This decade can be considered the decade of isekai anime. The sub-genre has exploded in popularity and dominated anime during the early years of the decade and hasn't declined since. Almost every season contains one (if not many) anime that could be considered part of the trend with no end in sight.

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So with so many to choose from, it is only natural to whittle them down and pluck out the best of the best from this decade. Here's a look into the 15 best isekai anime that made a splash during the years of 2010 to 2019!

Updated on August 19th, 2021 by Daniel Kurland: Isekai series have seriously increased in popularity with there now being more ways than ever for characters to get whisked away to unbelievable new worlds. With the genre now having some time to find its footing and evolve, many of the isekai series of the most recent decade have become major hits and represent isekai anime at its best. 

16 Drifters Revises History With An Isekai Twist

The Drifters Fight The Ends

Drifters has a plot that’s so great that it’s a disappointment that it’s only a decent anime and not the greatest show of all time. The greatest warriors from different eras of history get pulled to an alternate Earth where they must take out a force of deadly villains.

This alone is exciting, but the twist that the villains are also notable antagonists throughout history that have also been whisked away is so perfect. This grueling showdown for supremacy between history’s best is a very entertaining escape that’s only 15 episodes long.

15 GATE Has The Government Try To Handle An Isekai Attack

Anime GATE Heading Into Gate

GATE is a clever isekai series that features a lot of familiar ideas, but does exciting new things with them all. There's a level of agency in place when characters from the real world encounter a strange gate to another dimension that appears in the middle of Tokyo.

Tokyo's government cautiously sends a task force to investigate, who are subjected to an unexpected war against a dragon and other fantasy tropes. This clash between military forces, fish out of water warriors, and fantasy archetypes all work in GATE's favor.

14 Re: Creators Is A Celebration Of Mascots & Connected Universes In A Progressive Manner

A sword gets drawn on the main protagonist in Re:Creators

Re: Creators is the type of isekai series that could only exist after years of trial and error from other shows in the genre. The anime features a clever premise where different mascots and notable fictional characters from a litany of media between video games, manga, anime, and more, are brought to the real world with an unassuming high school student somehow responsible for the fate of them all.

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Re: Creators is just reflexive enough without getting too meta and at only 22 episodes it doesn't overstay its welcome or stretch out its story.

13 The Saga Of Tanya The Evil Forges An Unlikely Hero From The Strangest Transformation

Anime Tanya The Evil

There can often be a very bright and colorful sheen to the fantasy worlds that isekai series visit, but The Saga of Tanya the Evil is set in a considerably grittier world that’s beset by war. It’s a creative twist on isekai staples where magic is incorporated into weaponry in more subdued ways.

Furthermore, its plucky female protagonist is actually a businessman who finds himself being punished and locked in a battle of wills with God himself. The Saga of Tanya the Evil is a wonderful change of pace and it’s entertaining how Tanya takes ownership over her fate.

12 Sword Art Online Is MMORPG Isekai Material At Its Best

kirito and the 'harem' sword art online

It was truly a gamechanger for the isekai genre when they decided to visit virtual worlds and riff on MMORPG titles rather than indulge in pure fantasy. A lot of anime do this well, but Sword Art Online has been able to fuel a growing universe that's become foundational to the genre.

The anime creates such a distinct world that does attempt to subvert expectations whenever possible. Sword Art Online does allow its power fantasy tendencies to get away from it at times and Kirito's growth in strength happens too quickly, but it remains entertaining despite these concessions.

11 The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious Attacks Genre Norms

The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious is one of the more recent anime on this list. The anime made its debut in the Fall 2019 anime season, but it's quickly become a fan favorite with its off-brand humor and overly cautious protagonist.

The plot is exactly as it reads on the tin. Seiya Ryuguin is a hero summoned to another world that excels in every area. The only problem is that he is overly cautious of everything and everyone. Giving the goddess who summoned him (and has a huge crush on him) no end of trouble as he over-levels and overly prepares himself for every encounter.

10 Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren't They? Excels With Its Cast

Problem Children are Coming from Another World, Aren't They? is an anime that aired in the winter of 2013. Premiering right when the sub-genre was getting traction in the anime market due to anime like Sword Art Online and Dog Days before it.

The set up is simple and the plot doesn't break any ground, but this short 10 episode anime is filled with charm. It having a cast of characters that play off of the aforementioned "problem children" well as they attempt to bring a no-name community up in the ranks through a series of challenges called the gift games in another world. Thankfully, they are all gifted with tremendous psychic powers to help them succeed.

9 Dog Days Highlights The Absurdity Of War

An image from Dog Days.

Dog Days is just good old (almost) wholesome fun. There are hardly any stakes and the whole thing is treated like a game. Rightly so considering how they conduct their wars in the land of Flonyard where animal people reign supreme.

