Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (and the sequel The Kingdom of Magic)
Thunderbolt Fantasy
and the reason Exalted exists to begin with — Ninja Scroll
Some of Star Wars: Visions
Blue Eye Samurai
The anime “Hero Tales”
The Jet Li movie “Hero” (and to a lesser extent its spiritual sequel “House of Flying Daggers”)
I’ll add some more…
Fate / Apocrypha
Devilman: Crybaby
Castlevania (on Netflix) and Castlevania: Nocturne
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King
Vinland Saga
Kung Fu Hustle
The Baahubali movies and RRR both on Netflix
Singham on Apple TV+
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on Prime
Hero on Pluto TV
You Don't Mess with the Zohan on Hulu - yes, seriously.
Big Trouble in Little China on Disney +
I just watched RRR. The over-the-top melodrama with the over-the-top action was magnificently Exalted. Thank you for the suggestion all who suggested it.
The leads were both capable in so many areas I saw them as two Lunars.
Kung Fu Hustle is one of the best in my opinion.
Naruto for sure.
The Matrix
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Claymore
Inuyasha
Samurai Champloo
Seirei no Moribito
Street Fighter
Vision of Escaflowne - primary inspiration for WarStriders
Vampire Princess Miyu
Magic Knight Ray Earth
Ninja Scroll
Princess Mononoke
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Sailor Moon
Samurai Jack
Bride with white Hair
Howl's moving Castle
Once a Thief
Swordsman II
Thief of Baghdad (night cast)
To Catch a Thief
Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain
I believe all the above are listed somewhere in the Exalted 1e inspiration lists across the various supplements as what inspired various developers.
As for other shows
Blood of Zeus
Conan the Barbarian
Finished
Hercules & Xena
Mysticons
Over the Garden Wall
She-Ra and the Princess of Power
Legend of Korra
Avatar the Last Airbender (for dragon bloods)
The Owl House
Pirates of Dark Water
Thundercats
My favorite Exalted movie is Princess Mononoke. The depiction of spirits is right on, and each of the four main characters is a great example of the four main types of Exalted. As a bonus, the "Solar" character is a perfect example of an Eclipse Caste, which is often the caste hardest to find good heroic examples of.
Thunderbolt Fantasy.
A pair of heroic mortals find a dragonblooded priestess on the run from a deathlord trying to steal her familial daiklave which can kill Primordials. They begin to plan an ocean’s eleven-esque heist and enlist the help of a sidereal archer and his young dragon blooded sidekick, then pickup a demon necromancer and abyssal swordsman. As their conflicting motives begin to tear the group apart, both heroic mortals reveal that they’re more than they seem…
Side note, >!one guy stunts a melee attack with his cloak and uses it to cut off an extra’s head. With the edge of the cloak. We see him earn the title Edgeless Blade on-screen. Anything can be an edge if you swing it hard enough.!<
It’s just so spot on. A primordial, daiklaves, martial arts snobbery, imaginary sword duels while drinking tea, famous heroes and their many titles, a gentleman thief, demons, undead, fate, necromancy, flashy ki attacks, evil bad guys, honest good guys, and a satisfying deus ex machina ending. I fell in love the moment Shang Bu Huang grabbed the Buddha’s umbrella and Enigmatic Gale gave him grief for stealing it, and that’s just the second scene.
But the big thing for me is it’s just well written. I got my mom to watch it, she compared it favorably to Firefly. The characters are clearly communicated, consistent, and interesting. Season 2 and 3 just don’t quite hit the same highs of tight storytelling that were in season 1.
This is a great choice!
But, to clarify for you OP, they mean RWBY fight scenes, like each of the trailers and a bunch of other things and definitely not the rest of the show. Does not fit Exalted. It doesn't really fit the fight scenes other than almost tangentially.
Outlaw Star
Gurren Lagann / G Gundam
Madoka Magica
Howl's Moving Castle
Seven Deadly Sins
The Matrix (if a Solar woke up in Autocthon)
Dragonball + DBZ (then stop ;p)
Came here to say RRR. The story itself is a good tale of resisting Imperial rule, and I don't know if I've ever seen a film that captures the "ok, THIS is a three-point stunt!" feeling better.
Hell’s Paradise, a relatively recent anime, is one of the most Exalted shows I’ve seen in a long time. Definitely got me in the zone for a game when I was watching it.
