The Heroic Legend of Arslan

is a Japanese fantasy novel series written by Yoshiki Tanaka. It consists of sixteen novels published from 1986 to 2017. The story and setting are inspired by the history and mythology of ancient Iran.

It was adapted into an anime film duology and a four-episode original video animation (OVA) series released from 1991 to 1995. It was also adapted into a manga series by , which ran in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Asuka Fantasy DX from 1991 to 1996. A second manga adaptation, illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa, began in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in 2013, which was later adapted into an anime television series in 2015, followed by a second season in 2016.

Synopsis

Setting

The story is set in a legendary vision of an indistinct amalgam of over a thousand years of ancient Persia and other nearby countries. While the world in which it takes place is one where magic obviously exists, said magic is of an extremely limited nature. Until the middle of the series, the only magical happenings involve a few spells and a giant, humanoid monster. There are many evil monsters such as ghouls and winged monkeys, which appear in the second half of the novel series. Especially the first half of the series is, at the core, a war story taking place between human nations. In addition, there are underlying themes exploring the repercussions of slavery on a society, having an absolute monarch who treats the poor as cattle, and religious obsession.

Plot

The story follows the exploits of Arslan, the crown prince of the kingdom of Pars, and it is divided into two parts. In the first part, Pars is taken over by the neighboring nation of Lusitania after Arslan's father, King Andragoras III, falls victim to a treacherous plot led by some of his most trusted retainers. After barely escaping with his life, Arslan rejoins his loyal servant, Daryun. Backed up by only a few more companions, including the philosopher and tactician Narsus and his young servant Elam, also Farangis, an aloof, cold priestess, and Gieve, a travelling musician and con-man, Arslan stands against overwhelming odds to assemble an army strong enough to liberate his nation from the Lusitanian army which is led by the elusive warrior known as "Silvermask", who is later revealed to be another contender to Pars' throne. In the second part, Arslan, now king of Pars, divides himself between defending his country against several external threats, including Silvermask, who is still at large, seeking to claim the throne for himself, and addressing the needs and hopes of his subjects.

Production

When creating The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Yoshiki Tanaka developed a Persian-inspired mythos centered on the young prince Arslan's struggle to reclaim his throne, blending historical fantasy with moral complexity similar to the writing style of Legend of the Galactic Heroes. When he began writing the series, he opposed labeling them as "fantasy" and instead coined the term . Although Arslan is the protagonist, Tanaka stated that he had also considered making the antagonist Silvermask (also known as Hilmes) the main character, as he is also a wandering prince regardless of his cruelty in the novels. Arslan is accompanied by the Sixteen Winged Generals, whom Tanaka wished to depict both before and after they joined Arslan due to their deep connection with the lead, with the sole exception of Gieve.

In August 2017, Tanaka completed the final manuscript for the novels. According to Hiroaki Adachi, the head of the Wright Staff company that manages the business affairs of Tanaka, Tanaka said that only two people besides himself knew the story's ending before its completion. However, when he read the final manuscript, he found that the ending was different from what Tanaka had told him.

Media

Novels

The novel series The Heroic Legend of Arslan was written by Yoshiki Tanaka. There are a total of sixteen novels, with the first part comprising the first seven novels, and the second part comprising the latter nine novels. The first ten novels were published by Kadokawa Shoten, with cover art illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano, from August 13, 1986, to November 30, 1999. A supplementary book, titled , was published by Kadokawa on April 28, 2000.

Kadokawa's edition

Kobunsha's edition

Books on tape

From November 1988 to January 1994, the first nine volumes were released on cassette tapes by Kadokawa, with the first seven republished as a CD collection in May 1993.

Manga

A manga adaptation, illustrated by , was published in Kadokawa Shoten's manga magazine Asuka Fantasy DX from 1991 to 1996, with its chapters collected in 13 volumes, released from November 11, 1991, to August 30, 1996.

Volumes

Films and OVA series

The popularity of the novels led to the creation of two films and a series of OVAs with character designs adapted by Sachiko Kamimura. The films were released from 1991 to 1992 and were produced by Kadokawa Shoten and Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The English dub for Part 1 was produced by Manga UK (who had also licensed the anime in the same region), while Part 2 was dubbed by Central Park Media themselves.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation, based on Arakawa's manga adaptation, was produced by Liden Films and Sanzigen. The anime consists of two seasons. The first 25-episode season was broadcast from April 5 to September 27, 2015. The second eight-episode season, Dust Storm Dance, was broadcast from July 3 to August 21, 2016. Together, they adapt the first six novels.

Video games

The first video game based on The Heroic Legend of Arslan was released in 1993 for Sega Mega-CD. A strategy RPG in the vein of similar titles of the era such as the Fire Emblem series, it serves as a companion to the OVA series.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend, a hack and slash video game developed by Omega Force and published by Koei Tecmo in 2015, serves as a companion to the anime TV series.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan: Warrior's Qualification is a game for smartphones distributed by Sakura Soft. The game was launched on April 27, 2017, and terminated on August 16, 2018. It was based on the manga adaptation by Hiromu Arakawa.