History Main / DarkFantasy

Dark Fantasy is, generally speaking, a DarkerAndEdgier [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin subgenre of fantasy]]. These kind of stories can be pretty much described as StandardFantasySetting [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] CrapsackWorld, as opposed to a, usually-lighthearted, regular fantasy setting. Oftentimes common fantasy elements are [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] where the UnfortunateImplications presented by some of the elements of standard fantasy become AscendedFridgeHorror in dark fantasy works. So magic is real and it can be used for pretty much any application, huh? A dark fantasy setting will show just how depraved an evil magician, sorcerer, or wizard can be by using magic from BodyHorror on poor hapless muggles to straight up [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Rape]] using spells of enchantment or mind control. Oh, normal fantasy settings have magical or enchanted animals like unicorns, griffons, and cute little animal familiars that magic users have? Well you can bet that a Dark Fantasy setting will go above and beyond to show that NatureIsNotNice on steroids with horrific bestiary like GiantSpiders, GiantSquid, and dragons as furious hellbeasts straight from the darkest abyss capable of destroying whole cities if not countries. What's that? Heroes can call upon their patron deities for strength to banish the great evil and restore peace to the land? In a dark fantasy setting you can bet that [[JerkassGods very few gods are all that nice]], [[TheGodsMustBeLazy nor are they all that interested in mortal affairs]], with the few that are usually operating on BlueAndOrangeMorality while believing AMillionIsAStatistic with any boon they give [[PowerAtAPrice coming at a cost.]]

DarkerAndEdgier ScienceFiction isn't recognised as a subgenre in the same way as in Fantasy. Dark Fantasy ''reacts to'' and ''deconstructs'' mainline genre fantasy where, in the case of ScienceFiction, it has always had a streak of darkness running through it, from ''{{Literature/Frankenstein}}'' (often regarded as the first ScienceFiction novel) onwards. In recent years, [[DarkerAndEdgier grimdark]] has become another name for Dark Fantasy with fans on both sides divided whether it's a valid name for it or not.

* MagicIsEvil and often TheCorruption, or at best relatively neutral. It may well come directly via a DealWithTheDevil, BloodMagic or HumanSacrifice and [[PoweredByAForsakenChild Forsaken Children]]. Wizards tend to [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity go mad with power]] (or just its [[MadScientist mere potentiality]]) and are [[VainSorceress full of themselves]]. This is likely why BurnTheWitch is a pastime of the lower classes and religions.

* The gods [[JerkassGods are all assholes]] who pass the time [[PassThePopcorn eating prayer chips and drinking soul-booze while placing bets and trolling the helpless mortals]], and {{The Legions Of|Hell}} {{Eldritch Abomination}}s are mere days away from breaking into the Mortal Realm, if they aren't there already. A GodOfEvil is probably [[VillainsActHeroesReact the only active one]], unless the point of the story is that he doesn't need to, because people will jump at any opportunity to do harm anyway. DemonicPossession is quite common. May even have DevilButNoGod, or an outright [[GodIsEvil evil supreme god]] running the show. If there are no "gods" per se, the CelestialBureaucracy[=/=]CouncilOfAngels have more red tape than a ribbon factory. Alternatively, the [[AngelsDevilsAndSquid eldritch abominations might be destroying both sides]]. In the most absolute worst, the universe is a CosmicHorrorStory.

* [[ZombieApocalypse The dead find staying buried a little boring, and resist any and all attempts to keep them buried]], short of [[KillItWithFire cremation]] or dismemberment. There might even be [[CorpseLand a region so full of undead that nothing and nobody alive and in their right mind goes there]]. In extreme cases, the undead form their own society, complete with an [[TheNecrocracy undying ruling class]], [[NightOfTheLivingMooks standing army]], and [[UndeadLaborers proletariat]].

* ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'': monsters run amok devouring the innocent civilians while [[TheyLookLikeUsNow disguising themselves as their neighbors]] and the [[DemonSlaying only warriors who can fight them]] (all [[BrokenBird psychologically damaged young women]]) tend to live very short lives thanks to TheCorruption which will [[OneWingedAngel turn them into something]] [[EldritchAbomination much worse]] and [[spoiler:it's all just a MonsterProtectionRacket (something that the warriors are just as ignorant of as the terrorized peasants). And for what? To create ideal weapon for an [[ForeverWar Endless War]] between another continent bent on seeing them dead.]]

* ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'' doesn't seem like this trope at first due to ArtStyleDissonance, but it most definitely qualifies: the weakest monster, goblins, have had a population explosion since 1) nobody with power and influence can be arsed to kill them and because the areas most often hit with goblins are too poor to offer a reward worth the attention of the higher-ranked members of the Adventurer's Guild, the job often falls to inexperienced rookies who frequently get in over their heads and wind up slaughtered or worse; and 2) they have an R-selective reproductive strategy (spawn hundreds in the hopes that a handful will make it to adulthood) and [[MarsNeedsWomen require abducting females]] to perpetuate their species. The main protagonist - the only high-ranked adventurer who bothers doing anything about the goblin problem and is ''extremely effective'' at his job - is an ByronicHero KnightTemplar who wouldn't hesitate about [[WouldHurtAChild bashing in the brains of even the youngest of the goblins]]. The worst part is that [[TheExtremistWasRight he is absolutely right]] because every single goblin is AlwaysChaoticEvil.

* ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'' The New World is not exactly pleasant to live in, for most of society. To wit, the sudden introduction of a nigh-invulnerable Lich Overlord, and his army composed mostly of nigh unstoppable, psychotic, genocidal followers who see people as insects, at best, is actually an improvement in most circumstances.

