Ben Schmidt’s Top 5 Isekai Anime (As of 2022)
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.
Just cancel this bird already. The chicken is beyond cooked. It's burnt to a crisp.