Isekai is a subgenre of Japanese light novels, video games, manga, and anime where the protagonist gets transported to or reborn in another world. They're usually tasked with completing a specific mission during their time in this new world they've been forced into. In recent years, isekai's popularity has skyrocketed, resulting in several more isekai anime adaptations.

It's safe to say that isekai is the most popular type of anime at the moment. Several isekai anime have gone on to become classics because of the rich storytelling, dynamic characters, and immersive world-building that makes every protagonist's story seem more realistic.

Updated on April 8th, 2024 by Louis Kemner: As the isekai genre continues to expand, not every series has turned out to be a gem. However, there are still some legitimately great isekai anime that fans of the genre should absolutely check out. This includes a fun variety of isekai titles that use reincarnation, getting trapped in a video game, and even villainess reincarnations to tell the story of an innocent person ending up in an extraordinary world. This list has been updated once again to adhere to CBR's current publication standards.

30 The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke's Mansion's Protagonist Is Trapped In A Dangerous Mystery

One of the newer series on the air, Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke's Mansion is based on a massively popular webtoon. The protagonist is a young woman who was killed, only to be reincarnated into another world as the daughter of a baron. Living the good life, Raeliana should be happy. Only, she remembers she's living the life of a character she read about in her past life.

The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke's Mansion Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.51
• IMDb: 7.5
• Anime Planet: 3.94

A small part of a mystery novel, Raeliana is destined to be killed by the man she's engaged to. Refusing to suffer that fate, she takes matters into her own hands, trying to manipulate the events and people around her. This includes the true protagonist of the book, Noah Wynknight. However, Raeliana discovers manipulating a genius protagonist is harder than it seems. An entertaining fantasy-romance, Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke's Mansion will appeal to people who thought My Next Life As A Villainness was too saccharine. It's a fun watch, but it lacks the hard-hitting plot twists and legendary scenes that the best isekai anime have, so The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion ranks last among the best isekai anime. Still, no matter its ranking, isekai fans are sure to have a good time with this show.

29 The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World Shows A Hero Relying On Magic Powers From Their Old Life

Haruyoshi Kugano was meant to be the strongest priest in all feudal Japan. However, his power was so fearsome that he was betrayed by the very people he was trying to protect. Rather than accept his loss though, Haruyoshi used a spell to ensure he would be reborn. The spell sees him reborn as Seika Lamperouge, the latest child in a noble family. Though he can't use this new world's magic, he still has access to all the abilities he did in his prior life, making him one of the strongest people in this new world.

The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.16
• IMDb: 7.0
• Anime Planet: 3.78/5

Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist takes the overpowered protagonist trope and turns it on its head. While Seika isn't afraid to use his powers, he's learned the danger of exposing how strong he is, and thus, he has to learn how to use his powers in secret. Fortunately, Seika is a charismatic enough protagonist to make it all work.

28 Handyman Saitou In Another World Keeps Its Adventures Down To Earth

One day after being fired from his job, a handyman named Saitou is hit by a truck on the way to his home. This leads to him being sent to another world, where he meets a group of adventurers looking for a new party member. Thanks to Saitou's skills, the group recruits Saitou, allowing them to continue exploring and take on better missions.

Handyman Saitou in Another World Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.43
• IMDb: 6.9
• Anime Planet: 3.62/5

Handyman Saitou in Another World is exactly what the isekai genre needs. Saitou doesn't even have powers, and he has no massive harem of people fawning over the lead. Instead, the focus is on teamwork and developing each character to make them feel like a valued party member. Fans who want something different but don't want to change genres should check this comedy series out.

27 Reincarnated As A Sword Stars A Talking Sword And A Charming Cat Girl

Reincarnated as a Sword is a delightful fantasy anime title whose hero got reborn as an unusual item: a sword. Other isekai series might also reincarnate their heroes as objects, such as vending machines, but getting reincarnated as a weapon is more conducive to action and adventure. Alone, the sword protagonist can't do much as a conscious weapon, but then he will get a new owner, a young cat girl named Fran.

Reincarnated as a Sword Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.54
• IMDb: 7.3
• Anime Planet: 4.01/5

Fran and her new sword friend will embark on some fun adventures together in the isekai world, a shared journey that will even include an obligatory adventurer's guild and a proper dungeon crawl to give Fran a worthwhile challenge. Fran will go from an impoverished, lost child in rags to a well-dressed, happy, and successful young hero, all thanks to her new sword friend, who even doubles as a father figure to her.

