Ever since I first got into anime, Isekai has always been my most favorite genre for a number of reasons. I love the fantasy aspect, the ability to self-insert into some of them, and the origin stories of characters seeing new worlds. Five years ago I found a list of Isekai anime to watch, and it helped me find a few. But many new shows came out since then, so I wanted to do my own list of cool or interesting Isekai anime to watch. Here are 30 that are worth watching. They aren’t ranked, though the first ten or so are some of my personal favorites because they were simply the first to come to mind when listing. I already added an extra one to the list because there was one I forgot to add and was too lazy to fix. I’ll add more once or twice per year as new anime air.
1. Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World
When I first started Re:Zero, it immediately became my favorite anime of all time and held that position for a couple years. Now the show has four seasons and it’s better than ever. It might be a bit much for some people, but it has an incredible story, a rich world, and some fantastic characters. It follows an ordinary teenager who finds himself transported to another world, but instead of the standard power Fantasy trope that most Isekai follow, he’s thrown into one brutal situation after another and dies repeatedly. The show mixes psychological horror, beautiful animation, and some fantastic character growth.
2. KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!
Konosuba is like Re:Zero in the sense that a normal teenager is wakes up in a fantasy anime expecting to be overpowered but things don’t go their way. But this is the complete opposite because instead of being psychological horror, it’s off the rails humor. Kazuma dies in a ridiculous way, but the adventures he goes on with the craziest party possible are even more ridiculous. Out of all the anime I’ve seen, this is the one that has the most characters that I like because all the characters have great chemistry with one another and the humor is phenomenal.
3. The Rising of the Shield Hero
The Rising of the Shield Hero centers around Naofumi Iwatani, one of four heroes summoned to another world to protect it from massive disasters. Unlike the others, Naofumi is immediately betrayed and falsely accused, causing nearly everyone around him to turn against him. Because he can only use a shield, he’s also viewed as weak and worthless compared to the other heroes. That all changes when he buys a slave and begins beating everyone up. If not for the final arc of the first season, I would have said that the first season was as perfect as it could be. The story was interesting, there’s a handful of likeable characters, and watching Naofumi do badass shit was great. The show is great, but I’d recommend reading the manga or light novel in place of season two.
4. The Eminence in Shadow
The Eminence in Shadow follows a boy who reincarnates in another world and accidentally becomes the strongest person in the world while also leading other strong characters. The funniest part is that he doesn’t even know that half the stuff going on around him is real. There’s over the top fights, insanely tough and lovable characters, and some insane visuals. But our protagonist thinks that everything is mostly a game. Lots of humor and lots of intensity.
5. Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy
When I first watched Moonlit Fantasy, it immediately became one of my top 5 personal favorites for Isekai and the second season was even better. The show follows Makoto Misumi, a young boy who’s transported to another world only to be immediately rejected by its goddess because she considers him ugly. Instead of becoming a traditional hero, Makoto ends up building relationships with powerful non-human races while creating his own path far away from human society. The humor is great, especially with the English dub because the voice and timing for Makoto is great. We also learn a lot more about the overall world in the second season and some of the other characters become more fleshed out.
6. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Tensura follows Satoru Mikami, an ordinary salaryman who’s reborn in a fantasy world as a slime monster named Rimuru after dying. While that sounds ridiculous at first, Rimuru quickly becomes one of the most overpowered protagonists in modern isekai anime. It’s kind of like Moonlit Fantasy where he begins to integrate himself into the politics of the world. Out of all the Isekai anime I’ve seen, I’d say this one is the most political while also offering a ton of fantasy elements and some great characters.
7. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
If I were to rank which of these anime were the best instead of just listing them off, Mushoku Tensei would be interchangeable with Re:Zero as number one. Middle-aged pervert gets reincarnated into a fantasy world and becomes highly skilled in magic. Personally I’m not a big fan and it won’t be for everyone, but this anime features a fantastic story and world, great visuals, and a handful of awesome characters.
8. Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun!
For the past four years, this has been my favorite anime of all time. Welcome to Demon School follows Iruma Suzuki, a kindhearted boy whose irresponsible parents literally sell him to a demon. Surprisingly, his new life turns out to be much better than his old one because the demon Sullivan treats him like a beloved grandson. But Iruma has to keep his human identity secret while attending a school full of demons. The series has an incredibly charming cast, and almost every character becomes more lovable as the story progresses, like there’s one side character who basically becomes a main character for the third season. It constantly shifts between comedy, wholesome friendships, and surprisingly emotional moments without ever losing its fun atmosphere.
