Isekai is one of the main genres when it comes to anime, and you'll find tons of TV shows, both good and bad, in minutes. Since there are hundreds of titles to browse, it gets a little tedious if you want to find the best ones and not waste your time browsing through literal rubbish. This is the reason I created this a list that features only the best isekai anime!
Isekai translates to "other world" and is the most versatile genre in anime. It perfectly conveys the grandeur of an exciting adventure with new opportunities that await you at every turn, through a fateful meeting with a truck-kun. Whether it's a fantasy world filled with magic and legendary creatures, or a cyberpunk dystopia on the brink of collapse, you're sure to find something to delight your imagination. And in this list, we will consider only the best of the best.
Best Isekai Anime of 2021
20. In a different world with a smartphone
In a moment of clumsiness, God accidentally strikes our cute protagonist Touya Mochizuki with stray lightning, killing him on the spot! This is usually where the end credits roll. However, this benevolent deity decides to give Touya a second chance at life in a brand new world filled with magic and monsters only seen in fairy tales. As a bonus, Touya can bring one item with him, and he chooses... his smartphone!
In Another World With My Smartphone is an upbeat isekai adventure about a boy gifted with the mystic arts who has nothing to survive in his new environment but his trusty touchscreen companion and a fun group of girls who can't seem to let him go.
19. Vision of Escaflon
Imagine it; You're jolly strolling around your school's playground when out of nowhere a boy appears with a sword fighting a dragon. Sounds crazy, right? Well, for Hitomi, this event was the beginning of a life journey.
"Vision of Escaflowne" takes us to the planet Gaia, where our brave future king Van defends the kingdom of Fanelia from the evil empire of Zaibach. Even after boarding his family's prized possession, Mechanized Armor: Escaflowne, Wan, and Hitomi barely make it out alive as Fanelia is destroyed. Together with Hitomi's newly acquired divination ability and a ragtag group of allies, join Wang and his gang as they seek to stop the Zabaich Empire from awakening a dangerous power.
18. Cafe from another world
Tokyo's ever-busy shopping district is home to the renowned Nekoya Western Restaurant, renowned for its wide selection of international cuisines. Tokyo residents love this diner and frequent it except on Saturdays when the owner closes the doors. However, as the doors to humanity close, a new variety of guests enter.
Works authorJunpei Inuzaka come to life on the big screen as we experience first-hand how isekai creatures feast on the most exquisite delicacies created with their supernatural taste buds in mind. Dragons, elves, fairies, whatever. These mysterious clients will come back for more, and so will you.
17. Grimgar of Ashes and Illusions
Some may have already noticed that your regular isekai anime tends to be very comfortable for the characters involved.Grimgar from Fantasy and Ash destroys this view from the very first episode.
Our main characters enter the mystical world of Grimgar with nothing but their names and the will to live. There are no modifications here. When all the strong men banded togetherGrimgar follows the tale of a group of weaklings who can do nothing but fight not only for their survival, but also for their new home. A priest, a thief, a hunter, a mage, a warrior and a dark knight fight for their rights in this dark world of fantasy and ashes.
16. Indigo children from another world
You Kasukabe, Izayoi Sakamaki and Asuka Kudo are your everyday anxious teenagers who are bored with life. Plus, they have insanely powerful psychic powers! One day they are called to the fantasy world of Little Garden. Here, they are allowed to relax and take part in a series of high-stakes games on behalf of their benefactor, the cute pink-haired bunny girl Kurusagi.
But before they can take part in these games, they need to join a group called "Community". Since the Kurusagi community has lost everything it had, it's up to these troubled children to restore this once prosperous land to its former glory.
15. Gates: Our warriors fight there
What could be better than being an otaku? Otaku with military training! Youji Itami is an off-duty Japan Self-Defense Force officer or a JSDF officer heading to an anime convention. Upon arriving at the convention, Youji encounters a portal that appears out of thin air. Hoards of armored beasts burst through this "gate" and unleash a rampage of destruction and death. Youji springs into action and saves everything he can while the rest of the JSDF tries to repel this invasion.
A few months later, he became the captain of a special reconnaissance team tasked with crossing over to this other world to find out if the inhabitants on the other side were truly friends or foes; and try to establish friendly relations with them!
