Isekai is one of the biggest anime genres around, with numerous titles that go back for decades. The genre often centers around a character’s journey after finding themselves magically transported to a new world. Usually, this new world is based on fantasy to give it an otherworldly touch. However, with so many isekai titles sticking to this formula, the genre has gained a bad reputation.
Most fans feel that isekai have become generic and boring, featuring the same old fantasy world over and over. Luckily, not all isekai series go the fantasy route. Many titles have gotten more creative with their worlds, giving fans a fresh new look at the genre. From sci-fi cities to supernatural settings, isekai often branch out far beyond the usual magical fantasy lands.
10 Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast For Spirits Features Traditional Japanese Mythology
While most isekai series pull from fantasy and Western culture, Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast For Spirits takes its inspiration from Japanese folklore and mythology, making it stand out from the rest. The story takes place in a strange world called the Hidden Realm, a mysterious land where spirits dwell.
Protagonist Aoi has the ability to see these spirits, and it's this very gift that has her wind up trapped in this strange world. Once there, she begins to work at an inn where all sorts of spirits and creatures come to stay. The series is a wholesome tale that combines isekai and Japanese mythos for a unique experience.
9 Re:Creators Brings Fictional Characters To The Real World
Re:Creators is more of a reverse isekai series, but at the very beginning of the story, protagonist Souta Mizushino is briefly transported into the world of an anime, right in the middle of a fight scene. When he returns, he soon discovers that the anime's heroine has traveled back with him.
But, it doesn't stop there. Fictional characters from all over have also made their way into the real world, blending together reality and fiction. There have been plenty of reverse isekai throughout the years, but few are as unique and creative as this one.
8 Blue Gender's Protagonist Wakes Up & Finds Himself In An Apocalyptic Future
Most would consider Blue Gender to be a mecha series rather than an isekai, and for the most part, that's true. However, this classic series does have a bit of an isekai spin on its premise. The series' main protagonist, Yuji Kaido, has been cryogenically frozen and wakes up in an entirely different world from the one he once knew.
In the years he lay dormant, Earth has become a dystopia, with humanity fighting for survival against the Blue, a horrifying race of insectoid aliens who have taken over the planet. After waking, Yuji is thrown into the middle of a worldwide war with these aliens as humans try to take their home planet back.
7 Restaurant To Another World Has Fantasy Creatures Come To The Real World
While Restaurant to Another World does have fantasy creatures and elements, the setting is one of the most ordinary places ever. On any other day of the week, Nekoya is just another popular Tokyo restaurant. But every Saturday, it closes its doors to the general public, welcoming instead a very unusual type of guest.
The restaurant becomes a portal to other worlds, and many fantasy creatures from distant lands come to enjoy a meal. This everyday setting makes for a great slice-of-life setup for the series, giving Restaurant to Another World a very wholesome and relaxing vibe.
6 Saga Of Tanya The Evil Takes Place In An Alternate Version Of Imperial Germany
Saga of Tanya the Evil is a series unlike any other in the genre. One of the biggest differences is that its setting is much more realistic than most. After meeting his untimely end, an overworked salaryman finds himself reincarnated as a young girl in an alternate reality.
In this world, Imperial Germany is a land known as The Empire and has taken over the land. Though there's a touch of magic mixed into this world, it's still very close to the real world compared to most isekai lands.
5 Sonny Boy Takes A Group Of Students To A New Dimension
While most isekai anime are action-based adventure stories, Sonny Boy is a mystery series. The story centers around a group of young friends transported to a strange, void-like dimension where they obtain supernatural powers.
They try their best to survive in their new environment while searching for answers to their mysterious whereabouts. However, it isn't easy, as they keep travelling to new worlds with every move they make. This underrated isekai series is a very unique and innovative take on the genre and proves it has more potential than most realize.
4 Digimon Features A Group Of Kids Trapped In The Digital World
The Digimon franchise is probably one of the most well-known in the entire isekai genre. Every series features a group of young heroes trapped inside a strange place called the Digital World. There, they must embark on a quest with their new Digimon pals to save this mysterious land from evil.
While the Digital World does have some fantasy elements to it, it's very different from the typical isekai world fans are used to nowadays. It's directly linked to Earth through its computer networks, though it appears to be a separate entity of its own. It's a wild and untamed world with no other human life around, making it stand out among most isekai settings.
3 The Devil Is A Part-Timer Is The Story Of The Demon Lord's Fast Food Adventures
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
There are many reverse isekai out there, but few are as hilarious as The Devil is a Part-Timer. In this popular series, the Demon Lord Satan finds himself stranded on Earth in Tokyo after a crushing defeat at the hands of Emilia. Now isekai'd into the human world, he must assume a human identity and begin working at a local fast food joint.
Though it makes for a very odd isekai setting, it works really well and is a fun watch that will have fans laughing the whole time. With its comedy, slice-of-life premise, and unique setting, The Devil is a Part-Timer has become one of the most beloved modern isekai around.
2 Angel Beats Portrays The Afterlife In The Form Of A High School
Like most isekai heroes, the main cast of Angel Beats has all died. However, unlike other series where the characters reincarnate into a new world, Otonashi and his friends have found themselves in the afterlife, trapped in a plane between life and death.
The realm takes the form of a high school and acts as a sort of limbo, housing the souls of those who have died before their time. It's a premise unlike any other in the genre, making Angel Beats one of the most memorable isekai of all time.
1 Now And Then, Here And There Takes The Audience To A Dystopian Desert World
Most isekai worlds are lush, magical, and beautiful, but that's far from the case in Now and Then, Here and There. After a fateful encounter with a mysterious young girl named Lala-Ru, Shuu Matsutani is suddenly transported to a harsh and unforgiving desert world.
In this land, water is scarce, but Lala-Ru has the power to conjure it with a magical pendant she keeps. This power makes her the target of many enemies, forcing the two of them on the run. The series is a criminally underrated classic that many isekai fans have never seen before, but it features one of the most creative worlds of any series in the genre.