Trapped in a Dating Sim was an excting new isekai anime in the Spring 2022 season, starring the tsundere antihero Leon Bartfort as the thirdborn son of a minor noble. In his original life, Leon tirelessly played a sci-fi otome game for his sister, but after falling down the stairs, he was reborn in that game world as a background "mob" character.
Now Leon is a reluctant and sharp-tongued hero who wishes to return to that background life, but not so fast. He can't help but come to rescue of the people who need him most, such as his new friends Angelica and Olivia, and he just might come to appreciate his bizarre new life after all. Anyone who enjoyed Season 1 of Trapped in a Dating Sim might try these other anime titles while waiting for the Summer 2022 season to get into full swing.
My Next Life As A Villainess Is Another Meta-Otome Story
Just like Trapped in a Dating Sim, the charming isekai series My Next Life as a Villainess takes place in an otome game world where the reborn protagonist has the benefit of meta-knowledge but little else. The heroine is the famously dense Katarina Claes, who was reborn not as the heroine Maria Campbell, but the bullying mean girl Katarina -- the ultimate otome antagonist.
Like Leon, Katarina will use her new role not for her own sake, but to support and protect her beloved friends while also using advance knowledge of the plot to avoid disastrous outcomes. Both anime involve relationship-building as a survival tool, but My Next Life as a Villainess leans more heavily into that. No giant robots here.
Ascendance of a Bookworm Also Stars a Background Nobody Turned Hero
The hit isekai title Ascendance of a Bookworm has plenty in common with Trapped in a Dating Sim, though its hardworking, creative heroine Myne might remind anime fans more of Dr. Stone's Senku than Leon Bartfort. Myne and Leon are still fairly similar, though; both got themselves reborn in a new world as a background nobody, and while they could live a perfectly ordinary life in obscurity, they are both more ambitious than that.
While Leon strove to become a powerful action star, Myne seeks to recreate books despite her family's meager standing, and she will need some serious diplomacy and relationship-building skills to convince others to help her launch her own printing press. It pays to have friends.
The Rising of the Shield Hero Stars a Notorious Underdog
The Rising of the Shield Hero also appeared in the Spring 2022 season, delivering its 12-episode second season of action and adventure. This is yet another isekai title featuring an underdog protagonist, Naofumi Iwatani, who has a hard road ahead of him just like Leon.
Both are widely disliked and underestimated in the early episodes of their adventures, but they are tough and resourceful heroes who are ready to surprise everyone with their grit and enthusiasm. They also slowly but surely build their own teams of genuine friends to back them up, with Naofumi's party members Raphtalia, Filo and Rishia being some of his best allies of all.
No Game No Life Features OP Heroes In A Gaming World
The short but popular isekai anime No Game No Life stars the foster brother/sister duo Sora and Shiro, who share the identity of "Blank" when dominating other players in online games of all kinds. They soon faced the ultimate challenge when they were teleported into a world where competitive games have taken the place of war, but they're more than ready.
Overall, No Game No Life has some overlap with Trapped in a Dating Sim by featuring amusingly smug, powerful protagonists who blast away the conceited opposition, and they're almost like bulls in a china shop. Sora and Shiro are no one in this world, and they can take full advantage of this to express themselves and build a reputation with their actions alone. Similar statements can be made about Leon Bartfort, too.
Re:Zero Is All About Connections In The Isekai World
Unlike Dating Sim's Leon, Re:Zero's isekai hero Subaru Natsuki doesn't have the benefit of giant robots to fight his battles, but both know they will only survive their adventures if they build meaningful relationships and influence the powerful people around them.
Even with their unique abilities or gifts, these protagonists can only do so much alone -- it's up to them to make the right friends, understand the politics of everything happening around them, then devise a plan to change the future for the better. Both Subaru and Leon soon form a small but reliable squad of female friends who can help them navigate these tricky alien worlds.