Characterization for the starring cast, however, is enjoyable. Dragon's Blood is rather short at only eight episodes, and other supporting characters like Selemene's general and Mirana's rival, Luna, would probably be a bit more fleshed out only if there was more time. A flashback or even a brief scene of Selemene acting how she is described by her followers would have gone a long way. Selemene is abusive and selfish, which makes devotion from good people like Mirana feel weirdly misplaced. Selemene is largely a mystery in Dota lore, so it's disappointing that most of her time in the show makes what's said about her character - a goddess who kindly aids the lost and wounded in exchange for their loyalty - feel like nothing but flagrant gaslighting. Some casually drink at bars, while others - like Mirana's goddess, Selemene - demand fierce loyalty and love. Going Beyond Character DescriptionsThere are many gods in Dota. Even better, though the show doesn't outright say it, they're both struggling with similar internal conflicts, and that shared conflict helps them understand each other. Though Mirana and Davion have very separate challenges, their quest to reach a place that could ultimately benefit both of them was a nice way to pair them. Mirana's failure sets her on her own adventure with her small but impressively strong companion Marci and her mount, Sagan.
Then we have Mirana who is searching for sacred lotuses that were stolen from her goddess' temple under her watch. Terrorblade isn't as present as I thought he'd be, but he serves as an excellent antagonist when he is around. From there, Davion must find out just what's happening to him and why a demon called Terrorblade is after the dragons. Though this is pulled straight out of Dragon Knight's in-game character description, the way the story is molded in Dragon's Blood makes his transformation from a man who hunts dragons to one who is also sometimes a massive dragon himself much more exciting. We start with Davion, an honorable and affable man whose entire being changes after an encounter with an epic, almost mythical dragon being called an eldwurm. We see that through Dragon's Blood protagonists Davion the Dragon Knight and Mirana, Princess of the Moon.
Much like Dota 2's story, their impact, whether seen or not, is cast across the series in successfully subtle ways. While there are many singular hero stories Studio Mir and showrunner Ashley Edward Miller could have chosen to tell, I was pleased to see them develop an adventure that could expand into a conflict that goes well beyond them, and largely do it well across the span of this series’ eight episodes.ĭragon's Blood successfully and quickly introduces the neverending cosmic power struggle between the Radiant and Dire, two immense beings that all characters side with, one way or another. Or at least, the beginnings of one.įinding the Right StoryThe team behind Dragon's Blood took on an immense challenge: distill Dota's overarching conflict into a digestible introduction for newcomers while making a story true to existing lore with plenty of items and references to other things in the game for Dota 2 fans. Dota: Dragon's Blood is a fun and rousing adventure in its own right, whether you’ve played the MOBA or not, and gives us the more cohesive story fans like myself have long craved. Yet, here we are with Dota getting an animated series on Netflix – and even more exciting, it's animated by the excellent Studio Mir (Legend of Korra, Voltron: Legendary Defenders). By comparison, Dota 2's story has always felt like an afterthought, with its many characters connected only by loose threads woven through a mishmash of item and character descriptions, the occasional comic, and cards from Valve’s now-dead card game Artifact. As a longtime Dota 2 player, I've been jealous for years of League of Legends’ fans getting the benefit of Riot's approach to crafting a story-rich universe for its champions.