History Main / HeroicFantasy

* ''Series/[[HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys Hercules: The Legendary Journeys]]''

* ''Series/[[XenaWarriorPrincess Xena: Warrior Princess]]''
* ''Series/[[LegendoftheSeeker Legend of the Seeker]]''

* ''WesternAnimationThundarrTheBarbarian''

One of the three typical settings for fantasy literature. HighFantasy usually focuses on the epic struggle between absolute good and absolute evil, and the characters are thrust in the midst, and often serve as the tipping point. LowFantasy portrays the struggle of characters to achieve their own personal goals, ranging from [[GreyAndGrayMorality questionable]] to [[BlackAndBlackMorality decidedly unsavory]].

Tends to be distinguishable from HighFantasy by its scale -- the problems are generally those of the hero, not the world -- and moral standards -- [[GreyAndGrayMorality absolute evil and absolute good make fewer appearances]]. Also by its tendency to be an endless series of adventure, partly because the smaller scale makes it more plausible, and partly because the heroes are very prone to love being InHarmsWay. On the other hand, it's distinct from LowFantasy in that explicit magic is much more prevalent (the "sorcery" in "Sword and Sorcery") and, again, it focuses on a hero or adventuring party rather than following kingdoms and societies (except as the hero has an impact on them).

* CrimsonSpell combines Heroic Fantasy with the [[BoysLove Yaoi genre]].
* Arguably ''{{Berserk}}'' goes from LowFantasy to a heroic but [[DarkFantasy dark]] fantasy at the end of the Golden Age arc where all the demons start coming out and become the main source of conflict.

* ''RuneSoldier'' is a comedic Heroic Fantasy spin-off of the high fantasy ''RecordOfLodossWar''.

* ''TheTowerOfDruaga''

* ''MouseGuard:'' Heroic fantasy with mice soldiers.
* ''Comicbook/RedSonja.''

* Creator/RobertEHoward's Literature/ConanTheBarbarian, Literature/{{Kull}} and Literature/BranMakMorn. To a large extent Howard invented the modern incarnation of this trope.

* The [[Literature/TheWarGods Bahzell]] series by Creator/DavidWeber.

* The Literature/BlackCompany series

* The {{Shadowleague}} trilogy

* Tamora Pierce's Literature/{{Tortall Universe}}.

* ''[[HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys Hercules: The Legendary Journeys]]''

* ''[[XenaWarriorPrincess Xena: Warrior Princess]]''
* ''[[LegendoftheSeeker Legend of the Seeker]]''

* Arguably ''RobinOfSherwood'' what with its use of archetypes and mysticism.
* ''KrodMandoonAndTheFlamingSwordOfFire'' is a parody of the genre.

* ''DungeonsAndDragons''. Though the game system is flexible enough that the enterprising DM can apply it to almost any {{fantasy}} subgenre, as printed it tends toward Heroic Fantasy.
** The ''DarkSun'' setting specifically aims to emulate old pulp stories and is heavily influenced by JohnCarterOfMars, as well as ConanTheBarbarian.

* ''{{Exalted}}'' is what you get when you combine this with the tropes of wuxia, ancient myth, and a dash of shonen anime style to taste.

* ''DemonsSouls''

* ''PrinceOfPersia''

* ''TheWitcher:'' A lone monster hunter hunting a sorcerer who stole the alchemical secrets from the witchers.
* ''BarbarianTheUltimateWarrior''

* ''ThundarrTheBarbarian''
* ''KorgothOfBarbaria'' is either a parody or a humorous straight example, depending on how you see it.

* Creator/RobertEHoward's Literature/ConanTheBarbarian--although it bounces between "not very realistic" and "really really unrealistic" depending on the iteration. Also Literature/{{Kull}} and Literature/BranMakMorn. To a large extent Howard invented the modern incarnation of this trope.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' started as this, though it quickly veered into HighFantasy territory. The [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist 2003 anime version]], on the other hand, stuck with Heroic Fantasy,

* ''Anime/QueensBlade''. The heroines rarely have magic on their side while the villains do and often the only way to win a fight is through sword battles. While there is a grand plot involving the fate of the land, the heroines are largely unaware of it and just want to fulfill their personal desires.

The [[UrExample first story of this type]] is often considered to by Creator/LordDunsany's ''The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth'' from 1908, but it is 1929's ''[[Literature/{{Kull}} The Shadow Kingdom]]'' by RobertEHoward that is responsible for [[TropeMaker kick-starting the genre proper]]. Howard himself would later go on to [[TropeCodifier codify]] the genre with his ''ConanTheBarbarian'' tales.

Heavily influenced by TheHerosJourney, the [[KingArthur Arthurian]] cycle, the ''ConanTheBarbarian'' stories and movies, the game ''DungeonsAndDragons'', and classical myth.