9. Gate
Gate begins when a mysterious portal suddenly opens in modern-day Japan, allowing fantasy armies and monsters to invade the city. In response, the JSDF pushes into the other world to investigate what’s happening on the other side. Instead of following a typical fantasy protagonist, the anime focuses heavily on military strategy and politics, while being silly The contrast between tanks and dragons creates a lot of entertaining moments throughout the story. It gets even better when one moment the core group is in the fantasy world attacking a village with helicopters while a few episodes later they’re in Japan doing slice of life stuff.
10. Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
This was the first anime I watched when I got a Funimation account, and it was a wild experience. Cautious Hero follows the goddess Ristarte after she summons a hero with unbelievably powerful stats who also happens to be absurdly paranoid about everything. It could be the easiest fight in the world but he won’t take any chances. This allows for some hilarious moments. I don’t care too much for the supporting characters, but the chemistry between the two leads is great and the humor is fantastic.
11. The Saga of Tanya the Evil
The Saga of Tanya the Evil follows a salaryman who’s reincarnated as a young girl in an alternate world consumed by war after challenging a godlike being known as Being X. Determined to survive and rise through the military ranks, Tanya becomes one of the most terrifying soldiers on the battlefield despite her appearance. It’s too intense for me, it’s one of my least favorite personally, but it’s perfect for those who like ruthless military anime.
12. Overlord
Overlord centers around a powerful guild leader who becomes trapped inside his favorite MMORPG after the game’s servers shut down. Taking the name Ainz Ooal Gown, he discovers that the NPCs inside the game world have suddenly developed personalities and absolute loyalty toward him. Unlike many isekai protagonists, Ainz slowly becomes more detached from humanity as the story progresses. It’s kind of like The Eminence In Shadow, but with a slightly darker tone.
13. Knight’s & Magic
Knight’s & Magic follows a genius programmer and hardcore mecha fan who’s reincarnated into a fantasy world where giant magic-powered robots exist. He immediately becomes obsessed with designing and improving these machines. The anime combines fantasy magic with mecha action in a way that feels surprisingly refreshing compared to more traditional isekai stories or even other mecha stories. I normally don’t like mecha stories at all, but this is one of the few that I made it past a couple episodes.
14. Re:Creators
Re:Creators takes a unique approach to the isekai concept by bringing fictional characters into the real world instead of sending people into fantasy settings. Characters from anime, games, and novels suddenly appear in Japan and begin confronting the creators responsible for their stories and suffering. When I first watched this, I thought it had some of the best animation that I’ve seen out of any Isekai anime. The quality of the animation and fight sequences is absurd. There’s a few solid characters as well.
15. Ascendance of a Bookworm
Personally I’m not a huge fan of this one, but it’s insanely popular and the story itself is pretty good. It follows a girl who loves books so much that her dream is basically to spend her entire life reading. After dying, she’s reincarnated into a medieval fantasy world where books are incredibly rare and mostly reserved for nobles. Determined to change that, she begins using modern knowledge to slowly recreate things like paper and printing technology herself. It focuses way less on the adventuring side of Isekai, which is one of the reasons I couldn’t get into it.
16. No Game No Life
No Game No Life follows Sora and Shiro, a legendary sibling duo known online as Blank who never lose at games. After defeating a mysterious god in chess, they’re transported to a fantasy world where every conflict is settled through games instead of war. Other anime like Liar, Liar and God’s Games We Play have tried to replicate the formula, but none have managed to match how interesting the story is. The anime constantly turns simple competitions into intense psychological battles filled with mind games and strategy. While I think the story and characters are interesting, I really dislike the art style.
17. The Devil Is a Part-Timer!
Like Re:Creators, The Devil Is a Part-Timer! flips the isekai formula by sending people from other worlds to Japan. This time it’s the demon lord, but he can’t do demon lord things and is forced to live as a lowly human by getting a job and living in an apartment. The horror. The anime balances awesome humor with cool fight sequences and a college students worst nightmare. The first season is really really good, but you won’t be missing much if you end there.
18. Log Horizon
Log Horizon follows thousands of players who suddenly become trapped inside an MMORPG. Unlike many survival focused isekai stories, the anime spends much more time exploring how society and politics would realistically function inside a game world. At the center of everything is a highly intelligent strategist who uses planning and diplomacy to stabilize the chaotic situations around him.
19. Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest
Arifureta follows Hajime , a student who’s transported to another world alongside his classmates but is immediately viewed as weak because of his seemingly useless abilities. After being betrayed and left for dead inside a dangerous dungeon, Hajime is forced to survive through brutal fights that completely change him as a person. Literally his entire physique and personality do a complete 180. The anime quickly shifts from a typical underdog story into a much darker power fantasy as Hajime becomes overwhelmingly strong. It’s definitely more edgy than others and there are a few interesting characters.
