There’s absolutely no shortage of anime genres. Our Japanese friends provide plenty of entertaining content- from Comedy to Sci-Fi to Romance and Action.
Then there is a long list of anime-exclusive genres like Slice of Life, Mecha, Shonen, Josei, Harem, and plenty more.
But, few of these genres are as popular as isekai.
Although anime paints isekai in pop-culture colors, the genre is as old as time. It’s been a part of Japanese literature since the 1900s.
But, books like Alice in the Wonderland indicate that English literature started isekai adventures in the 1800s.
We’re just happy that it’s a thing because it has provided fantastic manga and anime over the years.
And having consumed so much, we decided to create this best isekai anime list.
But before we get to that list, here’s something for the uninitiated.
What Is Isekai Anime?
In Japanese, isekai translates to “otherworld” or “different world”. In this genre, the protagonist travels to another dimension/world/universe where they need to survive and complete different quests.
This transportation to a different world opens up countless possibilities for the creators. Isekai, fused with other genres, is filled with engaging and entertaining content, and it always leaves you wanting more.
So, it’s a good thing we found 30 top isekai animes for you.
Best Isekai Anime List
Our list of top isekai animes has got a little bit of everything. You’ll find Comic-Action fusions, Romance focus, and plenty more unconventional fusions.
1. Re: Zero – Starting Life In Another World
- Release Date – April 4, 2016
- Episodes – 50 + 4 specials
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
Re: Zero – Starting Life In Another World is a 2016 anime series that has expanded over 2 Seasons. Both Seasons have 25 episodes in total and 4 specials. You’re set for days. And the premise is captivating.
The protagonist is transported into an MMORPG-looking world and is just trying to survive. But, the re-spawning has made his second life hell, just like his first one.
2. Log Horizon
- Release Date – October 5, 2013
- Episodes – 62
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
If MMORPG animes are your thing, you’ll love Log Horizon. The protagonists are powerful, strategically smart, and vulnerable, making the series that much more realistic and believable.And with everything set in the world of Elder Tale, viewers are in for a treat.
3. Digimon Adventure
- Release Date – March 7, 1999
- Episodes – 104
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
Seven children transported into the world of Digimons will try and figure out how they landed in the Digital World and how to get back. Some Digimons are helpful, others not so much. And there’s little help for the kids to survive the Digital World.
It’s so much fun and sometimes absolute chaos. Lucky for us, the show has 4 Seasons, and you can stream all of them on Amazon Prime.
4. The Devil Is a Part-Timer!
- Release Date – April 4, 2013
- Episodes – 13
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
This anime does things a bit differently, and we like to call it reverse-isekai. Because in “The Devil Is A Part-Timer,” the protagonist joins the normal world to work at a burger joint. The interesting part, the protagonist is Satan himself.
Every episode is fast-paced and there’s some excellent comedy in there. Satan’s fighting for a minimum wage, and you do not want to miss it.
5. Inuyasha
- Release Date – October 16, 2000
- Episodes – 193 + 4 films
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
If you’ve never seen an isekai anime before, we suggest you start with one of the classics.
Everyone’s after the Shikon Jewel in feudal Japan where demons roam free. Two unlikely heroes come together to try and save the day, but the journey proves to be long and hard.
6. Saga Of Tanya The Evil
- Release Date – February 8, 2019
- Episodes – 12
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
A young girl named Tanya fights a world war and has a battle of wits against God. The girl wants power and peace while God wants to break her will. Plot twist, the girl is a man from Japan who challenged God.
So, God threw him into a magical world that’s at war.
7. Mysterious Play
Mysterious Play is, in our opinion, the best isekai anime of all time.
- Release Date – October 25, 1996
- Episodes – 52
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
Before everyone started using portals and whatnot, Mysterious Play used a book to transport the characters to an unfamiliar world. The chaos begins when everyone starts looking for ways to summon Suzaku who’ll grant everyone’s wishes.
There’s just one Season to watch, but it’s got 52 episodes.
8. KonoSuba: God’s Blessing On This Wonderful World
- Release Date – January 13, 2016
- Episodes – 20 + 2 specials
- Watch it – Crunchyroll
KonoSuba is one of the funniest isekai anime you’ll ever see. From Kazuma’s humorous death to forming a duo with Aqua, the show keeps getting funnier and funnier. The premise also takes a comical turn when the characters want to embark on adventures but don’t have enough money.
Turns out that living in a magical land from a video game isn’t cheap.
9. Re: Creators
- Release Date – April 18, 2017
- Episodes – 22
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
This isekai anime is one of our top picks and you just have to watch it because of the unique premise it sets.
