Ahh, isekai, one of the most popular genres of everything in the weebdom. From manga to light novels, and of course anime, isekai has become one of the most popular genres of the medium. Now you might be asking “What exactly is isekai?” and that is what this list is for. You’ve probably read or watched an isekai without even knowing it. Isekai is essentially when the main character gets transported (usually by handy dandy truck-kun) to another world. Sometimes they die, sometimes not so much. From a technical standpoint, famous stories like Alice in Wonderland and The Neverending Story are isekai because those characters were transported to another world. Isekai translated to English is “Different World” so it makes sense.
Just as a bit of preface I do want to give a minor spoiler alert. Nothing said here will ruin the specific anime if you haven’t seen them but I will be giving some detail on what makes them great so there might be a bit of spoiler, so if you just want to click through to get some new anime to watch and then come back then have at it. Also, I won’t be including shows with what I call “Isekai lite” themes. So anime like Sword Art Online won’t be on here because while yes it technically fits the criteria, they are just going to a video game world so I’m not counting them. Without further ado, to the countdown!
5) KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!
Who wouldn’t love these idiots? What sets this isekai apart is how awful everyone is. The main character, Kazuma, has experience with isekai media and is overjoyed at getting reborn in a fantasy world. But he comes to find out that dreams and reality are oftentimes completely different. You would think having a literal Goddess with you would make things easier but Aqua is about as useless as they come. It doesn’t end there, rounding out the party is Megumin a powerful mage of explosion magic. Which would be good if that wasn’t the only spell she knew and it didn’t leave her paralyzed for the rest of the day. Finally, there’s Darkness, my personal favorite. She’s your typical paladin tanky character. Only she can’t hit the broadside of a barn and is the biggest masochist you’ll find. If you are looking for quirky characters and want to laugh your ass off this is a great place to start your isekai journey. Plus, the movie was recently dubbed!
Honorable Mention: How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
I know, I know “Really? Honorable mentions?!” but hear me out. I REALLY love isekai and there are some great ones out there that I want people to know about even if they don’t quite crack my top five. What I love about Realist Hero is how the main character, Souma, isn’t some overpowered hero. He gets a decent enough magic skill sure but other than that he just uses his brain. It also helps that he is one of the few isekai protagonists that aren’t in high school. He’s a college student thank you very much. The one area where it’s kind of meh and a bit cringey is all the harem elements. To be fair it makes sense in the world and for the story but still, it became a little much. This is why it doesn’t quite make the grade.
4) Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World
If you want dark and depressing then this is the isekai for you. Subaru just randomly finds himself in another world with no clue how he got there. What makes this interesting is that Subaru isn’t gifted any powers or anything. In fact, he might be worse off here because so many others DO have powers and magic. One thing he does have though is an ability called “Return by Death” which lets him rewind to a checkpoint of sorts. All he has to do is endure multiple agonizing deaths in the process. Easy right? This one isn’t for the faint of heart because it does get brutal but it’s very popular for a reason. Plus it has two dubbed seasons out now!
Honorable Mention: The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat
This one I had a lot of fun watching AND reading. I hope this gets a continuation because it was really cool. It is fairly simple though, the protagonist is as overpowered as they come but to be fair it is mostly because of his former profession and he uses modern-day ideas. There are some harem elements but at least so far Lugh only has eyes for one woman. The world is interesting and the magic system is cool as well. Plus Lugh kind of feels like an assassin Batman with the whole secret identity thing.
3) So I’m a Spider, So What?
Now, this might be pretty high for this one on other people’s lists but this is my list so hear me out. Sure some of the CGI is not great but it’s not ALL the time. One of the more interesting things about this one is that it isn’t just one person that gets transported to another world but a whole class. Oh, and did I mention that the main character Kumoko gets reborn in this world as a spider? Brianna Knickerbocker does the voice of Kumoko for the English dub and for some episodes she’s the only one talking and she definitely carries a lot of the show. There’s also a bit of time difference between her and the rest of her classmates so lining that up in your head is half the fun. If you have arachnophobia you might want to avoid this one but all others should give this one a try.
2) The Rising of the Shield Hero
To be honest, if it wasn’t for just how good number one is this anime would probably be my number one. It was what really got me hooked on isekai and introduced me to Billy Kametz who became one of my favorite VA’s. While the main character Naofumi eventually becomes powerful it takes a long time for him to get there. This anime caused a bit of controversy when it first came out because of the subject matter of its first episode and some of the decisions Naofumi makes. The Rising of the Shield Hero is definitely edgy but its characters and the world make it one of the best in the genre.
Honorable Mention: The Vision of Escaflowne
This is definitely one of the first isekai but it’s more considered a shojo or romance. It’s been re-dubbed by Funimation since but it still holds up. I remember watching this anime as a part of a Saturday morning cartoon block and always wanted to finish it so a few years back I did just that. It’s a really fun show and if you love mechs this is right up your alley. It manages to fit mechs into a fantasy setting where they are like giant knights. If classic anime is more your thing you can’t go wrong with Escaflowne.
1) Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Here we are, number one! Now, a bit of a disclaimer, the main character Rudeus is kind of a garbage person to start off. This series is about second chances and trying to make the most of them so he does take a while to grow on you and there are some uncomfortable parts in it for sure. But if you can get past that you are in for a treat. The web novel Mushoku Tensei was created in 2012 and pioneered a lot of the tropes we are familiar with in isekai. Studio Bind was created as a collaboration between White Fox and Egg Firm Studios to animate Mushoku Tensei. I’m sure they will do more but that is a good sign we might see the whole series get adapted and let me tell you the animation is fantastic. As someone who has read all of the light novels so far, I can tell you that this is without a doubt the best isekai series out there… for now.