Highlights

• Isekai anime challenges traditional hero narratives by featuring misunderstood protagonists mistaken for villains.
• Characters like Sora, Catarina, Naofumi, Hajime, and Ainz explore complex themes of morality and survival.
• Through unique stories and experiences, these protagonists navigate worlds where power dynamics shape their actions.

Isekai anime often feature protagonists who don't care about the characters around them, since they've been transported far from their original world. As a result, a new narrative has gained momentum, where the protagonist, who was supposed to be the hero of the story, finds himself mistaken for the antagonist, either by his actions or by the circumstances.

This intriguing concept adds layers of complexity to the traditional hero’s journey, turning expectations on their head and exploring the consequences of being misunderstood. Sometimes their actions are rooted in heroism, and sometimes in self-preservation. With that in mind, here are some isekai anime where the protagonist is mistaken for a villain.

5 No games no life

Sora

Although the pair of half-siblings, Sora and Shiro, are the main protagonists of the story, Sora is the main object of focus here. Taking on the identity of Blank, a pair of undefeated gamers, Sora and Shiro tormented the gaming world with their superior skills and intellect. They eventually defeated a god, who transported them to a world where decisions are made through games.

Sora can be quite cruel, showing no mercy or remorse to those who crumble at Blank's hands, even going so far as to mock his opponents. However, his demeanor changes when he is without Shiro, becoming quite introverted and meek.

4 My next life as a villain

Catherine Claes

Catarina spent most of her life as the spoiled and evil daughter of a nobleman after being reborn into the world of Fortune Lover, an otome game, as the villain. However, after hitting her head, she remembers her past life and decides to change for the better, thus becoming a completely new and selfless person trying to protect herself from the outcome of the game – being exiled or killed.

However, the measures she takes to avoid these situations slowly begin to affect the dynamics of the relationship between her and the other characters in the world.

3 The Rising of the Shield Hero

Naofumi Iwatani

When the Shield Hero was summoned to the new world, he was summoned alongside three other heroes who were supposed to help combat the calamities that plagued their world, called Waves. Unlike him, the other heroes were given real weapons and became the kingdom's extended sweethearts, regardless of their personalities.

Naofumi Iwatani was hated by everyone in the kingdom due to his status as the Shield Hero, with the princess going so far as to falsely accuse him of rape, which resulted in his exile from the kingdom. The series follows his adventures throughout the world as he tries to survive and gain the trust of the citizens of this new world.

2 Arifureta: from the strongest to the common world

Hajime Nagumo

In his previous life, Hajime was frequently bullied by his classmates, and this continued even after they were transported to a new world. While all of his classmates gained powerful skills and abilities, he was only given the ability to transmute materials. He was eventually betrayed by his friends and pushed into a dungeon. He ate monsters to stay alive and created weapons to escape the dungeon, with this experience bringing out a different side of him.

After escaping and becoming a hybrid, he no longer cares about anyone but himself, going so far as to kill people who stand in his way. He behaves like a true antagonist, often showing how twisted and brutal he is now as a result of the traumatic experiences he has had. His only goal is to find a way to return to Japan, and he will stop at nothing to make that happen.

1 sovereign

Ainz Ooal Dress

• Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
• Studio: Madhouse
• Number of episodes: 52

After the YGGDRASIL server shutdown, Ainz Ooal Gown, formerly known as Momonga, was transported into the game as his skeleton avatar. He adopted the name of his former guild to send a message to the people who might have also been transported alongside him. Ainz is naturally the strongest character in the world and is responsible for the safety of Nazarick.

He has also developed a warped moral compass due to a combination of being drunk and being surrounded by NPCs. This is evidenced by how he has no qualms about taking lives and committing other crimes that he would not have committed in his previous life. The anime serves as a window into the inner ramblings of the mind of a being with unlimited power and limited ethical concerns.