14. Reviving
A common trend in most popular isekai anime is that the protagonist is carried away to another world. But what happens when this world comes to you?Re:Creators explores a new take on the genre in a world where characters from popular stories mysteriously come to life, be it video games, light novels, or even manga.
Our timid host Shuta Mizushino is a young writer who hopes to create his own story, but is instead entangled in the web of these fictional entities. However, one of these characters seems to know too much about the real world even though no one knows who she is.Re:Creators blurs the line between fantasy and reality, bringing creations face to face with their creators.
13. Wanderers
Legends of old play out in this gory dark fantasy anime. The tale tells of the exploits of the war hero Toyohisa Shimazu as he knocked on the door of death. Toyohisa then finds himself in a white hallway surrounded by hundreds of passageways, with a strange man named Murasaki standing in front of him.
Before he knows it, Toyohisa is once again whisked off to a mysterious land to fight as a rogue, warriors of a time long past who this world must fight back against the evil known as the End. He is joined by other notable historical figures such as Oda Nobunaga to free this corrupted land from the End and announce to these intruders that the continent is closed.
12. How NOT to summon the Prince of Darkness from another world
How NOT To Summon A Demon Lord starts in the MMORPG World of Cross Reverie. Takuma Sakamoto is the protagonist of this story and the most famous player in Cross Reverie, Diablo. But he's just an introverted gaming junkie with no social skills in real life.
One day, Takuma is forcibly summoned to another world by the half-human Rem and the cruel elf Shera. But he realizes that he is in the body of his Diablo game avatar! After a failed attempt to enslave him, the two girls accompany Diablo to find a way to undo his self-inflicted suffering. The story of the most powerful and timid demon lord is born in this amazing ecchi anime!
11. The saga of evil Tanya
What happens when you cross a cute girl with a raging battlefield? I can't tell you because our main character, Tanya Degurechaff, has nothing sweet about her. A former inhabitant of Earth, a human challenged God named Being X, challenging because he did not believe in a higher power. However, X had other plans.
Reincarnated in the body of a little girl, Tanya must overcome all sorts of challenges as an amazing young soldier in this world of magic and machines. Through her actions, which she carefully and brilliantly executes to defeat Genesis X, she unknowingly leads her country to one of the strongest in history. Thus begins an isekai anime about world domination.
10. This hero is invulnerable, but very cautious
Seiya Ryuuguuin is probably the most trained isekai MC you will ever meet. Suddenly summoned to the world of Geabrande by the goddess Ristarte, Seiya has one task; to save this world. And this hero is determined to do his own thing.
The phrase "better safe than sorry" doesn't even describe this wacky epic of heroism, as we follow an over-trained, over-cautious hero who drags the lecherous goddess Ristarte across the land, unleashing her powerful magic on... level 1 slugs? This story is sure to win the hearts of those who want a fun and upbeat anime, with surprisingly subtle twists that are sure to keep you interested.
9. The devil works part-time!
The demon lord Satan is the most famous figure in the land of Ente Isla, striking fear into the hearts of all those who dare to oppose him."Part Time Devil" is a fun interpretation of the isekai genre in which we accompany Satan on his quest to conquer the earth. Unfortunately, he is defeated by the hero Emilia and forced to hastily retreat through an interdimensional portal. However, he soon enters the human world!
Disguised as fast food worker Sadao Maou, Satan is determined to find his way back until he realizes that conquering Ente Isla is not enough to satisfy his desires. This legend of laughter and simplicity tells the adventures of an underworld lord who takes over humanity, one lucky customer at a time.
8. Overlord
The infamous PK (player killer) guild Ainz Ooal Gown is one of the most dangerous guilds in the MMORPG Yggdrasil. However, Yggdrasil's lifespan has come to an end. Guild leader Momonga, an Overlord-class wizard, is the last member of the guild to log out before being wiped out.
Once the countdown to the end reaches 0, Momonga finds himself unable to log out. Now trapped in the wizard's mighty body, he also realizes that his NPCs (Non-Player Characters) are no longer data fragments, but sentient beings with thoughts of their own! Entering an unknown new world, Momonga decides to take on the name Ainz Ooal Gown, challenge this new land he finds himself in and make it his own.
