Sword Art Online is often considered the first title to appear in the recent isekai genre boom, though it's debated whether SAO counts as isekai from a purist viewpoint. Either way, the sword-wielding protagonist Kirito is the famed "black swordsman" who has triumphed time and again against powerful foes in virtual game worlds. He is also Asuna Yuuki's loving boyfriend.
Kirito has his fans, but it's also fair to say that by now, isekai anime fans have many better options for their favorite isekai hero. These superior isekai protagonists aren't always stronger than Kirito in combat, but they have other qualities, character arcs, or goals that make them far more compelling and intriguing than Kirito ever was.
10 Azusa Aizawa Is A Witch Mom (I've Been Killing Slimes)
Some isekai protagonists are a total power fantasy, like Kirito, while other isekai leads are much more humble about their power, and they define themselves as people in other ways. An example is the benevolent witch protagonist Azusa Aizawa, who got sent to isekai land after dying from overwork.
Azusa is a vastly powerful witch, but she is best known for her warm, maternal air and her dry sense of humor, all of which endears her to fans, even if I've Been Killing Slimes is a forgettable series. She also made friends with a demon king and formed a group of friends with some truly colorful personalities in it.
9 Blank Is A Cleverer Power Fantasy (No Game No Life)
The foster brother/sister duo Sora and Shiro go by the name "Blank" in online games, melding themselves into a single identity. For that reason, they may be considered a single isekai protagonist, and they always operate as a team.
Like Kirito, Blank is a video game-based isekai hero, but with a better twist. Instead of being a self-insert with two swords, Blank is an expert gamer and tactician with a smug side, which makes for a great watch. Chess is a whole different game when Blank is concerned.
8 Myne Is Determined To Make Books (Ascendance Of A Bookworm)
Myne is anything but a self-insert power fantasy isekai heroine. She was once a Japanese teen who loved literature and books, but then she got reborn as a young girl named Myne who lived in a loving but totally illiterate household in a pre-industrial society. There's not a single book in sight.
Now it's Myne's mission to use her wits and creativity to physically make and write her own books, and while this is a serious challenge, Myne won't dare back down. It's fun to watch her strive toward this worthy goal, even if she has an odd sickness and poverty getting in her way.
7 Ainz Ooal Gown Is Too Cool (Overlord)
The skeleton isekai antihero Ainz Ooal Gown may be a total power fantasy, but that doesn't make him boring. A power fantasy character like him is more compelling if they have internal conflicts or unusual goals, and that certainly describes Ainz.
Ainz makes power fantasies look cool with his villain overlord appearance and his platoon of villainous followers, and he even has a scary fortress for a home. On the inside, though, he's the same nice guy he always was, which puts him into conflict with his wicked new persona. It's a fascinating internal struggle to watch.
6 Subaru Natsuki Has Serious Drama (Re:Zero)
The isekai hero Subaru Natsuki is far from a power fantasy, and that's what makes him so cool. He has to survive with nothing but his wits and his uncanny ability to return in time after dying, and only he knows what's really going on. This will be anything but easy, even with Rem the ogre maid and Emilia helping him.
Subaru may be just a NEET in a tracksuit, but he has come a long way with remarkably little, which means his victories feel more earned than any of Kirito's. He also has a lot of emotional depth and drama going on, which is much more interesting than Kirito's token romance with Asuna.
5 Naofumi Iwatani Is The Famed Shield Hero (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
Naofumi Iwatani is the Shield Hero himself, one of the four Cardinal Heroes summoned to the kingdom of Melromarc to save everyone from the calamity of the Waves. However, Naofumi was falsely accused of a terrible crime, so he had to form his own adventuring party when almost no one trusted him.
Naofumi is a resourceful and practical hero who, like Subaru, has scored some victories that feel truly earned, and not just with the power of friendship or plot armor, either. And now, in Season 2, Naofumi is truly an inspiring symbol to the people, even when fighting the massive Spirit Tortoise.
4 Kagome Higurashi Is An Isekai Archer (InuYasha)
Kagome Higurashi was an isekai heroine long before Kirito ever visited Aincrad, and due to its age, the series InuYasha only loosely fits the definition of isekai. But all the same, it's safe to say that Kagome the time-traveling archer is one of isekai's better protagonists, especially when compared to Kirito himself.
Kagome is beloved for her mature and tough attitude as a no-nonsense tsundere with a heart of gold, and it helps that it was the famed author Rumiko Takahashi who created her. Perhaps Kagome should visit a virtual MMORPG next and show Kirito how it's done.
3 Katarina Claes Is Everyone's Favorite Baka Villainess (My Next Life As A Villainess)
Anime fans refer to the redeemed villainess Katarina Claes as "Bakarina" not to mock her, but to show how much they love Katarina for being a dense goofball with a generous heart. Katarina was reborn in her favorite otome game, Fortune Lover, and it's her job to avoid her own doom somehow.
Katarina is a cheerful and friendly young aristocrat with a great sense of humor and a serious fondness for snacks, which endears her to many viewers. But she is also clever enough to shake up Fortune Lover's formula and make everyone best friends with one another to keep the plot from advancing, and thus, prevent her doom.
2 Senku Ishigami Makes Science Cool (Dr. Stone)
Dr. Stone can be considered a time-based isekai anime series where the kid scientist Senku Ishigami and his classmates got locked in stone for 3,700 years later, only to awaken in a new Stone Age. Senku, being the proactive and optimistic hero he is, vowed to rebuild all of humanity, even if he had to do it alone.
This makes Senku one of the freshest and most exciting isekai heroes of all, and it helps that he embodies shonen values while also being a snarky, science-minded guy who loves inventions far more than he likes people. He's not nasty about it, though - he's doing all this for humanity's sake, after all.
1 Rimuru Tempest Is OP But Amazing (That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime)
For some anime fans, an overpowered hero will always be boring no matter their other qualities, and that's somewhat understandable. But for other fans, an OP hero like Rimuru Tempest can be compelling regardless.
Rimuru is exciting to watch since he has so many diverse powers, including his Predator skill, but he rarely fights for his own sake. Instead, this noble, optimistic hero fights to build his own tolerant kingdom of monsters, and he is learning how to run the place as the mayor and administrator. He's got more challenges on his hands than beating up bandits.