26 Log Horizon is an MMO Isekai With a Smart Protagonist at the Helm

The moderately popular Log Horizon anime is an isekai series with an admittedly generic plot and premise, but the cool characters and smart writing help make up for that someone, earning Log Horizon a place among the best isekai anime out there. It's one of those SAO-adjacent series where gamers end up trapped in their game world, with virtual escapism becoming their new reality. Thus, anime like Log Horizon almost have a "careful what you wish for" vibe to them

Log Horizon Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.91
• IMDb: 7.5
• Anime Planet: 4.12/5

The protagonist of Log Horizon isn't a standout compared to the likes of Rimuru Tempest and Tanya Degurechaff, but he's enough for this game-turned-reality isekai adventure. Shiroe is a creative and calculating protagonist who is arguably the best person for the task at hand: navigating a world of NPCs and using diplomacy to build a new life from scratch. It's not the most memorable isekai adventure, but it's a fine watch for anyone who enjoys the "trapped in a game" premise.

25 Campfire Cooking With My Absurd Skill Makes Cooking The Most Important Activity

Tsuyoshi Mukouda is an adult summoned to another world alongside a group of teenagers. While the teenagers have powerful skills that they intend to use to battle a Demon King, Mukouda opts out, calling his skill useless. However, his actual skill allows him to order food items directly from Japan. This ability helps him cook incredible dishes which attract some of the most powerful creatures in the world.

Campfire Cooking With My Absurd Skill Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.67
• IMDb: 7.6
• Anime Planet: 4.06/5

Campfire Cooking is another example of the "relaxing isekai." Most of the focus is on Mukouda meeting incredibly powerful beings thanks to his cooking and making friends with them. Though there is adventuring, it’s all in the service of making new delicacies. Fans who love seeing food animated as appetizingly as possible should check this series out, and see how it earned a spot among the top isekai anime, though its simple premise holds it back somewhat, hence its modest ranking.

24 I'm The Villainess, So I'm Taming The Final Boss Features A Master Manipulator As Lead

The popularity of My Next Life As A Villainess has seemingly led to more stories centered on women being reincarnated as villains. In I'm Taming The Final Boss, the protagonist is Aileen, a young girl who realizes she's the villain of an otome game she beat just after being dumped by her fiancé in the real world.

I'm The Villainess, So I'm Taming The Final Boss Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.22
• IMDb: 6.9
• Anime Planet: 3.81/5

Being dumped is one thing, but now Aileen remembers her ultimate fate is to be killed by the Demon King, Claude Jean Ellmeyer. If she's to have any chance of surviving, she'll have to come up with a plan. Fortunately, she has one: convince the Demon King to fall in love with her. It's a wacky plan, but with her knowledge of the game, Aileen might have a chance of making it work. Along the way, Aileen will also experience the school life trope anad even contend with a scheming girl named Lilia Rainworth, who has a game-changer secret in mind.

23 Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-kun! Is A Lovely Role Reversal Isekai

Iruma Suzuki was born to the worst parents ever. They’re so terrible, they actually sell him to a demon. Fortunately for Iruma, the demon only wants a grandchild he can spoil, including enrolling him at the local demon school Babyls. Iruma just has one problem: no one at school can know of his identity as a human, since demons are supposed to eat humans.

Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-kun! Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.75
• IMDb: 7.6
• Anime Planet: 4.08/5

Worse, Iruma's new grandfather wants him to become the next King of Demons, which means he can’t exactly keep a low profile. With one of the nicest protagonists in all of isekai anime, Iruma-kun is worth watching just to see Iruma develop into a person who can stand up for himself. Fortunately, Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-kun is readily available for fans to check out on Crunchyroll.

22 Uncle From Another World Parodies All The Silliest Aspects Of Isekai

The isekai genre has been around long enough for some excellent parodies like Isekai Ojisan to surface. In Uncle From Another World, protagonist Yousuke Shibazaki is hit by a truck, and he spends the next seventeen years in a coma. Once he awakens, he reveals he spent the last several years trapped in another world.

Uncle From Another World Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.81
• IMDb: 7.4
• Anime Planet: 3.9/5

Knowing how different the world he’s come back to is, he relies on his nephew, Takafumi Takaoka, to re-acquaint him with the world. Along the way, they create a YouTube channel to show off all the special powers Shibazaki attained in the other world. An excellent parody of isekai and otaku culture, this series is great regardless of one’s feelings about isekai.

21 The Magical Revolution Of The Reincarnated Princess And The Genius Young Lady Presents A Beautiful Girls Love Story

Magical Revolution or Tensei Oujo, gets away from many of the usual isekai tropes to tell a genuinely fascinating story. After being reincarnated into a new world, Princess Anisphia wants nothing more than to learn how to use magic, something other nobles can do easily. She spends much of her time focusing on developing magic tools, against the wishes of her father.

