Summary
There are hundreds ofIsekai AnimeStories out there, but some of them have never made it out of their first season. So, what do thesemold-breaker Isekai Animehave in common? They have surpassed the fans' expectations.
Be it for their originality or for presenting a new spin on the overused trope of ‘heroes summoned to another world,’ these series might have had a rough start but climbed to the top of the genre in no time. From the story of a vengeful discarded hero who fights for the oppressed to a crazy tale of an evil corporation invading another world.
Rising of The Shield Herowasn’t an immediate hit since the story dealt with some heavy topics like bullying, abuse, and false accusations against one of the characters.The story of this animedidn’t have an immediate impact, more so, because it is bound to the old trope of ‘betrayed hero seeks revenge.’
But everything changed as fans connected with the characters, especially Raphtalia, who became the most popular female lead of the series. After that, it has been one successful Arc after the other, turning into one of the best Isekai anime of all time.
High School Prodigies Have It Easy In Another Worldis an Isekai Anime that has tons of interesting features, such asthe construction of the worldand the combination of certain typical tropes like kingdom management with overpowered heroes that already have their skillsets predefined even before being summoned.
Fans who have read the manga and the light novel will know that it takes quite a lot of Arcs for the story to get really interesting. Thankfully, the anime adaptation cut to the chase and sped things up, which proved to be a masterful strategy. The show got a fair reception and praise despite being the average Isekai.
Despite having a ton and a half of cliché tropes, Wise Man’s Grandchild did pretty decently. And that might be due to its main antagonist, who has the perfect balance between the Just Cause trope and a tragic past background to make the audience find him somewhat relatable.
At the same time the crazy overpowered main hero avoids forming a harem, and that gave it extra points and made the flimsy plot a little more bearable. Still, it is undeniable that this series did better than expected, and that is all thanks to Oliver Schtrom (coolest isekai Villain nameever).
There are few characters in the Isekai culture that can draw both the best and the worst of the human condition all in one fell swoop like Rudeus Greyrat. The show started as controversial as an isekai story can get and did nothing but increase the distaste of the audience for perverted Isekai characters ever since.
But, at some point, the consequences of his actions hit Rudeus like a demolition maul, since the author gave it much-needed character development. Ever since,Mushoku Tenseihas kept growing, Arc after Arc, earning millions of fans. So, in the long run, it succeeded in overcoming all odds and the audience’s expectations.
WhenTsukimichi Moonlith Fantasywas announced, there was not too much hype about the series. The Manga didn’t have enough popularity in the Western world to draw the attention of the audience. So, fans were skeptical about the relative success of the anime.
Luckily, thanks to its impressive production and rise to power as one of the top Isekai series, it made it to season 2, and now a third season has already been confirmed. It might be due to its relatable main character, who stands for those who are discriminated against and doesn’t fear going into full destruction mode if someone hurts his friends.
Ascendance of a Bookwormis about a book fan who got dropped into a world where books are a precious resource that are not accessible to the masses. So, she decided to introduce some culture to the world by creating a paper press and distributing books at an accessible price.
Ascendance of a Bookworm might be considered a boring Isekai anime, but in truth, it is quite interesting and fun. Plenty of decent tropes, character developments, and beautiful character designs. Those are the main reasons why this Isekai triumphed despite all odds.
Despite all odds,Log Horizonhas becomeone of the best Isekai Animeof all time, even after suffering from heavy criticism due to its many plot holes, abuse of filler elements, and plot armor for some of its characters.
Even when fans were shocked by some of the characters' deaths, they got back up with resurrection, which definitely diminished the impact and the stakes of the show. Filler episodes that added nothing to the world-building and only delayed the progress of the show almost brought this series down.
Natsume Akatsuki (author of Konosuba, Kemono Michi, among others) nearly crossed the line withCombatants Will Be Dispatched, a series where the main characters are a Loli Combat Android with a Foul Mouth (Alice), and a perverted bio-engineered Super Soldier (Humber 6). The plot revolves around the consolidation of Kisaragi, an evil company hellbent on world conquest, and its plans for extending its reach to other realms.
So, their ridiculously sharply dressed leaders send the lamest of all combatants to this other world and order Alice to be his babysitter since he can barely do anything againstthe monsters that live in the other world. There were dozens of times when this show got nearly canceled, and still, due to Akatsuki’s zany humor, it persisted long enough to become popular. We will have to wait and see if a new season is announced, but due to the author being focused on Konosuba, it will take some time until we hear news of Season 2.
