]] [[TheFundamentalist conquering army]] [[RapePillageBurn didn't have any self- restraint.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: Arakawa's version, which shows us WarIsHell very (un)gloriously. In ''FullmetalAlchemist'', we are already shown what happened when [[FightingForSurvival desperate]] [[LaResistance militias]] fighting against [[MyCountryRightOrWrong obedient]], [[PunchClockVillain but largely unwilling]] [[JustFollowingOrders army,]] [[NightmareFuel and it's]] [[TearJerker not pleasant.]] In ''Arslan Senki''? [[NightmarewFuel We found out]] [[NauseaFuel what happened if]] [[TheFundamentalist conquering army]] [[RapePillageBurn didn't have any self- restraint.]]

* ExecutiveMeddling / ArtEvolution: Aside of the SpellMyNameWithAnS incident mentioned below, the character designs changed between the first and second episodes. The designs in the first episode follow Amano Yoshitaka's beautiful artwork while from second episode onwards they're more indigenous to the style of Kamimura Sachiko. It's most obvious in case of Darun who, in the first episode, has sharp and dangerous looks, slanted eyes, and hair that tends to fall into his face. In the 2nd episode and afterwards his hair is less wild, and he has milder features with [[GoodEyesEvilEyes rounded eyes]], giving him a more classic "good guy" look.

* HeyItsThatVoice
** KappeiYamaguchi: Prince Arslan
** KazuhikoInoue: Darun
** KanetoShiozawa: Narsus. After his death HochuOtsuka took up the role in the AudioAdaptation.
** Creator/KazukiYao: Gieve
** MasakoKatsuki: Farangis
** HiroYuki: Jaswant
** KotonoMitsuishi: Ester/Etwar
** ShuichiIkeda: Hirmes/Silvermask
** TakehitoKoyasu: Melrein

** KazukiYao: Gieve

* HoYay: Darun and Arslan have quite a few moments, especially in the early [=OVAs=], and their relationship could be [[ShippingGoggles easily interpreted]] as a sort of BodyguardCrush. There's also Darun and Narsus who used to be best friends before Narsus was expelled from the court, and now play VitriolicBestBuds to each other.
** It doesn't help (or does, depending on your point of view...) that many of anime character designer Kamimura Sachiko's fantasy characters look exactly the same as her Arslan characters, down to their costumes... and she's done a number of BL novel illustrations. At one point she actually had to clarify at her website that the couple in a picture are, despite all appearances, not Darun and Arslan. (She wasn't very convincing.)

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: And ''how''. To start with, originally the names of characters and places either came from Persian legends (Arslan, Farangis, Giv, etc.) or are native to various languages like Farsi, Hindi, Urdu (Daryun, Elam, Etwar, etc. Many places mentioned in the story, such as Ecbatana or Atropatene, actually exist or existed in real life). The person who translated the anime to English treated the names as if they were random fantasy names, hence Arislan, Pharangese, Darun, Gieve and so on. The most jarring decision was turning Etwar/Ester into Etoile/Estelle, despite the very obvious ancient Middle-Eastern type setting. And ''then'' for the last two episodes of the OVA ExecutiveMeddling happened on the Japanese side, and the spelling and pronunciation of the names were changed for all major characters, turning Arislan, Darun, Narsus, Pharangese, and Gieve into Arslan, Darun, Narcasse, Farangis, and Guibu.

An {{Anime}} {{OVA}} adaptation was also created, animated by studios Movic and JCStaff[[note]]With cooperation from ProductionIG, {{Madhouse}}, Creator/StudioTakuranke and StudioMark[[/note]] under the direction of Mamoru Hamatsu (episodes: I & II and V & VI) Tetsurō Amino (episodes: III & IV). Released August 17th 1991 to 1996 the Anime OVA consists of six episodes and is notable for its beautiful animation for its age (at least the in first two episodes), its music, its voice acting talent, and for being unfinished due to funding issues.

