Get Ready to Go Adventuring! “Fantasy High” is Live

It’s now officially Spring 2025, which means that the previously-announced WEBTOON adaptation of the popular Dimension 20 campaign “Fantasy High” has finally debuted on the platform. The first three episodes are live, and it is exactly as awesome as I was expecting.

For the uninitiated (like myself), Fantasy High is set in the fantastically anachronistic town of Elmville, primarily at Aguefort Adventuring Academy. In the first episode, we are introduced to goblin Riz Gukgak (Rogue), who is investigating disappearances at the Academy. (Sort of.) One of the missing girls is his former babysitter, Penny. So when Riz shows up for his first day of school, he’s determined to gather intel.

Throughout the first three episodes, we are introduced to the characters who will eventually form Riz’s adventuring party: half-Elf Fabian Seacaster (Fighter), half-Orc Gorgug Thistlespring (Barbarian), half-Devil Fig Faeth (Bard), human Kristen Applebees (Cleric), and Elf Adaine Abernant (Wizard).

I am not a Dropout subscriber (although I am very familiar with them), so this is my introduction to both Dimension 20 and Fantasy High. I’m coming in basically blind, as I don’t know anything about the campaign or the story. And a lot of what I have to say will probably not be new to seasoned fans. This is really geared towards people like me who may be using this as an opportunity to get into the series.

I thought, based on the description and the art style, that I would really enjoy this comic. So far, I’m not wrong! Art style is very important to me when I’m reading webcomics; if I’m not vibing with the art, it’s harder for me to keep reading. But the anime-style character design is something I’m a huge fan of, and as this is based on a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, I love seeing the different fantasy characters represented.

The humor is fantastic. I love the idea of Fabian marching into school, picking the student who looks the toughest, and just punching them in the stomach. I love the contrast between the hulking disciplinarian Vice Principal and the (what appears to be) absent-minded Dumbledore-esque Principal. (He’s basically the Dumbledore from the Starkid productions, if you’ve seen those.) I love the Vice Principal going, “Wow that’s disgusting” about the lunch that day, not realizing the microphone was still on from the morning announcements.

Webcomics are a convention that allows for a lot of visual humor as well as traditional. For instance, Riz standing in front of his “murder board” asking his mother, “What’s not relatable about me?” is one of the best introductions for a character ever. (Honestly, that makes him super relatable to me.) I also appreciated the sign in the cafeteria that said violence was only allowed in the gym and the “punch office”. And the god Helio giving the thumbs up to his book being tossed in the creamed corn was hilarious.

Starting with the missing girls mystery is a good way to hook you to the story. I don’t know any of the missing, but I’m invested in the mystery just because Riz is so obsessed with it. Not to mention, all of the characters are introduced in such unique, interesting ways. I can’t wait to see how they come together to solve the mystery.

Fantasy High is hosted by WEBTOON and updates every Tuesday. The first three episodes are currently available for free, with the option to Fast Pass the next five on the WEBTOON app. The series will be 61 episodes total.

Also, if you read the first three episodes on the app by April 21, you are eligible to get one month of Dropout.tv for free (new subscribers only)!

I’ve fallen behind on so many of my Webtoons, so hopefully this will inspire me to get back into it.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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