* The ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' ''Alicization'' arc is the closest one for the series to have, with Underworld being filled with many monster like Goblins and Giants from the Dark Territory that outright grotesque and violent and the Human Realm while seemingly looks peaceful on the outside, is actually full of hidden corruptions and crimes everywhere.

* French comic ''ComicBook/{{Arawn}}'' is set in a dark fantasy realm loosely inspired in Celtic legend and has a EvilOverlord as a protagonist. However, the comic plays out as a tragedy, detailing ''how'' he become a Dark Lord, something he never even really wanted.

* The original ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' comics qualified as ReligiousHorror, however they turned into straight-up dark fantasy under Creator/AvatarPress: they story was rebooted, most biblical elements were ditched and it took place in a afterlife realm that wasn't necessarily {{Hell}} in the strictest sense, but it was it was populated by monstrous demons that lived alongside native humans, with no shortage of {{omnicidal maniac}}s trying to purge it of all life.

* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'' is most certainly this, albeit a story of a smaller scale compared to other works of fiction with the same genre. There are no signs of any [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt world-ending events]] or [[VillainsActHeroesReact active]] [[GodOfEvil gods of evil]], and the kingdom of Eostia seems like a functioning regime in and of itself. However, don't let these subversions hide the fact that Eostia has been engulfed in a ForeverWar for centuries, with the underlying FantasticRacism as the main driver for this vicious cycle. Luckily, said war finally comes to an end when The Good Hunter comes to the picture... only for ''another'' war to break out when the Black Dogs, an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores who happens to be the finest [[HiredGuns mercenary group]] in Eostia, [[EtTuBrute decides to take over the country]] [[AmbitionIsEvil to build a Sex Empire]]. As such, civilians are constantly threatened by not only the AlwaysChaoticEvil monsters in the [[GrimUpNorth North]], but also the rogue mercenaries, both of whom engage in RapePillageAndBurn on a frequent basis. Later parts of the story even reveals that sizeable support for the Black Dogs is evident, courtesy of [[AristocratsAreEvil traitors]] [[CorruptChurch within]] [[GullibleLemmings the country]] that puts it in a war of multiple fronts. WarIsHell is in full effect, as the [[PyrrhicVictory pyrrhic victories]] and [[WarCrimeSubvertsHeroism numerous descriptions of war crimes committed by both sides]] would tell you. As for the main protagonist, he is an [[AntiHero anti-heroic]] ShellShockedVeteran talented in the art of bloodshed. While it is true that he is at best a KnightInSourArmour who believes that HumansAreFlawed and defies WhatMeasureIsANonHuman, these qualities are only backed by his [[TheDreaded infamy]] as a merciless WorldsStrongestMan, driving home that [[MightMakesRight might certainly makes right]], instead of the other way round. Oh, [[spoiler:did we forget to mention that he is a [[HumanoidAbomination humanoid]] [[EldritchAbomination great one]]? The SerialEscalation involving an EvilSorcerer shows how far he will go to [[{{Masquerade}} bury the secrets]] of the [[ThingsManIsNotMeantToKnow Eldritch Truth]], in order to avert [[GoMadFromTheRevelation a far worse outcome]].]]

* The ''Franchise/CthulhuMythos'' along with the CosmicHorrorStory genre in general have evil cultists galore, and a whole plethora of incomprehensible {{Evil God}}s. Magic or any reality-warping abilities are generally not used, as one wrong word results in [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Insanity]] or MindRape by an EldritchAbomination. Success will usually either drive you insane(r) or get you eaten by an EldritchAbomination. That said, if a wizard is mentioned, you can bet your ass he's a villain or will meet a tragic end. The only notable exception is a guy who reads a spell book For Lulz, and accidentally teleports himself to an EldritchLocation.
* ''Literature/DemonRoad'', by Derek Landy of ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'', is pretty dark, as it features demons, a DealWithTheDevil and the main character's parents attempting to use her blood in order to fulfill a blood pact.

* The ''Literature/DoctrineOfLabyrinths'' series by Sarah Monette is about a former child prostitute dealing with heavy trauma and receiving huge amounts more of psychological and sexual trauma even as an adult, including going completely insane and being forced into a Edwardian-esque sanitorium for quite some time.

* Joe Abercrombie's ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'' series has a feudal society in which the upper classes [[AristocratsAreEvil scheme and intrigue while caring nothing about the common man]] and [[SecretPolice the Inquisition]] is a very powerful, feared and merciless force...bordered by a vast and totalitarian [[TheEmpire slave-keeping empire]] to the South and a barbarian kingdom of savage killers from GrimUpNorth on the other side. Said Southern empire being controlled behind the scenes by a cabal of crazed cannibal mages...and non-cannibal mages being little better [[spoiler: (if not worse...)]]. Oh, the little matter of any form of magic being, at its source, a demonic power in this setting. Lots of violence, grittiness, grime and death. It's saying something that one of the (comparatively) ''more sympathetic'' characters is a cynical, crippled TortureTechnician for the aforementioned Inquisition.

* ''Literature/TheInquisitorCycle'' follows a Inquisitor engaging in witch-hunting and political intrigues, but also deals with a cosmic horror implications about this setting.

** Even ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' counts given it's a DarkerAndEdgier follow-up to ''The Hobbit'' and details some of Middle-Earth's darkest days. There's a general feeling of hopelessness in-universe regarding Frodo's quest and the fight against Sauron's forces, the antagonists are all NightmareFuel, with the ringwraiths being [[WasOnceAMan corrupted humans]], orcs being cannabilistic and monstrous compared to the borderline playful goblins of The Hobbit, and parts of the world being home to [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]]. The Ring itself adds elements of psychological horror and body horror with its gradual effect on the wearer's mind and body, turning them into hideous, ghoulish shells of themselves, so obsessed with its beauty and the power it grants that they're willing to murder anyone who seeks to take it from them, and it's shown how, even in the hands of people like [[BigGood Gandalf]] and Galadriel, the ring would warp them into something [[GodOfEvil just as bad if not worse]] than [[BigBad Sauron]]. And while the story doesn't explicitly serve as an allegory for WWII, readers have [[{{Applicability}} applied]] that to the text due to its focus on the consequences and psychological trauma that come with war, especially in the case of Frodo and the physical and mental scars he's left with from carrying the ring. [[spoiler: By the climax, even Frodo succumbs to the Ring's temptation, even though it's still ultimately destroyed.]]

