Based on a web novel series by Katarina, Shangri-La Frontier has taken the anime community by storm since its release. This is no wonder considering the anime’s fluid storytelling and excellent depiction of game mechanics.
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But as the series is still ongoing, you may want to look at some other MMORPG anime to keep you occupied in the meantime. Read on for a list of the best MMORPG anime just like Shangri-La Frontier!
10 MMORPG Anime Like Shangri-La Frontier
Recovery Of An MMO Junkie
A light-hearted romantic comedy with slice-of-life elements, Recovery Of An MMO Junkie follows 30-year-old career woman turned NEET Moriko Morioka as she plays the online MMORPG Fruits de Mer. Playing the game as Hayashi, she meets a high-level player Lily, who she quickly becomes friends with.
While a very different anime from Shangri-La Frontier, Recovery Of An MMO Junkie covers how friendships and relationships are born from in-game interactions with players. This aspect of online gaming is also a central theme of Shangri-La Frontier, right next to the actual gaming experience.
Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions
Created by the same studio as Sword Art Online, Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions tells a darker, more realistic story of a group of strangers thrown into a game-like land with no memories and no choice other than to join their new world’s Reserve Army.
Like Shangri-La Frontier, Grimgar is a fantasy land with monsters like Goblins and other kinds of beasts. But unlike Shangri-La, the main party’s goal is to kill or be killed. Grimgar’s world is a brutal one, and there are no respawns or redos.
Btooom!
Btooom! is about 22-year-old Ryōta Sakamoto who gets trapped in a real-life version of his favorite combat video game. One of the game’s global top players, Ryōta must now successfully use his video game skills to navigate dangerous real-life situations.
This anime’s similarity with Shangri-La Frontier primarily lies in how both feature main characters using skills acquired from previous video games to adapt to different combat situations.
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Accel World
A unique series, Accel World features short, overweight, and frequently ridiculed Haruyuki “Haru” Arita as its main character. Haru often plays virtual squash to escape his real life, until he is introduced by the beautiful Kuroyukihime to the ARMMO Brain Burst.
Kuroyukihime then asks for Haru’s help in reaching level 10 in the game, to which he agrees. With a fun and quirky art style, Accel World’s characters have the same dedication to getting stronger as Shangri-La Frontier’s Rakuro, making it widely appealing.
Ixion Saga
The Ixion Saga follows Kon Hokaze as he’s playing an MMORPG and suddenly gets an in-game request. Seeing that the request is from a female character, Kon believes he’s gotten lucky and will now abandon his single life for a girlfriend.
Instead, Kon gets transported from the real world into a fictional fantasy world of demons and knights, much like the game world of Shangri-La Frontier.
Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense
A comedic take on the MMORPG genre, Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense follows Kaede Honjō as she plays the VRMMORPG NewWorld Online under the player name Maple. This anime stands out among the others on this list as one of the few MMORPG anime with a female protagonist without a focus on romance.
Kaede’s style is directly opposite to Shangri-La Frontier’s Rakuro, with her choosing to put all her points on defense compared to Rakuro’s speed and luck-focused build. Despite this, the two anime have a lot of similarities, as both protagonists have unconventional play styles that allow them to earn unexpected skills.
Log Horizon
Log Horizon follows the socially awkward Kei Shirogane as he plays the globally popular MMORPG, Elder Tale. One day, 30,000 players including him are suddenly transported to a virtual game world as their in-game avatars. While the premise has clear isekai elements, the inclusion of other players from the real world gives the anime a clear MMORPG vibe.
Much like Shangri-La Frontier, Log Horizon is also about the protagonist and his friends making their way through a virtual game world. One main difference, however, is that unlike Shangri-La Frontier’s Rakuro, Shirogane or Shiroe is more of a tactician than a front-liner.
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Sword Art Online
No list of MMORPG anime could ever be complete without mentioning Sword Art Online (also known as SAO). Much like Shangri-La Frontier, SAO follows protagonist Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya as he delves into the vibrant fantasy world of VRMMORPG Sword Art Online. Only the stakes are much, much higher.
If you like Shangri-La Frontier but would also like a darker, more serious series exploring the impact of realistic VR technology, Sword Art Online is for you.
My Love Story With Yamada-kun At Lv999
If you’re a fan of Shangri-La Frontier and romance, My Love Story With Yamada-kun At Lv999 is going to be right up your alley. The anime follows college student Akane Kinoshita as she plays the MMORPG Forest of Savior after getting dumped by her boyfriend.
While attending an offline event for the game, Akane meets the unfriendly high school student Akito Yamada whom she quickly develops feelings for. Much like Shangri-La Frontier’s Rei Saiga, Akane decides to explore these feelings by getting closer to Yamada in the game.
KonoSuba
KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! follows the shut-in gamer Kazuma Satou after he is reincarnated into another world with MMORPG elements. The goddess Aqua offers him one superpowered item or ability to help him on his journey, but much like Rakuro, he makes the unconventional choice of asking Aqua to accompany him instead.
Joined by explosive magician Megumin and masochistic crusader Darkness, Kazuma and Aqua must now go on a journey to defeat the Devil King. The anime features the same light-hearted atmosphere as Shangri-La Frontier while also covering the reality of living in a fantasy game world, making it a must-watch for any MMORPG fan.
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