A bomb got dropped on Dota 2 fans last night when a new anime based on the game was revealed.
In collaboration with Valve, Netflix released the first trailer for DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. The new series will follow Dragon Knight as he battles foes that will be both familiar and new to Dota 2 fans.
Even after the trailer launched, information about the Dota 2 anime continued to trickle out. Here’s everything that’s known about DOTA: Dragon’s Blood at this point.
What is DOTA: Dragon’s Blood about?
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood stars Davion, the Dragon Knight. In Dota 2’s lore, Davion was a hunter of dragons that tracked a supposedly fearsome eldwurm named Slyrak. When Davion finally found the beast, he was disappointed to discover that the monster was aged and decrepit.
Slyrak asked Davion to give him a warrior’s death and the two fought, mortally wounding each other. But instead of dying, the two fused together with Davion absorbing Slyrak’s powers and gaining his ancient knowledge.
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood will follow Davion, who will be joined by another familiar face in Mirana. Mirana was the crown princess but forsook her claim to the throne to become a priestess of the moon goddess, Selemene. Davion and Mirana are seemingly joined by two other new characters, with one possibly being a squire of Davion and the other being an unknown woman that travels alongside them in promotional images.
Here’s the official plot summary from Netflix:
“After encounters with a dragon and a princess on her own mission, a Dragon Knight becomes embroiled in events larger than he could have ever imagined.”
What heroes will appear in DOTA: Dragon’s Blood?
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood will primarily revolve around Dragon Knight and Mirana. Three other characters have been shown, but they do not seem to be established characters from Dota 2, Underlords, or Artifact. Alongside Davion’s possible squire and the woman from promotional art, an aged man with pointed ears is also a part of the series.
The man has received prominent placement in promotional materials on both social media and in the Dota 2 client, suggesting he’s going to play an important role in the story. It is unknown who he is, but his appearance has led some to speculate he will have some relation to Invoker.
Past that, nothing is known about who might appear in DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. Some appearances can be expected though, judging by what Wykrhm Reddy is saying on Twitter:
Who is making DOTA: Dragon’s Blood?
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood is being created by Netflix in collaboration with Valve. Netflix brought together a strong crew to actually produce the show who has worked on many beloved television shows and movies.
Ashley Miller is working as the producer for DOTA: Dragon’s Blood. Miller’s most notable credits come from movies related to Marvel Comics properties including Thor and X-Men: First Class. In television, he was also co-producer and executive story editor for the popular Terminator spin-off, The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Animation is being done by Studio Mir. The South Korean studio is best known for Nickelodeon’s The Legend of Korra, the sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender. More recently, it animated Voltron: Legendary Defender and DC Comics animated film The Death of Superman.
Miller and Studio Mir is an impressive duo that should inspire confidence in Dota 2 fans. Though liberties will be taken in regards to how the story is presented relative to the game, the creative team behind DOTA: Dragon’s Blood is more than capable of putting together a strong story and presenting it in an aesthetically interesting way.
When is DOTA: Dragon’s Blood premiering and how can I watch?
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood will be available for streaming through Netflix on March 25. The series is eight episodes long and, judging from previous Netflix series, will drop all at once.
While that’s several weeks away, Dota 2 fans can whet their appetites with a pair of trailers that will release in the near future. A teaser trailer will arrive on February 19, with a longer trailer coming on March 2. More details on the series will likely come during that time and there’s a real chance content based on the series comes to Dota 2 upon its arrival.
