We're all a little sick of the Isekai anime at this point. What started as a fairly novel concept ended up turning into a tropey, cookie-cutter genre that had more misses than hits. It's more than fair for any anime fan to feel Isekai fatigue and turn them off from everything the genre has to offer.[pteventuallysnowballedintoatropeycookie-cuttergenrethathadmoremissesthanitdidhitsIt'smorethanfairforanyanimefantofeeltheIsekaifatigueandhaveitturnthemofffromwhateverthegenrehastooffer[pteventuallysnowballedintoatropeycookie-cuttergenrethathadmoremissesthanitdidhitsIt’smorethanfairforanyanimefantofeeltheIsekaifatigueandhaveitturnthemofffromwhateverthegenrehastooffer
But there are still plenty of amazing Isekai anime out there that not only build on the great series that came before them, but work to add new wrinkles to the formula in hopes of standing out in a sea of long titles and familiar settings. 2010 was a great decade for anime fans interested in the Isekai genre, with some classics falling through the decades. Here's a look at the best from each year of the decade.
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2010: Digimon Fusion
It's hard to believe when Isekai is oversaturated, but 2010 was actually quite lean for Isekai anime. The only series that can really count as Isekai that year is Digimon Fusion.
The series follows high school student Taiki Kudo, who is sent to the Digital World with his friends Akari and Zenjira after rescuing a seriously injured Digimon named Shoutmon. Now stranded and far from home, Taiki and his friends set out to stop the Bagra army from taking over the digital world with the help of their new companions.
2011: Dog Days
Dog days is a pretty standard Isekai setup. Shinku Izumi is summoned to an alternate version of Earth called Flonyard, where all humans have animal tails and ears. Shinka was summoned by the dog princess Biscotti Republic Millhiore to fend off an attack by the feline Galette Leo Knights.
There is nothing so special about it Dog daysbut it's a fun throwback and an enjoyable enough watch. It's an incredibly tropey anime, but for early 2010 Isekai, it gets the job done.
2012: Familiar of Zero F
It's a series that many anime fans have either forgotten about or never heard of, but Familiar of Zero was very influential in popularizing the Isekai genre. The popularity of the light novel and the subsequent popularity of fan fiction based on the novel is what paved the way for the modern Isekai boom. Some writers, e.g Re: Zero Tappei Nagatsuki, studied writing Known from Zero fan fiction and create your own original works and have great success doing it.
Familiar of Zero F is the final season of the anime adaptation where Saito and Louise take down King Joseph after the events of the third season. At only 12 episodes, it feels like a bit of a rushed product, but for the most part, it's still a nice conclusion. If you are an Isekai fan and have never heard of it or come across it Familiar of Zeroit should definitely be on your watch list.
2013: The Devil is a part-timer!
Unlike everything else you'll see on this list, The devil is a temp! is a reverse Isekai series that takes beings from another world and places them on Earth instead. The series follows a Demon Lord from a world called Ente Isla and his general Alciel as they flee to Earth during a conflict with the heroine Emilia and her forces. Powerless on Earth, the Demon Lord (who goes by Sadao on Earth) begins working as a temp at a fast food chain restaurant called MgRonald's, while Alciel takes on the role of housekeeper. But when they encounter the heroine Emilia on Earth, the trio's past lives in Ente Isla begin to catch up with them.
The devil is a temp! is a really fun series. Not only is it a great reverse Isekai, but it's also one of the best comedy anime of 2010. The dynamic between Sadao and Emilia (Emi) is interesting as the two's enmity from their lives in Ente Isla turns into a lighter rivalry on Earth that drives a lot of the show's comedy.
2014: No Game, No Life
No game, no life is one of the most unique Isekai you'll watch, but the series has its issues. It follows reclusive half-siblings Soru and Shiro, who have earned a reputation as prolific online gamers under the nickname “Blank”. But when the pair receive a mysterious message, they are transported to another world called the Disboard.
Rather than focusing on intense combat and massive battles, No game, no life focuses on various games, with Sora and Shiro challenging various members of the 16 Disboard species on behalf of humanity, with the ultimate goal of challenging the god of the world, Teta. The games themselves are really engaging and having Isekai less focused on combat is a breath of fresh air. But No game, no life she suffers from some pretty egregious fanservice that turns fans away from her.
2015: Overlord
Even if you're not actually a fan of the Isekai genre, you've probably heard of it Ruler before. It is one of the biggest anime of 2010 with over 50 episodes over four seasons and a movie called sacred kingdom, which was released in 2024.
When the long-running virtual reality MMORPG YGGDRASIL announces that it will shut down its servers, Momonga, the leader of one of the game's most powerful guilds, Ainz Ooal Gown, decides to stay in the game as the servers shut down. But when the shutdown time expires, Momonga remains conscious and the NPCs become sentient. Momonga, trapped in his avatar's body, sets out to find out what happened.
2016: Re:ZERO -We start life in another world-
While most Isekai feel quite formulaic and dated, Re: ZERO it stands out because it takes some pretty big swings with its narrative and characters. The series follows retired Subaru Natsuki who is inexplicably brought to another world called the Kingdom of Lugunica. After befriending a girl named Emilia, Subaru is killed and revived hours before his death. With this new “Death Return” ability, Subaru sets out to help Emilia on her journey to become Lugunic's next ruler while trying to piece together the truth about his powers and why he was sent to Lugunic.
It's easy to see why Re:ZERO is up there as one of the most famous Isekai. It takes a fairly standard setup and does some really interesting things with it, standing in an ocean of trope and formulaic Isekai that would come before and after it. Subaru is a really well-written protagonist, lacking many of Isekai's typical overpowered, self-absorbed traits, and is instead presented as a very flawed, normal person trying to navigate his traumatic power.
2017: KonoSuba: God's Blessing to this Wonderful World! 2
He had Re: ZERO not released in the same year KonoSuba would definitely be the best choice for the best Isekai of 2016. Although the first season was great, season 2 really managed to build on everything that made the first season great and deliver incredible laughs.
KonoSuba follows Kazuma Satou, another closeted man who is transported to a magical world. Kazuma gets a chance to start a new life in an RPG-like world after he dies in an embarrassing way on Earth. After being humiliated by the goddess Aqua, Kazuma maliciously drags her with him to the town of Axel, where the two have nothing and are struggling to make ends meet. He ends up teaming up with Darkness, a masochistic crusader who has trouble hitting anything, and Megumin, a young mage who can only use incredibly powerful but exhausting explosive magic. While everyone else seems to be having their own amazing adventures, Kazuma finds himself stuck in his dysfunctional gang and desperately trying to make ends meet in this new world.
2018: That time I was reincarnated as slime
One of Isekai's most popular series and still going strong, That time I was reincarnated as slime is among the best the genre has to offer. While titles like Re: ZERO and KonoSuba hit big, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is in a league of its own.
The series follows a platman Satoru Mikami who, after being murdered on the street, hears a strange voice that he does not understand. When he wakes up, Satoru discovers that he is now a slime capable of mimicking the appearance of anything he consumes. After befriending a dragon named Veldora, she is given the name Rimuru Tempest. As Rimuru gets used to her new body, she embarks on an exciting adventure.
2019: Isekai Quartet
In the late 2010s, a lot of different Isekai series appeared and gained a large following. The Isekai craze reigned for a decade, and right at the end of it, anime fans got to see all their favorite series in one show.
Isekai Quartet is a crossover series with characters from Re: ZERO, Konosuba, Ruler, The Saga of Tanya the Evil, as well as Rising of the Shield Hero and Eminence in the shade later. The anime puts the main characters from each series into another strange, new world, this time all interacting in a high school setting. Isekai Quartet is a fun watch, but might be more enjoyable if you know most if not all of the series it covers.
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