''The Heroic Legend Of Arslan'' (aka ''The Heroic Legend Of Arislan'' aka ''Arslan Senki'') is a series of fantasy novels written by author Yoshiki Tanaka with illustration by Yoshitaka Amano (Kadokawa) and Shinobu Tanno (Kobunsha) and published by Kadokawa Shoten then later Kobunsha. The series is currently on hiatus at 13 volumes; the first having been published in 1986 and the series not yet complete, although volume 7 marks a sort of halfway conclusion.

Tropes associated with TheHeroicLegendOfArislan:

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Narsus is a formidable strategist and statesman (think [[LegendOfGalacticHeroes Oberstein]]) who nevertheless regards himself an artist first and foremost. In the second part of the story he says he's a "Royal Court Artist who happens to be First Minister as well." Darun's utter and vocal distaste for Narsus' artwork is a running gag throughout the story, but while the anime would have the viewers believe that Darun is too boneheaded to appreciate true art, the novel series implies that Narsus' art does actually suck.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Hirmes' mask hides a rather nasty burn scar.

* PetTheDog: Hirmes' romance with Princess Irina.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Darun and Narsus, especially when it comes to Narsus' artwork.

A new {{Manga}} adaptation of the novels was created by Yoshiki Tanaka and drawn by Hiromu Arakawa of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' fame in 2013.

A new {{Manga}} adaptation of the novels was created by Yoshiki Tanaka and drawn by Hiromu Arakawa of {{Fullmetal Alchemist}} fame in 2013.

An {{Anime}} {{OVA}} adaptation was also created, animated by studios Movic and JCStaff[[note]]With cooperation from ProductionIG, {{Madhouse}}, StudioTakuranke and StudioMark[[/note]] under the direction of Mamoru Hamatsu (episodes: I & II and V & VI) Tetsurō Amino (episodes: III & IV). Released August 17th 1991 to 1996 the Anime OVA consists of six episodes and is notable for its beautiful animation for its age (at least the in first two episodes), its music, its voice acting talent, and for being unfinished due to funding issues.

An {{Anime}} {{OVA}} adaptation was also created, animated by studios Movic and J.C.Staff under the direction of Mamoru Hamatsu (episodes: I & II and V & VI) Tetsurō Amino (episodes: III & IV). Released August 17th 1991 to 1996 the Anime OVA consists of six episodes and is notable for its beautiful animation for its age (at least the in first two episodes), its music, its voice acting talent, and for being unfinished due to funding issues.

There's also an AudioAdaptation series (10 volumes plus a special one) that roughly covers the first 10 volumes of the novel and shares the anime voice cast (mostly).

* TheArcher: Melrein and Farangis, though she's equally good with a sword. Sometimes Gieve.

* YoshitakaAmano: Illustrated the original novels and the AudioAdaptation cassettes.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: And ''how''. To start with, originally the names of characters and places either came from Persian legends (Arslan, Farangis, Giv, etc.) or are native to various languages like Farsi, Hindi, Urdu (Daryun, Elam, Etwar, etc. Many places mentioned in the story, such as Ecbatana or Atropatene, actually exist or existed in real life). The person who translated the anime to English DidNotDoTheResearch and treated the names as if they were random fantasy names, hence Arislan, Pharangese, Darun, Gieve and so on. The most jarring decision was turning Etwar/Ester into Etoile/Estelle, despite the very obvious ancient Middle-Eastern type setting. And ''then'' for the last two episodes of the OVA ExecutiveMeddling happened on the Japanese side, and the spelling and pronunciation of the names were changed for all major characters, turning Arislan, Darun, Narsus, Pharangese, and Gieve into Arslan, Darun, Narcasse, Farangis, and Guibu.

* BattleRoyaleWithCheese

''The Heroic Legend Of Arslan'' (aka ''The Heroic Legend Of Arislan'' aka ''Arslan Senki'') is a series of fantasy novels written by author Yoshiki Tanaka with illustration by Yoshitaka Amano (Kadokawa) and Shinobu Tanno (Kobunsha) and published by Kadokawa Shoten then later Kobunsha. The series currently stands at 13 novels; the first having been published in 1986 and the series not yet complete, although volume 7 marks a sort of halfway conclusion.

* DisContinuity: The last two episodes are often regarded a being this, for having significantly lower production values than the previous four.