10 Animated TV Shows With The Best World-Building

Unhindered by the usual production budget concerns that come with live-action shows, animation can really let its imagination run wild. That extends to lush worlds, particularly in science fiction and fantasy that feature an impressively sweeping scope for characters to play in. We’re taking a look at some of the shows that have taken deliberate and careful work in developing their various settings and the diverse denizens that dwell in them. From multiple factions sharing complex dynamics to a richly realized lore, these are the cartoons that presented audiences with a well-constructed world.

Some fantasy shows without a single bad season have succeeded precisely because they have a well-crafted environment to build the narrative on. This trend extends to sci-fi too, with the more ambitiously and cohesively developed worlds all the more rewarding to fans. Some of these settings and mythos were introduced in other projects, but ramped and expanded significantly in the animated series that we’re listing here. Here are the 10 animated TV shows with the best world-building, drawing audiences into their respective immersive settings.

X-Men: The Animated Series

While the X-Men have been thrilling millions of comic book readers worldwide for generations, it also has one of the most convoluted sagas in mainstream comics. What “X-Men: The Animated Series” and its 2024 revival series “X-Men: ’97” do is take all that lore and make it all easy to follow and enjoy. The 1992 show hit the ground running, with the superhero team already formed and protecting their fellow mutants from a world that hated and feared them. Across the series’ run, the show introduced audiences to places like the primordial Savage Land to the cosmic and extradimensional adventures that the X-Men are known for.

The top “X-Men: The Animated Series” episodes celebrated how flexible its comic book source material was with its tone and scope. The show took the time to explore each of its main characters’ backstories and brought in increasingly more outlandish villains, like Mojo and Apocalypse, but still made them all work. “X-Men ’97” continues that distinction, bringing a slightly darker edge to than its predecessor but more directly inspired by classic comics. “X-Men: The Animated Series” remains one of the best X-Men animated shows and a lot of that enduring quality comes from how well it repurposed the comics for its narrative.

One Piece (1999)

Eiichiro Oda’s long-running manga “One Piece” has received an anime adaptation that has been running steadily since 1999. Following the seafaring adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew of Straw Hat Pirates, the show has produced over 1,100 episodes and is still continuing its saga today. There are rival pirates and powers triggered by eating pieces of Devil Fruit that the show keeps bringing to the table, weaving a full-on swashbuckling epic. The series has expanded its world even further through a line of anime movies starring Luffy and his friends as they encounter new threats.

“One Piece” earns a spot on this list based on its longevity, building out a world that feels cohesive and interesting with over a thousand episodes and counting. The show’s narrative is also easy to dive into, making it an essential anime series to watch even if you’ve never watched one before. The show’s lore is deceptively deep and something that’s helped maintain its appeal for nearly 30 years and counting. One of the best TV shows about pirates in any medium, “One Piece” does Oda’s sprawling saga justice as it translates it into animation.

Samurai Jack

Before going prehistoric with “Primal,” prolific animator Genndy Tartakovsky combined feudal Japan with a dystopian future in “Samurai Jack.” The show opens with a samurai warrior (Phil LaMarr) about to defeat the magical demon Aku (Mako) only to be transported centuries into the future. Gaining the nickname Jack, the time-displaced warrior navigates a world conquered by Aku as he searches for a way back to his own time period. More than just cyberpunk metropolises, Jack encounters all sorts of strange bestiary, inhuman societies, and sentient synthetic beings in this brave, new world.

“Samurai Jack” is one of the best Cartoon Network shows ever made and a lot of that appeal comes from how diverse and flexible this futuristic setting is. Using the series’ time travel premise, Tartakovsky is able to incorporate a wide range of his influences, from Greek mythology to undersea spectacle. The show’s revival season, finally concluding Jack’s journey, manages to tie many of these elements together in a grand climax before Aku is defeated for good. Mixing up settings and tones with each episode while still fitting cohesively together, “Samurai Jack” offers a dark vision of a future where the bad guys win, if only temporarily.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Among the best animated shows streaming on Paramount+ is “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which originally aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The show takes place in a world inspired by East Asian culture and divided into four kingdoms revolving around different elements. The Fire Nation launches a prolonged war against the other kingdoms, with the main characters, led by the young Avatar Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), setting out to restore peace. As the show progresses, Aang and his friends visit other kingdoms, each with their own distinct societies centered around their namesake elements.

The best episodes of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” take advantage of how carefully crafted its world is. Not only is each nation smartly presented but the complex dynamics between each of them informs so much of the story that unfolds. The foundation built by this series was developed further by the sequel series “The Legend of Korra,” jumping ahead approximately 70 years. Forming a sweeping mythology with visually striking cultures and elementally powered magic spanning generations, “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is a marvel in fantasy world-building.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Though the movies did heavy lifting when it comes to world-building, the Clone Wars was a largely untouched part of the “Star Wars” mythos despite its galactic impact. Genndy Tartakovsky explored it in his 2003 Cartoon Network series but the 2008 CG animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” really built up this period. The show introduces Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), the previously unrevealed apprentice for Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) as they defend the Galactic Republic. The show brought in even more characters to the franchise while expanding the roles of established figures who were barely present in the movies.