20. Sword Art Online
Some people love it, some people hate it, but Sword Art Online is really the one that started it all for the Isekai jump. Kirito is one of thousands of players trapped inside a virtual reality MMORPG where dying in the game means dying in real life. In order to escape, players must clear every floor of the massive floating castle known as Aincrad. After that initial arc, things become a little more tame balancing real life and in-game stuff. I think the first arc is good, but I really love the GGO arc and think that Sword Art Online is 100% worth watching at least through that.
21. Zenshu
Zenshu follows a talented young animator whose entire life revolves around anime production. After collapsing from exhaustion, she suddenly finds herself transported into the world of an anime movie she loved as a child. She uses her skills as an animator to and change events around her. I’m not personally a big fan of the story since it’s not what I’m really used to, but the animation and art style are fantastic.
22. Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four!
Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! follows Uchimura, an exhausted office worker who suddenly gets recruited by the Demon King to become one of his elite generals. Instead of relying on overpowered combat abilities, Uchimura survives through negotiation skills, management experience, and problem solving. There are some cringe moments and some nonsense, but the show is genuinely hilarious and there are a handful of characters that are easy to fall in love with.
23. My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s
My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s follows Akira Oda after he and his classmates are summoned to another world as heroes. While everyone focuses on the flashy Hero title given to another student, Akira quietly realizes that his assassin abilities are actually far more dangerous. The only reason I watched this in the first place was because people were talking about the art style and character designs so I gave it a shot. Lots of cliches, but the story overall is pretty interesting.
24. Reincarnated as a Sword
This is definitely bottom of the barrel when it comes to things you could be reincarnated as, but it works. Reincarnated as a Sword follows a man who dies and is reborn in another world as a literal sentient sword. He meets Fran, a young catgirl whose determined to grow. The relationship between the two is pretty good, and Fran is a fun character to watch and root for.
25. Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon
Did I say the last one was bottom of the barrel? Man was I wrong. Every time I see that a new season gets announced, I question how that’s even possible. The story isn’t good and half the time stuff doesn’t make any sense, but it’s a solid guilty pleasure anime that you’ll enjoy. After dying in an accident, a vending machine enthusiast is reincarnated as an actual vending machine inside a fantasy dungeon. Unable to move or speak normally, he helps adventurers survive by providing useful items, food, and support in creative ways. I had no idea about how many different kinds of vending machines there are in Japan until watching this.
26. From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated!
This one follows a middle-aged government worker who suddenly finds himself reincarnated as the villainess of an otome game. Unlike most villainess protagonists who panic about avoiding their doomed fate, he approaches every situation with the calm mindset of an experienced father and office worker. That contrast creates a lot of hilarious moments throughout the series, especially whenever his mature personality accidentally charms everyone around him. The show is pretty hilarious overall.
27. The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World
There’s so much stupidity in this one, but I loved every second of it. It’s basically a parody of the Super Sentai series, which was what inspired the Power Rangers. This one follows Tougo Asagaki, the Red Ranger, as he’s transported to a fantasy world. I love all the characters, especially Yihdra because the chemistry between the two is great and every time Tougo does something, he befuddles her. He continues to act like a Ranger in the new world, which clashes with the fantasy setting, and it’s great.
28. Sasaki and Peeps
Sasaki and Peeps gets chaotic really quickly. It follows an ordinary office worker who buys a small bird at a pet shop. Turns out the bird is a powerful sage from another world. Sasaki is granted the ability to travel between both worlds at will and he uses that knowledge for business opportunities. That itself is a foundation for a pretty good story but then all sorts of other supernatural shenanigans begin taking place all around him and he gets roped into all sorts of fun conflicts. Even though the anime is short, it’s unpredictable and lots of fun.
29. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic
The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic follows Ken Usato, a student who accidentally gets summoned to another world alongside two actual heroes. After discovering his rare healing magic, he’s dragged into an absurdly brutal training program. The training is so rough that he thinks his mentor is some sort of monster. Instead of becoming a traditional support mage, Usato basically turns into a superhuman fighter. I like the art style and Usato is a very likeable character, personally I think he’s one of my favorite Isekai protagonists.
30. Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers
The story isn’t all that good and I probably forgot most of it a few weeks after the season end. But it has wolf wife. The show follows Flio, a merchant from another world who’s summoned to yet another world. He’s immediately outcast because he appears weak at first glance. But when he reaches level 2, he becomes the most powerful human in the world and then marries a wolf demon named Rys. You don’t have to know anything else about the anime. It’s dumb and silly, but Rys literally steals the entire show. You can just watch the show for her and be happy.
31. Uncle from Another World
Uncle from Another World follows Takafumi Takaoka. His uncle suddenly wakes up from a seventeen-year coma, but it turns out he lived in a fantasy world all that time. That’s hard to believe until his uncle reveals that he still kept all his magical abilities after waking up. It’s a very funny show that splits time between glimpses into the fantasy world and Takafumi trying to integrate his uncle back into the real world, which obviously evolved so much during those seventeen years.