progression fantasy

{{Short description|Fantasy genre}}

Progression fantasy is a genre of fantasy 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.{{Cite web |last=Simmons |first=Preston |date=April 24, 2021 |title=Progression Fantasy: Top 5 series to get you started |url=https://www.readersgrotto.com/2021/04/20/beginners-guide-to-progression-fantasy/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Reader's Grotto |language=en-US}}

Progression fantasy sometimes overlaps with xianxia cultivation novels, a genre heavily influenced by Chinese philosophy, in which protagonists train to obtain supernatural powers or immortality.{{Cite web |last=Salao |first=Cole |date=July 20, 2021 |title=Xianxia: Your Guide to Cultivation Fantasy |url=https://www.tckpublishing.com/xianxia/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=TCK Publishing |language=en-US}} Progression fantasy may also overlap with litRPG, which features role-playing video game mechanics.{{Cite web |last=Rowe |first=Andrew K. |date=February 26, 2019 |title=Progression Fantasy – A New Subgenre Concept |url=https://andrewkrowe.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/progression-fantasy-a-new-subgenre-concept/ |access-date=May 18, 2025 |website=Andrew Rowe |language=en}}

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