The Magical Revolution Of The Reincarnated Princess And The Genius Young Lady Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.48
• IMDb: 6.9
• Anime Planet: 3.83/5

However, when Anisphia learns her brother has broken his engagement to his fiancée Euphyllia, Anisphia decides to make Euphyllia into her assistant… and potentially, her wife. Tensei Oujo is a fantastic girls love series with just enough fantasy to keep things spicy. The only issue with the show is it's another isekai that could’ve just been a regular fantasy series.

20 The Devil Is A Part-Timer! Sends The Villain To An Alternate World

The Devil Is A Part-Timer! is a brilliant blend of comedy and isekai. Rather than the series' hero getting teleported from the average world into one of mysticism and adventure, Satan is taken out of hell and sent to the real world. He quickly realizes that he has to make ends meet, so he picks up a part-time job at MgRonalds.

The Devil Is A Part-Timer! Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.74
• IMDb: 7.5
• Anime Planet: 4.03/5

Satan names himself "Sadao Maou" and gets to burger flipping right away. The Devil Is A Part-Timer! appeals to so many fans because the hero doesn't start as an average person who obtains godlike powers — Sadao's story is the exact opposite. It's an amusing premise with solid execution, turning a ridiculous idea into something impressively compelling, so The Devil Is A Part-Timer! ranks roughly in the middle of the best isekai anime out there.

19 Isekai Quartet Merges Popular Isekai Into A Single High School Series

Isekai Quartet combines characters from Overlord, KonoSuba, Tanya The Terrible, Re: Zero, and The Rising Of The Shield Hero into one series where they all attend school together. It's an amalgamation of some of the genre's greatest heroes and heroines coming together in the most chaotic way possible. This is also one of very few anime series to feature an official crossover between multiple franchises, while most other anime series are content with parodies or vague cameos.

Isekai Quartet Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.38
• IMDb: 7.0
• Anime Planet: 3.85/5

Isekai Quartet is a campy series that puts each character's running gags on full blast. It pokes fun at the genre's most overdone tropes and amps everything up to eleven. It's one of the best isekai series for veteran fans of the genre, especially if viewers have already watched the four series that are involved. Interestingy, three of the four isekai series involved are rather dark, so this comedic take on characters like Tanya and Subaru is a welcome one.

18 World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated In Another World As An Aristocrat Gives Its Lead An Impossible Mission

After years of service, the world's greatest assassin finds himself betrayed by the very group he'd spent years working for. Before reincarnating into another world, however, a goddess offers him the chance to retain his memories if he does one thing for her: assassinate the new world's greatest hero. This is no easy task, as the hero is born with more talent and power than any other human on the planet.

World's Finest Assassin Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.35
• IMDb: 7.3
• Anime Planet: 3.91/5

World's Finest Assassin gained popularity at launch for being so different from what people are used to with isekai. While the protagonist is technically young, he's actually got the mind of an older man, and his attitudes towards the world around him have changed as a result. It's also distinctly less optimistic than some isekai series would lean while keeping plenty of cool fantasy abilities.

17 Inuyasha Is A Nostalgic Story Book Fantasy

Even though it’s been almost 10 years since Inuyasha's conclusion, plenty of people still see it as a must-watch for new anime fans. After finding herself transported from present-day Japan to the Feudal Era, high school student Kagome Higurashi meets the powerful half-demon Inuyasha. This leads them to join forces and gather allies to retrieve and protect the sacred Shikon Jewel from the demon Naraku.

Inuyasha Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.86
• IMDb: 7.9
• Anime Planet: 3.85/5

Besides four film adaptations, the second series Inuyasha: The Final Act serves as the anime’s conclusion, and there's also a sequel series called Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon. Overall, Inuyasha is an iconic isekai series guaranteed to please anime fans from both past and present generations, and best of all, it doesn't just appeal to isekai fans. The series is actually stronger with its deep characters and romance rather than pure isekai shenanigans, so Inuyasha isn't just isekai -- it's great fantasy romance anime in general.

16 Eminence In Shadow Has A Lead That Isn't Nearly As Clever As He Thinks

Eminence in Shadow focuses on Minoru, who wants nothing more than to control the world from behind the shadows. Minoru spends most of his time training, wanting to obtain magical abilities. It isn't until he's reincarnated into another world, however, that his wish is granted. In this new world, Minoru is reincarnated as Cid Kagenou and forms a group known as Shadow Garden.

Eminence In Shadow Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 8.3
• IMDb: 7.9
• Anime Planet: 4.24/5

Cid's imagination leads him to create a group for Shadow Garden to fight in the Cult of Diabolos. The catch is that everyone in Shadow Garden knows this Cult is actually real, except for Cid. Eminence in Shadow is a self-aware parody of all the popular isekai tropes like an overpowered protagonist and a supporting cast obsessed with its lead. It's exactly the sort of show for anime fans who want a break from the classic isekai formula.