Sometimes set in a world that looks [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy an awful lot like medieval Europe]], although it can range all the way back to a "forgotten prehistory" such as in ''ConanTheBarbarian'', or even the "classical" period (ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, etc.), as found in ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' (this variant is sometimes called "SwordAndSandal" and more burly versions are called "ThudAndBlunder"). May involve {{Mythopoeia}}.

Also known as "Sword and sorcery", a term coined by [[FafhrdAndTheGrayMouser Fritz Leiber]], one of the genre’s {{Trope Codifier}}s, in reply to a letter by {{Michael Moorcock}}. There is much debate of the definition of these genres; unkind souls have even described Heroic Fantasy as nothing but an upmarket term for Sword and Sorcery.

* Lynn Flewelling's ''{{Nightrunner}}''
* {{David Gemmell}}'s books are a prime example.
* Creator/RobertEHoward's ''ConanTheBarbarian''--although it bounces between "not very realistic" and "really really unrealistic" depending on the iteration. Also ''Literature/{{Kull}}'' and ''BranMakMorn''. To a large extent Howard invented the modern incarnation of this trope.
* Patrick Rothfuss's ''TheKingkillerChronicle'' (although the protagonist is leaning toward AntiHero territory and may get worse in the upcoming book 3).

* The [[TheWarGods Bahzell]] series by DavidWeber.
* Michael Moorcock's ''TheElricSaga'' (another {{Deconstruction}}).
* Fritz Leiber's ''{{Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser}}''

* ''TheBlackCompany''
* ''TheMalazanBookOfTheFallen'', especially during [[{{BadAss}} Karsa Orlong]]'s storylines.
* Marion Zimmer Bradley's TheMistsOfAvalon is either a DarkerAndEdgier or DeconstructedTrope version (or possibly DistaffCounterpart) of the KingArthur story.

* Creator/LordDunsany's "The Sword of Welleran" and "The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save For Sacnoth", as well as a few other short stories here and there.
* Everything by DavidEddings.

* Tamora Pierce's {{Tortall Universe}}.
* ''Literature/ExilesViolin'': A hero armed with mystical weapons that fights a power mad EvilSorcerer doesn't sound like the kind of thing that would happen in a SteamPunk detective story but it happens and checks off the other markers such as personal trouble and grey morality.

The [[UrExample first story of this type]] is often considered to by Creator/LordDunsany's ''The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth'' from 1908, but it is 1929's ''[[{{Kull}} The Shadow Kingdom]]'' by RobertEHoward that is responsible for [[TropeMaker kick-starting the genre proper]]. Howard himself would later go on to [[TropeCodifier codify]] the genre with his ''ConanTheBarbarian'' tales.

* ''KullTheConqueror''

* Creator/RobertEHoward's ''ConanTheBarbarian''--although it bounces between "not very realistic" and "really really unrealistic" depending on the iteration. Also ''{{Kull}}'' and ''BranMakMorn''. To a large extent Howard invented the modern incarnation of this trope.

Sometimes set in a world that looks [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy an awful lot like medieval Europe]], although it can range all the way back to a "forgotten prehistory" such as in ''ConanTheBarbarian'', or even the "classical" period (ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, etc.), as found in ''[[XenaWarriorPrincess Xena: Warrior Princess]]'' (this variant is sometimes called "SwordAndSandal" and more burly versions are called "ThudAndBlunder"). May involve {{Mythopoeia}}.

* CrimsonSpell combines HeroicFantasy with the [[BoysLove Yaoi genre]].

* C.L. Moore's ''Literature/JirelOfJoiry'', the first major female character in HeroicFantasy.

* ''DungeonsAndDragons''. Though the game system is flexible enough that the enterprising DM can apply it to almost any {{fantasy}} subgenre, as printed it tends toward HeroicFantasy.

* ''SwordAndSworceryEP''

Tends to be distinguishable from HighFantasy by its scale -- the problems are generally those of the hero, not the world -- and moral standards -- [[GreyAndGrayMorality absolute evil and absolute good make fewer appearances]]. Also by its tendency to be an endless series of adventure, partly because the smaller scale makes it more plausible, and partly because the heroes are very prone to love being InHarmsWay.

The [[UrExample first story of this type]] is often considered to by Creator/LordDunsany's ''The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth'' from 1908, but it is 1929's ''[[{{Kull}} The Shadow Kingdom]]'' by RobertEHoward that is responsible for [[TropeMaker kick-starting the genre proper]]. And Howard himself would later go on to [[TropeCodifier codify]] the genre with his ''ConanTheBarbarian'' tales.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' mixes this with HighFantasy.