The Mighty Nein

I followed every episode of the Mighty Nein campaign when it first aired and I am so attached to this crew, these characters and this world. Seeing it finally brought to life in animation, and done so beautifully, makes me incredibly happy. My friends and I spent years wishing it would become an animated series and now it is finally here. It truly feels like a success story. Even if you have never watched the campaign, the intrigue, story and character development are strong enough to hook anyone. I highly recommend it. ✨

Series starts introducing characters where fans hadn't seen before session 0. There's a few changes here and there that I'm sure would have been argued about behind the scenes about including or removing for time limits etc. This review is after the first three, I can see a lot of passion in this work and high hopes moving forward. I feel like any issue or criticism will be lost content as the series tries to truncate hundreds of hours of game time into 10 40min episodes.

I went into The Mighty Nein with zero background in Critical Role. I've never watched the streams, listened to the campaigns, or seen Vox Machina. I only knew "those famous D&D guys" existed. With that context, I'm genuinely surprised by how quickly this series pulled me in.

What caught me the most off guard was the emotional weight in the relationship between Caleb and Nott the Brave (no comma!). Their early dynamic is messy, fragile, and quietly intimate in a way I didn't expect from a fantasy adventure animation. There's a particular scene early on that hit much harder than I thought it would, and I had to pretend I wasn't tearing up since I was watching it with a friend. Watching these two reluctantly take care of each other, becoming this strange and beautiful little pair of broken souls, was honestly moving.

The animation itself is strong and consistent. It isn't groundbreaking, but it absolutely does its job: expressive character acting, clear fight choreography, great visual atmosphere. It feels like the kind of art direction that supports the story rather than tries to overshadow it. As someone who plays D&D, it's delightful to catch little familiar touches: spell components, dice logic hidden in scenes, and that unmistakable "party of weirdos who barely know each other" chaos.

What makes the series feel fresh is that it doesn't follow the usual Western fantasy formula. It's messy, morally grey, and character-first. It reminded me a bit of certain Japanese anime in the way it balances humor, trauma, and emotional depth, but without ever feeling derivative. It has its own identity, and that identity leans into vulnerability and flawed humanity more than heroics.

Three episodes in, I'm honestly impressed. This feels like fantasy storytelling with personality, heart, and a willingness to go deeper than expected. If the rest of the season maintains this balance of humor, mystery, and emotional honesty, I think I'm in for something special - even as a total newcomer.

The Mighty Nein is outstanding in its genre, it's hilarious while also very inspiring and intriguing. The characters are a little more in depth than Vox Machina, which I also loved. The story's premise is more complex. The Mighty Nein is well animated, in the same style as Vox Machina and the voice acting is great and inline with the characters from watching Critical Role. You can also safely ignore any bad reviews, they are just review-bombs from anti-progressives with insecure masculinity issues and also MAGA agenda bot farms.

The character development is just... wow. You watch these flawed, broken people grow, form bonds, and face their demons (literally sometimes), and it's so inspiring and real. There are epic battles, heart-wrenching moments, and plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat.

If you haven't dived in yet, do it! The Mighty Nein will make you laugh, cry, and cheer-it's glowing with creativity and heart. 10/10, would watch again and again!