From a beginning wherein episodes of established anime series and feature-length anime films were put up for streaming with their service, Netflix has since become a favored partner in the production of original anime that would debut on their platform. Not just anime projects from Japan, but also “anime-style” productions with Western creators and animated in South Korea (and even the US itself) have found their way into Netflix. And just about any franchise has gotten the Netflix original anime treatment, from remakes of live-action Japanese tokusatsu, to adaptations of videogames. The latter will soon have a miniseries based on one of the definitive multiplayer online arena (MOBA) games: “DOTA.”

IGN tells us that global streaming giant Netflix has been working on an anime spinoff of “DOTA,” the MOBA title developed by Valve (inspired by the legendary mod for Blizzard’s real-time strategy title “Warcraft III”). The series, entitled “DOTA: Dragon’s Blood,” will have a modest eight-episode run and will become available for streaming late next month. Netflix is rather invested in this new “original anime” for their service, and has shown off its first teaser on their official Twitter page.

If regular watchers of Netflix original anime are getting the feeling that the animation style seems rather familiar, they are spot on. The producing animation studio is Mir from South Korea. Its founder and CEO was an animation director for Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” and so its first major animation project was the 2012 sequel “The Legend of Korra.” Other series include “The Boondocks,” 2019’s “Young Justice: Outsiders” and Netflix’s “LEGO Elves: Secrets of Elvendale” and “Voltron: Legendary Defender.” On staff for the show is “X-Men: First Class” screenplay cowriter Ashley Edward Miller as executive producer and show-runner. She has also previously produced FOX’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.”

With 11 million players registered on Steam, Valve’s “DOTA 2” needs little introduction to PC gamers, and the same goes for the characters seen in the teaser for “Dragon’s Blood,” all taken from the sizable playable roster of the game. More info on the series will surely be made available before “DOTA: Dragon’s Blood” arrives on Netflix this March 25.

Image: DOTA 2 Facebook page

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