7. Sword Masters Online
Mega hit seriesReiki Kawahara often considered the father of modern isekai anime series. Sword Art Online takes place in the virtual reality space of the MMORPG Aincrad. At launch, hundreds of thousands of users are loaded into the game, and soon they encounter a nightmare they cannot imagine. The game has evolved from a simple fantasy adventure game to a dance of life and death. Each player now has one life, and when they die in the game, they die in real life as well.
SAO revolves around our protagonist Kirigai Kazuto, also known as Kirito, the game's beta tester trapped inside of him. In this tragic turn of events, we watch as our incredibly talented hero tries to unravel the madness in which these innocent people have reluctantly taken part.
6 From Scratch: Alternate World Survival Guide
For most, starting a life in a fantasy world would be a dream. Incredible abilities, fame, luck, and even a cute heroine are the hallmarks of the protagonist of the popular isekai anime. However, none of these rules apply to Natsuki Subaru.
Re: ZERO revived the isekai genre by giving his MC only one ability; the ability to restart at a fixed point in time whenever it dies. Trick? He remembers and experiences all the pain that death brings, and cannot tell anyone about it. This masterfully crafted story features many races such as elves, demons, and even a witch cult. It is perfect for those who want a fresh take on isekai and a new interpretation of the entire anime environment.
5. Goddess blesses this beautiful world
The story begins with a professional (essentially withdrawn) who believes he risked his life to save a bystander, only to die a truly comical and truly humiliating death instead. Our hero, Sato Kazuma, should be showered with respect and praise, but rather, he is mocked by the goddess in charge of his reincarnation, Aqua.
When tasked with saving the world in which he will be reincarnated, he is given the option to choose one power that he can take with him. Seeking revenge, Kazuma chooses Aqua as his desire and they face some of the craziest and most hilarious situations a fantasy setting has to offer.KonoSuba is an anime in which you will always smile from ear to ear!
4. Log Horizon
Players of the MMORPG "Elder Tale" soon find themselves trapped in the world of the game they've been playing for years, in the body of their avatars. We experience the story through the eyes of Shiroe, a skilled tactician and veteran of the game.
Although initially confused, Shiroe soon finds his longtime friends Naotsugu and Akatsuki and the trio try to sort out their situation. Log Horizon is a grounded isekai anime filled with an extensive cast, a wide range of politics, and a unique take on the idea of a "game of death".
3. No game - no life
"In every world, at any time, the strong polish their fangs and the weak polish their wisdom."No Game No Life is a beautifully written adventure by the sibling duo, codenamed Blank.
They are the best players in the world, but they don't seem to fit in. After Sora and Shiro unknowingly beat God in a game of chess, they are welcomed into the world of Disboard. Games govern the very laws of this place, and with the best players released to this venue, not even the sky is the limit for these two geeks.
2. The Rise of the Shield Hero
One day our protagonist Naofumi Iwatani discovers a book that will change his life forever. This book details the adventures of a hero who wields a shield as his only weapon. Before he can think any further, Naofumi finds himself transported to the palace surrounded by three other heroes and people who appear to be royalty. He also notices that he has a shield attached to his arm!
The Rise of the Shield Hero is a sad story about a man who was misunderstood, betrayed and condemned by society. However, despite all this, he is still a hero and strives to remind the world of that. Indeed, this is a story about the rise of a hero.
1. About my rebirth as a slime
Satoru Mikami is an average 30-year-old bachelor. While with his subordinates from the office, he is stabbed by a robber and dies on the spot. However, he soon hears a voice repeating a bunch of commands that he can't understand, telling him that he has gained a lot of skills. The moment he regains consciousness, Satoru confirms that he is alive, but also... he's a slime!
This is the time I reincarnated as a slime is a superb blend of comedy, action, slice of life and adventure as we follow the newly reborn Rimuru on his quest to build a monster kingdom where he can rest easy and stay alive. at ease surrounded by those he loves.
Isekai anime
The medium of anime gives an exaggerated look at things that we would otherwise consider normal. The reason is to resonate with viewers and give them a fresh perspective on things we're all used to seeing like basketball, martial arts, and even cooking. Religion is no different. One of the main religions of Japan is Buddhism, and one of its central teachings is reincarnation. The opportunity to get a second chance in life is something that many people dream of, and those smart people in Japan tried to capitalize on it.