* ''Literature/LadyOfGems'' series has a lot of dark fantasy elements,the first book deals with BodyHorror and not to mention the fear-feeding creatures that keeps people in at night.

* ''Literature/{{Phenomena}}'' starts of as a fantasy and starts showing hints of becoming a Dark Fantasy in the 2nd book, by the 7th and the spin-offs is it really a dark fantasy with BodyHorror, terror, [[SlasherSmile Slasher Smiles]] and more. Of the characters only the two main characters seem like genualy good, most of the others have GreyAndGrayMorality. Most of the characters treat murder as "necisary", at times, people sell them out, lie, and have slaves. One elf that never was a slave thinks it's okay to kill the race that mainly keeps elves as slaves. There's canibalism, strong implications of rape (one even bragged about seemingly doing it), FantasticRacism, magic is seen as evil, implied incest, and it goes FromBadToWorse. It's a good series because it's well written, interesting story, and the characters are great, but it's still feels wrong that it still has a [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids 9+ rating in Norway]], which might be because of the lack of [[ThinkOfTheChildren swearing and implications of nudes]], even though it's [[DoubleStandard allowed on Norwegian children's TV]].

* ''Literature/ReturnOfTheReaper'' would be a clear example, with the "hero" being the same demon who enslaved all the sentient races in the world and who is acting more for revenge than for the well being of those sentient races.

* The ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'' series is unrelenting in its darkness. The world is in a constant struggle involving religious zealots, insane immortals, ruthless sorcerers and [[ItMakesSenseInContext intergalactic sex-demons]]. WarIsHell, and is described in horrific detail. Plagues, infighting, wide-spread slavery, casual cruelty and rape are so common they become background scenery. The setting's already been brutalized in the past by a world-ending apocalypse that came dangerously close to driving humans to extinction, and all the warning signs for the second are already here.\\

* ''Literature/TalesOfTheBlackRaven'' by Seth Skorkowsky is a work following the adventures of the titular Master Thief in a dark and dreary Renassiance-meets-Hyboria setting.

* ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' cycle, particularly in the later books of the Saga, [[CerebusSyndrome when it began accumulating grimdark]]. The game and earlier stories are quite gritty, but lighter than late Saga.

** That said it slides more towards the idealistic side of the scale. The protagonists win as much if not more so than they lose and they are all likable and heroic. The fact that is takes place in a modern setting means {{values dissonance}} isn't at play. There are score of good people who capable and willing to stop the numerous villains that inhabit their world. Their may be tons of {{omnicidal maniac}}s in Eleg but not all is lost.There is always a sense of hope throughout the story that makes you want to read more to see if things get better.

* ''TabletopGame/DontRestYourHead'': A group of insomniacs are slowly losing their minds, and gain access to a city built out of insanity, and populated by corporeal nightmares, which they fight off with PowerBornOfMadness. And, as the title suggests, if they ''do'' ever get to sleep, they are in deep shit (If they live long enough to wake up again, they lose their superpowers untill sleep deprivation drives them crazy enough to use them again).

** The overall theme in ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' is it's moral ambiguity, and the bizarre settings only increase grim mood.
** ''TabletopGame/GrimHollow'', a third party setting, markets itself heavily as this. While it's not quite as dark as other entries on this page, it still has some very clear dark elements; Of the two most powerful (and warring) nations on the continent, one is barely held together by a CorruptChurch and an inbred child king, while the other is fallen into civil war and half of it is ruled by vampires. In the north, shamans perform HumanSacrifice to prevent [[ColdFlames Coldfire]] from consuming all. In the south, the Castinellan Provinces brutally slaughter sorcerers, wizards and warlocks for the crime of not performing magic. Meanwhile, monsters and plague stalk the land, the cruel men seek to profit.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Creation has pretty much been on a declining spiral since it was created, with one or two temporary exceptions. The Gods are corrupt, lazy, and/or addicted to games which are worse than crack, heroin, nicotine, and bacon combined. The world is threatened by no less than three sets of {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, any of which would be happy to corrupt, unravel, or utterly destroy existence. The greatest weapons with the capability to fend off these enemies are humans stuffed with way more power than humanity was built to handle, suffering from a curse that causes them periodic psychotic breaks. The average mortal can expect either a long life of drudgery and toil or a short life of terror and pain. Oh, and those weapons? Two of the three sets of Abominations have their own versions working for them. Pretty much the only thing keeping the setting from being a Cosmic Horror Story is that the PC Exalted are fully able, if they act with wisdom, to actually confront and, potentially, solve the problems that face Creation.

* Although the game itself has very little in terms of setting, the rules and artwork in the ''TabletopGame/LamentationsOfTheFlamePrincess'' core books present a world filled with sex, black magic and the most gruesome violence imaginable.

* By Creator/{{Chaosium}}, the very early game ''TabletopGame/{{Stormbringer}}'' and its 90s temporary successor ''Elric!'' which are set in the world of Literature/TheElricSaga where the world is doomed by an idiot sorcerer king and his EvilWeapon.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' hits pretty much every trope except evil cults controlling all organized religion and CyberneticsEatYourSoul. How dark is it? When the setting was rebooted the justification was that all the prophecies about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt came true simultaneously and everything was destroyed in horror despite everything the various heroes and factions tried.

