Highlights

• Isekai anime often involve video game mechanics, but not all great isekai require a compelling story to be told.
• Now And Then, Here And There delves into the harsh realities of war, showing a protagonist out of his depth.
• The Devil Works Part-Time! creatively inverts the isekai genre with humor and a focus on character development.

Isekai is one of the most popular anime genres in recent times, thanks in large part to the influence of shows like Sword Art Online, Log Horizon, and similar. However, one of the hardest to escape characteristics is the video game mechanics.

That said, there are many excellent isekai anime without any of these elements that hold up to scrutiny. It should be noted that isekai as a genre is about transporting an individual to a different world. Therefore, 'reverse isekai' counts as isekai. Furthermore, magic, an element found in most fantasy stories, is not something that can be considered exclusive to video games. Furthermore, by their very nature, many isekai are fantasy stories and tend to involve magic.

8 Now and then, here and there

MAL Average. Rating: 7.61

Shuuzou Matsutani is a normal boy who loves kendo. While trying to save a girl he meets, Lala-ru, he is transported to another world. However, unlike many isekai anime, where the protagonist adapts to the world and is somehow empowered, Shuu is often incredibly lost.

The world he is brought to, a sort of dystopian land in the midst of war, is brutal, unforgiving, and harrowing. The story of Now and then, here and there is one that explores how war defines people and how their views of the world change as a result.

7 The Devil is a part-timer!

MAL Average. Rating: 7.73

The Devil is a part-timer! Follows the demon lord, Satan, as he flees Ente Isla and ends up in modern-day Japan. However, he is also followed by one of his kingdom's main heroes, Emilia. Both trapped in this strange new world, they must adapt and learn how to live.

What begins as an epic fantasy story with intrigue turns into a slapstick comedy, as Satan and his assistant Shirou Ashiya must find jobs, pay bills, and simultaneously figure out how to get home. There's no leveling system here, and Maou Sado (the name Satan chooses to use) begins to appreciate the value of humans while bonding with Emilia, who also has the same problems as him.

6 Derivatives

MAL Average. Rating: 7.89

Toyohisa Shimazu finds himself in another world after being wounded in battle. What's unique about this world is that it houses characters from different eras and has different classes of beings, including elves. Toyohisa, with the help of Oda Nobunaga and Yoichi Suketaka, must make his way in this new world filled with war and conflict.

Derivatives explores themes of war and exploration and presents characters shaped not by the world they come from, but by the world they come from. Drifters' artistic style is distinctive, coming from the same pen and mind that brought Hellsing to life, Kouta Hirano.

5 Inuyasha

MAL Average. Rating: 8.03

Inuyasha It's a classic anime that many who haven't seen it won't know is an isekai. It tells the story of Kagome Higurashi, who enters another world that's very similar to Earth, but with fantastical elements.

Inuyasha is a masterpiece and a great romantic tale. Kagome is a vehicle for exploring feudal Japan and exploring much of Japanese folklore and myth. The setting, speculated to be pre-Nobunaga times, is also a perfect setting for telling this kind of story. Inuyasha seeks to tell. The dynamic between the characters is something that has long lived in the hearts of anime fans and is a reminder of a simpler time in anime history.

4 The Twelve Kingdoms

MAL Average. Rating: 8.03

The Twelve Kingdoms is an epic story that follows a multitude of characters in a different world. The main plot is driven by Youko Nakajima, who began the story as a perfect student with a paralyzing sense of shyness. Forced into a new world where people are after her life, she begins to find the strength to face the challenges that lie ahead.

The Twelve Kingdoms is a sprawling fantasy story that relies more on the tropes of its source material, a fantasy novel, than on many of the more recent innovations that incorporate RPG elements into anime. It is, at its core, a coming-of-age story of a young woman finding the strength to take control of her destiny.

3 Rising of a Bookworm

MAL Average. Rating: 8.05

Rising of a Bookworm is the enchanting story of a young girl, Urano Motosu, who dies before she can read any more books. In the new world, instead of being born as a master magician, she was born into a low-income family as a sickly girl.

Now known as Myne, she strives to enrich her life and the lives of others with books. What's always been so charming about this anime has been the character interactions. Myne is OP, but not in the traditional sense of the word, as her power comes from her unparalleled brilliance. But with her physical limitations, it's beautiful to watch her struggle to overcome them. With no leveling system in sight, Myne climbs the ladder through her personality and intelligence.

2 The Eminence in the Shadow

MAL Average. Rating: 8.33

The Eminence in the Shadow is one of the most popular isekai titles to hit the anime mainstream in recent times. It tells the story of a nervous teenager who dies and is reincarnated in another world, where he promises to live out the fantasy of his previous life—to be the villain in the shadows.

The Eminence in the Shadow It has many of the same characteristics as many other modern isekai with game elements, including an overbearing protagonist, a harem, and somewhat edgy storylines. In fact, it never features any RPG elements, but it tells a powerful fantasy story that is enjoyed by many.

1 Away from spirit

MAL Average. Rating: 8.77

Away from spirit It's a classic that many might not realize is an isekai. It follows a girl who crosses over to another world and searches for her way home. The story really captures the difference between isekai from the '90s and early '00s and those of today, as the former tended to tell stories where the isekai elements were a vehicle for storytelling, while modern isekai tend to focus on character and gimmick.

Spirited Away remains one of the highest-grossing anime films of all time (its top spot was taken by Demon Slayer) and the evergreen story of family, friendship and coming of age is one that has kept it a classic for many.