| Lufia | |
| Developer: | Neverland Co., Ltd. Atelier Double (The Ruins of Lore) |
| Publisher: | Taito, Square Enix, Natsume Inc., Atlus USA |
| Genre: | Role-playing video game |
| Platforms: | Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Color, Mobile phone, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS |
| First Release Version: | Lufia & the Fortress of Doom |
| First Release Date: | June 25, 1993 |
| Latest Release Version: | |
| Latest Release Date: | February 25, 2010 |
Lufia, known as in Japan, was a series of role-playing video games developed by Neverland (aside from The Ruins of Lore, which was developed by Atelier Double). In Japan, the games were originally published by Taito and later, its now-parent company Square Enix (with Curse of the Sinistrals), and after the closing of Taito's North American branch after the release of the first game, Natsume Inc. (Rise of the Sinistrals, The Legend Returns, and Curse of the Sinistrals) and Atlus USA (The Ruins of Lore) in the U.S. While the games are primarily traditional 2D RPGs, they draw on elements from many other genres including action-adventure, monster collecting, and puzzle games. In the 1990s the games were originally developed on the Super NES while the most recent installment, , was developed for the Nintendo DS and was released in 2010 for Japan on February 25 and for North America on October 12. The series currently consists of six games, including this most recent installment.
The Lufia series spans the course of two centuries, beginning with the defeat of the god-like Sinistrals in Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. These events are followed by Ruins of Lore, which takes place 20 years after Rise of the Sinistrals ends. Fortress of Doom picks up another 79 years (99 years after the events of Rise of the Sinistrals) later. The current series ends with the Sinistrals' final defeat in Legend Returns, which takes place 101 years after Fortress of Doom.
Lufia follows the exploits of the hero Maxim and his quest to defeat the Sinistrals; after his death, this task is taken up by his descendants through several generations. One of his descendants is Wain, the main male protagonist of The Legend Returns.