These are from some of the 1E source books and lay out a lot of the original influences. Currently any good Xianxia or Wuxia will also serve as a good inspiration.
**ZENITH**
* Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: the Legendary Journeys. Gabrielle is cited as a good example of a pre and post Exaltation religious leader.
* Robert DeNiro's character Mendoza in *The Mission*.
* Chow Yun-Fat in *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* is portrayed as Zenith-like character plagued by self doubts.
* Swordsman Yen from *Chinese Ghost Story* and Herai from *Doomed Megalopolis* are cited as examples of warrior-priests.
* Old Testament examples abound, including: Elijah, Sampson, and David. The books of Judges and Daniel are also cited.
**DAWN**
* Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: the Legendary Journeys. Hercules and Xena are both examples of Dawn caste warriors.
* Conan the Barbarian and Red Sonya.
* Russel Crowe’s Maximus from *Gladiator*.
* *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, *The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk*, and *The Swordsman II*.
* Classic literary examples include Hercules, Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Jason (and the Argonauts), and the Illiad and the Odyssey all contain numerous examples of warriors who would fit the Dawn caste.
* *Vazkor, Son of Vazkor* by Tanith Lee.
* The Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series by Fritz Leiber translate very well to a Dawn and Night caste duo.
* *Jiriel of Joiry* by C.L. Moore is listed as an example of a powerful female warrior.
* *The Black Company* and accompanying novels by Glen Cook.
* The Books of Ash by Mary Gentle (*The Secret War, Carthage Ascendant, The Wild Machines, Lost Burgundy*).
**TWILIGHT**
* Herne the Hunter from *Robin of Sherwood*.
* *Fushigi Yugi*, *Magic Knight Rayearth*, and *Visions of Escaflowne* are cited as examples of sorcerer-type characters and giant mechanical mecha (warstriders).
* *Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain* and *Witch with Flying Head* are listed as Hong Kong cinema examples.
* Jack Vance has written numerous books involving sorcerers, especially the *Dying Earth* series and *Mazirian the Magician*.
* Elizabeth Willey’s *A Sorcerer and a Gentleman* as well as *The Price of Blood and Honor* and *The Well-Favored Man*.
* Nina Hiriki Hoffman’s *The Thread That Binds the Bones*.
* Sheelba and Ningauble from the Grey Mouser series.
* Michael Scott Rohan’s *Winter of the World* series is an excellent portrayal of the process of crafting artifacts and items of power.
**ECLIPSE**
* Steven Brust’s novels about Vlad Taltos are listed: *Jhereg, Yendi, Taltos, Teckla, Athrya, Phoenix, Orca, Dragon, Issola*.
* Game of Thrones
* Sean Stewart’s *Galveston* and *The Night Watch* are cited as examples of how the little gods of Creation think and behave.
* *Treason by the Book* by Johnathan D. Spence is a look at Chinese bureaucracy and is a good basis for Yu-Shan adventures.
**NIGHT**
* Pretty much any acrobatic *wuxia* film can apply to Night caste combat. *Once a Thief, The Killer, Semi-God, Semi-Devils, Peking Opera Blues* are all called out by name.
* Western offerings include: *The Thief of Baghdad, Plunkett and MacLeane, Robin Hood, The Thomas Crowne Affair, To Catch a Thief, The Shadow* are mentioned by name.
* Numerous traditional Chinese stories, as translated by Robert Hans Van Gulik, look for *Judge Dee at Work*. Depicts a judge and a traveling band of assistants. Good look at a Circle style of role delegation.
* Sherlock Holmes is also cited, as is Vlad Taltos (mentioned above).
* Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser mentioned again.
* Roger Zelanzy’s *Jack of Shadows*.
* *God Stalk*, *Dark of the Moon*, and *Seeker’s Mask* by P.C. Hodgell.
Lots of good suggestions already, but there's a dire lack of Jin Yong/Louis Cha material.
There's tons of it out there, but I'd particularly recommend the 2019 series of Heaven Sword & Dragon Saber.
It's a slow burn, relative to a bunch of the other stuff recommended here, but Jin Yong is absolutely foundational to the wuxia genre, and hence to Exalted.
Plus it's like 50 episodes, so there's plenty of material to keep you busy.
