Anime has a lot of genres, One of them is Isekai. It is an archetype of fantasy. Even though the idea has been around for a long time, the word “Isekai” is relatively recent; it has only been used in the last ten or so years.
The main character in Isekai tales must either be physically or mentally whisked away to another planet or reincarnated into a new world in a more powerful form than their previous one.
Sometimes these new realities could just be another era in time.
Follow along as I list down the best Isekai Anime!
What is Isekai Anime?
Isekai is a subgenre of fantasy in which the protagonist is forcibly relocated from their realm to a strange or new one.
Isekai could be a fantasy realm, virtual environment, another planet, or parallel reality; it includes books, graphic novels, animated movies, comics, anime, and video. Though the concept is not new in animation, the phrase “Isekai” is relatively new in anime.
These anime series are full of missions, riddles, thrills, and suspense between parallel, transported, and new universes. You may have seen the popular anime series Overlord, in which the notion of Isekai is used globally. Overlord is a dark fantasy anime with a terrific OST that changes throughout the seasons.
List of Best Isekai Anime
Here’s the list of the best Isekai Anime:
- The Vision of Escaflowne
- Blood Blockade Battlefront
- The Saga of Tanya the Evil
- That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
- Overlord
- Inuyasha
- KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!
- No Game No Life
- Log Horizon
- Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World
Where to Watch Them?
Here’s where you can watch your favorite Anime:
| Anime | Where to watch |
| The Vision of Escaflowne | Funimation |
| Blood Blockade Battlefront | Netflix |
| The Saga of Tanya the Evil | Netflix |
| That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime | Netflix |
| Overlord | Hulu |
| Inuyasha | Hulu |
| KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! | Netflix |
| No Game No Life | Hulu |
| Log Horizon | Netflix |
| Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World | Netflix |
The Vision of Escaflowne
Hitomi Kanzaki is a young high school student who is drawn from Earth to the planet Gaea when a guy named Van Fanel arrives at her school during his struggle with a dragon.
Hitomi finds herself amid a conflict as the Zaibach Empire strives to capture all of Gaea, even though all she wishes to do is return home.
Hitomi befriends numerous Gaeans, and together they solve the riddle of Atlantis. Moreover, Her psychic abilities are crucial in thwarting Zaibach’s goals.
Blood Blockade Battlefront
Over the metropolis of New York, a portal between the Earth and the underworlds appeared. In one horrible night, New York was torn down and rebuilt, enclosing both native New Yorkers and extraterrestrial species in an unbreakable bubble.
Now that New York has been renamed Hellsalem’s Lot, an extraordinary fulcrum where magic and insanity coexist and every human tries to exploit extraterrestrial resources for earthly gain.
The secretive superagents of Libra are fighting to stop the unimaginable from happening as someone now threatens to burst the bubble and let loose the horrors of Hellsalem’s Lot.
The Saga of Tanya The Evil
Young soldier Tanya Degurechaff is famed for her ferocity and extraordinary tactical prowess. Underneath her innocent exterior, however, is the spirit of a man who challenged Being X, the self-declared God, leading to his reincarnation as a little girl into a realm of magical conflict.
Tanya decides to make the most of the circumstances and join the military of her nation as it steadily enters a global conflict. The only thing standing in her way of returning to the tranquil life she once dreamed of is Being X.
Her astute decisions and battle initiative, however, have an unanticipated consequence that helps the vast Empire grow into one of the most powerful countries in human history.
That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
Mikami Satoru is unhappy with his dull existence and is confined to a dreadful career, but after being killed by a thief, he awakens to a new beginning in a magical world.
He was revived as a slime (yes, a slime!). Thrown into this unfamiliar planet under the name Rimuru, he sets out on a mission to build a society that’s accepting of all races.
Overlord
The narrative of Overload opens in Yggdrasil, an immensely popular online role-playing game that is set to end its 12-year run.
Momonga, the main character, finds it hard to accept this as he lacks family, friends, or a partner and no longer sees purpose in reality.
He is the head of the Ainz Ooal Gown guild, one of the top 10 guilds in the game. He travels to another universe with his entire guild.
Inuyasha
A schoolgirl named Kagome Higurashi lives in a traditional Japanese temple.
She’s also the reincarnation of Kikyo, a respected priestess who guarded the Shikon no Tama and caged the half-demon Inuyasha who tried to seize it to become a full demon.
Surprisingly, they both band together and recruit friends to save the holy Shikon Jewel from the monster Naraku.
KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!
High school student Kazuma Satou passed away while returning from school on a typical day. When he wakes up in the afterlife he’s welcomed by Aqua, a stunning but unpleasant girl who claims to be a goddess who leads the young people whose lives are cut short.
Aqua then gives him the option of either being transported to another realm to battle the Demon King or going to heaven. Naturally, Kazuma’s gaming impulses take over and he decides to begin a new life in a real-world role-playing game.
No Game, No Life
The step-siblings Sora and Shiro, who are the online gaming team behind the fabled nickname “Blank,” are the subjects of the strange comic series No Game, No Life.
One day Tet, the God of Games invited them to a game of chess which they accepted. they were then sent to Disboard. The deity greets Sora and Shiro at Disboard, a place where all disputes are handled via competitive video games rather than violence.
Log Horizon
The plot of the Log Horizon is set in a world where 30,000 Japanese gamers and several hundred thousand people worldwide are imprisoned in the Elder Tale fantasy online game.
What used to be a “sword-and-sorcery universe” for these gamers is now the actual world! Shiroe, a male protagonist, teams up with Akatsuki, an assassin, and Naotsugu, an old buddy, to live in this strange new world.
Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World
Natsuki Subaru is a typical young guy living a typical life in contemporary Japan. He’s, however, called to another realm one day.
He quickly becomes friends with Emilia, a half-elf girl with silver hair, despite not understanding who summoned him or the purpose of the new realm.
Unfortunately, the girl is targeted by an assassin. The assassin kills the two, and it appears that all is finished.
Natsuki Subaru, however, awakens a split second later and realizes he has a new power. He now can go back in time by passing away, but only he’s aware of the previous timeline’s occurrences.
Here’s an extremely interesting video about the top Isekai Anime
Will Yuji ever discover his true calling in the Isekai Realm?
The first season of My Isekai Life clearly demonstrated what Yuji is capable of, but not why.
All good protagonists in fiction have a clear aim or motivation, and the same holds true for Isekai anime. Rimuru Tempest’s goal was to create a tolerant monster nation, but Naofumi Iwatani’s goal was to save the world and then return home in one piece. Yuji, in My Isekai Life, on the other hand, simply wanders around, fighting criminals and saving lives as he goes.
If he can’t or won’t return to his former life, he’ll need something to do in this world other than play with his powers, and the sky’s the limit.
Conclusion
- Anime has a catalog of widespread genres, including a very interesting one called Isekai.
- Isekai is sub-domin of fantasy. where the main protagonist dies and usually incarnates into the reality they always wished for (or sometimes hated).
- Isekai Anime is extremely popular, this is due to the unique storyline that captivates the watcher’s attention.
- In my view, Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World tops the list, this is because this Anime follows all the tenants required to make a classic Isekai Anime.
- The plot is quirky and unpredictable which doesn’t let one’s attention fade away from the series.