The isekai genre by itself is one of the best in anime. There are plenty of different isekai series, each tackling their own unique story through beautiful themes, wonderful characters, and a litany of story elements that would make a fan out of anyone. At its core, isekai is an incredibly simple concept that thrives in a myriad of executions. Isekai series see a character from Earth transported to an entirely new world — for better or for worse.

That's really the only qualification for an isekai series, and from that starting point, series pretty much do their own thing. Some series give their characters tons of powers when they get transported, making them one of the strongest characters in their new worlds from the second they get there. Other series aren't as generous, forcing their characters to adapt to their new worlds quickly.

9 That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

Animated By Eight Bit, Based on the Light Novel By Fuse and Mitz Vah

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime TV Series Poster

Your Rating

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Release Date
October 5, 2018
Directors
Yasuhito Kikuchi
Writers
Kazuyuki Fudeyasu
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Brittney Karbowski
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Alexis Tipton

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Creator(s)
Yasuhito Kikuchi

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is one of the most fun and wholesome isekai series around. 37-year-old Satoru Mikami was a normal corporate worker living in Tokyo, Japan in his previous life. When he saves his friend from a stabbing, getting stabbed instead, he dies and is transported to a new world filled with magic and monsters.

Mikami is reincarnated as a slime named Rimuru. While slimes are usually some of the weakest creatures in any world they find themselves in, Rimuru has the ability to consume objects around him and gain strength. He quickly becomes one of the strongest characters in Reincarnated as a Slime.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is one of the best isekai series of all time because it can simultaneously be carefree and action-packed. Rimuru's life is almost always filled with joy, and if it isn't, he has the power to take down nearly any threat sent his way.

8 Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy

Animated By C2C and J.C. Staff, Based on the Light Novel By Kei Azumi & Mitsuaki Matsumoto

Tsukimichi Moonlit Fantasy

Your Rating

Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy
TV-14
Release Date
2021 - 2024
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Natsuki Hanae
    Makoto
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Ayane Sakura
    Tomoe

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy is exactly what it wants to be: a top-tier power fantasy from top to bottom. Misumi Makoto was transported to the world of Elysion seemingly out of nowhere. He was supposed to be the world's hero, but the Goddess who brought him over called him ugly and threw him away to the furthest corner of the world.

Thankfully, the God Tsukuyomi blessed Makoto with considerable power before he left. Makoto then focused on becoming the strongest character in Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy, eventually gaining powers that rival the Goddess herself.

Tsukimichi is great because it isn't anything other than itself. It doesn't ever take itself too seriously, and the few moments when Makoto really does need to use his extensive powers are always exciting. With Mio and Tomoe at his side, there isn't a single character in the series that can harm the Demiplane or its residents directly.

7 I Was Reincarnated As The 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability

Animated By Tsumugi Akita Animation Lab, Based on the Light Novel By Kenkyo na Circle and Meru

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability

Your Rating

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability
Release Date
April 2, 2024
Network
TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Makoto Koichi
    Lloyd de Saloum
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Fairouz Ai
    Grim

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

I Was Reincarnated As The 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability is one of the longest and most straightforward names in anime. The series is an interesting isekai because Prince Lloyd, the titular 7th Prince, was actually reincarnated into the same world that he died in.

In his previous life, he was a lowly peasant with no real magical ability. Most of the people with a strong affinity for magic were of noble birth, and, as a commoner, the man had no real chance. After he died, he was lucky enough to be reincarnated into the royal line. He also obtained all of his memories from his past life, giving him a head start from the moment he was born again.

Prince Lloyd comes back and wreaks havoc on anyone unlucky enough to underestimate him. He's so strong from an early age that it's ridiculous. Not only is he strong, but his memories from his past life give him a level of intelligence that rivals every character in the series.

6 Overlord

Animated By Madhouse, Based on the Light Novel By Kugane Maruyama & so-bin

Overlord

Your Rating

Overlord
Release Date
2015 - 2022
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Satoshi Hino
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Chris Guerrero

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Most isekai series star a character heading to a new world and changing it for the better. These characters usually pit themselves against the Demon Lord of the world they enter, fighting for the moral good side. Overlord takes a different stance. Instead of fighting for good, Ainz Ooal Gown, the titular Overlord, fights for himself.