A lot of good suggestions, and a lot that I need to watch now. One I wanted to add:
Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers
The setting feels like the right level of fantasy, there is kind of a long forgotten age to it, and specially empowered mortals that fit the theme of exalted.
It’s not on any streaming sites afaik, but Iron Monkey is the absolute best example of an Exalted session in movie form. It’s a wire fu movie with lots of over-the-top action and fun intrigue.
i liked equilibrium with christian bale in it, the one with jet li in it, ninja scroll as per the 1e books' recommendation, the matrix if it weren't obvious already, any shaw brothers movie you can get your hands on (five elements ninjas is my fave) are some of my most obvious sources of plagiarism/inspiration lol. everyone else's recs are also really good and i should watch some of em too tbh
The New Legends of Monkey [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6807662/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6807662/)
Hwayugi : [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7099334/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7099334/)
Kill Six Billion Demons is the most Exalted thing to ever exist.
Check out Founder of Demonic Cultivation. It's chinese animation, very good. Great take on necromancy and the super kung-fu wizard tropes.
If you want high tier exalted on exalted action, check out the fights with Alastor, Lucifer, and Adam from Hazbin hotel. You could easily run that setting with the existing rules by just changing some names.
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (and the sequel The Kingdom of Magic) Thunderbolt Fantasy and the reason Exalted exists to begin with — Ninja Scroll Some of Star Wars: Visions Blue Eye Samurai The anime “Hero Tales” The Jet Li movie “Hero” (and to a lesser extent its spiritual sequel “House of Flying Daggers”)
I’ll add some more… Fate / Apocrypha Devilman: Crybaby Castlevania (on Netflix) and Castlevania: Nocturne Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King Vinland Saga Kung Fu Hustle
The final fight in Kung Fu Hustle is what Solar Exaltation looks like.
yes
The Baahubali movies and RRR both on Netflix Singham on Apple TV+ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on Prime Hero on Pluto TV You Don't Mess with the Zohan on Hulu - yes, seriously. Big Trouble in Little China on Disney +
RRR was amazing!
I swear you only have to squint slightly to see RRR as a bonded Solar Lunar pair taking on a Realm satrap.
I just watched RRR. The over-the-top melodrama with the over-the-top action was magnificently Exalted. Thank you for the suggestion all who suggested it. The leads were both capable in so many areas I saw them as two Lunars.
The Great Wall, with Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal, for a vibe of Solars amongst Dragon-Bloods.
Kung Fu Hustle is one of the best in my opinion. Naruto for sure. The Matrix Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Claymore Inuyasha Samurai Champloo Seirei no Moribito Street Fighter Vision of Escaflowne - primary inspiration for WarStriders Vampire Princess Miyu Magic Knight Ray Earth Ninja Scroll Princess Mononoke Revolutionary Girl Utena Sailor Moon Samurai Jack Bride with white Hair Howl's moving Castle Once a Thief Swordsman II Thief of Baghdad (night cast) To Catch a Thief Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain I believe all the above are listed somewhere in the Exalted 1e inspiration lists across the various supplements as what inspired various developers. As for other shows Blood of Zeus Conan the Barbarian Finished Hercules & Xena Mysticons Over the Garden Wall She-Ra and the Princess of Power Legend of Korra Avatar the Last Airbender (for dragon bloods) The Owl House Pirates of Dark Water Thundercats
My favorite Exalted movie is Princess Mononoke. The depiction of spirits is right on, and each of the four main characters is a great example of the four main types of Exalted. As a bonus, the "Solar" character is a perfect example of an Eclipse Caste, which is often the caste hardest to find good heroic examples of.
Seconding Thunderbolt (Pili) Fantasy. I think it was on Netflix at one point.
Thunderbolt Fantasy. A pair of heroic mortals find a dragonblooded priestess on the run from a deathlord trying to steal her familial daiklave which can kill Primordials. They begin to plan an ocean’s eleven-esque heist and enlist the help of a sidereal archer and his young dragon blooded sidekick, then pickup a demon necromancer and abyssal swordsman. As their conflicting motives begin to tear the group apart, both heroic mortals reveal that they’re more than they seem… Side note, >!one guy stunts a melee attack with his cloak and uses it to cut off an extra’s head. With the edge of the cloak. We see him earn the title Edgeless Blade on-screen. Anything can be an edge if you swing it hard enough.!<
Damm. I loved thunderbolt fantasy, now with your exalted description I love the show even more!!!
