Television series

Golden Axe

Golden Axe resurrects the '80s arcade brawler as an animated action-comedy: three grizzled heroes—dwarf, barbarian, warrior queen—dragged back into battle against a villain who refuses to stay dead, now saddled with a hapless rookie. Expect fast fights, self-aware fantasy jokes, and a cast built for comic timing over gravitas. Silly, scrappy, unpretentious fun for anyone who grew up feeding quarters into a cabinet.

TVMaze rating5.5

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Castlevania2017

Also built from a beloved video game, also stuffed with monster-slaying and gallows humor, and proof that animated game adaptations can go dark and gripping without losing the source's arcade DNA.

But Considerably grimmer and bloodier than Golden Axe's tone — this is horror-tinged fantasy, not slapstick comedy.

Castlevania poster

The Legend of Vox Machina2022

A ragtag party of mismatched fighters, wild magic, and constant bickering — basically the tabletop cousin of Golden Axe's arcade brawling, with real heart under the crude jokes.

But Leans harder into raunchy humor and long-form character drama than a quick beat-em-up romp.

The Legend of Vox Machina poster

Arcane: League of Legends2021

Proof an animated game adaptation can be gorgeous and emotionally serious as well as fun — if you want to see how far this genre's craft can stretch, start here.

But Its tone is tragic and political, worlds away from Golden Axe's cheerful dungeon-crawl silliness.

Arcane: League of Legends poster

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Hawk the Slayer1980no page yet

Golden Axe's barbarian-dwarf-amazon party and 'evil that keeps returning' plot come straight out of this cult sword-and-sorcery film's playbook — it's the genre's unpolished blueprint.

The scrappy, low-budget sword-and-sorcery template Golden Axe's whole aesthetic descends from — a mismatched band of warriors, a dwarf, a witch, and a villain who won't stay down.

But The special effects are charmingly dated and the pacing is slower and stranger than modern audiences expect.

More like this (8)

Disenchantment2018

Matt Groening's fantasy kingdom runs on the same irreverent, pun-happy energy — a princess, an elf, and a demon stumbling through quests that mock every fantasy cliché in sight.

But Its jokes are drier and more sitcom-paced than Golden Axe's promised action-comedy sprint.

Disenchantment poster

Krapopolis2023no page yet

Dan Harmon turns Greek mythology into a scrappy family sitcom with monsters, gods, and constant bickering — good if you want myth played for laughs rather than reverence.

But It's more workplace-sitcom than swashbuckling adventure, with much smaller-scale action.

Farzar2022no page yet

An unhinged, wildly profane animated adventure that treats its genre trappings as a launchpad for jokes rather than a story to take seriously — kindred spirits in silliness.

But It's considerably raunchier and gorier, sci-fi rather than sword-and-sorcery, and not for the easily offended.

Kung Fu Panda2008

A rookie thrown among seasoned warriors, underdog energy, and gorgeously choreographed action-comedy — the family-friendly blueprint for exactly the dynamic Golden Axe is chasing.

But It's a polished, big-budget feature, not a scrappy episodic series, and skews younger.

Kung Fu Panda poster

Exploding Kittens2024no page yet

A game-inspired animated comedy that leans fully into absurdity and fast, cartoonish action — good company if you liked Golden Axe's willingness to be dumb on purpose.

But It's contemporary and suburban rather than mythic, so the fantasy-quest thrill is largely absent.

Blood of Zeus2020no page yet

Greek gods, demons, and a reluctant hero battling ancient evil, all rendered in gorgeous action-heavy animation — for when you want the mythic stakes without the jokes.

But Played mostly straight, with far less comedy and self-awareness than Golden Axe promises.

High Score2020

This traces the actual arcade culture and design ethos that produced Golden Axe, giving the show's source material real historical texture.

A breezy documentary miniseries on the arcade era that birthed games like Golden Axe — designers, rivalries, and the culture behind the pixels now turned into cartoon heroes.

But There's no fantasy plot or jokes here — it's talking-heads history, a completely different kind of watch.

High Score poster

Samurai Jack2001no page yet

Both pit a hero against a nearly immortal villain across episodic battles, but Samurai Jack plays that same structure with total gravity instead of comedy.

The same 'lone warrior against an evil that refuses to die for good' engine, but stripped of jokes entirely — gorgeous, spare, almost meditative animated action.

But It's far more serious and minimalist, with long stretches of silence instead of banter.

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