*** Since the coming of Chaos all forms of life in the world have been at least slightly corrupted by it. The elves lost their compassion and turned into haughty manipulators, xenophobic cannibals, and vicious slavers. The lizardmen, the chosen race of the original gods, have gradually lost their SuperIntelligence and the lesser ones have become partially feral. Dwarves once formed firm and long lasting bonds of friendship but now obsess over grudges and ancient hatreds instead.
** The off-spring game Mordheim is set in the world of Warhammer Fantasy and fits the bill even better than its progenitor. In the ruined city of Mordheim, the pious become zealous, the tough becomes weak and the good become corpses hung above the streets. It says something that the only irrevocally "good" faction is a small group of fanatic warrior monks who *everyone else* think are evil.

* ''VideoGame/BlackGuards'' and its sequel, has your band of thugs, madmen and junkies dealing with enemies much worse than yourselves, as you try to prove yourself innocent of a murder in the first game and go on a dark quest for revenge in the second.
* ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' has elements of it (Humans opressed by demon overlords and both sides under attack from TheUndead), but it's mostly masked by the sheer awesome.

* ''VideoGame/CrossbowCrusade'': The game has you exploring a kingdom full of zombie and monsters, all of which you can combat with your trusty crossbow.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Deception}}'' series tends to be set in a world that invokes this feel. Though as the main character is usually limited to a small area, it's mostly shown in outside cutscenes and enemy descriptions.

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'' is completely this. The entire world is almost always at war. Mages constantly fight against the whispers of demons from the dream world/afterlife of the Fade trying to [[DemonicPossession take them over]] (little wonder many of them choose to be [[EmptyShell magically lobotomized]]), and every so often, one succumbs and becomes a HumanoidAbomination, or [[DealWithTheDevil makes a deal in order to learn]] BloodMagic. Demons are thus a constant threat. Because it's so easy for a mage to be possessed or go rogue, they're imprisoned and kept under constant watch by [[CrystalDragonJesus The Chantry]]. Mages who resist this are hunted down and either captured or killed. Elves are a SlaveRace distinguished from humanity only by their long ears, who were once the dominant species but were soon hunted down, and are now second-class citizens in a society dominated by humans (the only exceptions being the Dalish, who are nomadic and desperately hold on to the last shreds of culture they once had). The Dwarves are a politicking race with a brutally restrictive FantasticCasteSystem, who cower in their last two remaining fortress-cities, with the rest of their once-mighty empire being overrun. The resident [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Warrior Race]] (though it's technically a religion, not a race, and anyone can join) called the Qunari are almost impossible to understand by the other races, and are constantly threatening invasion. One of the world's major powers is built on slavery, and the rest are filled with everything from {{Decadent Court}}s to constant infighting. To top it all off, every hundred years or so they all come under attack by [[TheHorde Darkspawn]], which the Chantry's god figure, The Maker, [[TheScourgeOfGod cooked up as divine retribution because Humanity tried to invade heaven]] - [[UnreliableNarrator according to the Chantry, anyways]].

** ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' is a SurvivalHorror ActionRPG that takes place in the Kingdom of Boletaria, a place many people called paradise on earth until its king went mad with nihilistic grief and made a pact with an ancient demon god known as ''the Old One''. The awakening of the Old One would unleash a fog that would turn humans into savage monsters or powerfull demons while also giving form to creatures of myth and reviving an ancient ''Dragon God''. You are just another individual coming to a now-deserted Boletaria to help stop the fog or for your own hunger for power while also meeting other visitors/survivors with their own agendas.
** In ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', Where to begin? The games are classed as SurvivalHorror by way of fantasy ActionRPG by a good amount of people. The game takes place primarily in the Kingdom of Lordran, which has been completely run into the ground. The only thing that remains are the decaying buildings, it's inhabitants have all either died, or become hollowed, crazed and undead. In addition to it being host to dozens of different types of horrific forms of demons, twisted animals and grotesque monsters. Lordran is also just the worst of the Kingdoms and nations in the souls universe. Many other states are implied to be decaying and faltering. That's just the setting. The world is actually ending to the Plague of Undeath. The morally ambiguous protagonist, along with most of the world's population have been cursed by the Darksign. A curse which grants its bearer technical immortality, but at the cost of eventual complete loss of sanity. (death is also not any less painful when you're immortal in the souls universe). The gods have either all left or are too bothered to do anything about the situation. Many of the [=NPCs=] you meet along the way eventually lose themselves to the curse and you are forced to slay them in self defense. The "hero" is tasked with relighting the First Flame, which even then, would only temporarily cure the curse, as it is forced to resurface every couple of centuries. Or, the hero can choose to let the flame die ushering the world into the ambiguous "Age of Dark". An age of freedom? or simply another word for the dark and nothingness consuming the world? Even the quest givers who task the hero with the final goals of the game are not entirely trustworthy and may be manipulating the player character as an unwitting pawn for further ends.Then there's Manus and the Abyss, if there's anything the Souls series needed to make it the crappiest of crapsack worlds, was an eldtrich abomination trying mindlessly to obliterate all known existence. There isn't much hope in the Dark Souls universe, indeed.

** You think ''Dark Souls 2'' was bad? ''VideoGame/DarkSouls3'' leaves the series at its WORST, civilazation has fallen, the Age of Dark is practically upon mankind, all the Lords who kindled the flame before have abandonned their thrones, and now it's up to you to decide what is the true fate of the world, and this is not necesarily a good thing, all that remains is ember indeed......
** ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' is a mix of this and GaslampFantasy for the first half of the game, being set in a Victorian-Gothic setting, with a lycanthropy plague, quicksilver bullets, witches, magic and other elements of the subgenres. [[spoiler: However, it is later revealed to be a CosmicHorrorStory along the lines of [[Creator/HPLovecraft H. P. Lovecraft's]] novels.]]

* ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'' and its sequel ''[[VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar Shadow of War]]'' lead towards this direction rather ''Franchise/TheLordOfTheRings'''s HighFantasy: instead of an epic adventure where the heroes travel to several lands in search for a magical artifact to defeat the [[EvilOverlord Dark Lord]], the games take place entirely inside {{Mordor}} where evil is everywhere and the forces of light have no power. The main protagonist derives [[BadPowersGoodPeople his powers from a dark source]] and has to do very morally ambiguous deeds like raising his own army of brainwashed minions, and said source is not completely well-intetioned either.
* ''VideoGame/NightsOfAzure'' is set in a world had been showered by a demon king's blood, leading to [[WasOnceAMan transformed fiends]] plaguing the night. The only thing protecting humanity is an untrustworthy, BurnTheWitch-happy church who [[HumanSacrifice sacrifices a designated Saint]] every ten years to prevent the demon king from returning and [[WeHaveReserves who employs agents that get transformed into fiends if they're exposed to too much demon blood]], unless if they themselves are one of the rare half-demons that retained their humanity. Don't feel too bad for humanity though, as a common theme of the game is [[HumansAreBastards how humans could be comparable, if not worse, than demons]].

* While ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' is generally optimistic HighFantasy, at least two RTS games in the series qualify. Warcraft I is DarkerAndEdgier compared to later games, orcs lack any redeeming qualities or humorous elements, Medivh is outright a mad EvilSorcerer and player's character (who later evolved into Orgrim Doomhammer) betrays Blackhand out of lust for power alone. Also, canonically, bad guys win there. Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is a far more prominent and complex example, where ALL campaign protagonists are anti-heroes or villains to some degree, and the known world is still suffering the aftermath of a massive undead and demon onslaught. The humanity is hunted down to the borders of extiction (and its remnants are run by a racist tyrant), high elves willingly damn their entire race, and the main conflict is set between the Lich King and his former master Kil'jaeden, both sides nearly equally evil. Even the bonus campaign, The Founding of Durotar, has a Tearjerker ending with Jaina having to betray her father.

* ''Webcomic/ArkTheImprobable'': The main characters are an Elf and a FrankensteinsMonster belonging to a {{Bounty Hunter}}s guild, fight hideously mutated creatures, developed from TheVirus working it's disgusting magic on mundane animals, plants, humans, and fantastic creatures, including Werewolves and Zombies.

* ''Webcomic/BlackRose'' features a grimy corrupted empire with Steam Punk technology versus an underdeveloped country where magic users are being wiped out, a lack of fantasy races other than humans, and a continued emphasis on how while things might seem bad at present, the protagonists will doubtlessly be going through worse. Said underdeveloped magic using country also has magic users capable of MindRape, with the military of said grimy corrupted empire being their only true means of protection against them (for a fee)...provided they don't just [[RapePillageAndBurn "vacate"]] their settlements and take over their land if they don't buy in.

* ''WebOriginal/DemonsDue'': An illustration based web series where an evil sorceress unleashes all kinds of evils upon a local lordship. Magic is fairly neutral here, too, but dang is it can't be misused for all kinds of horrors in this one.
* ''Literature/DisAcedia'': a dark fantasy web serial set in an interdimensional magical prison, crafted by an ancient, utterly demented deity. Magic is extremely dangerous and feared, death is never an escape, and the entire dimension is divided into fiefdoms waging an eternal war.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania}}'' is set in a world filled with violence, [[TheDungAges filth]], and blood, with extremely sadistic vampires who seek to either exterminate the human race or use them as livestock, [[LastOfHisKind and only one remaining member]] of a vampire hunting family left to stop them. And when the protagonists aren't dealing with vampires, they have their hands full with animated skeletons, night creatures, religious zealots killing innocent people for being "heretics", citizens who range from apathetic to dogmatically supportive of said zealots, [[EvilSorcerer Evil Sorcerers]], and simply mankind exhibiting [[CompleteMonster its worst traits]]. [[spoiler: It even becomes a CosmicHorrorStory with the reveal of a gateway that leads to an infinite number of realms including the afterlife, different points in time, and dimensions with strange architecture, among other things]]. Adding to this is the final season which introduces [[spoiler: an elemental vampire that feeds on death whose been pulling the strings all along to sate his appetite on whatever genocides occur]]. The heroes and villains both exhibit plenty of moral grayness. Perhaps one of the few characters that don't is [[TheHeart Sypha]].
* ''{{WesternAnimation/Disenchantment}}'' has probably the most [[BlackComedy darkly humorous]] take on the dark fantasy genre in cartoon history, playing its [[TheDarkAges medieval]] [[CrapsackWorld dystopian setting]] [[PlayedForLaughs for laughs]]. Despite this, is still meets many of the traits of other Dark Fantasy stories. The royal palace is large and comfortable, and the [[UpperClassTwit royalty/nobility]] live in luxury; but the [[MedievalMorons commoners]] [[TheDungAges live in severe poverty, filthy homes, and barely have enough to eat]], and often have to make a living doing unpleasant work such as [[OffWithHisHead executioners]]. And despite the fact that the royalty and nobility have much more comfortable lives, they're also going [[ImpoverishedPatrician bankrupt]]. Children may even start work as soon as they are born, taking jobs such as midwife, miner, or candle maker. The relations between the various nations are tense at best, and the threat of war is very real. Magical beings don't have it any better; [[OurFairiesAreDifferent fairies]] often work as [[TheOldestProfession prostitutes]], while [[OurElvesAreDifferent elves]] are hunted for their [[BloodMagic magical blood]] which can create the ElixirOfLife. The elves by the way, live in a society where [[HappinessIsMandatory you are expected to]] [[StepfordSmiler act happy all the time]]... [[CrapsaccharineWorld or else]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': While a DenserAndWackier take on the genre (being a family-friendly Creator/DisneyChannel series), a lot of the tropes that make up the setting it very much in-line with Dark Fantasy. Unlike many of the SummonEverymanHero fiction novels that Luz is used to, the Boiling Isles is a dog-eat-dog GiantCorpseWorld populated by witches with inherently deadly WeirdWeather, deadly curses, a WizardingSchool that makes [[TakeThat Hogwarts look safe and accommodating in comparison]] and all sorts of monsters that literally prowl the streets that are equally likely to eat you, imprison you or rip you off in every sense of the phrase. The plot itself is about a human who finds herself in this world and has had her life threatened and her childish notions of magic and wonder questioned multiple times, a small demon with aspirations of conquest and tyranny and a ConArtist witch under a curse that turns her into a mindless beast, all the while being hunted down by an oppressive regime that has all of the bells and whistles of a CorruptChurch.