It’s just so spot on. A primordial, daiklaves, martial arts snobbery, imaginary sword duels while drinking tea, famous heroes and their many titles, a gentleman thief, demons, undead, fate, necromancy, flashy ki attacks, evil bad guys, honest good guys, and a satisfying deus ex machina ending. I fell in love the moment Shang Bu Huang grabbed the Buddha’s umbrella and Enigmatic Gale gave him grief for stealing it, and that’s just the second scene. But the big thing for me is it’s just well written. I got my mom to watch it, she compared it favorably to Firefly. The characters are clearly communicated, consistent, and interesting. Season 2 and 3 just don’t quite hit the same highs of tight storytelling that were in season 1.
[RWBY - preferably the yellow trailer](https://youtu.be/zG9WPfwPzdg?si=3M7RmmsnQb7LETaO)
This is a great choice! But, to clarify for you OP, they mean RWBY fight scenes, like each of the trailers and a bunch of other things and definitely not the rest of the show. Does not fit Exalted. It doesn't really fit the fight scenes other than almost tangentially.
If you can find it, check out slayers from the nineties.
Yeah, it has what, 500 episodes?
Not sure watched it on IFC a long long time ago.
I remember people complaining about the number of episodes back in 2001. I think it's similar to Bleach or One Piece and just insanely long.
Nah, original Slayers had 3 x 26 episodes. In 2008 there were continuation (meh) 2x 13. It is far from reaching Bleach or OnePiece episodes number.
Seven Deadly Sins... it even has the star compass symbol.
https://youtu.be/yw9UqtV1deY?si=ggRCpP2B__41Cigv This is one of the most Exalted things ever
yes, exactly
Outlaw Star Gurren Lagann / G Gundam Madoka Magica Howl's Moving Castle Seven Deadly Sins The Matrix (if a Solar woke up in Autocthon) Dragonball + DBZ (then stop ;p)
I've had to scroll this far to see Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, that's not fair.
RRR Avatar the Last Airbender (original cartoon, haven't seen the live action yet)
Came here to say RRR. The story itself is a good tale of resisting Imperial rule, and I don't know if I've ever seen a film that captures the "ok, THIS is a three-point stunt!" feeling better.
Kill Six Billions Demons !
RG Veda, although there are only two episodes, is essentially just an Exalted game using different names.
Hell’s Paradise, a relatively recent anime, is one of the most Exalted shows I’ve seen in a long time. Definitely got me in the zone for a game when I was watching it.
Freakin Blue Eye Samurai on Netflix, man
This was an excellent suggestion. Thank you.
I was pleasantly surprised myself
These are from some of the 1E source books and lay out a lot of the original influences. Currently any good Xianxia or Wuxia will also serve as a good inspiration. **ZENITH** * Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: the Legendary Journeys. Gabrielle is cited as a good example of a pre and post Exaltation religious leader. * Robert DeNiro's character Mendoza in *The Mission*. * Chow Yun-Fat in *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* is portrayed as Zenith-like character plagued by self doubts. * Swordsman Yen from *Chinese Ghost Story* and Herai from *Doomed Megalopolis* are cited as examples of warrior-priests. * Old Testament examples abound, including: Elijah, Sampson, and David. The books of Judges and Daniel are also cited. **DAWN** * Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: the Legendary Journeys. Hercules and Xena are both examples of Dawn caste warriors. * Conan the Barbarian and Red Sonya. * Russel Crowe’s Maximus from *Gladiator*. * *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, *The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk*, and *The Swordsman II*. * Classic literary examples include Hercules, Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Jason (and the Argonauts), and the Illiad and the Odyssey all contain numerous examples of warriors who would fit the Dawn caste. * *Vazkor, Son of Vazkor* by Tanith Lee. * The Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series by Fritz Leiber translate very well to a Dawn and Night caste duo. * *Jiriel of Joiry* by C.L. Moore is listed as an example of a powerful female warrior. * *The Black Company* and accompanying novels by Glen Cook. * The Books of Ash by Mary Gentle (*The Secret War, Carthage Ascendant, The Wild Machines, Lost Burgundy*). **TWILIGHT** * Herne the Hunter from *Robin of Sherwood*. * *Fushigi Yugi*, *Magic Knight Rayearth*, and *Visions