For many anime fans, the idea of leaving the real world and traveling to an exciting universe of action and adventure might sound like a dream. The isekai genre gives fans a chance to experience that fantasy -- and two of the most popular isekai are Sword Art Online and The Rising of the Shield Hero. Both shows have dedicated fanbases and are incredibly successful. But when it comes down to it, which one of these shows is the better isekai?
Strengths: Sword Art Online
One of the last decade's most popular anime franchises, Sword Art Online tells the story of protagonist Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya, a young boy who ventures into various MMORPG worlds. Based on the light novel series of the same name, the show began in 2012 and has since generated multiple anime seasons, a movie, a spinoff anime and many video game adaptations.
As each season covers one or more video game worlds, each with its unique environment, rules, as well as accompanying storyline and characters, Sword Art Online is a story that never gets stagnant and is continually evolving. It's one of the main reasons the show has been able to keep going for so long.
Another major pro about Sword Art Online is that each season only improves after the last. Currently, the show is on its third season (the second part of its fourth story arc) and is shaping up to be the most exciting and well-written season Sword Art Online fans have ever seen.
Strengths: The Rising of the Shield Hero
A more recent entry into the isekai anime canon, The Rising of the Shield Hero tells the story of Naofumi Iwatani, a college-aged boy who is summoned to a fantasy video game world and told that he must fight incoming waves of monsters and become the Legendary Shield Hero. Unfortunately, Naofumi's excitement turns to resentment after his one companion betrays him and turns the entire kingdom against him by falsely accusing him of rape. With no way out of his responsibility to save the world, Naofumi embarks on a journey to fulfill his duty despite his destroyed reputation.
Shield Hero may only have one completed season, but it told a compelling and exciting story of redemption, as Naofumi goes from a disgraced being to one of the most praised and respected heroes. Season one is efficiently paced, with no arc or story taking too long; plus its humorous moments provide perfectly timed moments of levity and its epic fight scenes are always packed with action.
One of the best qualities of the show is how it subverts expectations. Episode One lays down a foundation of what viewers think this show will look like -- then, about 15 minutes in, the rug is pulled out from under when the kingdom turns on Naofumi. It's a recurring motif that keeps viewers engrossed and on edge as they progress through the season.
Weaknesses: Sword Art Online
While Sword Art Online has been one of the most popular anime franchises of the last decade, that praise hasn't come without a fair share of criticism.
From a purely technical standpoint, early seasons of Sword Art Online suffered from issues with pacing, lack of focus and weak characterizations. Some of it can be attributed to bad writing. But the main reason was that the show was trying to cover too many stories in a short amount of time. It's led to things like the continuous reliance on Kirito's "God complex," wherein he randomly becomes stronger for plot convenience. Seasons 3 and 4 have mostly fixed these problems. But that doesn't fix the issues from the first 49 episodes.
But even though more recent seasons have fixed logistical issues, there is one major criticism that even the Alicization arc isn't immune to, and that's misogyny. Since Season One, Sword Art Online has featured at least one scene depicting sexual assault of a female character. In fact, it got to the point that Reki Kawahara, the creator, had to apologize to the voice actors involved. Considering this criticism has been raised repeatedly for almost a decade now, it's frustrating to see it continue to happen despite fans' vocal protests.
Weaknesses: The Rising of the Shield Hero
Against Sword Art Online, Shield Hero has way fewer episodes to compare to. However, even its first season isn't immune to critiques. And compared to SAO, it goes beyond technical issues.
Naofumi is a complex character. In the first episode alone, he's forcibly removed from his world into an unfamiliar one and is falsely accused of a terrible crime he did not commit with no way to clear his name. In isekai terms, his origin story as the Shield Hero is a dramatic metaphor for otaku fans who might feel like they don't fit in, making him and his redemption story something that fans can sympathize with and root for.
However, in the wake of recent events, especially given the #MeToo movement and ongoing discussions about racial equality, Shield Hero's false rape accusations and apparent condonation of slavery can be triggering and very difficult for modern audiences to take on board. The implications of this show are intense and deserve more space to fully delve into; but essentially, Shield Hero's message can be confusing and even harmful for some audiences. Notably, as this was written in Japan, some of these gray areas could possibly be attributed to cultural differences. But when does it become too much?
Which Is The Better Isekai Anime?
Even though Sword Art Online has been around longer and has improved with each season, The Rising of the Shield Hero has had less technical issues from the start and is constantly subverting expectations with its storytelling. Yes, its subtext is tricky for some audiences to swallow, but hopefully, the show's upcoming seasons might make up for its icky first season themes.
Therefore, compared to Sword Art Online, Shield Hero is the superior isekai. This isn't to discredit the progress Sword Art Online has made, or even guarantee the continued success of Shield Hero. Given that both shows are currently running and available on major streaming platforms, any isekai fan should check both out and compare for themselves.