* ''Manga/EdensZero'', while seeming like a light-hearted HighFantasy {{Shonen}} series in the same vein as ''Manga/FairyTail'' (creator Creator/HiroMashima's previous manga) mixed with ScienceFantasy, is [[CerebusSyndrome gradually revealed]] to be this: [[AndroidsArePeopleToo robots]] are treated as second-class citizens at best and [[JustAMachine disposable trash at worst]]; most villains are the [[HateSink highest degree of scum]], ranging from mass murderers to homicidal warmongers; and the StockShonenHero is not only an outcast for his [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForLosers over-idealistic mindset]], but is constantly exposed to the horrors of [[HumansAreBastards human cruelty]] and [[WarIsHell war]] until he becomes a more [[TookALevelInCynic jaded]] yet [[ComingOfAgeStory still hopeful young adult]].

* ''Manga/EdensZero'', while seeming like a light-hearted HighFantasy {{Shonen}} series in the same vein as ''Manga/FairyTail'' (creator Creator/HiroMashima's previous manga) mixed with ScienceFantasy, is gradually revealed to be this: [[AndroidsArePeopleToo robots]] are treated as second-class citizens at best and [[JustAMachine disposable trash at worst]]; villains are the highest degree of human garbage ranging from mass murderers to homicidal warmongers; and our plucky StockShonenHero is not only an outcast for his over-idealistic mindset, but is constantly exposed to fighting, prejudice, and death, forcing him to mature into a more [[TookALevelInCynic cautious]] yet [[ComingOfAgeStory still hopeful young adult]] for him and his friends to survive.

** ''Anime/BerserkTheGoldenAgeArc'', the 2012-13 anime movie adaptation.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''Literature/AShadowBrightAndBurning'': The series is set in a world of magic, where humanity has been fighting a war against seven [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] known as "The Ancients".

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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

%%* ''Anime/NinjaScroll''

* ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'' The New World is not exactly pleasant to live in, for most of society. To wit, the sudden introduction of a nigh-invulnerable Lich Overlord, and his army composed mostly of nigh unstoppable, psychotic, genocidal followers who see people as insects, at best, is actually an improvement in most circumstances.
* The ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' ''Alicization'' arc is the closest one for the series to have, with Underworld being filled with many monster like Goblins and Giants from the Dark Territory that outright grotesque and violent and the Human Realm while seemingly looks peaceful on the outside, is actually full of hidden corruptions and crimes everywhere.

[[folder:ComicBooks]]

* ''ComicBook/TalesOfTelguuth'' from ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'' is an anthology comic series set in a HighFantasy CrapsackWorld where monsters, demons, and tyrants roam the land, and life is generally short and brutal.
* French comic ''ComicBook/{{Arawn}}'' is set in a dark fantasy realm loosely inspired in Celtic legend and has a EvilOverlord as a protagonist. However, the comic plays out as a tragedy, detailing ''how'' he become a Dark Lord, something he never even really wanted.
* ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' has many dark fantasy elements, such as the {{Eldritch Abomination}} known as the Ogdru Jahad, and the title character being destined to one day unleash said abomination on the Earth with his Right Hand of Doom.
* The original ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' comics qualified as ReligiousHorror, however they turned into straight-up dark fantasy under Creator/AvatarPress: they story was rebooted, most biblical elements were ditched and it took place in a afterlife realm that wasn't necessarily {{Hell}} in the strictest sense, but it was it was populated by monstrous demons that lived alongside native humans, with no shortage of {{omnicidal maniac}}s trying to purge it of all life.
* [[TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyBattle Warhammer]] artist Adrian Smith has the 2014 Image limited-run comic ''Chronicles of Hate'' which takes elements of Celtic legend and incorporates them into a story where demigod warlords have imprisoned the Earth Mother and taken much of her power for themselves. As a result, the sun is frozen in the sky and the moon burns while plants and animals grow twisted. Humanity itself grows increasingly more mutated and deformed with each succeeding generation, battling and enslaving each other in warring tribes. The Earth Mother seeks a champion to become the Horned God and save her.

* ''Literature/AShadowBrightAndBurning'': The series is set in a world of magic, where humanity has been fighting a war against seven [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] known as "The Ancients".

* Creator/CaitlinRKiernan is known for writing short stories and novels in this genre. ''Literature/TheRedTree2009'' either falls into horror or dark fantasy, depending on your interpretation of what happens. If you choose the latter, it is a subversion of the story of a girl that finds a magical tree less than 100 yards from her house that grants wishes. Instead, according to the manuscript Sara finds in the cellar, the tree has a history of sinister urban legends, tales, and local folklore that becomes fascinating to the protagonist, an author named Sara. Needless to say, the massive red oak starts to take an interest in her too. Some events are not entirely explained by the suggestion that she was [[spoiler: slowly going insane and losing touch with reality]].

