Isekai has become one of the most popular genres in both anime and manga. The series generally begins when a character is forcefully transported into an overfamiliar fantasy world or game. From there, they are tasked with figuring out how the world works, learning to use magic, and trying to figure out how to survive.
With tons of isekai series now being released, though, some fans have grown bored of the formula and are searching for something new. Reverse isekai is a great choice for those who love the genre but are looking for something to spice things up a bit.
10 What is Reverse Isekai
Reverse isekai is literally the opposite situation of an earthling being transported to another world. In this genre, the main protagonist generally comes from a fantasy world where magic is plentiful but ends up getting teleported to Earth.
The protagonist must then try to figure out how to live a normal life on Earth while trying to get back home. In some other isekai, the protagonist may actually come to Earth of their own accord.
9 Why Isn't Bleach or Higurashi Considered Reverse Isekai?
It's not uncommon for shows like Bleach and even Higurashi to be thrown into the isekai or reverse isekai genre. Bleach does have characters that come from the Soul Society, but they are shinigami who are part of the natural order of the world.
Higurashi is more of an alternate dimension type plotline than Rika being sent to another world. To be a reverse isekai or just a normal isekai, the protagonist needs to be trapped in another world that isn't connected to Earth.
8 Does it Contain Magic?
Most reverse isekai do still contain heavy fantasy elements like magic. Many will try to limit the use of magic by imposing rules on the protagonist, such as magic not being as common or strong on Earth.
Others will allow the characters to keep their full power but force them to hide it from those around them, creating comical scenes of characters having to learn to do basic activities.
7 How Do They Work?
Almost every reverse isekai starts with a character going through a portal, generally by accident. This is a bit different from the typical isekai that has the main character being reincarnated or separating from their physical body while in a game.
Most of the characters that are brought over will end up even being royalty, high-level mages, or elves that don't understand how human culture works.
6 Isn't it Mostly Comedy?
The vast majority of reverse isekai are comedy series due to the general set-up of powerful characters having to learn to live a normal life on Earth. Cultural differences are usually a big part of comedy or royal characters having to work in foodservice.
Most of the protagonists will also have over the top personalities that make them stand out to the normal humans trying to work around them.
5 Are There Any Serious Reverse Iskai?
There are some more serious shows like Gate that focuses on the Earth being invaded by another universe. Most reverse isekai that follow a more serious plotline are currently based around military plots.
Another example of this is Kuromukuro, which also falls under the mecha tag. It is much harder to find more serious or mature plotlines in this genre.
4 Is There Ever a Language Barrier?
One of the biggest questions fans have about the Isekai genre is the language barrier between worlds. Just like in normal isekai, most reverse isekai don't show any issues with communication between worlds.
Most of this is explained by using translation magic as the excuse for characters being able to both understand and speak perfect Japanese.
3 What is The Most Popular Reverse Isekai
According to MyAnimeList, the most popular reverse isekai is The Devil is a Partimer. The show has over a million fans on the site and generally hovers around being number 3 in the top 100 anime list.
The anime follows Satan as he is transported to work and forced to get a job at MgRonalds, a fantasy fast-food chain where he vows to be the greatest salesman ever.
2 Aren't Most Reverse Isekai Light Novels?
A high amount of reverse isekai do start out as light novels, while some of them do not get manga adaptations. Both The Devil is a Partimer and Gate started off as light novels that got anime adaptations.
Luckily, both the show's popularity earned them manga, but other shows may not have the same luck getting translated into manga.
1 Why is it Less Popular?
Reverse isekai isn't unsuccessful; many fans just theorize that it can be harder to write about. While there are still plenty of opportunities out there for elves and heroes venturing to Earth, the genre hasn't really broken out of its shell yet.
Fans believe that creators have a hard time trying to make venturing to Earth more appealing to readers than a human being teleported to a world full of magic. It also is a bit hard to pin down all the common things that a supernatural being would be confused about on Earth.