Progression fantasy is a genre of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

that centers around characters training to become more powerful in martial ability, magic, or other skills. The genre is distinguished by its emphasis on character development, progression in skill or abilities, and the attainment of greater power. Stories typically center on protagonists training, overcoming challenges, and confronting increasingly formidable opponents as the protagonist advances. Progression fantasy sometimes overlaps with ''

xianxia ''Xianxia'' ( zh, t=, s=仙侠, p=xiānxiá, l=immortal heroes, first=t) is a genre of Chinese fantasy heavily inspired by Chinese mythology and influenced by philosophies of Taoism, Chan Buddhism, Confucianism, Chinese martial arts, traditiona ...

'' cultivation novels, a genre heavily influenced by Chinese philosophy, in which protagonists train to obtain supernatural powers or immortality. Progression fantasy may also overlap with

litRPG LitRPG, short for literary role-playing game, is a literary genre combining the conventions of computer RPGs with science-fiction and fantasy novels. The term was introduced in 2013. In LitRPG, game-like elements form an essential part of the s ...

, which features

role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

mechanics.

Will Wight William Lawrence Wight III (born August 11, 1989) is an American author of fantasy literature. He is best known for his independently published Cradle series, which has topped the Amazon Kindle Store's bestseller list on multiple occasions and ma ...

is a prominent author of progression fantasies. Series including ''The Stormlight Archive'', ''Dragon Ball'', and ''Hunter × Hunter'' have also been described as progression fantasy. Described as a "fledgling genre" by ''Reader's Grotto'', much progression fantasy is self-published or published online as web novels. The term was suggested by Jess Richards and publicized in a 2019 blog post by progression fantasy author

Andrew Rowe Andrew John Bernard Rowe (11 September 1935 – 21 November 2008) was a politician in the United Kingdom. He was born in London. He served as Conservative Party member of parliament for Mid Kent from 1983 to 1997 and its successor constitue ...

, who said it had emerged from conversations with Wight about their challenges in defining a genre for their novels.

References

{{Lit-genre-stub 2019 neologisms Fantasy genres