What Is Isekai Anime? Explained everything

What Is Isekai Anime

Over the last few years, there is a new trending anime subgenre has been booming, “Isekai anime.” But what is Isekai anime? What does Isekai mean? In this article, you will get these answers along with the top 5 Isekai anime of all time. Let’s begin!

What Is Isekai Anime?

Isekai is a fantasy subgenre in which a protagonist is forcibly transferred from their universe into a strange or new one.

Isekai is an anime that focuses on a person or individuals who are taken to, or reincarnated into another world or universe and then live his life there.

Includes books, graphic novels, animated movies, comics, anime, and video; Isekai could be a fantasy realm, virtual environment, another planet, or parallel universe. Though the concept is not new in animation yet, the term, Isekai is relatively new when it comes to anime.

What Is Isekai Anime

These types of anime series are full of quests, puzzles, thrill, and suspense between the parallel universe, teleported, and the new one. You might see the Overlord, one of the most popular anime series, where the concept of Isekai works globally. Overlord is a dark fantasy anime with a fantastic OST through the different seasons.

In most stories, the main protagonist is accidentally transported to an alien universe. However, sometimes, the hero’s lifestyle is completely transformed after reincarnation into a new world, as we see in Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.

What is Isekai anime? What does Isekai mean?

As of now, we get the basic definition of what is Isekai anime, but what does Isekai mean in anime? What is the meaning of the word “Isekai”?

When we look for the true meaning, Isekai is a Japanese word that means a different world or otherworld.

what is isekai anime

Remember, a different world means a location from where a person or protagonist lived and teleported to the new world. Usually, we referred these transferred worlds as virtual worlds or parallel universes. I thought the concept of Isekai started back in the 1900s with Urashima Taro yet the anime adaptation was just a few years back.

The two categories of this genre are reincarnation on a different planet and being transported into a different one. The protagonists of fiction transported into other worlds are carried there as though by entering the other realm. While the protagonist is transported to another planet after passing away in the actual world is about reincarnation fiction.

What is modern Isekai anime?

After knowing what is Isekai anime, let’s understand what is modern Isekai and how it differs from the typical one. Regarding contemporary Isekai anime, many people have diverse views.

Some think Another World (1976) is where it all began, while some believe Sword Art Online (2010) was the real beginning.

But our perspective is different from the above two claims. We think the actual beginning of modern Isekai anime was The Familiar Of Zero (2004). The familiar of zero is a story of a male protagonist, Saito, from modern Japan, who is summoned to a fantasy world by the female lead Louise.

When compared to its male counterparts, Isekai, which features female protagonists, are gaining popularity; they are called slice-of-life anime and don’t have a lot of violence or superhero elements.

In recent years, the Isekai subgenre of slice-of-life fantasy has experienced significant growth. People who have been resurrected into a fantasy universe are the main subject of these tales.

To understand more deeply “What is Isekai anime”, and what does Isekai anime mean, now I am going to discuss the top 5 Isekai anime that you must watch.

1. No Game, No Life

what is isekai anime

The anime, which is ranked among the best five Isekai anime from the previous ten years, adds a distinctive flavor to the genre. Fans laud the anime for its idea of utilizing video games as battlefields and for its gorgeous animation.

A deity from a different realm named Tet challenges Sora and Shiro to a game of chess. The two succeed and are given the chance to live in a world where video games are the main attraction. They agree, thinking it’s a prank, and are then transported to a world known as Disboard. What happened afterward? watch the anime.

2. The Rising of the Shield Hero

what is isekai anime

The Shield’s Ascendance One of four heroes and the story’s primary protagonist, Naofumi Iwatani, is sent to an alien planet in the hopes of preserving it. At the time of their summoning, each of the heroes was outfitted with unique legendary gear.

The only piece of armor given to Naofumi is defense armor. Upon learning that his sole partner is actually the princess of the realm, Naofumi’s fortune takes an unexpected turn for the worst. Worse than that, she makes up claims that Naofumi had harassed her inappropriately.

3. Re: Zero – Starting Life in Another World

what does isekai mean

Re: Zero is definitely a must-watch Isekai anime and is highly rated by users and rating companies like IMDb. The main character of the anime, Natsuki Subaru, is suddenly transferred to a fantastical realm that is possessed by a dreadful entity.

Subaru discovers that he can go into the past after dying or experiencing death a few times. Subaru uses his newfound power to defend Emilia, a female companion, and aid her in her quest to become the next princess out of his appreciation and love for her.

4. Saga of Tanya The Evil

best isekai anime

The saga of Tanya The Evil is among the rare Isekai anime that is more centered on the antagonist rather than the hero. A conceited Japanese salaryman who passed away suddenly is doomed to rebirth in another dimension for insulting God.

The salaryman has a 2nd life as Imperial Army Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff, a 9-year-old military girl. Tanya chooses to join the Empire’s Mages Division in an effort to find a way out. She hopes to advance quickly to a high enough position to stay away from the front lines.

5. My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom

what is isekai anime and how it differs from other anime

A girl discovers herself being transported into the corpse of Katarina Claes in the anime My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom. Catarina Claes, a young noblewoman, suffers a head injury one day and later recalls her previous existence as an otaku.

Catarina starts implementing defenses to prevent these paths that ending in disaster. Her interactions with the other people in the game’s environment, however, end up suffering unanticipated repercussions as a result.

Closing Words

So, do you understand What is Isekai anime and how it differs from other anime genres? I tried to sum up the definition of Isekai, the meaning of Isekai, and what is modern Isekai anime.

As stated, Isekai is not a new concept in which protagonists are teleported into or to another universe but this concept is new to anime adaptation. I hope you loved and enjoyed this article, keep exploring MyAnimeFacts for more amazing articles.