Three years ago, a mysterious construct known as "The Tree of Woe" appeared on the world, threatening to take over modern-day Earth with its terrifying powers and insurmountable forces. On that day, a brave group of Shadowverse players fought alongside the only group of legendary monsters capable of countering the Tree and sealing it off, though the players have to seal these creatures, only to be released should a new threat to humanity emerge. For that reason, various academies were formed as means to train new generations of players that will eventually be chosen to save the world once more.
Light Tenryu is just a new transfer student attending the Shadowverse Battle College, unexpectedly chosen by a masked man who told him about his "destiny" in Shadowverse. Having zero experience with the game in a prestigious school ruled by seven clubs representing the seven known elements of the game, Light's life changes when he decides to help Itsuki Mitsutagawa, the club president of "Seventh Flame", now on the verge of closure due to lack of members. Wanting to learn more about Shadowverse and his supposed "destiny", Light joins the club to help recruit more players, taking on the challenges coming his way as a sinister threat looming around the corner...
A sequel to Shadowverse, Shadowverse FLAMEnote is an ongoing Card Games anime that premiered on April 2, 2022, once again directed by Keiichro Kawaguchi and produced by Studio ZEXCS in collaboration with Cygames.
Shadowverse FLAME contain examples of the following tropes:
- Club Stub: The Battle College originally had seven Shadowverse clubs, but warring between clubs have resulted in two of them losing members and failing to get new ones. Light opts to join one of these dying clubs, Seventh Flame.
- Gratuitous Animal Sidekick: Characters now have Digital Friends, which are card avatars that can manifest as a companion to them. Normally, these DigiFriends never actually talk to their owners despite having slight hints of sentience, which makes Draconir a living plot point due to his ability to interact with Light and everyone in Seventh Flame.
- Sealed Good in a Can: The legendary cards from the first season, having the potential to each be an Artifact of Doom, had to be sealed away. Following discussion between their latest owners, they are all sealed beneath the Battle Academy.
- Serious Business: Shadowverse is now serious enough business that there's an academy specialized for teaching the game and training professionals (although it does cover other aspects of education).
