When it comes to worldbuilding and engaging stories, DanMachi is one of the best fantasy anime of the last decade. With plenty of content to discover, our DanMachi watch order will help guide you through all the best bits!
DanMachi, or Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, takes place around the city of Orario in a world where gods and humans co-exist.
Each of the gods runs a Familia, a group of humans that work together in a specific industry, such as adventuring in the dungeon or blacksmithing weapons.
Most of DanMachi follows the adventures of Bell Cranel, a naive kid hoping to become a great adventurer, and Hestia, a down-on-her-luck god dreaming of building her own Familia.
Related: DanMachi’s Levels Explained
All DanMachi Series, Movies and OVAs
First of all, here is all the anime content that has been created for the DanMachi series so far.
Title | Format | Release Year |
|---|---|---|
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? | TV Series (Season 1) | 2015 |
Is It Wrong to Expect a Hot Spring in a Dungeon? | OVA (Season 1) | 2016 |
Sword Oratoria: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side | TV Series (Spin-Off) | 2017 |
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Arrow of the Orion | Movie | 2019 |
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II: Past & Future | Recap (Season 1) | 2019 |
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II | TV Series (Season 2) | 2019 |
Is It Wrong to go Searching for Herbs on a Deserted Island? | OVA (Season 2) | 2020 |
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III | TV Series (Season 3) | 2020 |
Is It Wrong to Try to Find a Hot Spring in Orario? | OVA (Season 3) | 2021 |
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? IV | TV Series (Season 4) | 2022-2023 |
At the time of writing, there is no OVA for DanMachi Season 4. It's also worth noting that a fifth season of DanMachi has been confirmed to premiere in October 2024.
Is Watching DanMachi: Sword Oratoria Necessary?
You don’t technically need to watch Sword Oratoria to enjoy the DanMachi anime. However, it does offer more of an insight into the story’s deep world.
Sword Oratoria is essentially a parallel version of season 1. While the main story follows Bell Cranel’s adventures, Sword Oratoria takes place at the same time but follows Bell’s love interest, Ais Wallenstein.
While the anime series itself isn’t highly rated as an adaptation, the story is canon and comes from the spin-off light novels of the same name, written by the main series’ author Fujino Omori.
Do You Need to Watch the DanMachi Movie?
No, you don’t need to watch the DanMachi movie, Arrow of the Orion.
Arrow of the Orion was an original story designed to maintain interest in the series between seasons 1 and 2.
Many fans have noted that the movie has significant plot holes and flaws which make it impossible to place in the story’s timeline.
Fujino Omori, despite working on the script, joked on Twitter that he doesn’t want to turn it into a light novel.
Overall, the reaction to the movie was mixed. Fans of the franchise might find the movie enjoyable as a standalone experience, but if you’re trying to catch up, feel free to skip this.
Are the DanMachi OVA’s Canon?
None of the DanMachi OVA’s are canon – these are just light-hearted stories involving many of the popular characters.
Each of the three OVAs was released at the end of a season of the TV series.
While the OVAs are separate from the story, they can involve characters or locations that appeared previously. So, if you’re going to watch, viewing them in order after each season is recommended.
Sometimes, the OVAs appear on streaming sites as the last episode in their respective seasons. For example, Is It Wrong to Expect a Hot Spring in a Dungeon sometimes appears as the last episode of season 1.
What’s the Quickest DanMachi Watch Order?
If you want to watch all the best bits of DanMachi but skip the extras, the best order is the order of release.
- DanMachi Season 1
- Sword Oratoria
- DanMachi Season 2
- DanMachi Season 3
- DanMachi Season 4
If you want a complete experience, watching each season of the TV series is a must.
While each season has a largely self–contained story, they each add crucial characters, dynamics and lore which create much of the excitement of future seasons.
While the seasons themselves don't have much filler, the OVAs are exactly that, so feel free to skip those if you're catching up. However, if you have time, they are good comedies in their own right.
The Past & Future recap isn’t recommended for new viewers, as it is only one episode long so misses lots of details. It’s mainly designed to be a refresher before the new season starts, similar to DanMachi Season 4’s Episode 0.
I’m recommending Sword Oratoria as, although its events aren't crucial to the main story, Ais Wallenstein is a key character throughout DanMachi.
Watching Sword Oratoria provides more context to Ais and her behaviours, and is a fairly enjoyable show in its own right.
The Complete DanMachi Watch Order
If you’re somebody who wants to max out DanMachi, here is a watch order for all notable content:
- DanMachi Season 1 & OVA
- Sword Oratoria
- DanMachi: Arrow of the Orion
- DanMachi Season 2 & OVA
- DanMachi Season 3 & OVA
- DanMachi Season 4 (OVA TBC)
While Arrow of the Orion is a side story, it’s supposed to take place after season 1 and before season 2. As a result, you’ll want to watch season 1 and Sword Oratoria before viewing the movie for more context.
Hopefully, this watch guide will help you discover all the fantasy-adventure wonders in DanMachi!
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