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Wars are conducted via highly regulated war games that see no one getting hurt. Instead, they are simply eliminated from the game whenever they would be dealt lethal damage (and sometimes get their clothing destroyed). The main character, Cinque, is summoned as the hero to fight on behalf of the Biscotti Republic. A nation that hasn't been doing well in the games so far. Nothing is ever serious and the whole series has a light and fluffy nature that makes it a lot of fun.

8 No Game No Life Proves That Life Really Is Just A Game

Sora and Shiro studying a device in No Game No Life.

This anime is what happens when two professional gamers get isekaied into a world that is run by the outcomes of high stakes games. No matter how big or how petty the squabble, games are used to determine the outcome of everything, including life and death.

Having been recruited to aid the human empire, which has no extraordinary powers compared to the other races in the world, they attempt to unite the sixteen races of the world and eventually gain the right to challenge the god of the world. Along the way, they gather an eccentric cast of characters to help them on their quest.

7 Overlord Hits The Sweet Spot When It Comes To Tearing Down Fantasy Staples

Best Overlord - Power of their MMO Character

Overlord is also about games (it's quite the common theme) but decidedly more dark than the previous two entries. Having been sucked into his favorite MMO, Momonga is given one of the strongest powers in isekai anime. He has all of the stats and abilities of his fully level undead necromancer.

So using that power, and the many diabolical servants that follow him, he quickly upheaves the world in his search for answers on why he was transported and to see if anyone else is in the same predicament. Quickly and effortlessly dispatching everyone that tries to stand in his way. If you enjoy playing the evil route in video games, this anime might just be for you.

6 That Time I Got Reincarnated Into A Slime Applies A Radical Twist To Isekai Norms

Later on, isekai anime seemed to stray off into more bizarre premises. There are certain Isekai that has the protagonist reincarnate as a sword, a vending machine, and even a hot spring if you look far enough into the sub-genre. That Time I Got Reincarnated into a Slime is one of the better versions that comes out of that trend.

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Reincarnated into what could be considered the weakest monster in anime and video games, things take a turn for the better when Rimuru finds out that he has an ability called Predator which allows him to absorb and copy the powers of others. Eventually giving him enough power to pursue his dream to become a just king in a kingdom where everyone is equal regardless of their race.

5 The Devil is a Part-Timer! Is The Ultimate Shift In Power Dynamics

Let us all take a second to mourn that this show never got a second season. It was far too short and too good to end at only 13 episodes. The great ones always go too soon.

The Devil is a Part-Timer is the only reverse isekai anime on this list. A bit rarer on the market, this one has fantasy characters traveling to the modern world. Having been pushed back by the hero, Emilia, the Demon Lord Satan is forced to escape through a dimensional portal. Stuck in the present day, he finds his powers are as lacking as his wallet. Soon taking up part-time employment in the anime's version of McDonald's, he tries to rule the world one Happy Meal at a time. The past eventually catching up with him as Emilia finds herself in the modern-day too.

4 Rising Of The Shield Hero Presents A Captivating Story About Legends-In-The-Making

Naofumi is caught in all of the trappings of a typical isekai story. Just a normal young man sent to another world with three others to become famous heroes of legend and save the continent from doom. Unfortunately, everything gets swept right up from under him when the princess of the nation that summoned him falsely accuses him of sexual assault and his reputation immediately takes a nosedive.

From there the bright-eyed Naofumi becomes a broodier sort as he sets out on his own to try and clear his name, while also attempting to save the world. Eventually finding trusted companions in a few of the Demi-Human races in the kingdom. Raphtalia, a Tanuki Demi-Human slave he binds to himself, and Filo, a bird race he hatched from a monster egg, in particular joining him on his quest.

3 KonoSuba Knows How To Celebrate & Have Fun Between Bouts Of Danger

There isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said about KonoSuba. It is the comedy gem of the isekai sub-genre that has a plethora of fans for good reasons. Among them being that it is pretty damn funny.

RELATED: Shield Hero or Reincarnated as a Slime: Which is the Better Isekai?

The chemistry between the characters and the world Kazuma was transported into lending themselves well to the zany, over-the-top, and silly adventures that have its fans holding their belly in laughter throughout the series. This eventually culminates in a full-length movie that gives us some of the best out of Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness.

2 Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World Is An Excellent Character Study With A Rich World

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Re:Zero is set to have itself another season at the start of 2020. What better way to start the new decade for an anime fan than by watching the continuation of the best isekai of the previous ten years.

Marred in darkness, Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World starts as a typical isekai only to fling its main character through a gauntlet of physical and mental trauma as he dies time and again in the parallel world. Subaru is gifted with a power that lets him restart from a set point in time whenever he is killed. Unfortunately, it gives him nothing else to prevent his many deaths as he struggles to survive in this foreign world. Thankfully, he can take some solace in his instant crush, Emilia, and the girl who loves him dearly, Rem.

NEXT: 5 Isekai Worlds We Want To Live In (& 5 That We Don’t)