* By Creator/{{Chaosium}}, the very early game ''TabletopGame/{{Stormbringer}}'' and its 90s temporary successor ''Elric!'' which are set in the world of Literature/TheElricSaga where the world is doomed by an idiot sorcerer king and his EvilWeapon.

* ''VideoGame/BlackGuards'' and its sequel, has your band of thugs, madmen and junkies dealing with enemies much worse than yourselves, as you try to prove yourself innocent of a murder in the first game and go on a dark quest for revenge in the second.
* ''VideoGame/GrimDawn'' has a steampunk fantasy world where humanity is pushed to the brink of extinction by an invasion of other-dimensional beings and the undead. The situation has become so bad that gold has become worthless, it's useful iron that's the currency.
* In ''VideoGame/BattleBrothers'', Orc marauders and goblins roam the countryside, all manner of bloodthirsty monsters lurk in the woods, the nobles are far more interested in their [[DecadentCourt bickering]] than helping the peasants, violent death is a regular occurrence and the only kind of magic is vile necromancy. You might not save the world, but you might be able to save enough coin to retire comfortably.
* While ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' is generally optimistic HighFantasy, at least two RTS games in the series qualify. Warcraft I is DarkerAndEdgier compared to later games, orcs lack any redeeming qualities or humorous elements, Medivh is outright a mad EvilSorcerer and player's character (who later evolved into Orgrim Doomhammer) betrays Blackhand out of lust for power alone. Also, canonically, bad guys win there. Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is a far more prominent and complex example, where ALL campaign protagonists are anti-heroes or villains to some degree, and the known world is still suffering the aftermath of a massive undead and demon onslaught. The humanity is hunted down to the borders of extiction (and its remnants are run by a racist tyrant), high elves willingly damn their entire race, and the main conflict is set between the Lich King and his former master Kil'jaeden, both sides nearly equally evil. Even the bonus campaign, The Founding of Durotar, has a Tearjerker ending with Jaina having to betray her father.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingAdventuresOfTheLivingCorpse''

* While actually set in the far future and being more of a cross between ScienceFantasy and Horror, ''LightNovel/VampireHunterD'' is set in a world where monsters control the Earth, with humans as second-class citizens kept in MedievalStasis. The only hope humanity has is various monster hunters.

* ''Manga/EdensZero'', while seeming like a light-hearted HighFantasy {{Shonen}} series in the same vein as ''Manga/FairyTail'' (creator Creator/HiroMashima's previous manga) mixed with ScienceFantasy, is gradually revealed to be this: [[AndroidsArePeopleToo robots]] are treated as second-class citizens at best and [[JustAMachine disposable trash at worst]]; villains are the highest degree of human garbage ranging from serial killers to crime lords; and our plucky StockShonenHero is not only an outcast for his over-idealistic mindset, but is constantly exposed to fighting, prejudice, and death, forcing him to mature into a more [[TookALevelInCynic cautious]] yet [[ComingOfAgeStory still hopeful young adult]] for him and his friends to survive.

* ''Manga/EdensZero'', while seeming like a light-hearted HighFantasy {{Shonen}} series in the same vein as ''Manga/FairyTail'' (creator Creator/HiroMashima's previous manga) mixed with ScienceFantasy, is gradually revealed to be this: [[AndroidsArePeopleToo robots]] are treated as second-class citizens at best and [[JustAMachine disposable trash at worst]]; villains are the highest degree of human garbage ranging from serial killers to crime lords; and our plucky StockShonenProtagonist is not only an outcast for his over-idealistic mindset, but is constantly exposed to fighting, prejudice, and death, [[InnocenceLost killing his innocence]] and hardening him into a more [[TookALevelInCynic cautious]] yet [[ComingOfAgeStory still hopeful young adult]].

* ''Manga/EdensZero'', while seeming like a light-hearted HighFantasy {{Shonen}} series in the same vein as ''Manga/FairyTail'' (Creator/HiroMashima's previous manga) mixed with ScienceFantasy, is gradually revealed to be this: [[AndroidsArePeopleToo robots]] are treated as second-class citizens at best and [[JustAMachine disposable garbage at worst]], villains are the highest degree of human garbage ranging from serial killers to crime lords, and our plucky-young hero--who humbly seeks only to make new friends--is constantly exposed to constant fighting and death that [[InnocenceLost snuffs out his innocence]] and hardens him into a more [[TookALevelInCynic cynical]] yet still optimistic leader.

* ''Manga/EdensZero'', while seeming like a light-hearted HighFantasy {{Shonen}} series in the same vein as ''Manga/FairyTail'' (Creator/HiroMashima's previous manga) mixed with ScienceFantasy, is gradually revealed to be this: [[AndroidsArePeopleToo robots]] are treated as second-class citizens at best and [[JustAMachine disposable garbage at worst]], villains are the highest degree of human garbage ranging from serial killers to crime lords, and our plucky-young hero--who humbly seeks only to make new friends--is constantly exposed to constant fighting and death that [[LossOfInnocence snuffs out his innocence]] and hardens him into a more [[TookALevelInCynic cynical]] yet still optimistic leader.

