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While not necessarily the most universally loved genre,isekai animeis pretty much inescapable nowadays. Each new season tells a couple of stories that involve protagonists traveling (or reincarnating) in another world, and a few of them tend to be pretty good or even great.
As the definitive anime streaming service in North America,Crunchyrollincludes the largest (legal) selection of isekai series. While not exhaustive, the platform’s library is expansive and potentially overwhelming, particularly for beginners who just want to dip their toes into these types of shows. Therefore, to help streamline the process, let’s highlightCrunchyroll’s best isekai anime.
While ranked by their overall quality to an extent, the highlighted Crunchyroll anime were chosen to represent isekai subgenres. Each section also includes a few honorable mentions.
Please click on an anime’s title to go to its Crunchyroll page.
Reverse isekai animeare almost considered a separate genre from the standard variant since they flip the formula in more ways than just the obvious. As the name suggests, these shows send fantasy characters to Earth, typically telling a fish-out-of-water story. While humor is often prioritized, reverse isekai has produced more than its fair share of action or dramatic stories.
Hinamatsurirepresents this concept at its absolute best, delivering both hilarious and surprisingly poignant moments. Nitta, a yakuza member, suddenly finds a girl in a strange pod in his apartment. A powerful esper who escaped from another dimension, Hina convinces Nitta to let her stay with him, starting an unorthodox father-daughter dynamic that brings out the best in both of them.
Isekai anime has become such a staple that even oddly specific categories are over-represented.Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kunfollows a mistreated boy who is adopted by a demon, a situation that ends up being a substantial improvement from his Earthly life. However, Iruma has to attend Babyls Demon School while keeping his humanity a secret, at least if he wants to avoid being eaten.
For the most part,Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kunis a pretty conventional shonen action-comedy. While not doing anything too novel, the anime gets the basics right and, for the most part, is just constantly amusing. The characters are generally lovable and have great banter, along with small but decent development. The action is above-average and benefits from a flashy presentation, particularly in the sequel seasons. More importantly,Iruma-kuntakes place almost entirely in Babyls and emphasizesthe protagonist’s school life.
If someone wants to get into isekai, they will need a tolerance for MMORPGs since seemingly every other show takes stats, progression systems, and concepts from the gaming genre. Despite these tropes being so common, mostanime are not specifically set in a video game, opting only to borrow a few mechanics. That said, “trapped in a game” stories come around every once in a while, and they are often among the more popular isekai releases.
One of the best entry-level isekai anime in general,Log Horizonemphasizes teamwork and cooperation far more than nearly any of its contemporaries. After thousands of gamers become trapped in an MMO, they decide that to survive, they will need to embrace their situation and attempt to genuinely fit into the world. While not devoid of action or slow-life episodes,Log Horizonis primarily concerned with the political and social sides of the equation, demonstrating the core group’s efforts to create a world that can allow them and NPCs to prosper.
Dark fantasy isekai animeare surprisingly rare, and there are not all that many great options on Crunchyroll. However,Overlordis pretty much the poster child of “evil” isekai protagonists, and it is quite a unique example of a dark fantasy story. As his favorite game is about to shut down, the protagonist decides to spend the last few minutes with his guild’s NPCs, who are all powerful entities who are subordinate to his mage character, Momonga. However, rather than logging off, he finds himself trapped as his OP character in a world similar but not identical to the game.
Overlordchronicles Momonga’s somewhat accidental march toward world domination, and his presence drenches a medieval fantasy world in darkness. Although pretty hilarious at times, the anime can be downright vicious and cruel to its weak “normal” characters, and the protagonist gradually has his humanity stripped away as he fully becomes this world’s final boss.
After an exhausting day, nothing hits the spot better than a good laugh. For the most part, isekai has a decent track record with comedy, even if some of the funniest series are not on Crunchyroll. Fortunately, the streaming service has unquestionably the most famous and, arguably, thebest isekai comedy anime:KonoSuba.
A parody that also works well as a standard entry in the genre,KonoSubarevolves around the most dysfunctional hero party in isekai, and the term “hero” is used loosely. After an embarrassing death, Kazuma is mocked by the goddess Aqua, who is tasked with sending him to another world. Consequently, for his one wish, Kazuma takes Aqua with him, a decision that he regularly comes to regret. Before long, they form a party with an explosive mage and a pain-loving crusader.
Irreverent, silly, but also not devoid of heart,KonoSubais an absolute blast from beginning to end.
Isekai loves overpowered protagonists. Every other anime seems to revolve around a character who can bench-press a mountain or defeat a dragon without much effort. The theme is infamous for being filled with unapologetic power fantasies, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with these types of stories.
Although not featuring themost OP MCin the genre,That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slimeis arguably the best traditional isekai power fantasy. The protagonist, Rimuru, starts anew as a slime, albeit one that picks up abilities by consuming monsters. Before long, he acquires considerable strength and versatility, forms a haven for non-human races, and gets involved in his new world’s political climate.
TenSuradoes nearly everything well, even if it does not excel in each area. The action set-pieces are consistently spectacular, and Rimuru is not so OP that he strips every encounter of tension. The anime develops a huge cast of characters who are more than capable of stepping into the spotlight, and the world-building is pretty decent as well.
Isekai is overall divisive, but no anime splits viewers more thanMushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. That divide comes down to Rudeus, a protagonist who starts as a fairly awful person but makes gradual improvements as the series progresses. Hard as he can be to ignore, let’s put Rudy aside and focus on the rest of the show, as there is a lot to love beyond the MC.
Mushoku Tensei’s world-building is deliberate, expertly paced, and shown rather than told. Although beginning somewhat small, the story fairly quickly opens up, sending the audience on an unpredictable journey that visits unique regions, a school, and dungeons. Building on each other and reflecting Rudy’s state of mind at the time, every arc is different. The animation is top-notch throughout, bringing to life beautiful environments andstunning displays of magic.
Re:Zerosetthe bar for isekai animein 2016, and each new season has only raised it. While not always pleasant or satisfying, White Fox’s adaptation represents the theme at its most ambitious, telling a story that puts both the characters and the audience through a harrowing journey filled with just as many lows as highs. Although frustrating at times, Subaru is a fascinating protagonist who is forced to face his insecurities, preconceptions, and arrogance, all in the hope of coming out of the other side as a better person.
Re:Zero’s hook is that Subaru’s main power is Return by Death, which means he revives at an early checkpoint after he is killed. And, he dies a lot, and they take their toll. This ability frames a lot of Subaru’s actions, butRe:Zerohas way more to offer than just neat power. The storytelling balances character development, world-building, existential horror, and politics incredibly well, creating a mix that is unlike anything else in isekai. The villains are just as captivating as the heroes, and quite a few of the latter come in shades of gray. Although action is not generally the priority,Re:Zerohas its share of memorable fights as well.
Other Great Isekai Anime On Crunchyroll That Do Not Fit Into A Category:
