Aside from the “being born in another world” gimmick that isekai holds so near and dear to its existence, another key aspect of the genre is just how long some of the titles can be. It’s a bit of a running joke, but there’s quite a bit of truth behind it – a lot of isekai series literally wear their hearts on their sleeves by titling themselves with a statement describing whatever the main plot of the show is.
Despite the age-old saying that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the isekai genre has proven the classic idiom wrong time and time again. With some of the more popular choices being That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime or Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?, there are so many new anime being released every season that have the potential to completely eclipse their predecessors in terms of word count, and trying to let its potential audiences know exactly what they’re in for.
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon
Certainly not the longest title, but one of the more bizarre – Reborn as a Vending Machine follows a protagonist, who, of course, dies in the real world by tragically being crushed by a vending machine (unleashed upon him accidentally by Truck-kun himself). Almost as a cruel joke from fate, he’s reborn into a fantasy world as a sentient vending machine who ends up meeting a young adventurer named Lammis. Dubbing him “Boxxo”, the two embark on an adventure together.
Reborn as a Vending Machine‘s surprisingly well-written story works well as a satirical spin on the isekai genre. While it does utilize many staple tropes found within modern isekai, Reborn as a Vending Machine does put in the legwork to make its bizarre premise work within a high-fantasy setting.
My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer
Based on a series of light novels written by Mojikakiya in 2017, My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer isn’t exactly an isekai series, but it does use many of the genre’s tricks and tropes to tell an engaging story. The series primarily focuses on Belgrave, an adventurer who retires after a grave injury makes it nearly impossible to complete quests. He ends up finding an abandoned girl, Angeline, in the wilderness, whom he raises as his own.
Once Angeline is grown, she leaves home and becomes a famous, “S-Rank” adventurer. After all her success, the only thing she wants is to come back home and spend time with her dad. My Daugther Left the Nest is extremely wholesome and offers anime fans a heartwarming portrayal of a father-daughter bond in an exciting high-fantasy setting.
Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte
Another series that both is and isn’t an isekai, Endo and Kobayashi Live! is an extremely fun take on isekai romance that also plays into the very popular villainess subgenre. Endo and Kobayashi follows two broadcasting club students who decide to try playing an otome called A Magical Romance, wherein the player takes on the role of Fiene, who captures the love of the game’s bachelors while also fighting back against Lieselotte Riefenstahl, a villainess who meets a tragic end in each of the story’s endings. While deliberating over the game’s plot and believing the villainess to be misunderstood, one of the game’s main characters and romance options for Fienne, and Lieselotte’s fiancé, Siegwald Fitzenhagen, hears them from beyond the fourth wall and believes the two teenagers are God.
From that point forward, Siegwald listens to Endo and Kobayashi’s insights on the doomed villainess to try and change fate, which ultimately leads to the world around them and the story of the game to change drastically. It’s an incredibly fun spin on the villainess reincarnation genre that puts the responsibility of saving the show’s signature villainess in the hands of the man who is supposed to love her. It’s the perfect show to pick up for fans of similar series that focus on re-writing the fate of its main protagonist, like My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!
I’ve Somehow Gotten Stronger When I Improved My Farm-related Skills
With the stereotypical “title that describes the plot” set-up and a lighthearted premise, I’ve Somehow Gotten Stronger When I Improved My Farm-related Skills is a light novel-turned-anime that takes a mundane, everyman protagonist and turns him into an exalted shonen protagonist. Following Al Wayne, who only wishes to have an average life as a dedicated farmer in a small town, has incidentally maxed out his strength and speed. Because of his absolutely ludicrous abilities, he’s able to easily slay monsters and earns praise from the royal family.
Despite his reluctance to become a warrior, Al embarks on a journey to help his country’s people. Farm-related Skills is the definition of JRPG-themed isekai, utilizing video game logic flawlessly to explain why the main character is capable of performing so many incredible feats. Despite its silly premise, it’s a fun, short watch with surprisingly gorgeous animation from Studio A-Cat.
Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord
With a title coming in at 15 words, Villainess Level 99, based on the original light novels by Satori Tanabata, fits into the villainess reincarnation subgenre of isekai. However, the series also chooses to add in sprinkles of JRPG logic to describe just how powerful the show’s protagonist, Yumiella Dolkness, truly is. A normal college student reborn into an otome-JRPG as a dark-haired, dark magic wielding secret boss encounter from a game she used to play in the real world called Light Magic and the Hero, Lumiella decides to move away from the game’s main plot to instead level grind.
