More often than not, an isekai anime features a hero that has a need to protect. The protagonist's motivation either grows from their love of their new world or matches their values from the onset. How would you feel if you suddenly were transported to a foreign world and asked to defend it from evil the likes of which you've never seen? Some of use might gracefully accept our new lot in life, while others may not be so inclined to lift a sword to enemies better off found in fairy tales.
The word hero implies that the person is innately good, but that's not always the case with these heroes. See which ones made the top, and which fell short of their hero title.
10 Best Hero: Naofumi Iwatani - The Rising Of The Shield Hero
Don't let Naofumi's grumpy face scare you off. He's gruff on the outside but soft on the inside. His new lot in life has not been kind to him, and those that should be his comrades abandoned him. To that end, Naofumi must carve out a new life for himself.
With accusations leveraged at him left and right, it's a wonder he didn't slay all in his way. At first, he acts according to his needs, but as the episodes progress, he finds himself caring for others and trying to save a world that all but abandoned him when he needed it most.
9 Worst Hero: Tanya Von Degurechaff - The Saga Of Tanya The Evil
This salaryman more than deserves to be cut down to size. Reincarnated into a world similar to Imperial Germany, Tanya faces off against her own fate. She joins the army and works her way through the ranks, not caring about those in her command.
A ruthless girl, Tanya works to save her soul from Being X, the god who dumped her into this new life. It's up to her to either die a natural death or begin to have faith unless she wants her soul sent to Hell. At the rate she's going, Tanya will never be redeemed.
8 Best Hero: Rimuru Tempest - That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime
That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime puts a twist on our typical hero with Rimaru, the slime. With nothing but time, Rimaru explores and eats a variety of creatures and gains their powers. This cute amorphous blob is a man from another world that puts his powers and mind to good use by colonizing the creatures of this new land.
Rimaru wishes to live a good life, and to do so, he helps out his fellow creatures in their time of need. This world follows a survival of the fittest model, with Rimaru near the top of the scale.
7 Worst Hero: Seiya Ryuguin - Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious
The goddess Ristarte summons Seiya to Gaeabrande to help defeat the demon king and bring peace back to the world. His stats are outrageous and with a goddess on his side, what can go wrong? But Seiya's a cautious man and often blunt and rude to those around him.
When faced against a dangerous foe, Seiya demands Ristarte return him to the goddess' realm to train until he's prepared to fight. He's a hero who refuses to put himself in danger and never takes anything at face value. He'd pour holy water on you first, before offering a greeting.
6 Best Hero: Ainz Ooal Gown - Overlord
Don't underestimate the power of bones! Ainz's huge presence matches the mass amounts of magical power he wields. He's one of the best, even if he does reside in the chaotic neutral zone. At first, when he's sucked into the game, Ainz's humanity remains with him, but as time passes, he becomes more ingrained into his role. This means that the value of human life significantly decreases.
So, why is he one of the best? It's because he looks out for his fellow men. He wishes to rule the world, and by doing so, he must establish good relations and subordinates. Ainz is a just and cruel ruler all tied into one inhuman being.
5 Worst Hero: Touya Mochizuki - In Another World With My Smartphone
This hero cares for others and protects those around him when danger strikes, but his overall personality leaves much to be desired. In this harem isekai, Touya attracts powerful women from different walks of life.
It's clear that he doesn't wish to have anything to do with these women besides friendship, but ends up engaged to them all. He possesses cheat powers like any other isekai, but he's passive when it comes to his own life. Also, what was the point of the smartphone again? Who needs modern technology with abilities like his?
4 Best Hero: Sora - No Game No Life
Blank is just the hero we need, and by Blank, we mean the dynamic sibling duo Sora and Shiro. Sora is the dominating hero in this isekai and is beyond arrogant on behalf of humanity. He is always several steps ahead in his plans to aid humans while also setting out to challenge Tet - the being that brought them into his world.
In a world based on the concept of games, Sora thrives and takes pleasure in bringing down his opponents. After all, games are supposed to be fun, aren't they?
3 Worst Hero: Subaru Natsuki - Re: Zero − Starting Life In Another World
Subaru is cursed. A hikikomori - an adolescent in isolation - is summoned to another world where he possesses a "return by death" skill. More than anything, Subaru is foolhardy as he dives headfirst into dangerous situations. With each death, he aims to uncover the one behind the destruction and danger he faces.
He may not be the worst of the worst, but his inability to level up and persistent personality make for a protagonist bent on changing the future, but unable to gain support or the power to do so. After a while, even death begins to seem like a friend.
2 Best Hero: Diablo - How NOT To Summon A Demon Lord
This hero is certainly suspect, but he's inherently pure of heart. At least, he does his best when in compromising situations. Diablo is a humble demon lord who makes it a point to look out for others instead of living up to his namesake.
Suffering from a case of social anxiety, Diablo does his best to use his knowledge of the game world of Cross Reverie to navigate his way through his new life. It's clear that he restrains himself in more ways than one, especially when holding back his outrageous amount of power.
1 Worst Hero: Inuyasha
Inuyasha is an anime for the ages. Inuyasha is a yokai - a half-dog demon that's promised to help Kagome collect pieces of a powerful crystal in Japan's Sengoku period (c. 1467 – c. 1615). Inuyasha proves a rowdy and brash yokai as he travels with Kagome - the incarnation of Kikyo, who once had relations with Inuyasha.
Not only that, but Inuyasha has a knack for forgetting that Kagome is not Kikyo. He feels a mixture of grief, guilt, and responsibility towards Kikyo's death. Kikyo appears to be on his mind more than Kagome, who goes to great lengths for him and the shattered jewel.