Fantasy as a genre has long been dominated by eurocentrist bias, giving a distinctively European theme to many medieval fantasy stories, from their characters to their worldbuilding.

When the settings move away from Western tropes, other cultural inspirations are often left as a collection of shallow stereotypes or merely an afterthought used as placeholders to flesh out the world without much effort. It can also be used to create a sense of otherness, setting a nation as the odd strangers for an assumed Western audience. The medieval fantasy genre has typically been ripe with orientalism when it came to Asian inspired cultures and peoples in its worlds, and while that still holds true, the potential for Asian fantasy is immense.

History and mythology are the fuel that fed some of the greatest works of fiction in the medieval fantasy genre, and Asia has so much to offer to inspire creators and worldbuilders. Its rich history marks the imagination, with mighty nations like ancient China, a pillar of civilization that has nothing to envy the Romans in terms of legacy or complexity.

There are also its conquerors and warlords, with the Mongol empire inspiring awe and fascination with both its brutality and its revolutionary methods. Finally, feudal Japan often finds a special place in fantasy, a time of turmoil that evokes tales of ambition, heroism, and relentless strife. That’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this corner of the world and its rich history.

Contemporary fiction gives more and more space to fantasy set in Asian or asiacentric worlds. The popularity of Japanese manga, animation, and videogames, as well as Chinese and Indian movies are no strangers to this phenomenon, as some of the biggest cultural exports to break the mold of eurocentric fantasy. Even western media had turned toward Asian fantasy tales in the last decades, such as with the famous Avatar: The Last Airbender series. The LARP community can certainly follow in the footsteps of these changes.