** The ''TabletopGame/{{Midnight}}'' setting takes place in a rather generic fantasy world where the Forces of Evil won the final war and the protagonists are [[LaResistance guerillas]] or simple folk trying to delay the inevitable. Imagine ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' if Sauron had won. Add in the fact that the gods created the world as a prison ''for'' the BigBad and screwed up the bindings that were supposed to keep only the BigBad trapped, so now they can't get in and sort things out, and it gets worse.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania}}'' is set in a world filled with violence, [[TheDungAges filth]], and blood, with extremely sadistic vampires who seek to either exterminate the human race or use them as livestock, [[LastOfHisKind and only one remaining member]] of a vampire hunting family left to stop them. And when the protagonists aren't dealing with vampires, they have their hands full with animated skeletons, night creatures, religious zealots killing innocent people for being "heretics", citizens who range from apathetic to dogmatically supportive of said zealots, [[EvilSorcerer Evil Sorcerers]], and simply mankind exhibiting [[CompleteMonster its worst tendencies]]. [[spoiler: It even becomes a CosmicHorrorStory with the reveal of a gateway that leads to an infinite number of realms including the afterlife, different points in time, and dimensions with strange architecture, among other things]]. Adding to this is the final season which introduces [[spoiler: an elemental vampire that feeds on death whose been pulling the strings all along to sate his appetite on whatever genocides occur]]. The heroes and villains both exhibit plenty of moral grayness. Perhaps one of the few characters that don't is [[TheHeart Sypha]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Castlevania}}'' is set in a world filled with violence, grime, and blood, with extremely sadistic vampires who seek to either exterminate the human race or use them as livestock, [[LastOfHisKind and only one remaining member]] of a vampire hunting family left to stop them. And when the protagonists aren't dealing with vampires, they have their hands full with animated skeletons, night creatures, religious zealots killing innocent people for being "heretics", citizens who range from apathetic to dogmatically supportive of said zealots, [[EvilSorcerer Evil Sorcerers]], and simply mankind exhibiting [[CompleteMonster its worst tendencies]]. [[spoiler: It even becomes a CosmicHorrorStory with the reveal of a gateway that leads to an infinite number of realms including the afterlife, different points in time, and dimensions with strange architecture, among other things]]. Adding to this is the final season which introduces [[spoiler: an elemental vampire that feeds on death whose been pulling the strings all along to sate his appetite on whatever genocides occur]]. The heroes and villains both exhibit plenty of moral grayness. Perhaps one of the few characters that don't is [[TheHeart Sypha]].

Sibling trope to DungeonPunk, which can be just as grim and gritty, but DungeonPunk has MagiTek. See also FantasticNoir. May be the result of a disruption in, or Evil's turn, on the BalanceOfGoodAndEvil.

* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'' is most certainly this, albeit a story of a smaller scale compared to other works of fiction with the same genre. There are no signs of any [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt world-ending events]] or [[VillainsActHeroesReact active]] [[GodOfEvil gods of evil]], and the kingdom of Eostia seems like a functioning regime in and of itself. However, don't let these subversions hide the fact that Eostia has been engulfed in a ForeverWar for centuries, with the underlying FantasticRacism as the main driver for this vicious cycle. Luckily, said war finally comes to an end when The Good Hunter comes to the picture... only for ''another'' war to break out when the Black Dogs, an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores who happens to be the finest [[HiredGuns mercenary group]] in Eostia, [[EtTuBrute decides to take over the country]] [[AmbitionIsEvil to build a Sex Empire]]. As such, civilians are constantly threatened by not only the AlwaysChaoticEvil monsters in the [[GrimUpNorth North]], but also the rogue mercenaries, both of whom engage in RapePillageAndBurn on a frequent basis. Later parts of the story even reveals that sizeable support for the Black Dogs is evident, courtesy of [[AristocratsAreEvil traitors]] [[CorruptChurch within]] [[GullibleLemmings the country]] that puts it in a war of multiple fronts. WarIsHell is in full effect, as the [[PyrrhicVictory pyrrhic victories]] and [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene numerous descriptions of war crimes committed by both sides]] would tell you. As for the main protagonist, he is an [[AntiHero anti-heroic]] ShellShockedVeteran talented in the art of bloodshed. While it is true that he is at best a KnightInSourArmour who believes that HumansAreFlawed and defies WhatMeasureIsANonHuman, these qualities are only backed by his [[TheDreaded infamy]] as a merciless WorldsStrongestMan, driving home that [[MightMakesRight might certainly makes right]], instead of the other way round. Oh, [[spoiler:did we forget to mention that he is a [[HumanoidAbomination humanoid]] [[EldritchAbomination great one]]? The SerialEscalation involving an EvilSorcerer shows how far he will go to [[{{Masquerade}} bury the secrets]] of the [[ThingsManIsNotMeantToKnow Eldritch Truth]], in order to avert [[GoMadFromTheRevelation a far worse outcome]].]]

* ''{{VideoGame/Diablo}}'' has elements of it. Moreso in ''Diablo II'', where TheLegionsOfHell have TheHorde of TheUndead, mutant wildlife, lesser demons, and DealWithTheDevil types Vs. a [[BlackAndGreyMorality morally dubious]] {{Necromancer}}, a VainSorceress, or a {{Paladin}} who belongs to a CorruptChurch. [[ItsUpToYou And it's all up to that one person]], plus any minions [=s/he=] may [=hire/summon=]. Heaven won't help out because of a strict non-interference policy, except for one Angel who sells goodies and resurrects dead party members to pay rent. The series veers away from this into heroic fantasy, with [[spoiler:the aforementioned Angel joining the fight against evil in person, and an unambiguous positive ending.]] The graphical style especially shifts away from the darkness in a figurative ''and'' literal way, becoming vibrant and cartoonish.

* The original ''[[VideoGame/{{QuakeI}} Quake]]'' featured this as the main setting. Eldritch horrors, dark magic, gothic and occult architecture, and an overall bleak atmosphere permeate the entire setting of the game. The major difference? You kill the enemies with MoreDakka.