Overlord is one of the best isekai series of all time because of how interesting and unique its premise is. Ainz isn't inherently evil, but he's certainly not trying to be good either. He's nobody's hero, and because of how strong he is, nobody wants to be his enemy.

Overlord is unapologetic. Ainz does what he wants when he wants; even if there was someone strong enough to stop him, they're not around yet. Watching Ainz get accustomed to his new world while he dominates it makes for one of the most darkly refreshing isekai adventures around.

5 The Eminence In Shadow

Animated By Nexus, Based on the Light Novel By Daisuke Aizawa and Tōzai

The Eminence in Shadow (2022)

Your Rating

The Eminence in Shadow
TV-14
Animation
Comedy
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Action & Adventure
Release Date
2022 - 2023
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Seiichiro Yamashita
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Asami Seto

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

The Eminence in Shadow is unhinged in the best way possible. Like One Punch Man, Shadow is so much stronger than every other character in the series that it's hilarious. Nobody realizes that he's in a completely different league until it's too late. For those who do know Shadow's true strength, they can't help but revere him like a god.

Related
10 Best Eminence in Shadow Fights, Ranked

The Eminence in Shadow is known for Shadow's absurd Atomic powers and some of the best fights in isekai, but which fights are the best in the series?

2

The Eminence in Shadow stands out right away — its premise is one of the funniest in anime. In his previous life as Minoru Kageno, Shadow was a vigilante on Earth who loved fighting and showing off his skills. He's the perfect person to be reincarnated in a new world with a host of abilities he wished he would've had in his past life.

Now as the Eminence in Shadow that he's always wanted to be, Shadow is basically a superhero (or super villain, depending on how a character feels about him). He's the strongest character in his world by far. When he shows off his absurd strength, it's always at an atomic level.

4 Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Animated By Studio Bind, Based on the Light Novel Series By Rifujin na Magonote & Shirotaka

Mushoku Tensei Jobless Reincarnation

Your Rating

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Release Date
January 11, 2021
Network
Tokyo MX, KBS Kyoto, BS11
Directors
Sayaka Tsuji, Yoshitsugu Kimura, Ayumu Uwano, Yui Kanbe, Takahiro Tamano, Chihiro Kumano, Ouri Yasukawa, Mihiro Yamaguchi, Michiru Itabisashi, Kento Shintani, Nao Miyoshi, Shingo Fujii, Asahi Oka, Fumiaki Kataoka
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Yumi Uchiyama
    Rudeus Greyrat's Former Self(voice)
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Tomokazu Sugita
    Pilemon Notos Greyrat (voice)

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Writers
Kohei Urushibara, Atsushi Takayama, Hirohisa Saito, Muneo Nakamoto
Creator(s)
Rifujin Na Magonote

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is one of the deepest, most thought-provoking anime series of all time. The story stars Rudeus Greyrat, a mage with an incredibly high potential in the field of magic. In his past life, he was a 34-year-old shut-in who shunned the world that he felt shunned him. The series centers on his new life and his growth as he explores all the aspects of existence that he ignored when he was a shut-in.

Rudeus' journey takes center stage in Mushoku Tensei, and that's one of the biggest reasons to watch the series. The series watches Rudy from the time he was a baby to his growth as an extremely powerful mage. It's a complicated, winding journey filled with gods, monsters, and all sorts of magic.

While there are more than a few controversial aspects to the series, the story itself is pretty impressive based on its scope. Not only does the series cover Rudy's entire life, but it also sees him travel the world, start a family, and so much more.

