2021 was a momentous year for those who enjoy animated series, especially gaming fans. During the year, we saw the release of two new animated series based on games, with Arcane and DOTA: Dragon’s Blood arriving on the Netflix streaming platform. The shows are based on the top multiplayer online battle arena games, League of Legends and Dota 2, respectively. The question is, which animated series is better, Arcane or Dragons Blood?
We begin our comparison of the two by looking at the storyline and characters. Starting with Arcane and the story is engaging throughout the series, with the show accessible for those who have never played the game and those who are massive fans of League of Legends. The characters have been crafted expertly and they each have their own backstory and motivation for their story arc throughout the series. Even down to the voices, which suit the characters perfectly, there is plenty to like about the flow of the story and the characters in Arcane.
Moving to the storyline and characters of Dragon’s Blood and it is slightly lacking when compared to Arcane. This may be due to the fact there were only 8 episodes and with each episode being only 30 minutes, it becomes difficult to develop a deep storyline. Those who have never played Dota may struggle to keep up with what is happening, and the series can be difficult to follow even for those who have played the game but are not massive fans. There are some great characters in Dragon’s Blood but again, they suffer from the short running time. The characters do not have enough time to develop fully which is to the detriment of the overall series. So, in terms of the characters and storyline, Arcane is leading the way.
Aside from the storyline and characters, the most important aspect of any animation series is the quality of the animation. Beginning with Arcane and this series uses a blend of 2D and 3D animation. The overall quality of the animation is superb and some of the fight sequences have gone down as being the best seen in an animated series, which is high praise considering the competition. For those who have seen the top animated movies, such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, you can expect the same level of animation from the Arcane series, it is fantastic.
Like Arcane, Dragon’s Blood uses a mix of 2D and 3D animation, but the focus is on 2D, which provides the overall look of the series. That is not a criticism, but it provides a clear distinction from the animated style of Arcane, with Dragon’s Blood comparing more to the Castlevania animated series than Arcane. There are quick switches between scenes when watching Dragon’s Blood and that can make it difficult to fully appreciate the visual work that has gone into the scene. For those who prefer that sort of style over 3D, Dragon’s Blood looks good and if you did not compare it to Arcane, you would say it was excellent. However, it must be said the animation does not hit the heights of Arcane and Dragon’s Blood comes in at second place when comparing the two series.
Having watched Arcane, if you have never played the game, you may be tempted to start playing League of Legends. The game is free to play and has become a worldwide success, leading to professional tournaments with big prize money. League of Legends betting has also become extremely popular in recent years and many of the major online bookmakers have added League of Legends odds to their markets.
In terms of world-building, both animated series do a good job. Both League of Legends and Dota fans will enjoy the worlds created by Fortiche Productions of France and Studio Mir of South Korea, respectively. Arcane is set in Piltover & Zaun and most of the series is based in this region, allowing it to build nicely throughout the show. Dragon’s Blood is brilliant for those who want to dive deeper into the lore of Dota. The series gives a better understanding of the Dota world and how the characters fit within the Dota universe. Both series do a respectable job when it comes to world-building but this maybe one area where Dragon’s Blood slightly has the edge but it is close.
In conclusion, both shows are great for fans of League of Legends and Dota. However, there is a clear winner when comparing to two and Arcane is the superior series. The storyline and characters are both superior in Arcane and that may in part be due to the fact there is more time in the series for them both to develop compared to Dragon’s Blood. However, the animation is also superior in Arcane and it must be regarded as the better series overall.