The anime is about a high school student aspiring to become a light novelist. And one fateful day, characters from other manga and anime start appearing in the real world. The creators are face-to-face with their creations.
How will it all pan out? That’s for you to find out.
10. Overlord
- Release Date – July 7, 2015
- Episodes – 39
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
Overlord is one of the most popular isekai anime of all time. Season 1 came out in 2015, and the creators are still churning out quality content. With Season 4 out, Overlord might just be the biggest isekai anime of 2022.
The protagonist’s favorite MMORPG is about to be shut down. So, he decides to log in one last time. The game shuts down, and our hero can’t log out.
Now, he must survive a digital world that’s filled with NPCs that have become conscious.
11. Gate
- Release Date – July 4, 2015
- Episodes – 24
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
A large gate appears in Tokyo out of which medieval warriors and supernatural creatures appear. It’s an invasion. The Japan Self Defense Forces (JSDF) kicks into action trying to protect citizens and trying to find more about this GATE that appeared out of nowhere.
The adventure and action in this anime are top-notch, and all episodes are filled with it.
12. Didn’t I Say Make My Abilities Average In The Next Life?!
- Release Date – October 7, 2019
- Episodes – 12
- Watch it – GoGoAnime
This is another one of those anime that recycles an overused idea but does not mess it up. The isekai touch is the real savior here.
The show follows Misato Kurihara. She’s an overpowered mage who is fed up with her powers and wants to live a normal and boring life. And that seems a possibility when she suddenly dies and gets the chance to be reincarnated as she wants.
Having longed for it all her previous life, Misato asks to be born as an average girl. Instead, her powers in this life exceed the previous. So, she escapes to a faraway kingdom and enrolls in a school to live an average life and make friends.
13. Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren’t They?
- Release Date – January 12, 2013
- Episodes – 10
- Watch it – HiDive
With 10 episodes of 24 minutes each, this could well be the shortest isekai anime on our list.
It’s a story of 3 teenagers with OP psychic powers. They are quite bored in their mundane lives, so they are invited to a new world called the Little Garden. In this wide world of games and warfare, these teenagers need to restore a community destroyed by the demon lords.
14. I’m Standing On A Million Lives
- Release Date – October 2, 2020
- Episodes – 24
- Watch it – Crunchyroll
Think of Jumanji but without the annoying comic relief.
I’m Standing On A Million Lives is about a boy who would rather be in a video game than deal with real people. His wish comes true when he gets sucked into a virtual world where he teams up with 2 other people.
Now, the 3 of them must work together to defeat monsters, survive the demanding world, and complete the quest within 14 days.
Because the characters can respawn, you’ll get to enjoy plenty of deaths in ways you’ve never imagined.
15. Nobunaga Concerto
- Release Date – January 23, 2016
- Episodes – 10
- Watch it – Crunchyroll
An underrated gem that’s got everything you could ask for in an isekai anime, and a trip to Sengoku Era Japan is just one of them.
A carefree high school student, Saburou finds himself in front of General Nobunaga Oda. Saburou and Oda look eerily similar. So, the General asks the young boy to take his place and try to unite Japan.
Saburou has no choice as the General leaves some necessary items for the boy and flees the scene. What follows is some of the best anime writing we’ve ever seen.
16. Outbreak Company
- Release Date – October 3, 2013
- Episodes – 12
- Watch it – Crunchyroll
After being kidnapped and transported to the Eldant Empire, the protagonist, Shinichi Kanou is appointed as the Otaku Missionary by the Japanese Government.
He now has to promote Otaku culture and try to develop diplomatic ties between the Eldant Empire and modern-day Japan.
17. Drifters
- Release Date – October 7, 2016
- Episodes – 12
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
A near-dead Toyohisa Shimazu is transported to a world of war. Drifters and Ends, the two groups, are having a battle of wits and fists to claim the Orte Empire. Toyohisa will team up with other legendary warriors from different worlds and join the Drifters.
Everyone’s favorite warlord Nobunaga Oda is also a part of Drifters.
Will the Drifters win or will the Ends end everything? That’s for you to find out.
18. Restaurant To Another World
- Release Date – July 4, 2017
- Episodes – 12
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
This one is an opinion divider.
Restaurant To Another World is another reverse isekai anime that opens the doors to other world beings. An ordinary restaurant in Tokyo serves monsters, dragons, fairies, elves, and all sorts of otherworldly beings on Saturdays.
It doesn’t seem much but the writing is terrific, and the execution makes it a worthy binge-watch.
19. No Game, No Life
- Release Date – April 9, 2014
- Episodes – 12
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
Step-siblings Sora and Shiro land on Disboard- a gaming world where the winner takes all. The siblings are ultra geniuses, master gamers, and humanity’s only hope for survival on Disboard.
