In recent anime seasons, the Isekai genre has absolutely exploded in popularity. More popular series than can be easily counted have been Isekai series and it feels like there's at least one or two every new season these days. In fact, the genre has become so crowded that major publisher Kadokawa has banned Isekai stories from iterations of its story contests. Still, despite the popularity of the Isekai genre, non-anime fans may be unfamiliar with the genre, though the concept itself should be pretty familiar. The Bam Smack Pow team is here to help explain the genre and name of the standout series.
The word Isekai itself is the Japanese word for "Another World" or "Alternate World." On the whole, Isekai anime could be considered as occupying the same genre as non-anime Portal Fantasy books, shows and movies like Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, the John Carter of Mars series (and its 2012 movie adaptation that went on to become one of the biggest box office bombs of all time) and both Super Mario movie adaptations.
There isn't necessarily a clear distinction between Isekai and Portal Fantasy, though "Isekai" is generally used to refer specifically to anime and manga series. The one major distinction is that Portal Fantasy tends to involve characters freely moving back and forth between the real world and another world, with the adventures in the other world usually being temporary, whereas Isekai stories tend to involve characters permanently relocating to other worlds, often as a result of being reincarnated.
Breaking down the Isekai genre
As stated, reincarnation into another world (often, though not always) based on classic Fantasy RPGs is a common element of the Isekai genre. In fact, enough Isekai protagonists have started their series with getting run over by a truck that it's become a meme among anime fans. Notably, not every anime that involves reincarnation is automatically an Isekai. For example, although the popular series Oshi no Ko begins with the two main characters being reincarnated as their favorite pop singer's twin children, along with various other supernatural events in the story, Oshi no Ko takes place entirely in our world.
Similarly, not every Isekai protagonist gets reincarnated first. A fair few Isekai protagonists have simply been unwillingly drawn into another world in the middle of their daily lives.
Some of the best examples of the Isekai genre include:
• KonoSuba (full title Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!) — Kazuma, a nerdy loner dies in the real world and is given the opportunity to reincarnate in a Fantasy world, given the choice of bringing any one thing with him into the new world. He chooses the goddess overseeing the reincarnation process, who promptly becomes his unwilling adventuring partner. A comedic series parodying the Fantasy RPG genre, much of the humor in KonoSuba comes from the fact that Kazuma and his companions have very narrow, very specific skillsets and are hilariously bad at everything else. KonoSuba has become one of the most popular Isekai series among anime fans. Streaming on Crunchyroll.
• Magic Knight Rayearth — Three high school students: Hikaru, Umi and Fuu are summoned to the world Cephiro and tasked with protecting the world from evil after being given elemental powers of fire, water and wind. At is most simple, Magic Knight Rayearth is the Isekai version of and, like Sailor Moon, first aired in the '90s. Streaming on Crunchyroll and available to watch in its entirety on the YouTube channel of anime studio TMS Entertainment.
• Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon — Easily one of the most bizarre Isekai premises, the series follows an obsessive fan of vending machines (yes, really) after he is reincarnated in a Fantasy world as a vending machine (yes, really). Named Boxxo by his new friends, he joins an adventuring party while trying to figure out how to assist them despite being unable to move or even speak in anything other than pre-recorded sound clips. Streaming on Crunchyroll.
Reverse Isekai is exactly what it sounds like
Related to the broader Isekai genre is the Reverse Isekai concept. At the most basic, a Reverse Isekai follows a character from another world transported or reincarnated into ours. That means most of the humor in Reverse Isekai series comes from extraordinary people — for example, ancient Chinese heroes or Dark Lord-type characters — having to adapt to mundane life on present-day Earth.
Examples of Reverse Isekai anime include:
• Ya Boy Kongming! (opening shown above) — following the legendary strategist of Three Kingdoms-era China Zhuge Liang (also known by the name Kongming) after he is reincarnated into present-day Shibuya, Tokyo and becomes the manager of an aspiring singer named Eiko. Streaming on HIDIVE.
• The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! — after the destruction of the Dark Realm, Jahy, the Demon Lord's second-in-command is transported to Earth where she struggles to make ends meet in a dead-end job while also attempting to restore the Dark Realm. Streaming on Crunchyroll.
• Uncle from Another World — Takafumi receives word from the hospital that his uncle Yōsuke has awoken from a 17-year coma. Yōsuke reveals that he spent that time transported to another world where he took up an adventuring career. As he learns about his uncle's adventures, Takafumi also helps his uncle adjust to all the ways the world has changed in his absence, including the downfall of Yōsuke's beloved Sega. Streaming on Netflix.
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