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!
#1 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!
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41points
#2 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.
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39points
#3 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.
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38points
#4 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.
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35points
#5 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?
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34points
#6 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.
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32points
#7 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.
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31points
#8 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.
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30points
#9 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.
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28points
#10 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!
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28points