3 Re:Zero − Starting Life In Another World

Animated By White Fox, Based on the Light Novel Series By Tappei Nagatsuki & Shin'ichirō Ōtsuka

Re-Zero -Starting Life in Another World- - Poster

Your Rating

Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
Release Date
April 3, 2016
Network
TV Tokyo, AT-X
Directors
Hiroyuki Tsuchiya, Kazuomi Koga, Yoshito Mikamo, Masaharu Watanabe, Yoshinobu Tokumoto, Masahiro Shinohara, Hideyo Yamamoto, Manabu Okamoto, Takashi Sakuma, Daisuke Takashima, Naoko Takeichi
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Yûsuke Kobayashi
    Subaru Natsuki (voice)
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Rie Takahashi
    Emilia (voice)

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming
BUY

Writers
Yoshiko Nakamura

Re:Zero − Starting Life In Another World is an exceptional series for anyone who wants to leave with more questions that answers. Re:Zero stars Natsuki Subaru, a shut-in from Japan who finds himself in an entirely new world. While a lot of other isekai protagonists gain exciting powers when they enter their new world, Subaru's is one of the most bittersweet.

Subaru has the ability to Return by Death. After he dies, he goes back in time to a moment when he was alive, retaining all of his memories in the process. Return by Death helps Subaru on more than one occasion, but that doesn't change the fact that he has to go through several brutal deaths throughout the series to make use of the ability.

Related
Subaru's 10 Most Brutal Deaths in Re: Zero

Subaru is a noble character who has grown braver as Re:Zero progresses, making his Return by Death power even more brutal to watch

Re:Zero is one of the best isekai series because of how deep it is. The series shows a shut-in becoming a hero to many, and they don't even know about the brutality he has to suffer just to accomplish his goals. He's died so many times that most other anime protagonists would be driven insane, but Subaru has managed to hold it together, at least so far.

2 The Saga Of Tanya The Evil

Animated By NUT, Based on the Light Novel By Carlo Zen and Shinobu Shinotsuki

Saga of Tanya the Evil (2017)

Your Rating

Saga of Tanya the Evil
TV-MA
Animation
Drama
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
War & Politics
Release Date
2017 - 2021-00-00
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Aoi Yuki
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Saori Hayami

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming
BUY

Creator(s)
Carlo Zen

The Saga of Tanya the Evil is truly an isekai series without equal. It stars Tanya von Degurechaff as she looks to wage war on an entirely different scale than anyone thought possible. In her previous life, Tanya was an ordinary Japanese salary man who didn't care much for metaphysical beings like God.

When she died, she blasphemed God, saying that even in death she wouldn't believe in such an idea. God, dubbed Being X by Tanya, then reincarnates the faithless character into a world with magic that feels similar to World War One or World War Two in Europe.

Even in her new world, Tanya still doesn't believe in God. She flies around the battlefield like a true one-man-army, demolishing any enemy soldiers unfortunate enough to cross with her. Tanya is deranged in the best way possible — even her comrades are scared of her. Her true insanity is one of the reasons why The Saga of Tanya the Evil is one of the best isekai series around.

1 KonoSuba: God's Blessing On This Wonderful World!

Animated By Studio Deen, Based on the Light Novel Series Written By Natsume Akatsuki and Illustrated By Kurone Mishima

KonoSuba God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! (2016)

Your Rating

KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!
Release Date
2016 - 2025-00-00
Directors
Takaomi Kanasaki
Writers
Natsume Akatsuki, Aoi Akashiro, Touko Machida, Kojiro Nakamura, Makoto Uezu, Alexander Von David
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Jun Fukushima
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Sora Amamiya

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Creator(s)
Natsume Akatsuki

KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! is easily one of the funniest isekai series of all time. The series stars Kazuma Satou as he's reincarnated into a new world. When he's getting processed, the Goddess Aqua allows him to take one thing with him into the new world, when she laughs at him, he decides to choose her.

It's a hilarious series from the start. Aqua had no idea that she could even be picked, and her adventures with Kazuma only get funnier as the series progresses. Kazuma then adds a Crusader named Darkness to his squad and an Archmage named Megumin, and together, the four make up one of the most useless squads in anime.

There aren't many anime series that can keep up with KonoSuba's writing. It's one of the funniest, quickest, and wittiest series around thanks to the back-and-forth between Kazuma and his teammates. There's never a dry moment in the series, and that's precisely why KonoSuba deserves nothing less than a 10/10.