Their adventure extends to games, helping out a princess, and eventually ruling the kingdom themselves.
20. Wise Man’s Grandchild
- Release Date – April 10, 2019
- Episodes – 12
- Watch it – Crunchyroll
Wise Man’s Grandchild follows Shin- a young magician who joins the Magic Academy to polish his magical skills while trying to develop social skills. But because he is an apprentice of the famous Merlin Wolford, he’s already a celebrity.
Plus, the monster showing up doesn’t make life any easier for the Shin.
21. Cautious Hero
- Release Date – October 2, 2019
- Episodes – 12
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
A hero that’s overpowered and over-cautious.
The goddess Ristarte transports a hero that would save her world from monsters. She finds a super strong fighter who is a little too careful. From his armors to his training, everything is absolute overkill.
But he does the dirty work, and that’s what matters.
22. In Another World With My Smartphone
- Release Date – July 11, 2017
- Episodes – 12
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
A lightning strike accidentally kills Touya Mochizuki. As an apology, God revives him in a different world and he gets one wish. What does he ask for? His smartphone, of course.
His new magical world is filled with cute girls. So, Touya will use his smartphone, learn magic, and enjoy the company of these cute girls to discover the new world.
23. My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!
- Release Date – April 5, 2020
- Episodes – 12
- Watch it – GoGoAnime
For a change, the protagonist turns into the antagonist.
After her death, a young girl is reborn into a video game but as the villainess. Soon she finds out that no matter what she does, she will die again in the end. She sets out to change her fate, and the result is one of the most entertaining isekai anime of 2020.
24. Arifureta: From Commonplace To World’s Strongest
- Release Date – July 8, 2019
- Episodes – 13
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
A group of high school students is given fantastical powers and transported to a fantasy world where they’ll be fighting monsters to save humanity. One of them is Hajime, who gets puny powers and his friends make fun of him.
The story kicks off when Hajime is betrayed and thrown into the abyss. He’ll have to develop his powers and get back for revenge.
25. Now And Then, Here And There
- Release Date – October 14, 1999
- Episodes – 13
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
This has to be one of the top isekai animes of all time.
Released back in 2000, this short series follows a boy who gets transported to a parallel Earth that’s about to be swallowed by the Sun.
As more characters enter the scene, the story opens wide and we are gripped into the story of Shuu and Lala-Ru.
26. Sword Art Online
- Release Date – July 7, 2012
- Episodes – 96
- Watch it – Crunchyroll
Players rush in to enjoy the Sword Art Online virtual reality game as soon as it is released. But no one knows about the trap. The creators of the game take away the log-out option, and thousands of players are stuck inside. Furthermore, in-game death will result in real-time death as well.
Adventures, quests, in-game challenges, and boss battles just got real.
27. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
- Release Date – January 11, 2021
- Episodes – 23 + 1 special
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
A 34-year-old who suffered his entire life meets a fitting death when he gets hit by a bus. But, he gets a second chance to live the life of a hero. He’s reborn as an infant in a magical land.
He remembers everything from his past life, and that helps him become exceptional at magic.
Maybe the second life suits him better.
28. The Vision Of Escaflowne
- Release Date – April 2, 1996
- Episodes – 13
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
Hitomi Kanzaki helps the prince of Fanelia in defeating a vicious dragon. And as a reward, she gets sucked into the world of Gaea. It’s similar to Earth, but it’s hanging in the sky.
Hitomi soon finds out that this world is at war and the prince’s kingdom is all but lost. They’ll embark on a journey of their lives to get the kingdom back from the evil empire of Zaibach.
29. .hack//Sign
- Release Date – April 4, 2002
- Episodes – 26
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
Tsukasa, a young master gamer, wakes up in an MMORPG video game where he quickly makes enemies because of his looks. The in-game characters think he is a hacker while he is just trying to figure out why he can’t log out of the game.
A guardian vows to protect Tsukasa and help him on his journey to find the truth. But the Crimson Knights are about.
30. The Twelve Kingdoms
- Release Date – April 9, 2002
- Episodes – 45
- Watch it – Amazon Prime
The Twelve Kingdoms is the story of a young girl who always gets the cold shoulder from her classmates because of her red hair. But all that changes when a mysterious man from a mysterious kingdom appears out of thin air and bows before her.
Youko Nakajima is the only heir to the kingdom and it’s time she sits on the throne. But with the throne come plenty of thorns.
And that concludes our best isekai anime list. And we couldn’t shorten this list anymore if we wanted. These anime are filled with action, adventure, and thrill. Some even have great comic relief.
So, start from the bottom, and watch every single one. With our anime list, you are set for weeks.