Isekai is an unofficial subgenre of anime, and it is defined by a generally accepted set of conventions, recurring themes, and even a variety of clichés and running jokes. Some isekai titles get truly creative with the "born in another world" premise, such as Dr. Stone, which thrusts its scientist hero Senku Ishigami Senku into a Stone Age future.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of other isekai titles, usually fantasy or fantasy/sci-fi hybrid ones, that feel more like a JRPG title or a fighting game. Some of these isekai titles feel exactly like a video game and may involve the hero getting teleported into their game. Other isekai titles are much more subtle about it, but they still have JRPG, dating sim, or fighting game elements to them. They even might feel like The Sims or Sim City at times.
10 The Rising Of The Shield Hero Has A HUD & Game Stats
The popular isekai title The Rising of the Shield Hero features the gritty hero Naofumi Iwatani himself, the appointed Shield Hero who is supposed to guard the other three Cardinal Heroes from harm in battle. In theory, those four Heroes are like a D&D adventuring squad, though without a wizard or sorcerer on hand.
Naofumi, from the very start, had an RPG-style HUD to work with, and he could clearly see health bars for himself and his allies, such as Raphtalia, Filo, and the meek Rishia Ivyred. He can also view the tech and skill trees for his many diverse Shields.
9 My Isekai Life Features A Multi-Classing Hero
My Isekai Life is an isekai title found in the Summer 2022 anime season, and even if it feels largely conventional or even cliché, it's still worth a watch. This time, the hero Yuji is a multi-classing character, and in D&D terms, he's like a Druid and a Sorcerer rolled into one.
Yuji can wander freely and join parties at will, but that's not all. He's like an innovative RPG player, combining his two classes' skills and traits to create all-new techniques. He also has high-tech game HUDs to work with when casting spells or recruiting new slimes to his party.
8 Overlord Is An MMORPG Made Real
Overlord is another isekai anime streaming in the Summer 2022 season, returning for its fourth season for fans to enjoy. This is a literal RPG turned isekai adventure, with the skeletal protagonist Ainz Ooal Gown/Mononga getting trapped in his game once the servers shut down. Now he's living the fantasy life for real.
Overlord is a bit like World of WarCraft, an expansive fantasy realm with many diverse and feuding races and human kingdoms. Ainz even has a whole platoon of villainous lieutenants to command, and through them, entire armies to send against his enemies.
7 Sword Art Online Is An Early Game Isekai Title
By now, the series Sword Art Online no longer feels like isekai from an isekai purist's standpoint, but its first story arc did help popularize the "trapped in a video game" concept, so Sword Art Online is still an important, albeit flawed, piece of isekai anime history. And it sure does feel like a video game.
The Aincrad story arc allowed players to conjure their HUD out of thin air to view their HP, experience points, inventory, and far more, and the system looks rather expansive. Later game worlds had similar systems, including ALFheim Online and Gun Gale Online.
6 Re:Zero Features Save Points In A Fantasy Realm
For the most part, the popular isekai anime Re:Zero is known for its underdog hero Subaru Natsuki's ability to return to life at certain checkpoints, and that is just like a real game's own checkpoint system. If the player slips up and gets killed, they can revert to an earlier point as though nothing had happened.
This process is often painful and terrifying for Subaru, but at least it works, and it lends an RPG undertone to the overall story. The fantasy world feels like a classic Final Fantasy title, and the love triangle between Subaru, Rem, and Emilia feels vaguely similar to a dating sim plot. Subaru can even reload his "saves" to choose better dialogue options for next time.
5 Trapped In A Dating Sim Is Exactly What The Title Says
As per the title, the anime series Trapped in a Dating Sim features the snarky antihero Leon Bartfort, who got himself teleported into his younger sister's favorite sci-fi otome game. Leon got reborn not as the heroine Olivia, but as a background "mob" character. At least he has meta-knowledge of how the plot goes.
Leon regularly gets himself into sci-fi and fantasy battles with the smooth, even pacing of an RPG, and all that is punctuated by otome dating sim-style drama and friendships as well. It's like Final Fantasy and a dating sim put together, and that mashup works far better than some fans might expect.
4 My Next Life As A Villainess Is Otome Game Goodness
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! is a pure otome game isekai anime whose heroine got reborn as the obnoxious rich-girl antagonist Katarina Claes. But this new Katarina is a kind and cheerful girl who wants to make everyone happy, and in so doing, she can rewrite the game's original plot.
Katarina can avoid her character's doom by stalling out and changing the otome game's plot, especially if she can prevent the main romances from happening. All that meta-knowledge and all the game terms help reinforce Villainess' existing video game setting.
3 So I'm A Spider, So What? Is Another Cool Game Isekai Anime
Shiaori is the eight-legged heroine of So I'm a Spider, So What? anime, and at first, Shiaori spends most of her time exploring this new world's RPG elements, including leveling up her character to get stronger. She can also discover and innovate many other abilities along the way.
Eventually, Shiaori will exit the dungeon where her adventure began and go on new adventures with RPG-style heroes with their own weapons and spells. Ultimately, her expertise with RPG conventions might be the only way to save this world from certain doom.
2 That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Has Subtle RPG Elements To It
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime can be subtle about its RPG elements, but it's all there. The hero is the amusingly OP slime Rimuru Tempest, whose Great Sage AI helper is like a video game guide or tutorial, helping Rimuru obtain, understand and use his many spells and abilities.
On top of that, Slime emulates a fantasy version of Sim City, since Rimuru carefully plans out and builds his new capital city, one building at a time. He makes sure to factor in all the needs of his city first, such as hiring the right workers and choosing the best facilities to build at the right time.
1 Konosuba's Characters Have RPG Stats & Skills
The comedy isekai anime Konosuba! is best known for being a parody of the isekai genre, including a goofy take on the Truck-kun scenario. But even so, Konosuba has plenty of room for RPG elements too, including how the protagonist, Kazuma Sato, started off in a beginner-friendly town and recruited a full party.
If that wasn't enough, Konosuba also features cards that clearly show the stats and skills of each major character. Kazuma and his goddess ally Aqua paid close attention to their RPG-style cards to review their capabilities, revealing Kazuma's massive Luck stat and Aqua's generally high stats as a holy water goddess.