Isekai (literally “another world”) is a fantasy anime genre in which a character is stuck in a parallel universe, a virtual platform, or some kind of alternate world, usually inhabited by creatures that don’t exist among us. It’s pretty typical for isekai series to feature a main human character ending up in this new place with little to no explanation as to how this happened at all. But in the end, the goal is the same: They must survive in this unknown world while trying to find their way home.
Is it any wonder that this genre is so popular? The concept has been used in a plethora of anime shows over the years, from Sword Art Online to Overlord, which have been wildly welcomed by fans. Spirited Away, released in 2001, was one of the first isekai anime movies known worldwide, even though the term was not commonly used at the time.
Although many of these shows share similar concepts and themes, they are still able to stand out from the rest for their creative potential and originality. Here is an isekai anime list with the most popular titles released in recent years — and some less famous but still worthy ones you might have missed!
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That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
2018 | 48 episodes
Satoru Mikami is your pretty average office worker. One day, he gets stabbed on the street, and after succumbing to his injuries, he reincarnates in another world… as a slime! Despite what could seem like an unfortunate fate, Satoru has developed the ability to absorb new skills from objects and people, giving him a seemingly endless amount of powers. How will things evolve from there? There’s just one way to find out!
Overlord
2015 | Ongoing (40+ episodes)
When an online game you love gets shut down, it’s heartbreaking for every gamer. This happens to Momonga, an avid player of a successful MMORPG game called Yggdrasil, when its servers shut down after 12 years of activity. Momonga decides to stay logged in to the game till its very last moments but soon realizes that something has gone wrong. Momonga finds himself trapped in his own character, unable to log out and go back to the real world.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero
2019 | Ongoing (38+ episodes)
This anime show with dark undertones has been the talk of the town since its release in 2019 and is widely considered one of the best isekai anime around. It follows a Japanese guy who, together with other young men from parallel universes, gets summoned to become a hero and fight hordes of monsters. After being betrayed by his only companion, a princess who steals everything he has and accuses him of sexual assault, he has to rebuild his reputation from scratch while surviving in an unkind world.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
2021 | Ongoing (23+ episodes)
Here we are with the best isekai anime of 2021! The story follows a depressed, unemployed man who finds himself homeless after the death of his parents. Lonely and broken, one day he ends up saving a teenager’s life but losing his own in the process. Reincarnated in a world where sorcery is real, for once he sees some hope in a new life, but his old traumas are not so easy to overcome.
Great show!, certainly one of the best isekais it just has competent and touching writing. Though rudeas is a perv...
Wise Man’s Grandchild
2019 | 12 episodes
After his death in a car accident, a burnt-out office worker gets reincarnated into a world where magic exists. Here, he gets adopted by Merlin Wolford, a kingdom hero whose powers and magical knowledge are legendary. Merlin teaches him everything related to magic, forgetting to educate him on the most basic life skills. Ready for some good anime adventure?
Nothing much to see here, Just an OP protag doing typical OP protag things...
Gate
2015 | 24 episodes
Ready for something different from your usual isekai show? In Gate, medieval-like warriors and creatures from another world get to Earth through a portal and spark a conflict with humans. With modern weapons and tactics at their disposal, humanity easily defeats the enemy. A select group of people is sent to explore the new world and establish a peace treaty with the invaders. Failing to do so will bring the two realities on the verge of the greatest war both worlds have ever witnessed.
How Not To Summon A Demon Lord
2018 | 12 episodes
Takuma Sakamoto could be a loser in real life, but when it comes to his favorite game, no one can beat him and his demon character! When two NPCs, Rem and Shera, try to summon him into the game and enslave him, Takuma’s “Magic Reflection” ability rebounds the spell, and the two girls end up becoming the slaves instead. Takuma decides to use his vast game knowledge to help set Rem and Shera free while supporting them with their personal struggles that led them to summon him in the first place.
No Game, No Life
2014 | 12 episodes
This anime’s title is pretty self-explanatory of the nature of the show. Sora and Shiro are recluse orphan step-siblings struggling with social anxiety and panic attacks and unable to do anything outside of playing games. Legends among gamers, they are one day offered to live in Disboard, a world where everything works like games, and they accept, believing it to be a joke.
Konosuba: God's Blessing On This Wonderful World!
2016 | 20 episodes
Kazuma is a shut-in teenager who only excels at video games. After a pretty embarrassing death, he gets to decide whether to go to heaven or get reincarnated in a parallel world with gaming features. The anime’s reception has been overwhelmingly positive, praised for its comedy elements and ability to effectively parody the isekai genre.
Sword Art Online
2012 | 96 episodes
A title that shouldn’t need much of an introduction. The series is a staple among isekai shows, has run since 2012, and is still going strong in the anime community. The show follows a teenager named Kirito who lives an everyday life until he tries an online role-playing game known as Sword Art Online. Things get complicated when the creator of SAO decides to trap all the players inside by disabling their logout function until they beat the game. Oh, and let’s not forget the most important detail: if you die in the game, you die in real life!
In Another World With My Smartphone
Boring plopper best put through a shredder and used as fertilizer, nothing interesting or unique to see here.
Log Horizon
The superior SAO before SAO, I don't care if anyone thinks otherwise, if they do, they are just wrong.
The Devil Is A Part-Timer!
Spirited Away
Re:ZERO - Starting Life In Another World
Drifters
Saga Of Tanya The Evil
Good show, I enjoyed watching the sociopath of a main character attempting to rebel against god but only getting thrown further down the rabbit hole in the process.
My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!
Made me laugh a few times, not to bad, though the straight-up stupidity of the main character gets extremely frustrating.
Isekai Quartet
If you like the shows theses peeps are from, you will love this show a lot.
Restaurant To Another World
Arifureta: From Commonplace To World’s Strongest
Demon Lord Retry
Didn’t I Say To Make My Abilities Average In The Next Life?!
Death March To The Parallel World Rhapsody
The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me?
Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious
A worse version of Konosuba, except the main character, is boringly OP. Hard pass!
Re:CREATORS
The Vision Of Escaflowne
World Of Leadale
Grimgar, Ashes And Illusions
Ascendance Of A Bookworm
The Boy And The Beast
Knight’s & Magic
I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years, And Maxed Out My Level
Spirit Chronicles
.hack//SIGN
Now And Then, Here And There
Old gold, definitely shows the difference between modern (mostly bad) isekai and older iterations, I like it!
The Twelve Kingdoms
It's alright, a bit slow and more on the ponderous side, but it's worth a casual watch
I’m Standing On A Million Lives
Kemono Michi: Rise Up
The Master Of Ragnarok & Blesser Of Einherjar
High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World
Princess Connect! Re:DIVE
Typical isekai with a bunch of chicks following one dude around... kinda boring.
Do You Love Your Mom And Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?
Magic Knight Rayearth
this anime i haven't watched in awhile, but i believe they were chosen to save a princess
Kamigami No Asobi
Outbreak Company
Isekai Izakaya: Japanese Food From Another World
Some how it never dawned on me that digimon is essentially an isekai anime.
Some how it never dawned on me that digimon is essentially an isekai anime.