Netflix’s Seven Deadly Sins captured the hearts of audiences when it reached the streaming platform back in 2015. The anime follows the exploits of Princess Elizabeth and the band of knights known as the Seven Deadly Sins, in a high-fantasy fictional world that resembles medieval Europe. The epic story spanned five seasons and one hundred episodes.

Unfortunately, the anime has come to an official end with its fifth season releasing on Netflix in September of 2021, following its premiere in Japan earlier that summer. However, the end of the anime does not necessarily mean the end of the franchise. Despite the anime’s conclusion, several other related media have been released in the form of movies, video games, novels, and more. The world of Seven Deadly Sins extends well beyond the content in the anime, and has been expanded upon in several other media. But where did it all begin? Read on to find out what Netflix’s Seven Deadly Sins is based on.

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What is Seven Deadly Sins Based On?

     Seven Deadly Sins

Seven Deadly Sins is based on a manga of the same name by creator Nakaba Suzuki. The manga, containing 41 volumes, was published by Japan’s popular Weekly Shonen Magazine from 2012 to 2020. An english language adaptation was licensed through Kodansha USA, and began releasing concurrently with the Japanese manga in 2014.

The story is set in a fictional world that closely resembles the European middle ages, featuring knights in shining armor, princesses, and kingdoms. Elizabeth, a princess of Liones, sets out to find the leader of the disbanded group of knights known as the Seven Deadly Sins, who then embark on an adventure to fight against the tyrannical order known as the Holy Knights, who had previously taken control of the kingdom by force.

Creator Nakaba Suzuki, in an interview with Kodansha, said that the story’s setting and characters are loosely based on the legends of King Arthur, but that the story itself is his own work. The story also draws on symbolism and mythology from several major world religions to create a unique fantasy world.

The manga has spawned its own series of spin-offs, from crossovers with other popular manga like Fairy Tale, to comedic re-imaginings of the cast as high school students. In a self-referential twist, there is even a manga that depicts one of the characters, King, as an aspiring manga artist.

In 2014, it was announced that the manga would be adapted for an anime series produced by A-1 Pictures. The series first aired on the Japanese networks MBS, TBS, and JNN, and two seasons were produced before Netflix acquired the license to distribute it internationally in 2015. Since then, Seven Deadly Sins has reached international audiences through Netflix every year until its recent conclusion in late 2021.

The series was only the second anime acquired by Netflix following Knights of Sidonia, and became an early staple of the streaming platform’s anime offerings. According to Netflix’s statistics, over 100 million households all over the world watched at least one anime title on the streaming platform between October of 2019 and September of 2020, reflecting a growing global demand for more anime content. As a result, Netflix has continued to invest heavily in the licensing of anime, and now produces original anime as well. Seven Deadly Sins has been one of Netflix’s longest continued anime series, having existed on the platform since 2015.

What’s Next For the Seven Deadly Sins Franchise?

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Besides the anime, the story has also been adapted in two OVAs (original video animations) released alongside the manga, four light novels, two video games, and two movies. However, not all of the related media was written by Nakaba Suzuki. All four light novels were written by other accredited authors. Both films, though written and directed by other creators, were adapted from original work by Suzuki himself. The first one, titled The Seven Deadly Sins The Movie: Prisoners of the Sky, premiered in 2018. A second movie was released in 2021, titled The Seven Deadly Sins The Movie: Cursed by Light.

A two-part spin-off film titled The Seven Deadly Sins: Grudge of Edinburgh was announced for a 2022 release date, which will follow the son of the character Meliodas. Nakaba Suzuki will return to write the story. An exact release date is yet to be announced.

Additionally, a sequel to the manga series, titled Four Knights of the Apocalypse was announced in November of 2020 and began releasing in Weekly Shonen Jump in early 2021. Because the new manga is relatively new, it will likely take more time before enough content exists for the manga to be adapted into anime form. At this time, there are no official plans for a new anime series.