Lumiella accidentally maxes her level at 99, turning herself into the most powerful individual in the world, despite the school she enrolls in only requiring its students to be 10. With her people already wary of her due to her appearance and demeanor, Lumiella has to prove herself to the society around her and to her fellow classmates to win their trust and hopefully change her fate as the story’s secret villain.
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The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat
The World’s Finest Assassin plays into all the edginess that comes with having a main character dedicated to charlatanism while still managing to deliver a surprisingly fun isekai adventure. The anime opens by introducing audiences to an elderly man who dedicated his life to being an assassin. After passing away after being sabotaged after deciding to retire, he’s reborn by a goddess into a fantasy world where she feels as though the land needs his unique skillset to prevent a terrible evil.
When he finally wakes up, the nameless assassin is reborn as Lugh Tuatha Dé, a nobleman and dedicated heir to his house who vows to use the skills he remembers from his past life to save the world. The World’s Finest Assassin is all the power-creeping fantasy goodness that diehard isekai fans adore while being over-the-top enough to draw in those who aren’t as keen on indulging in the genre.
Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside
Another series that chooses to tell its audience exactly what they’re in for when they play Episode 1, Banished from the Hero’s Party takes place in a fantasy world where people are given their life purposes through Divine Blessings that they receive on the day that they’re born. The show’s main character, Gideon, who travels in the same party as a legendary hero, is told by the group’s second-in-command that he’s nothing more than dead weight. Without consulting the other members of their party, Gideon leaves and finds himself in a small, borderland town, where he becomes a shopkeeper.
Banished from the Hero’s Party is extremely dedicated to its slice-of-life premise and even toys around with some very tried and true romance tropes by having his childhood crush also live in the same town by complete coincidence and wanting to move in with him. While there are certainly some underlying threats surrounding the protagonist, Banished from the Hero’s Party is far more interested in exploring the townie lifestyle led by its characters.
7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!
The villainess reincarnation subgenre of isekai has rapidly become just as popular as what inspired it, and the anime adaptation of 7th Time Loop puts an absolutely incredible twist on not only isekai tropes but newer trends that have popped up for villainess reincarnation series. The anime follows Rishe, a young noblewoman used as a political pawn by her parents to secure a wealthy husband. In her first life, she was betrayed by him and ran away to start a new life for herself before perishing due to the actions of the Galkhein Kingdom and its crown prince, Arnold Hein.
In her seventh life, though, as she goes through the same motions as she’s always done when her life resets, she somehow manages to capture the attention of the aforementioned villainous prince, and he proposes to her. Rishe decides to take him up on his offer to become her husband to hopefully live a peaceful life among royalty, but slowly finds herself falling in love with him and understanding what caused him to turn to tyranny in each of her previous lives.
The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible
One of the most intricate isekai titles in recent years, Ossan Newbie Adventurer is exactly as its title would suggest – following the impeccably named Rick Gladiator, an adventurer’s guild clerk-turned-proper adventurer despite being 32. Despite being a total underdog because of his age, Rick has been in contact with some of the greatest adventurers in the world, which means that he knows all the tricks to becoming a hero.
Ossan Newbie is extremely silly, but it also succeeds in being self-aware and tackling some of the same themes that bigger shonen anime, like Kaiju No. 8, have in exploring an older protagonist pursuing their dreams. Even for anime fans that may not like the typical tropes found in isekai anime, Ossan Newbie is a great show to binge-watch.
The Strongest Tank’s Labyrinth Raids: A Tank with a Rare 9999 Resistance Skill Got Kicked from the Hero’s Party
With an almost 20-word title, The Strongest Tank’s Labyrinth Raids: A Tank with a Rare 9999 Resistance Skill Got Kicked from the Hero’s Party tells its audience exactly what the series is all about. Produced by Studio Polon and based on a still ongoing light novel series by Ryūta Kijima, the anime follows a very standard isekai set up, taking place in a high fantasy, J-RPG world with the spotlight being on an overpowered protagonist, who, in this case, is the most under-appreciated character archetype in all of gaming: a tank.
Despite his accolades, he’s kicked out of his adventuring party and sets out on a solo journey to find artifacts that can cure his younger sister’s mysterious ailment. While The Strongest Tank is a very cliche spin on isekai, it does do whatever it can to make the show entertaining, giving its already powerful hero two hidden skills he discovers throughout the show’s run that, unsurprisingly, make him even more broken.
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