“The Clone Wars” still stands as a foundation for subsequent “Star Wars” shows, particularly for its animated series. Many of the characters, planets, and plot lines introduced in the 2008 series have informed how the wider franchise has progressed, especially live-action projects like “Ahsoka.” Through its expansive approach to this crucial in-universe period for that galaxy far, far away, “The Clone Wars” has essentially become required watching for major “Star Wars” fans. That comes from the show taking the foundation that George Lucas built with his movies and using it as a springboard to create something exciting and new for the franchise.

Adventure Time

Not every fantasy show needs to take its environments and lore so seriously, with “Adventure Time” being a celebration of unbridled imagination. The 2010 Cartoon Network series takes place in a post-apocalyptic reality known as the Land of Ooo approximately a millennium after the devastating Great Mushroom War. Navigating this colorful world as it recovers from this cataclysm are protagonists Finn the Human (Jeremy Shada) and Jake the Dog (John DiMaggio). The Land of Ooo is divided into several kingdoms, each with their own distinct elements and denizens that inform the story.

What “Adventure Time” does so well is present audiences with a seemingly irreverent tale for viewers of all ages that gets more emotionally resonant as it progresses. The show really does feel like a storybook world crafted by a young child’s vivid imagination, forming a composite realm with archetypal figures. The world-building and rules behind it are relatively simple but therein lies the appeal and effectiveness as the story adds new tonal layers to the narrative. Bringing fantasy fun to the apocalypse, “Adventure Time” boasts a wide appeal and that comes an easy-to-follow setting that subtly gets developed as the story advances.

Steven Universe

Another Cartoon Network series to mention here is “Steven Universe,” which revolves around the presence of extraterrestrials based around crystalline designs. Known as the Crystal Gems, these beings defend the world from monsters and other threats, with half-Gem protagonist Steven (Zach Callison) learning about his otherworldly heritage and powers. While befriending other Gems in and around his hometown of Beach City, Steven learns about their interstellar history and why they came to Earth. This results in Steven becoming involved in his mother’s complicated legacy with the Gems as the show’s scope expands beyond the planet.

Compared to some of the other shows on this list, “Steven Universe” might not have the same breadth but where it excels is its lore. This backstory gives the series a depth in its world-building rather than its width, delving into the history and nature of the Crystal Gems as Steven learns about everything. When the show does eventually leave the confines of Beach City, it feels earned and the next natural step in its story. A slow-burn that gives a familial touch to its world-building, “Steven Universe” offers a more personal cosmic sci-fi story to audiences.

The Dragon Prince

After serving as the head writer and an executive producer on “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” Aaron Ehasz co-created “The Dragon Prince” with Justin Richmond with their production company Wonderstorm. Maintaining Ehasz’s penchant for fantasy world-building, the show introduces the medieval realm of Xadia and its colorful characters. This continent includes several distinct cultures, with both humanity and several different elven communities, each with their own complicated dynamics. The show also provides Xadia with an extensive backstory, particularly in relation to the series’ overarching villain Aaravos (Erik Todd Dellums).

As one of the best Netflix original animated series, “The Dragon Prince” weaves a true fantasy epic. The world of Xadia feels like a diverse continent populated by all sorts of communities that become increasingly important as its saga unfolds. This breadth feels incredibly vital to the story and its magical stakes, with shifting political alliances and different regions in Xadia explored each season. Standing as an ambitious epic that gradually grows more complex and mature with each passing season, “The Dragon Prince” crafts an impressive setting and history with Xadia.

Arcane

In adapting the popular online video game “League of Legends,” Netflix premiered one of the best ever made in 2021. Running for a planned two seasons, “Arcane” introduced the steampunk metropolis of Piltover and its impoverished undercity Zaun. As tension between the two communities escalates explosively, the conflict careens dangerously because of unstable technology known as Hextech. Treating its source material maturely, the show doesn’t pull its punches with its violence and other adult themes as it weaves its messy class war.

“Arcane” ranks among the best TV shows based on a video game while staying perfectly accessible to those who have never played “League of Legends” before. Piltover and Zaun are both atmospherically rendered and in sharp contrast to each other, something that heightens their clear differences. The unusual nature of Hextech also is explored, giving the narrative otherworldly and unpredictable dimensions to it. With its two-season length, “Arcane” uses its video game source material as a springboard to create something truly special.

The Legend of Vox Machina

Tabletop games like “Dungeons & Dragons” rely heavily on the imaginations of its players to develop its fantasy worlds. Those sensibilities are key in the formation of “The Legend of Vox Machina,” which started as a tabletop RPG campaign that was subsequently adapted into an animated series. The show leans into the medieval fantasy archetypes with a self-aware approach while still celebrating them as it weaves its own distinct tale. The narrative follows a hearty band of adventurers who embark on quests around the realm of Exandria, taking on a variety of formidable enemies.

“The Legend of Vox Machina” showcases how sharp the Critical Role crew’s storytelling skills are, both in creating timeless fantasy adventures and individual character arcs. The world was developed further by the sequel series “The Mighty Nein,” set decades in Exandria’s future with new characters joining the fray. What the show does well is gradually introduce different provinces of Exandria each season while tying them to the main characters, organically building out its setting. One of the best animated TV shows streaming on Prime Video, “The Legend of Vox Machina” features one of the richest fantasy realms in recent memory.