With the third season of The Rising of the Shield Hero coming to a close, and no release date for the fourth announced yet, isekai anime fans are understandably starved.
The isekai genre is full of fantastical worlds and underdog characters. It also helps that there’s a certain relatability to most of the protagonists. Just like Naofumi Iwatami, most of us want to feel strong, respected, and loved. Thankfully, there are other anime to binge through, each boasting their own exciting worlds, and protagonists worth rooting for.
Arifureta: From Common Place to World’s Strongest
Just like in Shield Hero, Hajime Nagumo is summoned to a new world alongside a group of his classmates. While they are all tasked with slaying evil demons and saving the world, Hajime inherits the weakest hero class of the group. However, he soon learns how to level up his power to become a mighty hero.
Sword Art Online
A staple of the isekai genre, Sword Art Online follows Kirito as he and fifty thousand other people are dropped into a video game where the only way to exit is to win. Death in the game means real-life death, so players must be vigilant and crafty to stay alive.
Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia
While most entries in the Fate series follow a standard Holy Grail War format, Babylonia follows Fujimaru and Mash, members of the Grand Order, as they travel to ancient Babylon to retrieve the final Holy Grail and fix the singularities caused by the evil King Solomon. The two encounter King Gilgamesh and have to help the residents of Uruk defeat all kinds of evil.
Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World
Re:Zero mirrors Shield Hero as it follows a protagonist who, even after being transported to a new world, is still relatively weak. When Subaru Natsuki finds himself in a strange new world, he discovers that he now has the ability to wake up a few hours in the past every time he is killed. His power comes with the catch that the pain of his several deaths never leaves him, but he decides to use it to help his new friends.
Saga of Tanya the Evil
A nameless salaryman is transported to a war-torn, magic-infused past at the moment of his death in the body of a girl named Tanya, who is condemned to hell. Tanya decides to join the army and rise through the ranks to get to a position so high that her safety is secured, leading to a ruthless quest for power acquisition.
Overlord
Overlord follows Satoru Suzuki, who goes from leading a guild in a video game to inhabiting his character in the game, with no memory of how he fell into it. As he slowly begins to embody his character, we see Satoru grow stronger not only physically but also mentally as he embraces the darker and more calculating aspects of Ainz OOal Gown, the lord of Nazerisk.
Jobless Reincarnation
Jobless Reincarnation follows a nameless man, who, after a meaningless life, sacrifices himself to save someone and dies. Instead of nothingness, he wakes up in a magical world with all his memories of his past life. With the advantage of an adult mind, he names himself Rudeus Greyrat and is determined to make this new life count, learning magic and swordplay at an advanced rate, and gaining immense power.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Boring salaryman Satoru Mikami is reincarnated in a fantasy world as a slime creature. In a classic isekai trope, while he is initially believed to be weak and underpowered, he finds out that his slime abilities include the ability to absorb people’s powers, quickly allowing him to power up as he navigates the new world.
No Game, No Life
A common style of isekai anime is having characters be transported to the world of their favorite games. In No Game No Life, the best gamers in the world are transported to a new world where gaming determines every choice. Sora and Shiro must navigate this unknown world where life and death hang in the balance of games.
Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt Anymore So I’ll Max Out my Power
With all the attack-based anime out there, Bofuri is all about defense. The series follows Kaede Honjo who can’t stand to take any damage in the video game she plays. This leads to her only using a shield and pouring all her resources into reinforcing that shield. The anime is full of unorthodox and creative fighting styles, as she prioritizes her amazing defensive abilities.