Bell Cranel is a 14-year-old rookie adventurer who wants one thing: a fateful meeting with a girl. He gets it, but not the way he expected. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, also known as DanMachi, premiered on AT-X, Tokyo MX, Sun TV, BS11, and KBS Kyoto on April 4, 2015, and ran for five seasons across 74 episodes before ending on March 7, 2025. It is a comedy about gods, dungeons, and a boy who cannot stop getting in over his head.
The show is based on a Japanese light novel series by Fujino Ōmori, illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda, and adapted for television by J.C.Staff. The story takes place in Orario, a city ruled by gods who have limited their divine powers to live like ordinary people. Each god runs a Familia, a group of adventurers and support staff, and the primary activity is exploring the Dungeon beneath the city, battling monsters and harvesting crystal shards.
The setup is simple. Bell joins the Hestia Familia, led by the goddess Hestia, and quickly becomes a target for everyone else. His special ability, Liaris Freese, grants him rapid growth in strength, and his feelings for Ais Wallenstein, a powerful swordswoman of the Loki Familia, drive him forward. What follows is a story about ambition, affection, and the difficulty of being the kind of person who wants both.
Trailer, via Sentai.
The City of Orario
Orario is a strange place. The gods live among the people, and the Dungeon below the city is a labyrinth full of monsters. Adventurers gain levels and skills by defeating monsters, and crystal shards can be traded for currency. It is a fantasy setting built on familiar RPG mechanics, but the show leans into the absurdity of it.
The Familia system is central to the story. Each family has a goddess at its head, and the families compete for status and resources. Bell’s Hestia Familia is small and struggling, which puts him at odds with the larger, more powerful families. The show spends time on the dynamics between Bell and his companions, especially his interactions with Hestia, Liliruca Arde, Welf Crozzo, Ais Wallenstein, Mikoto Yamato, Haruhime Sanjouno, Ryuu Lion, Loki, Syr Flova, Freya, and Ouka Kashima.
The humor comes from the contrast between Bell’s earnest intentions and the chaos around him. He wants a fateful meeting with a girl, but he keeps getting dragged into battles, misunderstandings, and awkward situations. The show balances the action of dungeon crawling with quiet moments of character development, and that balance is where the series finds its rhythm.
A Boy and a Goddess
The relationship between Bell and Hestia is the emotional core of the show. Hestia is a goddess who has limited her powers to live a normal life, and she treats Bell as a son rather than a subordinate. Their bond is genuine, and it grounds the comedy in something warmer.
Bell, meanwhile, is fixated on Ais Wallenstein. She is a powerful swordswoman who saved his life, and he believes she is the girl he is meant to meet. The problem is that Ais is uninterested in his affections. This creates a running gag where Bell pursues a girl who does not want him, while simultaneously becoming the object of affection for countless others. The show handles this with a light touch, avoiding the darker themes of obsession that could have weighed down the story.
The romance is not the main plot, but it shapes everything around it. Bell’s actions are driven by his desire to impress Ais, and his growth as an adventurer is tied to his feelings for her. The show does not resolve the love triangle cleanly. Instead, it lets Bell continue pursuing Ais while accepting that the outcome is uncertain.
The Voice Cast
The voice acting is uniformly strong. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka voices Bell, and he brings a mix of determination and awkwardness to the role. Inori Minase voices Hestia, and she captures the warmth of a mother figure. Maaya Uchida voices Liliruca Arde, giving her a sharp, competitive edge. The rest of the cast, including Yoshimasa Hosoya as Welf Crozzo, Saori Onishi as Ais Wallenstein, Chinatsu Akasaki as Mikoto Yamato, Haruka Chisuga as Haruhime Sanjouno, Saori Hayami as Ryuu Lion, Yurika Kubo as Loki, Shizuka Ishigami as Syr Flova, Yoko Hikasa as Freya, and Kazuyuki Okitsu as Ouka Kashima, round out the ensemble with distinct personalities.