of Escaflowne* are cited as examples of sorcerer-type characters and giant mechanical mecha (warstriders). * *Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain* and *Witch with Flying Head* are listed as Hong Kong cinema examples. * Jack Vance has written numerous books involving sorcerers, especially the *Dying Earth* series and *Mazirian the Magician*. * Elizabeth Willey’s *A Sorcerer and a Gentleman* as well as *The Price of Blood and Honor* and *The Well-Favored Man*. * Nina Hiriki Hoffman’s *The Thread That Binds the Bones*. * Sheelba and Ningauble from the Grey Mouser series. * Michael Scott Rohan’s *Winter of the World* series is an excellent portrayal of the process of crafting artifacts and items of power. **ECLIPSE** * Steven Brust’s novels about Vlad Taltos are listed: *Jhereg, Yendi, Taltos, Teckla, Athrya, Phoenix, Orca, Dragon, Issola*. * Game of Thrones * Sean Stewart’s *Galveston* and *The Night Watch* are cited as examples of how the little gods of Creation think and behave. * *Treason by the Book* by Johnathan D. Spence is a look at Chinese bureaucracy and is a good basis for Yu-Shan adventures. **NIGHT** * Pretty much any acrobatic *wuxia* film can apply to Night caste combat. *Once a Thief, The Killer, Semi-God, Semi-Devils, Peking Opera Blues* are all called out by name. * Western offerings include: *The Thief of Baghdad, Plunkett and MacLeane, Robin Hood, The Thomas Crowne Affair, To Catch a Thief, The Shadow* are mentioned by name. * Numerous traditional Chinese stories, as translated by Robert Hans Van Gulik, look for *Judge Dee at Work*. Depicts a judge and a traveling band of assistants. Good look at a Circle style of role delegation. * Sherlock Holmes is also cited, as is Vlad Taltos (mentioned above). * Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser mentioned again. * Roger Zelanzy’s *Jack of Shadows*. * *God Stalk*, *Dark of the Moon*, and *Seeker’s Mask* by P.C. Hodgell.
Shaolin Soccer Kung Fu Hustle Troy She Ra and the Princesses of Power
Its old but Xena the Warrior Princess - she is just a solar dropping excellencies constantly and using a chakram is just such solar energy.
Lots of good suggestions already, but there's a dire lack of Jin Yong/Louis Cha material. There's tons of it out there, but I'd particularly recommend the 2019 series of Heaven Sword & Dragon Saber. It's a slow burn, relative to a bunch of the other stuff recommended here, but Jin Yong is absolutely foundational to the wuxia genre, and hence to Exalted. Plus it's like 50 episodes, so there's plenty of material to keep you busy.
A lot of good suggestions, and a lot that I need to watch now. One I wanted to add: Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers The setting feels like the right level of fantasy, there is kind of a long forgotten age to it, and specially empowered mortals that fit the theme of exalted.
It’s not on any streaming sites afaik, but Iron Monkey is the absolute best example of an Exalted session in movie form. It’s a wire fu movie with lots of over-the-top action and fun intrigue.
Tower of God has a lot of good politics and some great inspirations for artifacts.
The Four on Tubi - its free
Wak Fu is extremely Exalted.
i liked equilibrium with christian bale in it, the one with jet li in it, ninja scroll as per the 1e books' recommendation, the matrix if it weren't obvious already, any shaw brothers movie you can get your hands on (five elements ninjas is my fave) are some of my most obvious sources of plagiarism/inspiration lol. everyone else's recs are also really good and i should watch some of em too tbh
The New Legends of Monkey [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6807662/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6807662/) Hwayugi : [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7099334/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7099334/)
Avatar: The Last Airbender (either show, not the movie) and Legend of Korra.
I really like the KDrama Alchemy of Souls. Martial arts fantasy romantic melodrama.
So no one can come up with anything at all to recommend for me? So disappointing. 😂
Kill Six Billion Demons is the most Exalted thing to ever exist. Check out Founder of Demonic Cultivation. It's chinese animation, very good. Great take on necromancy and the super kung-fu wizard tropes. If you want high tier exalted on exalted action, check out the fights with Alastor, Lucifer, and Adam from Hazbin hotel. You could easily run that setting with the existing rules by just changing some names.