15 Restaurant to Another World Provides A Relaxing Reverse Isekai

Restaurant To Another World is one of the few isekai series that isn't set in a fantasy world. Instead, the series invites fantastical creatures to take a break from battle to coexist with humans in a quaint restaurant called Nekoya every Saturday. Spirits can come over to the human world, and humans can traverse into the metaphysical.

Restaurant To Another World Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.4
• IMDb: 7.2
• Anime Planet: 3.84/5

Restaurant To Another World is an exciting blend of isekai's classic excitement and the cozy atmosphere of the slice-of-life genre. It's not a traditional isekai series, but it still involves world-hopping and bringing characters together from vastly different walks of life. Such a charming, easygoing premise helps Restaurant to Another World earn its place among the top isekai anime currently streaming, but fans looking for a deeper, more engaging series can find even stronger options.

14 Trapped In A Dating Sim: The World Of Otome Games Is Tough For Mobs Introduces A Genre Smart Lead Protagonist

These days, everyone's used to the idea of the protagonist who gets sent to a video game world. Most isekai anime like that though focus on someone who's a chosen protagonist. Every character in the series fawns over them, and the series constantly reminds the viewer how important they are. However, Trapped in a Dating Sim does the exact opposite.

Trapped In A Dating Sim: The World Of Otome Games Is Tough For Mobs Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.34
• IMDb: 7.3
• Anime Planet: 3.84/5

In a world where women run most of the world, Leon Bartfort's only goal is to find a woman who won't take advantage of him. However, since he's a background "mob" character, his goal isn't easy. Thanks to his knowledge of the world, however, he can stand against the royalty to protect those he cares about. A great comedy series, Trapped in a Dating Sim is an isekai for those who need a better class of protagonist.

13 Saga Of Tanya The Evil Changes A Salaryman Into A Young Girl

The Saga of Tanya the Evil follows the story of Tanya Degurechaff. Originally a Japanese salaryman, Tanya is reincarnated into a new world as Tanya by the mysterious Being X. As a child, Tanya decides to enlist in the military. Armed with the knowledge of her past life and innate magical talent, she rises through the ranks in the hopes of one day living a life of luxury.

Saga Of Tanya The Evil Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.96
• IMDb: 7.6
• Anime Planet: 4.17/5

However, Being X constantly threatens this goal. He frequently puts Tanya in dangerous situations to convert her into a devout follower. With a ruthless nature and strategic cunning, viewers can’t help but support Tanya in her fight against an omnipotent being. It's also ironic that by serving the Empire so faithfully to earn a position behind friendly lines, Tanya keeps getting assigned to front-line roles to put her immense power to use. It's a fine example of Tanya the Evil's dark sense of humor.

12 Fushigi Yuugi Features A Young Girl Trapped In A Storybook

Fushigi Yuugi started airing in the '90s, so there are no exciting Truck-Kun moments in the series. However, the deuteragonists are teleported into a book and forced to live inside the story. The story follows two girls, Miaka Yui and Yui Hongo, who end up in a fantasy world after they find a book in the National Diet Library.

Fushigi Yuugi Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.61
• IMDb: 7.8
• Anime Planet: 3.75/5

Fushigi Yuugi is heavily inspired by ancient China and really amps up its fantasy elements to mix a realistic historical depiction with isekai's whimsical nature. Fushigi Yuugi is a great blend of shojo and isekai, and it's one of the earliest of its kind. It's one of the forbearers of the entire isekai subgenre.

11 My Next Life As A Villainess Centers Around A Young Girl Unintentionally Making Everyone Fall In Love With Her

My Next Life As A Villainess is a mouthful of a title, but it's still worth a watch. The series is the first of the "reincarnated as a villainess" light novels to be adapted into an anime, and it was so well-received that it's caused several others to get an adaptation as well. In the beginning, Katarina Claes is a spoiled little girl who's a pain to everyone around her. When she hits her head though, she remembers her old life where she played a video game set in the exact world she's been reincarnated into.

My Next Life As A Villainess Scores:

• MyAnimeList: 7.46
• IMDb: 7.3
• Anime Planet: 4.01/5

There's just one problem: Katarina's been reincarnated as the villain! Katarina spends much of My Next Life As A Villainess trying to avoid all the dangerous story "flags" for the villain, all of which end in exile or worse. Katrina's change in personality causes her to amass a harem of men and women alike. It's too bad she's too worried about dodging flags to realize they're in love with her. This series is a fluffy, hilarious watch that serves as a perfect break from more serious anime.