The show benefits from a large cast, and the writers find ways to give each character screen time. The comedic timing is consistent across the series, with jokes landing at the right moment and the pacing holding steady even during extended dungeon sequences.
The First Season
The first season, which aired from April to June 2015, sets up the world and introduces the main characters. It establishes the rules of the Dungeon, the Familia system, and Bell’s special ability. The humor is broad, and the show leans into the absurdity of its premise.
The season also introduces the OVA, which was released on December 7, 2016. The OVA expands on the world and the characters, providing additional context for the main story. It is a worthwhile addition for fans, though it is not essential for understanding the main plot.
The Later Seasons
The second season aired from July to September 2019. The third season was originally scheduled to begin airing in July 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It eventually aired from October to December 2020. The fourth season aired from July 2022 to March 2023, and the fifth season aired from October 2024 to March 2025.
Each season builds on the previous ones, expanding the scope of the world and introducing new challenges for Bell and his companions. The show does not rush the story, which allows the characters to grow naturally over time. The pacing is consistent across all five seasons, though some episodes feel more episodic than others.
The Spinoffs
The show has spawned several spinoff light novels. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria began in January 2014, and Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Familia Chronicle began in March 2017. Both are illustrated by Nilitsu. The spinoffs expand the world beyond the main story, offering different perspectives on the same universe.
The anime also had a film adaptation, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Arrow of the Orion, which premiered on February 15, 2019. The film is a standalone story set in the same world, and it offers a different take on the characters and their relationships.
The Verdict
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is a show about a boy who cannot pick up girls. That is the joke, and the show commits to it fully. The humor is gentle, the characters are likable, and the world is well built. It is not a deep story, but it does not pretend to be.
The show is strongest when it focuses on the relationships between the characters. Bell’s bond with Hestia, his rivalry with Welf, and his crush on Ais all feel authentic. The dungeon battles are competent, but they are secondary to the interpersonal drama. The show knows what it is, and it does not apologize for it.
The final score is 7.3 out of 10. That reflects a show that is consistently enjoyable but occasionally repetitive. The humor works more often than it fails, and the character chemistry keeps the audience engaged. It is a solid entry in the isekai genre, one that understands its own limits and plays within them.
Key Facts Box
- Title: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
- Also known as: DanMachi (ダンまち), Familia Myth (English subtitle)
- Seasons: 5, 74 episodes total
- First aired: April 4, 2015
- Last aired: March 7, 2025
- Network: AT-X, Tokyo MX, Sun TV, BS11, KBS Kyoto
- Light novel authors: Fujino Ōmori, illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda
- Anime adaptation: Produced by J.C.Staff
- OVA: Released December 7, 2016
- Film: Arrow of the Orion, premiered February 15, 2019
- Spinoffs: Sword Oratoria (2014), Familia Chronicle (2017)
The show is not perfect. Some episodes feel padded, and the plot occasionally stalls while the characters wait for the next big battle. The humor is also uneven, with some jokes landing flat while others hit the mark precisely. The show’s refusal to resolve its central love triangle can frustrate viewers who want closure.
Despite these flaws, the show succeeds in creating a warm, engaging world. The characters are memorable, and the humor is consistently clever. It is a show about a boy who wants a girl, a dungeon, and a goddess who loves him anyway. That is a winning combination, even if the execution is imperfect.
For fans of isekai comedies, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is a safe bet. It is not the deepest show in the genre, but it is one of the most enjoyable. The animation is clean, the voice acting is excellent, and the story is consistently entertaining. It is a show that knows what it wants to be and delivers on that promise.
The final season ended on March 7, 2025, and the sixth season has been announced. For now, the show stands as a completed arc with a clear legacy. It has spawned spinoffs, a film, and a dedicated fanbase. Its influence on the isekai genre is significant, and its place in anime history is secure.
The show is worth watching for anyone interested in light-hearted fantasy comedy. It is not the most complex story ever told, but it is a well-crafted one. The humor is consistent, the characters are likable, and the world is interesting enough to sustain a long-running series. It is a show that rewards patience and delivers on its promises.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
