Many DOTA 2 players may love the game but have not taken the initiative to research the Heroes' backstories (and are only given slight hints about their lore from the in-game responses.) Dota: Dragon's Blood was supposed to be the perfect opportunity to gain insights about their favorite heroes in a fun and memorable way, but many expectant fans were sorely disappointed.
With 122 Heroes to choose from (excluding Marci), only a handful of DOTA 2 characters received any representation in the animated adaptation, with only Dragon Knight, Mirana, and Invoker, (and to an extent, Luna) claiming lead roles in all three Books.
Representation Matters
Dragon's Blood has no shortage of epic characters to explore, with several personalities created purely for the show. Ashley Miller showed great restraint when choosing his draft for DOTA 2's adaptation, and decided to only include a select few original Heroes while keeping each individual narrative as canonically accurate as possible. According to Miller: "If we see someone from the game, I want it to matter and be consequential."
Original DOTA 2 Heroes in Dragon's Blood:
- Terrorblade
- Dragon Knight
- Mirana
- Invoker
- Luna
- Winter Wyvern
- Lina
It seems that some attempt was made to appease the fans by giving a few Heroes their 5 seconds of fame while adding little to no substance to the storyline. Some characters resemble their in-game counterparts so closely, and yet are introduced to the audience as someone new and different, with little information to support the strange changes. Marci, on the other hand, was created purely for the show but was met with such positive reviews that Valve decided to add her as an official, playable DOTA 2 Hero.
DOTA 2 Hero Cameos:
- Phantom Lancer
- Windranger
- Tiny
- Arc Warden
- Oracle
- Crystal Maiden
- Scorpion King
Slightly Altered DOTA 2 Heroes:
- Axe (Mutated)
- Pangolier (Nico Hieronimo)
- Ursa Warrior (Asar)
- Drow Ranger/Bounty Hunter (Vanari)
- Vengeful Spirit/Phantom Assassin (Fymryn)
- The Thunder (Vague representatives of several Heroes)
Behind the Scenes with Ashley Miller
Best known for his work on Andromeda, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, X-Men: First Class, and Fringe, Ashley Miller certainly took the term adaptation seriously with his take on the DOTA 2 Lore. Unfortunately, as with most anime live-action adaptations, the creator had no actual ties to the MMORPG, and never played DOTA 1 or 2 before (or after) taking up the project. His lack of sensitivity to the celebrated subject matter is emphasized by Miller's assessment of the potential of the DOTA 2 Heroes in a dramatized storyline as he attempts to combine their stories:
" I’m a huge fantasy nerd and I saw an opportunity to take a lot of tropes and turn them upside down and inside out. Look I’ve got a knight, a princess, a wizard, a dragon, a demon, and an evil queen. But none of those pieces land quite where you expect them to. "
While most anime live-action adaptations are so disastrous that fans would rather forget their existence (Dragon Ball Evolution; Avatar: The Last Airbender, Death Note, the list goes on.) If only everything could receive the same delicate treatment as Marvel and DC adaptations do (which are not perfect either, however, the authentic stories are generally treated with more respect.) Dota: Dragon's Blood was not a complete flop, as those original heroes who stole the show were pretty adequately represented in both appearance and lore; the fandom just wishes there were more of them.
Extracting DOTA 2 Lore for Dragon's Blood
Unfortunately, the original DOTA 2 Lore has not been adequately set in stone, as some Heroes have received vague backstories with alterations added in here and there as the years go by. For example, Vengeful Spirit became a DOTA 2 Hero long before Skywrath Mage joined the ranks in 2014 and, because their histories are so closely intertwined, miss Shendelzare needed some updates too. Therefore, there are many gaps in the original Lore that require filling, and Miller took the opportunity and ran with it.
" What’s really interesting about DOTA as a game is its lore. There are a lot of facts, but there’s precious little that ties it all together as a story "
In Miller's defense, when questioned about his rendition of DOTA 2's fundamentals and spirit brothers, he responded with "I’ve done a lot of thinking about reconciling the Dota cosmology." This statement (on reddit) was made after dropping a possibly factual joke about Riki's supposed appearance in every episode (as an infamous stealth assassin with the power of invisibility.) This insider information suggests that Miller performed thorough research on numerous characters before making the final cut for Dragon's Blood. And instead of simply choosing the top-played Heroes, such as Rubick, Pudge, or Juggernaut, for the sake of fanservice, Miller opted to prioritize a cohesive storyline with a mish-mash of old and new concepts.
Dragon's Blood vs Arcane
This debate is a no-brainer according to most fans, with Arcane: League of Legends winning by a landslide. Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 75% rating for Dragon's Blood Book 1, whereas Arcane received a whopping 100% tally. There was evidently much care taken to create the League of Legends adaptation, as Riot Games invested 6 years into the creation of Season 1 alone, as opposed to the 2.5 years it took to create Book 1 of Dragon's Blood. From the musical score, narrative, and striking visuals, Arcane takes the cake in each category (and more) while providing ample fanservice to the game in the process.
Source: reddit/u/AshMasterZero and WireTap