Being in an isekai anime can be fairly advantageous for the protagonist. Not only do they get the opportunity of a fresh start in a brand new world, but they often become one of the most powerful people in these new worlds and even potentially gain a love interest (or more than one).
However, being in an isekai anime is also a perilous prospect. There are many disadvantages: having to learn the basics of living in the new world all over again, facing dangerous enemies and potentially making more enemies than allies, facing jealousy and chaos, and so much more. In fact, some isekai protagonists are even unlucky enough to reincarnate into not-so-favorable forms, such as slimes and vending machines.
10 Being A Newcomer In The Next World Means You Have To Learn Everything All Over Again
Many isekai protagonists start off weak, with little knowledge of the world they newly inhabit. In I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level, the protagonist Azusa has to immediately learn everything about the general area she lives in, from what currency exists to what monsters are commonly found in the town outskirts.
If the protagonist is lucky, they'll meet friendly mentors and guides who can help them along the way. If they're less lucky, like Kirito, Asuna, and the cast of Sword Art Online, they might be struggling to survive from the very beginning with little-to-no assistance from anyone.
9 The Constant Conflicts In The New World Drag The Protagonist In
Many isekai worlds are plagued by some major conflicts. This could be on a governmental level, or it could be the fault of the entire world itself, particularly if these worlds involve gods or dangerous floor bosses in specific dungeons. Either way, the protagonist can get swept up into these conflicts and play a key role in ending said conflict — whether they want to or not.
From clearing floor bosses and logically figuring out who the true mastermind is in Sword Art Online to trying to stop a dragon war, protagonists often find they're the one person who can clean up all the large messes in their lives, even if they're not the ones responsible for said messes to begin with.
8 It's Extremely Easy To Make Enemies Due To How Powerful The Protagonist Is
The protagonist often gets to live a power fantasy and become the most powerful hero in the series. But that responsibility usually means dealing with everyone who's envious of the protagonist's abilities. Some of these enemies could potentially later become allies, but allies can also just as easily become enemies, depending on who the protagonist works with.
Additionally, many enemies want the same powers or abilities the protagonists have, or seek to surpass the protagonists entirely. Either way, expect the protagonist to have some enemies regularly butting heads with them throughout the entire series. These enemies could range from easily defeated local tough guys to arch-villains capable of destroying the world if they're not defeated in time.
7 The Protagonist Could Reincarnate As A Non-Human Being
There are numerous protagonists in isekai series who end up reincarnating as spiders or slimes or other non-human creatures. This can be fairly disadvantageous for them, considering that they often end up in worlds where people don't necessarily like having slimes or spiders around. Additionally, beings like slimes and spiders are more easily destroyed in general due to being glass cannons, meaning that the protagonist's new life could end as soon as it begins if they're not careful.
6 The Protagonist Might Have Too Many People Wanting To Romance Them
Many protagonists in isekai anime have several love interests vying for their attention. Said potential love interests can have shallow personalities centered around getting the person they love as a permanent partner, which means that their individual development suffers.
More recent anime such as Kenja no Mago are trying to subvert this trope by giving protagonists singular main love interests instead of multiple, or by giving the many love interests more time to develop individually apart from the protagonist. Either way, the many love interests can be a lot for a protagonist to deal with, especially if said love interests start fighting over them.
5 The Protagonist's Main Love Interest Is Pursued By Other People
Even in series with multiple potential love interests, many isekai anime often feature the protagonist falling in love with a single person. Unfortunately for the protagonist, there's usually competition for that love interest's attention.
These romantic rivals might be nice people who simply knew the love interest first, before the protagonist stepped into the picture, or they could be total creeps willing to murder the protagonist for the sake of having the love interest all to themselves. The latter actually happens between Kuradeel and Kirito in Sword Art Online, when Kuradeel tries murdering Kirito in an effort to keep Asuna for himself.
4 The New Worlds Are Often Full Of Extremely Dangerous Creatures
Sometimes, waking up in a new world isn't as great as it seems. Many of these isekai worlds are much more dangerous than the real world.
These new worlds can be home to threatening villains capable of destroying multiple people and locations at once, generic fantasy monsters like orcs and goblins that can easily gang up on unaware newcomers, and many more. No matter what threats are present, the new worlds are often scary locations overall for the protagonists to live in.
3 The Protagonist Usually Gets Into Some Incredibly Strange Situations
The protagonists of isekai anime get into some strange situations more often than not. Other than potentially reincarnating as a slime or spider, they could become a vending machine that wanders the dungeons, or else a vehicle from the protagonist's past life comes along with them to the new world. If the protagonist is lucky, these strange situations will result in isekai comedies, which promise a lower chance of accidentally dying or experiencing difficulties in these strange scenarios.
2 The Protagonist Could Potentially Become The Villain Who Everyone Hates
In My Next Life As A Villainess, the protagonist reincarnates not as the hero, but as the main villain of the series. Other isekai protagonists can easily fall into this trap if they make the wrong choices without realizing it in the new world, or end up acting like bad people to others in general. It's not easy to earn loyal allies after several bouts of mistrust and deception, so making enemies is often easier than making friends, unfortunately for the protagonist.
1 The Protagonist's New Life Is Busy And Filled With Chaos
Protagonists in an isekai anime's world rarely have a chance to relax and take it slow. Even protagonists who want nothing but an easy life, like Azusa in I've Been Killing Slimes, often find themselves in some tiring and chaotic situations. However, protagonists in isekai comedies get some time to relax in between the chaos. They're the luckier ones who get to take a break, unlike the heroes trying to constantly save their new world from a variety of threatening forces.